you know it is possible to have an energy-efficient heating system even if you are not on mains gas?

Whether you have found your dream home in the heart of the country or are simply just outside the main grid of a town, you may believe you are stuck with high fuel bills as part of the location.

However, it is still possible to become more energy-efficient and cost–effective (and even get some of your energy for free) by considering upgrading your boiler or even considering the latest renewable technologies.

It may often be a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ but as with inefficient gas-fired boilers over 15 years old, an aging oil-fired boiler or even an LPG boiler could easily be one of the biggest causes of high fuel bills.

Using only 60-70” class=”editor of energy put in it could be wasting around 30 - 40p of every £1 of oil used - which soon adds up.

Martyn Bridges, director of marketing and technical support for Worcester, Bosch Group comments:

“Upgrading to a high-efficiency condensing boiler such as Worcester’s Greenstar Heatslave or Camray ranges of SEDBUK ‘A’ rated oil-fired boilers, could see heating and hot water bills cut by between 5 – 10%, as they convert over 90% of oil used into heat.

“Helping you save money on your fuel bills and, as a bonus, lower your carbon footprint in the process.

“Also, if you have found your dream kitchen but think the space could be better used with the boiler taken out of the equation, both of Worcester’s Greenstar oil-fired ranges have external models which allow you to free-up wall or floor space inside, without losing any efficiency.“

Renewable energy sources are not out of bounds either. Solar water heating systems and air or ground source heat pumps can all be retro-fitted to your home, providing eco-friendly heat and hot water all year round.

At Lewingtons we can provide you with advice and quotation to see how you can save money by upgrading your boiler.

As the temperature rises outside, turn off the central heating; but don’t forget your summer service!

As central heating systems all over the country are switched off as the weather finally warms up, OFTEC is encouraging oil users to use the opportunity wisely and have their boilers serviced in the summer months.

People tend to forget about their boilers until the cold kicks in during autumn, but OFTEC, the leading representative for oil heating and cooking in the UK and Ireland, wants to inform consumers about the many advantages of getting a registered technician to service a boiler before winter arrives. 

Director General of OFTEC, Jeremy Hawksley says, “Summer can be a very economical time for people to get their boiler serviced as labour and sometimes oil tends to be cheaper and engineers have more time available. Ideally people should be having their boiler serviced once a year during the summer months to make sure that it is in good working order and works to optimum efficiency throughout the winter. The last thing that anyone wants is for the cold weather to arrive once again and find that their boiler has stopped working and to have to address the issue then.”

“It is important that people use a qualified installer to service their boiler as unqualified work can potentially cause fault. OFTEC has over 9,500 registered business and technician members throughout the UK and Ireland who have proved that they have the skills to ensure safe and effective installation.”

To book a service from our expert engineers contact us.

Having an oil fired boiler serviced regularly can keep it operating at its most efficient. This reduces fuel bills and saves money on costly call out fees for unexpected breakdowns, it is recommended that oil fired appliances and equipment are serviced at least once a year or as recommended by the manufacturer.

There are many reasons why the efficiency of an oil fired boiler could be reduced. Here are a few:

• Excessive smoke and partially burnt fuel deposits soot on the heat exchanger which restricts the amount of heat which the heat exchanger can transfer into the water. A heat exchanger carries water around the boiler, absorbs the heat from the hot flue gasses and transfers it into the water. The cleaner the heat exchanger the more efficient the boiler will be.

         • Oil Nozzles will wear. They regulate how much oil is used and if it is not regularly replaced it could cause “sooting up” of the heat exchanger, and so reduce heat transfer.

         • Photocells can glaze over with soot. Photocells are an important safety feature which detects whether the flame is lit. If a photocell is dirty it may not be able to monitor the flame correctly and could cause the boiler to shut down randomly causing inconvenience. Boilers switching on and off frequently will be less efficient than when running for longer periods.

          • Electrodes can wear and carbon up. Electrodes make a spark to light the fuel, if they are worn or covered with carbon it will cause poor ignition so the boiler may not light. Again, causing inefficiency and increasing fuel cost.

3.0mm layer of soot can reduce the amount of heat absorbed by more than 8%.

Don’t forget the tank!

Oil storage tanks and supply pipes should also be checked during the service as condensation can form within the oil tank when the oil level is low.

The presence of water in an oil tank can cause equipment failure as well as reduce boiler efficiency. Filter elements will need to be cleaned and/or replaced.

To book a service call us.

Due to our rural location in Market Harborough we have launched our Oil fired division to offer you with a full install, service and repair service to run along side with our already established gas and renewable energy sides.

