LPG Comparison Site for Heating the Home
Searching through the internet there seems to be no Comparison for LPG home heating. Like many LPG consumers I feel that I am stuck with my one provider (Calor) and have great difficulty in seeking other distributors and more importantly what prices they charge.
Are you unhappy with your current LPG home heating supplier?
Are you fed up with receiving letters from your supplier telling you the price of LPG is going up yet again?
Are you charged a ridiculous amount of money for renting a tank that’s sitting in your garden?
Tell us so we can let others know.
Or are you pleased with your current supplier?
Have you got a great deal?
How much do you pay per litre, is it the cheapest?
How much rent to you pay for that tank resting at the bottom of your garden or is it for free?
So, do you feel if you had the correct information you could get a better deal?
- This site is dedicated to searching out the cheapest prices and the best deals for the LPG home consumer.
- Each month we will strive to provide information of the best LPG prices and deals available for home heating.
Watch this space for further details.
Great idea, good luck with the site
I have Just been watching the BBC1 programme
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00slm4t
Very eye opening..
Carl
Hi, I had Flogas but they kept increasing prices and then stopped a “Roll over” on their Budget account.
Now with Calor but have just received a letter to inform me of a 5.5p increase in LPG. I watched the BBC report, and it’s about time a regulator was appointed for this form of energy. The companies who supply seem to be able to charge what they like.
John
I too am with calor and have just been advised of a hike of 5.5p per litre on top of a 3.3 rise in November. That’s over 20% in 8 months on the then price of 39.1. How can this be justified?
recently took over this place and from my understanding the previous owners had the tank and gas supplied by flogas… rang em and not at all happy with what they can offer me seemed very expensive..very new to this and have no idea who to contact to change the supplier any ideas ? live in a lock house by side of a canal house is surrounded by water so who ever installs a new tank will have to get it over the lock gates to my side.. possibly a crane job!
Hi Heather,
My apologies, I have been offline for a while; the cheapest LPG company at the moment is still Countrywide, I presently have an 18 month contract at 35p per litre. Installing a tank is a tricky one, the gas companies do not dig holes or prepare the ground with concrete for you but will happily find a contractor that will charge you a lot of money. My advice is to seek out a local with a digger or some knowledge about building a concrete platform and negotiate a price, after all we are only talking about digging a hole or mixing some concrete, it’s not rocket science to a builder. The gas company will normally then inspect and deliver the tank. Remember, they own the tank and so installing once the concrete is laid or the hole is dug is their responsibilty.
Hope this helps
Best regards
Richard
We have a contract with Flogas and pay 14.25p per day for tank standing charge.
I ordered gas on 22nd September and have had two failed delivery dates.They have now promised a delivery tomorrow at pre -increase price. At the time of ordering the cost was 58.28 p/ltr and was increased to 64.28p/ltr on 1st October
It would be great to have an up-to-date site for all LPG suppliers charges and LPG prices
Ian,
My advice would be to try and terminate your contract with Flogas you are paying way above the average.
Read my post on Forming an LPG Syndicate, it tells you about Flogas and the very bad PR they received a while back.
As a last resort you could always tell Flogas that you are writing to the presenter of the programme. It would certainly make them sit up and take notice. As with all LPG companies you can normally ring up and haggle a price, especially if armed with the knowledge of what other people are paying the companies involved.
Hope this helps
Best Regards
Richard
Very interested in all the recent comments re LPG gas prices plus standing charges for the tank. The market just seems an absolute free for all. We built a new house which we moved into almost two years ago – we’ve got a large underground tank which we arranged during the build process, and presumably to get our business Flogas did what seemed at the time a reasonable deal. But we’ve had several price increases since, and at the time of the last contract renewal I decided to shop around. We went back to Flogas with the better offers and surprise surprise they matched the lowest. Whilst clearly their prices must reflect the size of the tank and consumption, there’s clearly a huge variation – I’d like to declare that we’re currently paying 37p/litre (but just told that’s going up by 3p with no stated start date) and our standing charge is 27.40p per day (his seemed comparable with other companies’ quotes). Can anyone advise who we should all be lobbying to get some regulation to these costs? Whilst we’ve invested in alternatives like solar panels and woodburning stove with integrated water boiler, they’ve still got us caught in their net when we haven’t got mains gas.
