How to compare Oil (fioul) with Gas for heating

We have recently bought a house in Isère which has a pretty old oil boiler. We are pretty shocked at the cost of the oil. We have gas to the house so want to consider changing to gas but need to do a proper comparison. Any bright Ideas for websites which might help us on this or even a heating specialist who can advise us?

1 Like

Hi Sue and welcome to our Happy Band.

Although this is an American link, I am offering…it does give lots of food for thought.

To find Heating Specialists in Isère… Yellow Pages is a good start and talk with the neighbours to find out who they use.

https://www.shipleyenergy.com/energy-101-guides/guide/2016/02/24/natural-gas-vs.-heating-oil-which-one-is-best-for-your-home-s-heating

1 Like

We were faced with similar question (in our case between oil and wood as no gas here) and the main issue was how long it would take to recoup the costs of changing systems. Yes the oil cost x euros more per year, but it would take upward of 10 years of savings to recoup the costs. So we decided to wait until the chaudière came to end of it’s natural life as it was already 15 years old. 10 years later and it’s still going strong…

There are many websites that offer comparisons, like here

https://www.mychauffage.com/blog/choisir-entre-chaudiere-gaz-et-fioul

My house is heated by fioul, I had to have the chaudiere changed last year (the old one was stuttering at over 40 years old). It cost over 7000 euros so was a big outlay but I didn’t have much choice ! :frowning:

At my old house in France I had 2 wood burning fires, I would never go back to that again. Having to stack deliveries of wood, bring it in from the barn in winter, and the chore of cleaning the glass and having the dust fly through the air and settle on everthing was a real pain !

There isn’t gas where I am, a neighbour uses thermal energy for his heating, but he is a builder, a clever chap, and was capable of doing the work himself !

Hi,
If you have access to towns gas , it is marginally less expensive than Fioul *; and also eliminates the need for a large storage tank and periodic ordering. It would take a long time to recoup the cost of conversion. LPG in tanks is the most expensive system , and its installation is only recommended for houses where it is known that towns gas will be available in the near future.

*https://www.mychauffage.com/blog/choisir-entre-chaudiere-gaz-et-fioul