@
meldrewreborn
It does vary wildly, but even at 84p per litre right now, that works out at 7p per kWH. Two years ago, I was paying around 40p a litre and five years ago it was as low as 27p a litre. But, no standing charges so that is the biggest saving.
I would not advocate going over to oil if you're all sorted with your gas, but for someone thinking of replacing a heating system with a new system due to end of life, the cost of an oil boiler, tank and pipework is about 40% more than replacing a gas boiler. Plus you need space for the tank. You can get very small unobtrusive tanks, but they tend to be low capacity ones, perhaps 600 litres max. With a minimum delivery of 500 litres, you practically have to run your tank almost empty before getting a delivery. My tank is 2000 litres and you can't just hide that behind your wheelie bins any too easily. It does mean I can get less deliveries a year, and bigger quantities cost less per litre.
The killer is that unless you have a budget scheme with a supplier, you do need to pay up front for an upload. Another issue is that here in rural Wales, if you find yourself running low, most of the local garages have kero on tap, so you can pick up a 25 litre drum or two in case of your delivery being delayed. Not so many garages in 'civilisation' offer heating oil. Esso Blue and Pink Paraffin are a thing of the past.
I explained all this to my mate...don't seem to have put him off yet.