Thanks
Di
Joined country wide in 09 two year contract .Had first delivery Oct at 33p per ltr.Rec notification of 3.9p price rise in Nov 09 followed by a 1.5p rise in Jan 10 and a 3.5p increase in Sept.Hope this gives a indication of current pricing
bob
Hi Richard
After dealing with CountryWide for 11 years, i can honestly say that they are the biggest rip off merchants i have ever met. I just opened a letter saying that my LPG was going up by 5.5 pence a litre, because apparently the industry is having a “testing” time. Well, i’ve had a testing time, with CountryWide, for years. The price never goes down in the summer, and only ever goes up. The tank rental for their equipment on my land is bordering on farce, can you think of any other industry that charges for this?
Anyway, the conversation on Monday will be, take your tanks off my land, i have no contract, and if this does not happen within 7 day, than i will have them removes and pass on the invoice for this, plus deliver to their Defford branch, and a 20% surcharge (Because i’m having a testing time!!).
How far do you think i’m going to get…….
Im in Ireland and currently been in this rented property just over a year now.it sickens me this lpg gas were moving after xmas as im not paying these crazy prices no more.i only have heating on two hours a day as i cant afford no more and a half full bath for my baby every other day and this is costing over euro 150 each 2months.i cant believe calor as put it up from 0.23 to 0.30 per unit when the weather is just starting to get bad.they are rob dogs and have only risen the price due to winter coming in.im stuck in one room at the moment with a open fire.its driving me and baby mad as its snowing.it not like we can go and sit in bedroom as its freezing.my baby asnt sleeped in her room hardly the first year of her life as i cant afford to keep it heated and i spent alot decorating it for her.you get nothing for your money and it is about time they get a regulator.its euro6 per month rental for metre then 13.5% VAT.so you could be adding extra 20-40euro on bill.cant wait to move like alot on my estate have done due to this gas.i did see dom on bbc has he got any were in getting it regulated?dont no but i want be here to find out hope calor or flogas are proud of forcing people out of there homes or leaving vunrable people with no heating this winter as they cant afford to have it on,good on um you think they were sort of money
Moved into this property in west Wales and took over the account with Flogas last August. Completely new to this kind of energy supply and amazed at how few consumer comparison sites exist. Was paying 38.0ppl(ex VAT)plus 21.9ppd standing charge on a 2 year agreement. Received a letter today dated 09/12/10 stating that prices are increasing by 8.5ppl to 46.5ppl from 15/12/10. A 22% increase!! Comments?
I received aletter from Flogas a couple of weeks ago, just as my price fixed period ended. They are wanting to put my per litre price up by 12p, which is a 34% increase to 47p/p/l. Is this high?
Hi, we are supplied by BP who are hopeless. We have lived in this house for four years and every Christmas, despite placing timely orders, have run out of gas. We have the telemetric system which tells them our stock level so they should know when we are low, despite this we are still always left in a position of no gas and eventually someone comes out with gas cylinders to tide us over. We currently ( after 2 increases last year) pay 40.95ppl.In the summer when we don’t require it, we get continuous top ups when they are in the locality.
This year they have now passed their disribution to a third party so now BP dont even have control over their scheduling and if the distribution company don’t feel it is worth their while to do the journey you get nothing.despite my Husbands efforts to get them to process an order which we placed on 8th December, we still don’t have a bulk delivery.
My Husband did explain to the manager that it was urgent as I had come out of Coronary Care on the 20th December, his answer well there are approx 800 in front of you we will get there when we can. Now 4th January and still no sign of it. We had to move out of the house for three days until they came with the cannisters, really shocking. They keep blaming the weather, however adverse conditions did not apply when order was placed and my Husband who owns/ runs a distribution company has not failed one delivery in the West of Scotland despite weather. Yes indeed a regulator needs appointing poste haste!!I am looking at all info to get an alternative arrangement as I couldn’t go another festive period cold as this one. Any suggestions
Can anybody out there tell me what I can reasonably expect to be charged for digging the hole….no one will give me any idea at all
As far as I can tell, the price of bulk LPG in the rural Midlands is as high as on the Isle of Skye. The supplier to Skye is Calor, which is not known for its special offers.
