Is Oil Central Heating Cheaper Than Gas?

The main statistic that you need to know before reading any further on this page is that 23 times more people in the UK have a gas boiler as opposed to an oil fired boiler. There is a very good reason for this, in fact, there are several, and we will go through them as we attempt to answer ‘Is oil central heating cheaper than gas?’.

A big price difference

The average price that a household pays for gas heating each year is estimated to be somewhere between £500 and £600, whereas oil central heating would cost between £700 and £800 for the equivalent amount of fuel. These figures can only be estimated as statistics vary from organisation to organisation, due to disputes that fail to agree on what an average household is, and what the average size of a home is. Regardless of the discrepancies, oil central heating is likely to cost around 30% more than gas.

Efficiency of the natural materials

Oil simply costs more than gas, but that doesn’t help to explain why. During combustion, it has been proven that natural gas is far more efficient at providing heat energy. The worst method of heating a boiler is using electricity, so we still recommend oil or gas as preferable options.

Is oil central heating cheaper than gas – off the gas grid?

As we’ve covered in previous resources, providing heat to a property off the gas grid can be a tricky thing to figure out, as there are various options and different factors that can affect which method to use. Again, electricity is the most expensive option for heating, whether on or off the grid, so we don’t recommend that. What we do recommend for homes off the gas grid is sticking with an oil heater and occasionally using a wood-burning stove (though these are not efficient for heating a whole property) if you have a source of free or inexpensive wood.

Will switching to another provider make a difference?

In theory, the most expensive gas supplier will cost more than the cheapest oil supplier, so if you are determined to remain with your oil fired boiler, you can make it work financially. If you’re willing to make a change, switching to a cheaper gas supplier can save you hundreds of pounds each year, money which you can invest into other energy saving measures in your home.

Want to know a secret that can make BOTH oil and gas cheaper?

The key is insulation. Millions of homes in the UK are suffering from poor quality insulation, whether it has sagged or settled, or was never fitted properly in the first place. The best way to reduce the usage of your oil and gas central heating is to make sure that as much of the warm air as possible remains inside the building. Still, though, if your home is properly insulated, the answer to ‘Is oil central heating cheaper than gas?’ remains no. Gas is simply more efficient as a fuel, and cheaper to purchase per unit.

One final piece of advice we will give is that many people fire up their boiler to a high temperature so that it warms the home quicker. This doesn’t work, in fact, boilers operate at the same speed, so the higher the heat setting, the long it takes to get there, and the more energy is used. You will save a lot more money by wearing warmer clothing indoors and turning your heating down by a couple of degrees.