Help choosing lpg/oil/biomass please!

[Arron Dudley]

hey guys and girls!

First post here and it’s a request for help please

We live in cornwall,3 storey timber framed semi with 5 beds 3 bathrooms. 2 adults 3 children

Currently on storage heaters (no mains gas)which cause 2 main issues-we occasionally run out of hot water and we Have 2 rooms that get very cold (conservatory and downstairs toilet,both unheated)

Last year we had new windows and doors, this year we want to put in a wet system and (potentially) run Honeywell evo home zones.

EPC says 12,000 for spac heating and 3,000 for hot water.

Budget upto £15k (absolute budget would be £18k but don’t won’t to cripple myself)

We don’t have the space for an LPG tank so would need bottles if going gas but do have the space for an oil tank.

Can I ask for help please guys, I’m getting lost with biased opinions and it’s all getting on top of me

Apologies for the long no winded first post but thought it best to get as much info in as possible

Thanks again

Arron

 

[Chester]

Someone on here recently said that lpg is about to get massive price hikes, but that could be speculation, so lpg could potentially be a large future fuel cost.

Biomass you need a fair bit of space and requires you to be there to refill/clean etc, so more user labour intensive.

Oil I'm not very clued up on. Neighbors have it as we have no gas main, that was last year and lpg was as an option. Someone will give a more comprehensive review I'm sure but that's my 2 cents.

 

[SimonG]

Lpg will be expensive, especially off of bottles.
Bio mass, space for chip storage, boiler and store.
Oil for me. Last full oil installation into 3 bed terrace was 7.5k. But that was a combi. Combi won't work for you. What's your incoming water main flow and pressures like? Enough to support unvented?

 

[Christian Scanlan]

Seems like logically the oil boiler would be the best fit, yet there's some stuff you need to take into consideration that I wish I knew when I got my oil boiler.

• The prices have been on the rise for the past few years

• Oil is not available on mains supply, and supply is depenedant on local oil providers during times of high demand

• Oil boilers are generally not as energy efficient as gas boiler

• Reduced temperature when multiple taps are used simultaneously

 

[Arron Dudley]

Lpg will be expensive, especially off of bottles.
Bio mass, space for chip storage, boiler and store.
Oil for me. Last full oil installation into 3 bed terrace was 7.5k. But that was a combi. Combi won't work for you. What's your incoming water main flow and pressures like? Enough to support unvented?

Water pressure is high, can’t give a figure but I will buy a tester and come back to you with an exact figure!
We’ve had one quote for oil which was £13k not including laying the concrete slab for boiler/tank..I felt that price was rather high?!

 

[Arron Dudley]

Seems like logically the oil boiler would be the best fit, yet there's some stuff you need to take into consideration that I wish I knew when I got my oil boiler.

• The prices have been on the rise for the past few years

• Oil is not available on mains supply, and supply is depenedant on local oil providers during times of high demand

• Oil boilers are generally not as energy efficient as gas boiler

• Reduced temperature when multiple taps are used simultaneously

Thanks for the reply!
I think all the points you have raised are valid and ones that I’ve already considered with the exception of reduced temp when running multiple taps, we very really run more than one tap at a time so should be ok on that front

 

[SimonG]

Oil prices fluctuate over the year and will rise in September.

Oil availability shouldn't be an issue if you have the correct sized tank installed.

Oil boiler manufacturers may have something to say about efficiencies but as long as you have a correctly sized boiler, necessary controls in place then they are just as good as gas.

Reduced temp at taps isn't an issue if you have the right boiler for the job unless you look at a combi.

I would propose heat only and unvented (subject to flow and pressures).

Too far away to give you a price. But there will be a lot of variables. Tank location and routing oil line to boiler location. Cylinder location. Pipe runs etc.

You want at least another two estimates.

 

[Arron Dudley]

Oil prices fluctuate over the year and will rise in September.

Oil availability shouldn't be an issue if you have the correct sized tank installed.

Oil boiler manufacturers may have something to say about efficiencies but as long as you have a correctly sized boiler, necessary controls in place then they are just as good as gas.

Reduced temp at taps isn't an issue if you have the right boiler for the job unless you look at a combi.

I would propose heat only and unvented (subject to flow and pressures).

Too far away to give you a price. But there will be a lot of variables. Tank location and routing oil line to boiler location. Cylinder location. Pipe runs etc.

You want at least another two estimates.

Thank you for your help

Why would you say no to a combi? One of the biggest reasons we want central heating is because we keep running out of hot water (210 litre unvented tank currently) a problem that will only get worse as the 3 kids grow up

 

[SimonG]

3 bed semi, one bathroom no problem.
Multiple bathrooms and you will find poor performance from a combi.

 

[Arron Dudley]

3 bed semi, one bathroom no problem.
Multiple bathrooms and you will find poor performance from a combi.

Even if only one tap isn’t run at a time? Thank you for your input and answering my questions...much appreciated