The customer in the Midlands is a farm, which has three houses and a grain dryer on the same supply. In other words, consumption is about 3-4x higher than a small modern house on Skye.
To get to Skye, a tanker from Grangemouth has to drive for about five hours. Then it reverses this journey. About 10 hours of driving, all in all.
To get to a rural house in the Midlands is certainly not a 10 hour drive.
Moreover, the price of LPG is going up almost in line with oil, whereas two thirds of it it comes from natural gas wells and during the recession the price of gas has been going down, not up.
LPG needs regulation to protect rural consumers. Just as we had regulation for mains gas from 1990-99 Note – since 1999, not even mains gas customers are fully protected; there is the pretence of competition, but in reality margins are fatter than they were soon after privatisation.
Hi. ive tried for many years to find another suplier other than Calor gas since i started with them in 2003 at a cost of 19p per ltr with two increases in 2010 and another due in days it will be 55.4pence + vat. having reached the peak off what we can afford last year were at the end of our tether.ps we sit at night with blanket and water bottles to keep costs down it really is abad situation to be put in. regards. debbie
I have just purchased a converted Barn in Oxfordshire which has an LPG in ground tank and boiler. The previous owners have a contract with Shell and pay an annual charge for the rental of the tank. I am on a learning curve and would appreciate any information regarding the best suppliers in this area. Would it prove more economic to change to oil? Thanks Bob
I, like debra jones, am paying 55.4p + vat per litre for LPG. I have rung Calor(0845 609 6206) and was informed that this was the standard cost. When I suggested that other suppliers were charging less they said that they could not comment on other companies (why). When I asked them if they charged any other domestic costomer less they became very cagey but after I repeated the question three times they admitted that they did but refused to say why. The supply of LPG is clearly a way of making large and unreasonable profits from people who cannot fight back.
Regards Gary
Gary, the only way we seem to be able to get back at them is by forming a syndicate, it’s difficult to start as you have to physically get out there and find the users of the same supplier as you, but believe me it’s a great bargaining point once you have a bunch of angry people ready to take on the suppliers.
As far as I am aware , You do not need to give up your tank, new legislation states that you can change supplier at any time, your new supplier takes over the tank(ownership and maintenance). Flogas makes a standing charge which is supposed to include this maintenance charge.
In theory if the maintenance has been done correctly and there is a proper record then anyone should be free to switch at any time.
We are also with CALOR and have had a visit from Shell today saying they can provide us with cheaper lpg but they need to have a full 1 metre ALL round the tank. We have large shrubs round 3 sides to hide it from view, so are really loathe to remove them to replace them with fencing, but we stand to save £250 per year so its not really a contest.
Go for it Sarah, you can always re-grow shrubs around the fencing but LPG prices will never come down!
My husband has just challenged calor that shell is 10p cheaper per litre and they have agreed to lower their price by a measley 2p, so still 8p more which still gives us a saving of £211 a year.
Sarah, when I was with Calor and threatened to switch to Countrywide for a far cheaper rate they did something similar. It really depends if you are bound in to a contract, if not then move on and see what better prices you can get, otherwise I’m afraid you are stuck. The only other advice is to see if you can find or start a syndicate for Calor users. If a group of users go to their supplier, the suppliers tends to back down and reduce the price.
We are currently paying 57p and 14.47p standing charge per day from Flogas,
Can anyone tell me of a website that I can compare prices of other LPG suppliers as I think we may be paying too much ?
Thanks Michelle
Hi Michelle, I’m afraid there are no comparison sites available for LPG, that’s why I started this site.
LPG suppliers are currently not regulated hence the reason prices vary dramatically across the country, until we hear from the Office of Fair Tradings report this is unlikely to change.
With regard to your question I would agree you are paying a higher than average price.
Are you in a fixed term contract with Flogas or can you move across to another supplier without penalties? If you can, use this as a bargaining point with Flogas.
Should you move LPG suppliers will quote you a low introduction price as you are a new customer, but once they have you under contract they will try to raise the price fairly quickly. So go for a fixed price which maybe a little higher but should be a minimum or 2 years. Remember prices in the next few months are going to rise substantially, we have seen Scottish Gas and now British Gas raise their prices, LPG suppliers will certainly follow this trend.
I hope I have been some help, please let me know how you get on.
