Essential guidance if you have oil central heating

Central Heating

Fuels bills for the basic creature comforts of central heating and hot water can be sky high. For homes that still run on oil the expense can be even greater.
There are 3.5 million UK households, mainly in rural areas, that are not linked to the gas network and still rely on oil for their heating and hot water. A report by energy regulator Ofgem in 2008 confirmed that people off the grid don’t have access to the cheapest deals (provided by combined bills for gas and electricity), meaning that they pay around £55 more per year for electricity alone.
One thing you can do is to ensure that you are covered for emergencies and the cost of necessary repairs or replacements should your heating system break down. It makes sense to invest in a comprehensive home contents insurance policy. MORE TH>N offers cover for loss of metered oil and water supplies included in the standard cover up to £75k.

Checklist for keeping costs down

• 1. Insulate your loft: It is estimated that around 15% of the loss of your heating escapes through an un-insulated roof. The good news is that insulating your loft is a relatively inexpensive job that you can do yourself. Laying loft insulation blankets could save you around £110 on your heating bills and cut around one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions per year.



• 2. Fill wall cavities: Filling the cavity in your wall is an excellent way to not only reduce your heating bills by approximately 15% but also significantly improve the in-house climate by spreading the domestic heating more evenly. It is estimated that about a third of the heat loss from an un-insulated house escapes through the walls.



• 3. Exclude those drafts: To avoid your money quite literally flying out the window, make sure that all doors and windows are properly sealed. Draughts are the cause of 20% of heat loss in a typical home, and putting in draught proofing materials is a simple DIY task. Use self-adhesive strips for doors and windows and fit brushes to doors and letterboxes.



• 4. Buy a jacket: Don’t make work harder than it needs to. Simply ensuring that your hot water cylinder is properly insulated – by fitting a ‘jacket’ at least 75mm thick – you 'll reduce heat loss by over 75% and could save around £20 per year.

Drop the temperature: If you drop the room thermostat by just 1c degree, it’s highly unlikely that you feel the difference. However, amazing as it sounds, by doing so you could cut your heating bills by up to 10% as well as reducing the wear and tear of the boiler.