Hello everyone, looking for a bit of advice on the cost of having oil fired central heating installed and also running costs.

It's a four bed villa, all rooms on one level apart from one bedroom on top floor. Size of villa approximately 160m2.

Has anyone got experience of having this installed?

Thanks.

Oil fired is okay but not the cheapest to run , finding a competent fitter and maintainer will also be a pain , wood pellets can be the way to go as their cost is not connected to oil prices plus there is/was a rebate from the government for installing these ,air source are also becoming popular in the UK , have a look at this UK guide to give you an idea of running costs.

http://www.blakeecotec.co.uk/renewable_price_guide.html

Thanks for the advice. Will check that out.

I intend installing central heating in a cortijo I have , as its not so common in southern Spain there are not many specialist companies down here so Im thinking of importing everything from the UK and then flying a couple of fitters in for a working holiday , my only concern afterwards is if the boiler breaks down .

Sounds like a good plan.

I have oil fired in my place which is about the same size as yours. Central heating is the only way to go, obviously more important dependant on your region. We are in Baza, which can have cold winters (in comparison to say, Almeria coastal areas). The oil is quite expensive, I think about 1.05 euros per litre delivered as a latest price, and I have a 'friendly' oil boiler specialist in the area. Mine is also a combination boiler (instant hot water) with no hot water storage tank to talk about, and a separate 'instant' circuit for the heating, so the pellet system is different in that respect. LPG (no mains gas) suppliers are a problem in the area so that was the clincher for me.

If all the rooms are in use, separate electric/lpg bottle heaters per room is not viable I would suggest!

I fitted an oil fired boiler last year for somebody near the Mar Menor, Murcia. They are superb and quite inexpensive to run but depending on the type you buy can be quite an expensive purchase. With a new boiler a condensing boiler is the way to go as it is much more efficient. Air source heat pumps are also very efficient but can be a little more complicated to fit. They do have the advantage of giving out more energy than is consumed though which makes them a very good long term option. I'm actually trained as an energy assessor in Spain so I know a bit about them. <snip>

So would you say this is relevant for Spain as well ?


http://www.blakeecotec.co.uk/renewable_price_guide.html

My oil-fired central heating and hot water boiler was fitted when I moved in 6 years ago. I will say that when the oil prices go up there is an immediate increase in the cost to me. When the oil prices go down the same applies - the company I deal with are very good in that respect. When I first moved here and had no idea of where to get oil from I got the local garage to deliver. I am sure that it was the agricultural oil that I got, but at the normal gasoil price! It really buggered up my boiler and I had to pay 250 Euros to get it fixed. Needless to say the local garage is not a place I ever go again. I now buy BP Superfiuel - it is very good. I had a delivery yesterday of 656 litres of oil which cost me 648.70 Euros. I am happy with that price as the fuel is also kind to my boiler.

Well YES. A new law came in this year (January) - any property being sold (old or new) and any being rented, MUST have an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate).

Is the EPC software and UK training acceptable in Spain ???

No to issue EPC's in Spain you need to train in Spain. It's taken me quite a while as it is all in Spanish and you have to be a registered engineer, architect or technical architect. If anyone wants more info send me a PM

Rotor this link would be more usefull if it had the price per litre or per kg then one could compare with prices in Spain

Thank you for everyone's input. It's been most helpful.

Here`s some UK prices

Coal http://www.coaldelivery.co.uk/acatal...s_boilers.html

Oil http://www.servicemagic.co.uk/resour.../#.UUwt-TecMYI