Best Regards
Dickie
Hi Dickie,
Thanks for your reply. I have contacted a few local suppliers and the best price I could get was 45p and £60per year charge.
The only thing is they are not really willing to fix the price, but one suppllier said it would not go above 51 in the first year and not above 57 in the second year so I’m thinking this might be the best idea.
The best price flogas would come down to was 51p but whats to stop them uping the price once we have signed the contract.
Maybe once the Office of Fair Trading has made their report it will change the current awful situation for people with no alternative but LPG
Thanks Again
Michelle
Hi. Just about to move to a house on small development in Somerset with bulk tank operated by Flo Gas. Need to ring them up to say we are taking on the property from current owners. Can you advise as to the questions I need to ask to get best deal and can you tell me how the system works for LPG provided in this way. Have only ever used mains gas so this is a real unknown – and by the looks of the comments on your site a total minefield !!! Know is going to cost a lot more and have factored this in the move but would be grateful of some guidance.
Suzy
Hi Suzy,
I think you need to find out if the previous owners were under contract with Flogas and if so whether this will continue with the purchase of the house. Like most suppliers Flogas will give you a low price to start but it will rise fairly quickly.
Currently LPG suppliers have a free reign; at the moment they are not under any price regulation so in theory can charge what they like. Until we hear from the Office of Fair Tradings report this is unlikely to change.
Prices currently vary from 45 pence per litre to approx 65p (it depends on what they can get away with), so as you say it’s a total minefield!
From looking through this site you will see most of the LPG suppliers mentioned have differing prices, the best way is to shop around and see what deals you can get. With the mains gas suppliers all putting up their prices it is guaranteed that the LPG will follow, it just a matter of when, so I am advising users to try and go for a fixed price but obviously as long and low as you can get.
The other way around this problem is to see if there is an LPG syndicate in your area, the way this works is if a number of homes get together deliveries can be coordinating therefore keeping costs down, also as a group you have better bargaining power when it comes to prices.
If you have any further questions let me know, but read through this site and hopefully most of your questions should be answered.
Best regards
Dickie
I think I may have got the lingo wrong – when I say bulk tank I meant one that’s shared by the whole development and the gas is metered into the house as per natural gas. Presumably no chance of swapping here unless all residents agree. And is there likely to be a maintenance fee for the underground tank or service charge. Current owners won’t give me the costs despite repeated requests. Thanks
Suzy
@dickie
Hi Suzy,
Ok my mistake, you are probably in a better position than most as sharing a bulk tank means that the price is negotiated by the whole delvelopment. I would suspect there is someone in the community who will be the LPG representative see if the current owners can put you in touch.
There will be a tank rental charge but again this should be split within the development community.
Hope this helps.
Dickie
I have a house with lpg tank using calor . Is it free to move to another supplier , can they use the existing equipment ? Looking at the comments Shell seem relatively competitive and Countrywide were looking good until I saw the comment about rip off.
Calor are trying to put up my DD substantially because price has gone up and on average annual consumption not on previous year which I contest as I took the house over and have reduced the amount of gas Im using
Hi,
Before I try to help, can you give me some further information.
Have you recently taken over this house, what price are you currently paying and are you under contract with Calor?
Regards
Dickie
Hello
We have recently moved from London to the country and our new house is fitted with an oil tank. We were toying with the idea of having LPG installed but know having read the various threads/comments, there seems to be lots of negative feedback. I presumed LPG would be more economical in the long run over the ever-increasing prices of oil, but it seems LPG is heading the same way. Any comments? I know you get a new boiler installed (ours here is relatively old so this could be a good thing) plus I really really want a gas cooker. Is this reason enough?
Any feedback greatly appreciated. Also, any companies out there that are more recommended than others?
Thanks, Andrea
Hi Andrea, It’s a tricky one; there are pros and cons for each fuel. I do know people who use oil but like LPG and mains prices have recently rocketed. When switching to LPG you can as you say get an all in deal with regard to a new boiler, I did this when I originally had LPG installed through Calor.
Prices will vary with suppliers but obviously my advice is to hunt around with the main dealers to see what you can get.
Flogas, Calor, Countrywide and Shell are just some of the main suppliers who it would be worth contacting to see what they are prepared to do. Each will offer you a different price but is likely to be within 45 pence to 65pence per litre. They like to start low but will raise the price after the first or second delivery.
