Irish News
A great
addition
With its new 26 tonne Renault
tanker displayed on the Magyar
stand, Meath-based Euro Oil had a
strong presence at last month’s FPS
Expo.
The 20,000 litre capacity
tanker, which has a 380 horse power
engine, is the second Renault to join
the Euro Oil fleet which now totals
11 trucks.
Euro Oil has its main office at
Kilmessan in Co Meath with three
depots servicing the greater Dublin,
Wicklow, Meath and Kildare areas.
According to transport manager
Merv Hallinan, the new vehicle is a
“great addition” to the business.
“Our staff have a vast
knowledge and are experienced at
servicing the needs of customers in
many industries,” said Merv.
“We look forward to this new
Renault tanker playing its part to
ensure our customers continue to be
well served.”
This new Magyar-built tanker has recently joined the Euro Oil fleet
Air source heat pump or condensing oil-fired boiler – what’s best for
Ireland’s off grid homes?
The answer says OFTEC’s Ireland manager,
David Blevings depends on your house
type, age, insulation, lifestyle, preference
and grant availability.
According to the Energy Saving Trust (EST)
installing a typical air source heat pump (ASHP)
system costs around £7k-11k. Running costs
will vary depending on a number of factors
including the size of your home, how well
insulated it is and what room temperatures you
are aiming to achieve.
But is an ASHP cheaper to run than a
new condensing oil boiler? According
to independent energy experts,
Sutherland, the answer is NO.
In January 2017, the cost of providing hot
water and heating for a 1980s three-bed house
in Northern Ireland using an ASHP is £1,384pa
for radiators and £1,045 for underfloor. In the
Republic the cost is €1,718 (radiators) and
€1,362 (underfloor).
When you compare this to condensing oil
the numbers are £857pa (NI) and €1,228pa
(ROI) both significantly cheaper than the ASHP.
While many promoters of renewable
technology will argue that oil prices are
unpredictable and will increase over time,
making ASHP the smart choice, the consensus
of experts today is that the oil price will settle
in the $40 -$60 range for the short to medium
term.
Consumers may welcome the initial
Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) subsidy (often
payable over seven years) but the reality is
that new energy technologies must at some
stage be able to compete with conventional
alternatives on both a cost and performance
basis without relying on government
mandates.
An oil boiler upgrade
OFTEC is not against ASHP per se. If
the new house is well insulated and has
underfloor heating, ASHP may well be
a good option. For retro fit, the cost of
installing larger radiators and increasing
insulation will price most homeowners out
of the ASHP market compared to an oil
boiler upgrade option.
Offering an incentive to replace older,
less efficient boilers with modern condensing
appliances would give efficiencies in excess
of 90%. A nationwide boiler replacement
scheme, similar to the scheme in Northern
Ireland, would see a significant reduction in oil
use, a reduction in consumers’ fuel bills and
emissions.
Even those who support subsidies on
the grounds that scaling up the production
of renewable technologies might move them
down the cost curve, acknowledge that the
more significant problem is that these cost
curves are still much higher than those of fossil
fuel alternatives, (given the oil cost mentioned
above).
Currently 6% of Northern Ireland’s
heating requirements are met by renewable
heat whilst the figure in Great Britain is 8%.
Fuel Oil News | June 2017 15