If your boiler is old, you may want to consider upgrading. This would be the first step in using your home oil more efficiently. Modern boilers are 90 to 92 percent efficient, as long as they are the correct size for specific heating needs. Below are some other ways to be more efficient with heating oil:
- Ensure your loft insulation has a minimum thickness of 2½ inches
- If your property is suitable for it, use cavity wall insulation. Not every property can benefit from it, though.
- Ensure the seals around all windows and doors don’t let drafts in.
- Use a letter-box draft excluder.
- Have your boiler serviced every 12 months.
- Secure your oil tank to prevent theft. If you think you’re using more home oil than usual, check the tank – thieves might be stealing the oil.
- Consider putting a fence around the tank.
- Fit a lock, and check the security of the vents and fill points.
- Consider an alarmed tank monitor.
- Install an electronic descaler – it is well worth it. It’s an inexpensive investment that will make your heating system more efficient by removing scale.
Advice from the Department of Energy
Many furnaces and boilers in homes today are oversized, especially when the energy efficiency of a home has been upgraded. It’s easy to reduce the heating capacity of a furnace or oil burner to make it more efficient by asking a technician to install a smaller nozzle. The cost is minor, and it could cut your home oil bill by as much as 10 percent.