So In the current climate it is advisable to seek out others around you who have LPG and find out if they are members of a syndicate, this way you can control delivery costs and have a better chance of negotiating a lower price as a group.
Also when negotiating, see what price is available for a fixed term, but check this thoroughly as companies are now getting wise to this request and may provide various options that can prove difficult to understand.
I hope this helps and good luck in your hunt.
Best Regards
Dickie
Hi
Just had another row with Calor Gas in Scotland over their latest hike, almost 52pence a litre, they say they’ll lower it to 47 pence if we sign an agreement for 2 years, that amounts to blackmail in our opinion, so don’t think we’ll be signing it when it arrives,they’ve had us over a barrel for the last ten years,they have bought up the other suppliers that were about Southern Scotland over the time we have been here, we are in a quandry as what to do for the best, they make me mad when you recieve a letter from them as it starts off ” You have Enjoyed ” jeez, I could strangle the Bstards, it’s high time we recieved som action from the Government over this unregulated ripping off of us all….Arrrgghhhhh.
Hi
Now all the kids have flown the nest we’re down sizing to what we hope will be our last move. We are thinking of putting an offer on a small, mid terrace two bedroom cottage in a small hamlet in south Devon. It has LPG. Having never used LPG before I’ve been surfing the net to find out what I can about it. Bit surprised by the amount of controversy and misleading information I’ve found.
What we really need to know is the average cost of heating a small cottage with 5 radiators. We only usually use the heating for a couple of hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening. We will have a log burner in the main living area.
A ballpark figure would be great and any further advice from LPG veterans would be much appreciated.
Hi Penny,
Welcome to the wonderful world of LPG! It is indeed a real minefield but there are a few pointers that can make things a little easier.
To give you a rough ball park figure could be quite difficult as it very much depends on the supplier you use and as you say your personal usage.
I have a similar set up owning a three bed-roomed property but with 11 radiators and a wood burner in our sitting room. From experience we now use the log burner as much as possible and have the Central heating on for a similar period, however we also have our cooker on LPG.
I normally have my LPG tank filled early in the year (March), a 2000 litre tank which this year was topped up with 1870 litres at the then price of 37.5 PL. (I have not added tank rental which can vary in price, mine is £15 every 3 months). Bear in mind there is a further 3 months to add so approximately for this year £900.
Things to look out for:
1. Each supplier will vary in price – the best way is to ring round the LPG suppliers and see what deals they will offer, shopping around is the key.
2. Some Residents/Villages come together to form a syndicate, this way they get a better delivery price and have one representative who will haggle the best deal available with one particular supplier. (Check your area for a syndicate).
3. All suppliers will lock you in to a contract, the length may vary, they will start you off at a low price but inevitably will try to raise the price at a later date, also remember to study the small print re tank rental charges. (Is your tank underground or above, prices may differ?)
4. A good idea in the present climate is to see if you can get a fixed price. We all know that Gas prices are rising dramatically and LPG is no different.
Also check the current LPG contract on the property you are interested in, make sure you are not stuck with it if you decide to purchase.
This is a very basic outline but hopefully of some help. Any further questions you have please email and I will try to advice, also search this blog and you will find a lot of good information from readers and my posts.
Best Regards
Dickie
I have just received a letter from Flogas, telling me that (yet again) my LPG is going up by £0.06p per litre as of October 1st. This means that they have just announced a 12% increase, the new cost is £0.56p per litre. How does this compare with other companies?
I am also told that I am under contract with Flogas for another 1.5 years, however I seem to recall that this was made illegal? That customers can change if they wish. Can anyone confirm what the situation is?
Hi Mike, As far as I’m aware you are under contract, however on another level, looking at the Flogas prices I see someone has replied to this site informing us that after the 6ppl rise they are now being charged at 52ppl. You could tell Flogas that you are aware of customers who are on a cheaper rate and inquire why the prices differ between each customer. They will try to fob you off, but insist on speaking to a manager and remind them of a certain “Don’t get done get Dom” programme, an investigative documentary about Flogas and the Village of Winkleigh in Devonwhich.
There’s nothing worse for a company than some bad press.
