Gas and oil heating are two of the most popular heating options in the UK.
Whilst there has been a certain amount of movement over the past few years towards heat pumps and other renewable heating sources, we are still a long long way away from them replacing gas and oil boilers entirely.
As it stands, these are still two of the most reliable, consistent, and affordable ways to heat your home.
Perhaps you are looking at building yourself a new home heated by a heating source you are not used to. Perhaps your boiler is broken, you are looking for boiler replacement Cumbernauld and don’t know whether to stick with your existing boiler type of make a change.
Either way, you have certainly come to the right place. In this blog we will examine the differences between oil and gas boilers, look at some of the biggest pros and cons of each, and give you all the info that you require to make your decision.
Where do oil and gas come from?
If you have a gas boiler, it will be delivered through mains gas pipelines that travel across the nation. You will pay for what you use and can turn off your boiler when you aren’t using it to cut off supply and prevent overpaying.
On the other hand, if you have an oil boiler you will usually have to purchase the oil it consumes upfront. This oil is then delivered to your home and stored in a tank for you to use when required.
Which is larger?
Oil boilers tend to be significantly larger than gas boilers, especially modern combi ones, which is something you need to bear in mind. Furthermore a tank will need to be installed if you do not already have one, taking up even more of your precious space.
Which is easier to maintain?
Neither boiler requires a lot of maintenance from your end, but both should be serviced annually as a matter of routine.
A gas boiler requires very little cleaning so the service process is usually pretty quick, where as oil boilers are a bit more labour intensive to service due to soot formation. As a result of this, oil boiler services are often quick a bit more expensive.
Which is more efficient?
When it comes to generating heat fast, nothing works quite like a gas boiler. Oil boiler performance isn’t bas, but gas will outperform pretty much anything in terms of efficiency of heat production including electric heating and heat pumps.
Gas boilers are also significantly more flexible than oil boilers as they can heat water to a lower pre-set temperature depending on your requirements, saving you from wasting money on excess heat.
Oil boilers, on the other hand, can only operate at one certain temperature, one of their biggest limitations and perhaps a contributing factor to the fact that gas boilers are far more popular across the nation at this current point in time.