I'm sceptical as calor charge the same for gas as oil when the gas has a lower calorific value, as well as renting the tank to you. Handy for a gas cooker though
I've had the system since Thursday. Since it was installed, I've run a hot bath with the power switched off and had 3 showers. According to my meter, I have used 5 units of electricity - about 80p, for all of my household needs. You may think that I am a misinformed liar, misled by some advertising that I never saw, and I should believe that that dumping gas is bad for the environment and using less electricity is a government con and I should really aim to use much more. Feck it! I should get gas central heating installed now, together with a hot water tank that I don't need so that I can really hit hard on the environment. I accept that I have been conned and should of just paid what the gas engineer wanted to replace my gas heater and fit another one, even though they are banned in new commercial property. And if he had suggested ripping out my electric heaters and getting a coal fire, then I should of just meakly accepted.
Off topic to the original post but I’m on oil for heating and an electric immersion tank for hot water which I leave on 24/7 as I want hot water whenever I need it ,not on a timer. The home heating oil is not that bad over a year, well not a t the mo as oil prices are good. The electric bill for the immersion I think could pay towards a superleggera. I’ve just not come across another solution that would work, so interested in suggestions.
If it was me. then' I would get a Fisher unit like mine for hot water. As an added bonus, you can receive a barrel full of abuse here telling you that you have been ripped off!
The best hot water system I had was solar pre-heaters on the roof (west facing so not ideal but still worked well) coupled with the oil fired boiler. I'm not sure why your oil boiler is not feeding your hot water too? Bigish house used very little oil in summerbecause of the pre-heat, if you have to have electric heating for your water the solar pre-heaters would reduce the load considerably but are obviously a cost to install
We are also on oil and an electric immersion tank but considering switching to a combi boiler which is what we had in our previous home. They take up much less space as no stored water, they just heat it up as you use it rather than constantly keeping it simmering.
I’m on an AGA which heats the house fine but sod it being on all the time to heat the hot water tank. That would just drink oil I’d have thought?
At my previous house it was gas but they are available for oil too. They free up a lot of room and seem reasonably economical based on my experience. I was in the last house for 27 years and in that time only replaced the boiler after 22 years so reliable too. Valiant was the make I think.
The only issue I have with combi-boilers is their inability to feed sufficient hot water to run more than one shower at the same time, or even to run a decently pressurised single shower. However, I’ve not used one for 20+ years for that very reason so accept technology may have changed.
Now even I am perplexed Perry. 5 units in 3 days for the whole house. Someone correct me please if Im wrong in my maths but a unit is 1Kw/hr ie 1000 watts of power per hour. We’ve 7x50w recessed bulbs in our kitchen ceiling which therefore use 350w/hr. If just they were the only lights on in the house and only electrical demand and they were on for just 5hrs/day over a 3 day period I’d have used more than 5 units (just). Leaving aside the argument as to the pros/cons of the Fischer PCM thingy, how can you use so little electricity? For the sake of my bank account, tell me please.
Ah right, the AGA wont be the most efficient option for water too, one house I rented had a similar set up but the water git a boost from a back boiler in the wood burner, which wasnt ideal either, if you can get a decent deal on solar pre-heat for the water that will help, just have to do the sums
The wood burner is connected to the water and to independent radiators that aren’t heated by the AGA, I guess the guy thought if he ran out of oil at least parts of the house would be warm!
It's a bugger when you want a hot shower and to wash the dishes in summer not the most convenient. Maybe a combi oil boiler would be the least capital outlay?
I can't explain what my meter reads but those are the readings - I photo the meter on my phone and have a spreadsheet to keep track. I've just had a clear out on my phone and so I can't show the pictures, but they are correct. I am not really surprised though. Right now, I have no lights on and the only thing using leccy will be this computer and things still connected to the mains, like my oven. to show the time. There are a couple of NOCO chargers running but the batteries will be fully charged and so they will just be keeping an eye on charge state. Oh, and a couple of radio clocks doing nothing but displaying the time.
I visited a Ducati dealer yesterday to look at the bikes. The salesperson started waffling on about desmodromic valve operation and how good it was. I told him that he was bulling me. If it is so good then why doesn't everybody use it and why only Ducati? The worthless patents must of expired by now. I sent him packing and went and bought a Suzuki - just as fast and miles cheaper, with no stupid "desmo" servicing. I told him and I saved a fortune by buying a Suzuki rather than a Ducati. I showed them!!!
Your calculations are correct. Change your 7 50w bulbs for modern led equivalent 5w bulbs and you save 90 percent. I get mine from the pound shop for, you guessed it, a pound each. Unlike the early ones from a few years ago these do put out the same lumen than the old 50w halogen and they have lasted at least 3 years and are still going strong.
For West London we've a reasonable sized property (just under 4000' / Couple/Gas Central heating/hot water with air source Heat pumps for Air AC/Heating) and this is our usage, as sent by Symbio on the 7th Sept. "Below are the meter reads that you have submitted till date, which indicates that you have consumed Day: 14163 Night: 1870 units. This was from 13th January 20202 to 30th August 2020, 261 days." Usage per day 61.43 units or £6.75 per day. Don't have the Gas figures so easy to hand, but we use around 60,000kW/hrs a year.