Hope this helps and please let me know how you get on
Dickie
I have been reading the comments on LPG bulk tank prices etc. Thank you to all who have posted. I have had LPG heating and hot water since February 2006. I was told that I could not have either an oil tank or LPG tank due to the siteing regulations, so I had to have 98.1 litre cylinders.
This week I had two cylinders delivered £158.00, these will last for approx 2½ weeks, so compared to this, the prices for bulk deliveries mentioned above still seem cheap!
My local supplier told me that he will be stopping delivery in October and suggested that I contact Flo gas as their cylinders were cheaper. I did and was offered the cylinders for £52 + 5% VAT. I mentioned about being told that I couldn’t have a bulk tank and arrangements were made for their rep to call. This he has now done and after measuring the area where I wanted a tank, he said that it is sufficient for a 1200 litre tank, so I am now waiting for a proper survey to take place and hopefully a tank being installed in about a month which even with the higher prices quoted above must save me money in the long run as £79 for 98.1 litres is about 80p litre!
Hi, I’ve just found your site – great info about LPG. I’m with Flogas who have just put my price per litre to 52p (a 26% increase!!!) but if sign up to their top up system i can get 2ppl knocked off – might help Mike – I was more than a little mad but reading these posts i realise it’s about in line but still not good!
I also understand new legislation, with regard to energy suppliers, allows you to break a contract if they increase your prices but does this apply to bulk LPG suppliers or just the big mains suppliers????
Point for David – when Flogas surveyed our site they got it completely wrong, it took a while but they did refund the install fee and additional costs. Suggest you get it double checked before you carry out any works.
I have just found this site as, like many other people, I was trying to compare LPG prices. I have just been quoted 48p per litre from Countrywide which compared to some of the prices quoted does not seem bad. However I have found out that my neighbour is only paying 41p per litre so I have queried this with Countrywide who have passed this onto the manager for consideration as all eight users in my street are paying 48p and the 41p is an exception. My philosopy is if you don’t ask you don’t get, you never know they may drop the price and now I know there are eight other Countrywide customers in my street I might try and arrange a syndicate so we can bring the prices down even lower.
Well done Sue!
See if you can arrange the syndicate, it will be worth the hassle in the long run. I can’t stress enough about haggling, as you rightly say “if you don’t ask you’ll never know”.
i live on a park home site the site owner negotiates with the gas company
we have no say we are charged 62ppl at the moment plus we pay a quarterly
rental for the tank he will top up the tank whether its required or not so therefore we have no say ,and there seems no legislation to stop these owners charging or determinging your requirements
Hi Dave,
Looks like there are two issues here.
Firstly I would certainly be in touch with the other residents to make sure they are all aware of this.
I would then nominate a representative to meet with the site owner and discuss about topping up tanks.
Is there a contract you have signed with the site owner about this?
Secondly I would ask if he has the necessary permission from the residents to act on your behalf for negotiating on the prices of LPG delivery, (hence the reason I ask about a separate contract). Is there any way you can negotiate directly with the LPG company in question?
I live in a development of 17 properties with a metered supply from a common bulk tank – usage per property varies from £800 – £2000 per year. The system was installed about 12yrs ago by Calor who agreed a 10yr contract with the developer. After being ripped off for 10yrs we shopped around after finding out that the law had changed allowing suppliers to take over existing installations. This regulation has shot itself in the foot somewhat as the supplier cannot insist on more than a 2yr contract and if he takes over your tank it is his responsibility to bring it up to the current regulations which is not sufficient time for them to make enough profit to make it worthwhile. However, after getting some competitive prices Calor agreed to a new 2yr deal which has just ended and have quoted a renewal at current 44.5ppl guaranteed till 31st March 2012. The previous contract had a zero standing charge and no tank rental – I have yet to confirm whether this is still the case. I hope this information can be of help to any other users in the same position.
Ian, Many thanks for your useful note, as you say lets hope this can be of some help to some of the LPG users out there.
Regards
Dickie
hi i have been with calor for 10 years and they have jus informed me that my tank needs moveing as there is not enough space between my buildings where it is they want me to have it burid in my garden after haveing it filled for 10 years cant believe it does anyone know how much space there should be around the tank thanks
Hi Pat,
Please take a look at my post re “installing a storage tank” this will give you a rough idea of whats involved with details of distances and measurements. Interestingly the original details were produced by Calor so it maybe worth checking their website.
