Oil Boilers and LPG Boilers

Are you ‘off-grid’? Thinking of alternative heating?

MANY people live in homes ‘off-grid’ without mains gas, frequently in rural areas – and the fuel must be driven by lorry and pumped into a tank connected to your home, or in the case of LPG delivered in bottles or to a bulk storage tank.

A core part of an oil or LPG system is the boiler. Aura Gas supplies and fits a range of these boilers, many by Worcester Bosch Group including Best Buys recommended by consumer group Which?

Both systems are similar, heating water via the boiler to distribute around the home as running water from taps or to keep properties warm via radiator or underfloor central heating (although some domestic oil systems use warm air heating).

It is estimated that just under three million UK homes are off the mains grid. Researching on the Internet, you’ll probably be unable to tell if one of these domestic fuels is going to be cheaper to run than the other.

Non-mains oil-fired and gas boilers

The UK Parliament decided against regulating the cost of fuels used in non-mains areas after an OFT (Office for Fair Trading) inquiry a few years ago.

If you must use or have chosen an ‘off grid’ fuel for heating at your property (or perhaps you are ‘hedging bets’ with energy prices often fluctuating), we explain below some of the main differences between heating oil and LPG.