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Heating oil’s future – making a difference

“Oil is the cheapest option for off grid homes and has been since October 2014,” says FPS chief executive Guy Pulham. The FPS is urging all those using oil to have their say and ‘make a big difference to the future of heating oil’
“It’s vital that everyone who uses heating oil has a say on A Future Framework For Heat In Buildings – and seizes the opportunity to voice their opinion to make a difference to this most critical government consultation,” says FPS chief executive, Guy Pulham.
“The current government’s policy seems to be encouraging moving rural households and businesses – currently using oil heating – to electrically driven heat pumps to cut carbon emissions, reports Guy.
“We’re concerned that this may place a large financial burden on many rural communities whose housing stock will need additional costly insulation to make the investment in heat pumps provide competitive energy bills.”
“According to the latest quarterly data released on 30th April 2018 by Sutherland Tables, running an oil condensing boiler currently remains far cheaper than any renewable heating options. The average annual cost of heating a three-bedroom home in Great Britain with an oil condensing boiler is £1143 per annum compared to an air source heat pump radiator system at £1685 per annum and electricity is £1913 per annum.  For homes using an LPG condensing boiler the cost is £1567 and wood pellets is £1532.
“Oil is the cheapest option for off grid homes and has been since October 2014.”

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A Future Framework For Heat In Buildings is calling for ideas and evidence on how best to decarbonise the 1.2 million homes across the UK that use oil for heating.

The FPS is urging the 1.2m homeowners in the UK who use heating oil, to take part in the government’s consultation and submit their views to make a real difference to the future of heating oil, before the 11th June deadline.
The FPS has also written to MPs asking them to support their constituents who use heating oil and to help shape the government’s upcoming policy so that heating oil can be part of a stepped change approach to reaching the government’s 2050 carbon reduction targets.
“The Energy Savings Trust estimates that the cost of installing heat pumps is at least £6000, with external wall insulation costing £8000 and internal wall insulation £4000,” added Guy.
“Compare this to around £2000 for an oil condensing boiler of similar heat output or £1600 if subsidised by a nationwide £400 government boiler replacement incentive scheme, or free for the poorest households under the government’s current ECO 2 scheme which is due to end in September 2018. A more efficient oil condensing boiler can also reduce CO2 emissions by 30%.”
“The government has a target to reduce carbon emissions by a minimum of 80% by 2050, and this consultation has been designed to help shape plans for phasing out fossil fuel heating in off-grid buildings in the 2020s to assist in its overall target,” explains Guy Pulham.
“There are plenty of things that can be done to decarbonise the heating oil industry and still ensure it has a bright future,” added Guy.
“We believe that oil and potentially biofuels in the future, can be part of the solution – but we need the help of householders using heating oil, to persuade the government that oil does have a future and that we can find a way to meet the carbon reduction targets by working together.”
 

THE DEADLINE FOR TAKING PART IN THE CONSULTATION IS 

MONDAY 11TH JUNE

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-future-framework-for-heat-in-buildings-call-for-evidence