Has something been built or installed near to the tank over the last ten years? I presume there must have been some change for Calor to now require the tank to be moved. Burying the tank can prove to be expensive especially when trying to find someone to dig the hole. In my case Calor would not dig the hole but I was fortunate enough to have a local farmer with a mini digger. Be on your guard!
Regards
Dickie
Just a quick update. Countrywide agreed to 41p without having to go as a syndicate. Everyone just ask your supplier for a lower price, they all want to keep you as customers in these tough times
Hi Sue, Interesting comment, I have just come off the phone with Countrywide and they quoted me the current Unit price of 54.6 ppl………….I’m too polite to actually tell you what I said to them but we are now currently in negotiations!
Good morning all,
This a good site and I’m glad I found it. I’m posting here because My wife and I currently investigating our options as to how to continue heting my off-mains two bedroom cottagein SW Scotland. I came here because from my research so far, LPG seems an appealing option in many ways.
Let me first describe our circumstances. We have lived in the cottage now for five years. It is owned by my grandparentsbut they allow us to treat it as our own. At the moment, we heat it using a 12kw solid-fuel stove fired by anthracite. The house s warm and the anthracite is not desperatley expensive in my opinion (we spend around £850 p.a. on coal which provides all our heating requirements). The stove supplies hot water to five radiators (three of which are doubles).
However, we have one or two issues with our current setup. We both work shifts meaning that it can often be difficult to tend to the stove on the strict timetable it requires to keep burning. Also, when we light itin early october it stays on until late March 24 hrs a day. This means that outside of that timescale, especially spring and autumn, we have no capability for a “quick heat_up” on cold mornings and evenings. Even in the winter the house actually oftne becomes far too hot due to constant heat output! We need 50kg of coal delivered every week and the house has become a mess due to dust everywhere.
For these reasons, we wish to install a ‘normal’ central heating system. We don’t possess the capital for a renewables based solution and as off-mains we therefore have two realistic options (other than remaining solid-fuel) – oil and LPG.
I have a number of issues with oil – much higher installation costs, purchase, site preparation and installtion of a storage tank and the liability if any spillages occur. Not to mention the rocketing cost of heating oil (though I do recognise LPG is by no means immune to this either).
LPG appears to be a cheaper option in terms of installation, very important as our budget is limited. We can rent rather than purchase a tank outright and from what I can see, LPG unit costs are much more competitive versus oil than has been the case historically.
I have a number of questions though:
– For a n approx 100sqm one-storey, 2 bedroom house with modest insulation and single glazing, do you think we would use more than 2000 litres p.a. for heating and hot water only (no cooking) with the heating typically on for, say, 4-5 hrs per day?
– Given that we have radiators and pipework already in place, how much would you expect installation to cost (only very roughly).
– Would calor, for instance, install the tank at no extra cost to us outside rental costs?
– Might it be possible to retain our multi-fuel stove system and run it in sepest winter (Nov, Dec, Jan) and only use the LPG boiler outside of these months? i.e. a link-up or hybrid system to keep LPG usage down.
– Am I a fool to even consider LPG or oil at this time given the growing oil and gas scarcity?
I apologise for such a long post and alos if I have hi-jacked this thread a little but I’m really keen to find out how existing LPG-users feel about their system and gather opinion so that I make the right decision as it would be a big investment for us.
Thank you.
Hi William, Welcome to the blog.
You have a fair few questions that I will try to answer but please bare in mind I am not qualified technically with regard to LPG, but have many years of experience in dealing with numerous LPG and oil companies.
1. – – For a n approx 100sqm one-storey, 2 bedroom house with modest insulation and single glazing, do you think we would use more than 2000 litres p.a. for heating and hot water only (no cooking) with the heating typically on for, say, 4-5 hrs per day?
Answer: No, I own a 3 bedroomed house with 11 rads and LPG cooker, I generally have the heating on for approx 3 hrs per day, Oct/Nov to March. My last refill with my 2000 litre tank was Feb 2011, it is funnily enough about to be refilled this week as it has less than 5% left. However, before you spend any money make sure you get FULL insulation and double glazing. This is vital to you saving money with whatever heating system you go with.
