How To Save Money on Your Oil Bill

We all want to save money on our heating bill each year, especially if you paid hundreds of euros last
year heating your home. Every year more and more homeowners in Ireland are looking for new and
better ways to save money on their household bills, especially during the colder months of the year.
To help you get the most from your heating oil and make your home as efficient as possible, we’ve
compiled a list on how to save on your heating oil and how to converse it with improvements you
can make to your home to make it more energy-efficient.

Get Your Boiler Serviced

Getting your oil boiler serviced by an approved engineer is one of the quickest and simplest ways to
make sure you’re getting the most out of your heating oil and the most efficiency out of your boiler.
A full oil boiler service will include making sure that all the components are working correctly and
identify and replace any worn/old parts that may be reducing the efficiency of your oil boiler. It will
also make sure the burner is combusting correctly and that all flues, vents etc. are fully cleared. This
will make sure your boiler does not burn more oil than it needs to, helping your oil to last longer.
Stillorgan Gas, Plumbing & Electrical offer an oil boiler service for €120 which is a lot less than the
money you’d spend on oil with an inefficient boiler that hasn’t been serviced/cleaned.

Get The Most Out of Your Radiators

Be careful to avoid common issues that can cause your radiators to use a lot more energy than
required.

- Keep your radiators clean – A light coating of dust can hugely increase energy use

Give your radiators space – Placing furniture such as chairs and sofas too close to your
radiators will cause them to use a lot more energy as the radiator's heat is absorbed by the
furniture

Be careful with curtains – Similar to sofas & chairs, curtains that hang over your radiators
can absorb a huge amount of heat. They can also carry the heat out of your windows rather
than radiated into the room which can really hurt your bills.

- Consider a power flush – Over time, radiators fill with a black magnetic liquid we call sludge.

This sludge can cause major blockages inside radiators that can cause huge issues with
circulation in your heating system meaning your boiler will work much harder to heat your
home than it normally would. At Stillorgan Gas, Plumbing & Electrical we offer power
flushing using the highest quality equipment for just €599.

Insulate Your Home

One of the best ways to keep the cold out and the heat in is to insulate your home. Installing quality
insulation can hugely affect your heating bill & save you a ton of oil. Make sure you focus
especially on the following 3 places.
- Your Walls – About 35% of heat lost in your home is through the walls of your home.
- Your cylinder – Putting a jacket or a blanket over your cylinder or having an insulated
cylinder installed can help keep your heat in.
- Your attic/roof – About 25% of heat lost in a typical home is through the roof.

Turn Down Your Thermostat!

By turning your thermostat down just 1c, you could reduce your fuel bills by over 10%. You should
also ensure your thermostat is accurate and working as intended. You should also check the
thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) on each of your radiators to ensure they are set correctly. A
healthy home temperature for an active family is considered to be 18-21c.

Consider using a premium heating oil

Just as premium diesel/petrol can improve your car’s performance and km/L, premium heating oils
can reduce the heating bill of an average-sized family home by up to 15%.
Premium kerosene is treated with special additives which help the oil burn cleaner and more
efficiently than standard heating oil. Not only will this reduce your yearly energy bill by saving money
on oil, but it will also prolong the lifespan of your boiler.