Last year's oak leaves are still hanging on. They'll fall off as spring's new growth begins.
Knock on wood, our heating system is working fine. Given that the boiler is over twenty years old, we know that it could go at any moment. It gets serviced every year in the summer and the technician tells us that it's fine, but that it's old. It's time to prepare ourselves for the end. The automatic timer and programming system hasn't worked for more than five years now, meaning we have to go down to the boiler to turn it on and off by hand every day. Replacing the timer would cost way more than it's worth, so we're living with it for now. Still, we only run the central heating in the mornings during the heating season, switching over to wood for mid-day and the afternoons. We don't use any heat overnight. And the oil-fired boiler doesn't heat our domestic hot water; for that we have an electric hot water tank.
I have an unhealthy interest in boilers, as we don't really have them here and I don't know a lot about them. Wouldn't gas be cheaper to run a boiler than oil? Maybe you don't have piped gas available. Hang on, wasn't a major new gas pipeline installed? I expect a new boiler and heating system might be somewhat cheaper to run. Electric hot water too. That sounds quite expensive.
ReplyDeleteLove the photo :)
ReplyDeleteIt's 2°F (-16°C) here this morning. No, we did not turn off the heating system *LOL*.
19 in Dixieland. Burrr!
ReplyDeleteMurphy's law of course dictates that your boiler will only give out during record low temperatures...
ReplyDeleteThe sun is out in California.... We just need water.
ReplyDeleteIt started out at 19 this morning and now while sanding woodwork in the Lounge room it is 28 - that's around 81 for those who don't live in a metric world.
ReplyDeleteStatistics show that natural gas is the most expensive energy source for home heating in France. Heating oil is pretty cheap right now. Electricity is expensive too. Anyway, as you guessed, we don't have piped-in gas here in the countryside. The electric water heater is well insulated and programmed to fire up to heat the tank only during nighttime hours, when the rates are 40% cheaper. We seldom run out of hot water, and we can override the programmed settings if we think there is any danger of using up all the water that was heated overnight. Our main worry is that the oil-fired boiler is getting close to being 25 years old.
ReplyDeleteI miss oaks, very much.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know that you have a well-integrated heating system working for you, to stave off the impacts of the cold. It's really such a help, especially when all the components are working just about right. Anyway, it's really nice that your boiler lasted a long time due to the fact that you have it checked annually. In any case, I think that you should prepare your pocket in order to buy a new one, in case anything happens to it. Thanks for sharing that! All the best!
ReplyDeleteHenrietta Fuller @ Bri-Tech HVAC