2.– Given that we have radiators and pipework already in place, how much would you expect installation to cost (only very roughly).
Answer: this is tricky and prices will vary with each supplier, your best bet is to ring round and see what each company is prepared to offer.
3– Would Calor, for instance, install the tank at no extra cost to us outside rental costs? Answer: Again depends on what you can get from each company, originally in my case with Calor no, and I had to pay separately to get my underground tank fitted.
4– Might it be possible to retain our multi-fuel stove system and run it in sepest winter (Nov, Dec, Jan) and only use the LPG boiler outside of these months? i.e. a link-up or hybrid system to keep LPG usage down. Answer: Not as a duplicate system, however I used my wood burner which was originally connected up to the central heating as an extra fire in our sitting room which makes a hell of a difference!
5– Am I a fool to even consider LPG or oil at this time given the growing oil and gas scarcity? Answer: LPG and OIL are expensive especially in this current climate. (Current rates vary from approx 40ppl to 71ppl). There are ways and means of reducing costs, syndicates etc but I suspect from what you tell me you are located out in the sticks. I encourage all my blog readers to haggle haggle haggle until the companies are sick of them and this has been proven to get results.
Hope this has helped in some way and please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information. Best regards – Dickie
Thank you Dickie for taking the time to answer. I appreciate it.
I expected as much with the tank installation so that’s fine. However, it since turns out that siting regulations for LPG tanks leave me with a real headache. The 3m buffer between the tank and any building was fine, I though, plenty room round the back. However, then I found out about the 25m from the delivery lorry and the need for the driver to see his vehicle from the tank at all times. I won’t bore you with the details of our layout but believe me when I say that the nature of our property makes this impossible in my opinion. I’ll need a proper site assessment to confirm.
As regards running costs, I also posted on another forum and some energy industry professionals who post there seemed to concur that an LPG system should cost about the same to run for my household as my current anthracite system. That is acceptable to us especially as we would gain the convenience that we crave so much.
We’re still mulling over our options, once we have had oil and LPG installations priced we’ll have a clearer idea of what we want to/can do.
Cheers!
Have just read the comments to date.This morning realised my bulk tank is down to 25%,my safe ordering date.Asked flogas for a quote,result, 45.8ppl for new customer using less than 2500l per year.
Rang my present supplier-Calor for todays price??? 56.4ppl!!!!Told the person I have three better prices than theirs and flogas being the best.{bluff]I would have to wait a few days as the supervisor is in ameeting all day today.Said I couldnt wait! Ten minutes later phone rings-Calor match flogas by reducing price to 48.6ppl fixed for 6 months plus £60 credit on my next order.Down side have to sign up for 2 years contract.Only get out from this is if price increases by more than 3.5ppl in any 3 months.Will be watching things closely from now on.Also have just discovered LPG Solutions website which will negotiate/find best prices for you.Anyone due to order LPG allow at least 4 weeks to change to a new supplier.So my advice is try LPG Solutions for free!
Good luck. Tony
Well done Tony, sounds like a reasonable deal; thanks for the info on the LPG solutions website, I will add them to my website addresses page.
Regards
Dickie
My Flogas bill is ridiculous £100 a month I am a single parent with special needs child and have been offered no help at all in paying.
I am reallyn unhappy with Flogas
Hi Juliet,
You don’t say if this is bottled LPG or a tank, if it’s a tank how much are you paying per litre?
Are you under contract and if so how long has it got to run?
Regards – Dickie
Interesting debate here guys, rang flogas yest to ask for price match with next door and trying to syndicate. They will not have any of it. Have been 4 years with them. Their overall customer service is average and in terms of negotiation, they screw you on price. I fixed twice now for 2 years each time yet the price is variable…so what is the point of fixing? When you ask, you get a vague answer which bluffs its way around the truth that quite simply, it is not worth fixing the contract with them!!!
I have just spoken to USWITCH. They are considering LPG comparison. I told them that we were left behind and dipping out.
I switched from FLOGAS to Calor gas, as soon as I did, Flow gas reduced the price by 10p a litre.
A month later Calor gas increased the price by 9p a litre. I just had a bill from them, £536.62 in a 1000 litre tank which was not empty and they only fill 80%. I was not home when they filled the tank, so I do not know how much was in it. I am concerned about the price.