Converting From Oil Heat?

[HappyMommy2]

Hi Mamas, I'm hoping to hear your experiences and advice about heating an over-100-year-old home.

Our oil tank is so rusty that it is time to do something about it before we have a catastrophe.

We already have gas in the house, and are considering switching to gas. Or possibly gas plus something more green. I'm not sure if solar panels are in the budget. We are both laid off right now, and have to use the emergency fund to take care of this.

I'm hoping for gov't assistance, or at least a tax break. Anybody get a subsidy or a loan?

Do you know if gas is "made" in the US? We would like to do our part to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

TIA!

[staceychev]

We looked into it, but in the end opted against conversion because, at $1500, replacing the oil tank was by far the least expensive option. A new gas furnace would have cost at least 5-6K. My cousin, who's a commercial HVAC guy, did the numbers for us, and found we really wouldn't be saving anything switching to gas, either.

Of course, if we could afford to do something awesome and green like solar or geothermal, we would. But, as it is, we're still on oil, and just keeping the thermostat between 65 and 67. (Oh, and we're in an old house, too... circa 1885 with radiators.)

[greenmansions]

Part of your decision process should be what state your furnace is in, and what kind of heat you have (forced air vs. radiators or whatever). Do your water heaters also rely on the oil?

We replaced our oil furnace with a gas furnace and decommissioned our oil tank. We have forced air heat, the furnace was original to our house (50+ years old.) One water heater was oil and one was (and still is) electric. It was time to replace things, and the total cost was about $7K, about 7 years ago. We switched everything to gas, except the electric water heater - it's clear on the other side of the house and we didn't want to run the gas line over there.

If you have radiators or other radiant heat, your equation might be different than ours was because oil is more efficient for heating the water than gas is - oil burns hotter than gas.

Gas is sourced here and Canada.

If money is an issue, your cheapest option will be to replace the oil tank as long as there has been no leakage. If it's leaked, all bets are off - though you may have insurance to cover clean up through the oil company. You don't say where your tank is located - I'm assuming it's above ground since you can see the rust, so you would probably know if it was leaking.

The oil company may also subsidize your tank replacement, so I'd check with them about any programs they may have.

ETA tanks are very thick steel so it may not be as bad as you think in terms of being so rusty it would perforate soon...have you had someone confirm the condition for you? The oil company can help you evaluate. It's in their best interest too to prevent leaks.

[HappyMommy2]

Thanks Mamas. We have forced hot air. The gas currently does the hot water tank and the stove. The furnace is 9 years old, so we should be able to get 10+ years out of it.

I will definitely check subsidies for a new oil tank!