We can provide you with a quotation to upgrade your current oil fired boiler or a complete heating instalation of any size. 

We can also offer a annual sevice contract for your oil fired boiler and a emergency breakdown service with a high 1st call fix rate due to the large stock of parts we carry.

To book a quotation, service or breakdown engineer Contact us.

Fuel Switching - Funding

Fuel switching

Fuel switching relates to the changing of the primary heating fuel of your home. The primary heating fuel is the fuel which is used to heat your main living area such as your lounge or living room. For example if your house has a gas fire in the living area and electric storage heaters in the bedrooms it would be considered a gas heated home. If the living area has a focal point fire of any fuel and electric storage heaters it would be considered an electrically heated home. If your primary heating fuel is either electric or coal and you are changing to more carbon friendly gas or oil alternative this is considered to be a fuel switch and you will be entitled to grant funding.

Grant funding available for fuel switching is determined by both your existing heating and the heating type which you have installed. The standard level of funding applies to all privately owned domestic properties and the higher level of funding is available to those customers who are aged 70 or above or in receipt of one of the defined benefits listed on the A1 website.

Please see the table below to see what funding is available and if you have any queries or require a quotation to install a new boiler/ heating system please contact us.

Unfortunatly the Boiler Scrappage Scheme has now finnished. All 125,000 grants have been applied for.

 However there are still grants available for over 60’s or customers who are looking to change from electric or solid fuel heating to gas or oil fired boilers.

Contact us for more information on these schemes.

boiler scrappage scheme Leicestershire

The Government has just released final details of the Boiler Scrappage Scheme. The scheme will start on 18th January.  Almost all Band  ‘G’ boilers will qualify - but only the first 125,000 in the country to apply will receive a grant.

To find out if your boiler is band ‘G’, have your boiler make and model available, call us on 01858 44 55 43.  We have access to the full list of boilers that qualify for the programme.

If you are looking to take advantage of this scheme (and see how much you would save) or are just interested in replacing your existing boiler then Contact Us for a free quotation.

This week the government has announced the launch of ‘The Boiler Scrappage scheme’ starting early next year.  Full details are not yet known, but should be soon.

The new scrappage scheme, which will be similar to the successful car scrappage scheme,  offers up to 125,000 homeowners across the UK a £400 incentive to replace their old Band ‘G’ gas boilers with a new energy effiecient ‘A’ rated condensing boiler on a first come first served basis. This provides the opportunity for homeowners to benefit from lower energy bills as well as having an impact on the environment. The boilers that will qualify for the scheme will typically be boilers over 20 years old, floor standing and connected to gravity hot water systems.

At Lewington’s we are committed to reducing carbon emmissions, improving energy efficiency within the home and lowering customers fuel bills. In 2009 alone we have installed over 100 energy efficient boilers and also were awarded the ‘Worcester Bosch 2020 environment award’.

It is estimated that there are currently 4.5 million Band ‘G’ gas boilers in use in the UK that are typically only around 60% efficient. To find out if your boiler is one of these and so meets the requirements needed to qualify for the scheme, please contact us with your boiler make and model. As this is a new scheme the government are still to release details of it, such as start dates and how to apply, so keep checking our website for further information.

We have just completed a complete refurbishment of the heating system at a 400 years old Manor house in Welford.

The contract involved de commisioning and removing the existing 40 years old boiler, radiators, pipework and hot water system and installing a upto date, efficient heating and hot water system to suit the current owners needs.

We installed a Worcester Bosch Danesmore 50/70 oil fired condensing boiler with vertical flue system through roof to avoid any nuissence pluming in the court yard.

The house required 27 radiators, 11 of which were Appollo Firrenze cast iron victorian, 6 Radiator company Ancona stainless steel and 10 Hudevad flat panel radiators with the victorian sited in the original part of house and the flat panels to the more modern part. We used stainless steel radiators to the 2nd  floor as weight was a concern for the old floor joists.

The heating was piped in individual floor zones to allow independant controll over each floor using programmable room stats therefore increasing efficiency.

Hot water is supplied via 300 ltr Heatrae Sadia Megaflow which supplies 4 bathrooms with a secondary hot water circuit to achieve instant hot water at outlets. 

The system was designed  by Graham Gambles and all our engineers carried out work on the house.

The client was so pleased with how the work was carried out and the end results, we have been asked to upgrade all the bathrooms within the house.

We would particularly like to mention that we were very pleased with the professional manner in which “Kieth” conducted himself and did his work, and then cleaned up afterwards.
We would not hesitate to reccommend your company to anyone.
Thank You
Mr Allen