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Message |
    
emmie
Supporter
Username: Emmie
Post Number: 828
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 2:44 pm: | 
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I am thinking of converting my heating system from oil to gas. I have a furnace that is about two years old. For those of you who have converted, did you find any difference in your monthly heating bills. Would you do it again? What's the ballpark figure for having this done? I imagine the heating bills will be about the same. What I am concerned about is the availability of oil this winter and the increasing cost. |
george H
Citizen
Username: Georgieboy
Post Number: 290
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 2:54 pm: |
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I may be wrong,but I think an oil burner is different from a gas furnace.If yours is only 2 years old,it would'nt make sense to switch over unless your current furnace can somehow be converted.Any feedback? |
emmie
Supporter
Username: Emmie
Post Number: 829
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 3:00 pm: |
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I am pretty sure it is the kind that can be converted. Well, maybe not. I just checked and it is an SGO "oil fired steam boiler," Weil-McLain. Guess "oil fired" is the clue here. |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 12344
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 3:03 pm: |
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A furnace uses fuel to heat air for a forced air heating system, with ducts.
A boiler heats water to produce either hot water or steam heat, with radiators.
Years ago I know that the oil fired boiler could be converted to gas. I don't know if this is still done or not.
As purely a personal opinion the cost of heating with oil or with gas usually evens out over a few years. |
Robert O'Connor
Citizen
Username: Local24
Post Number: 70
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 4:00 pm: |
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emmie,
compare the cost per BTU of oil and gas in your area. What you find may surprise you. Though it's impossible to predict the future of pricing differences, this will give you an idea of what's happening right now.
For gas, divide what you paid in a month by the number of therms you used that month- this will roll in all the taxes and fees that the gas company would rather you ignore- and you get the price per therm. A therm is 100,000 BTUs, divide it by 100,000 to get your cost per BTU.
For oil, divide the price per gallon by 140,000 (number of BTUs in a gallon of #2 oil) to get cost per BTU. The oil price almost always includes all the taxes/fees.
If you find oil is cheaper per BTU, it makes sense to stay with it. A modern oil burner, properly installed and adjusted, will run efficiently and WILL NOT generate smoke or soot. Ask me how I know that. And if the balance tilts the other way, you can usually install a power gas burner in an oil-fired boiler. But you can't convert the usual atmospheric gas boiler to oil, and atmospheric gas equipment is slightly less efficient to begin with.
IMHO, I'd leave it alone. It sounds like you have good equipment, the only question I'd have is, was it properly sized. Most boiler (I've found) are 30% oversized. Depending on the size of your house, most of the smallest oil boilers will do the trick, but math doesn't lie. The key is the setting up of the burner, and installing the correct nozzel.
I don't believe converting to gas that you will ever make the money back in your lifetime to justify the cost of the conversion.
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