Looking for tips/insight to reduce oil consumption

[Ansky]

Ok, I realize that this may not be the right forum for this question, but I imagine that I'm not the only person looking to maximize efficiency from their oil burning furnace now that they are heating their home with wood.

For the last month, I've pretty much primarily heated my house with my jotul 550 insert. It's doing a great job. But I still hear my furnace kicking on every now and again and I hate that. I have all the thermostats turned down or off, but I still need the furnace for domestic hot water. I have a buderus system with a logamatic 2107 control.

My question is this...what should I keep the high temp limit on the control at? I currently have it set at 140 deg and have my hot water set at 120. Would it be better to set the high temp limit higher so it won't have to turn on as often? Or lower, like the same temp as my water...120? I just don't know what I should do to try to limit the burner from turning off and on as much.

Maybe I'm over thinking this. I just figured someone here has been through something similar.

Thanks in advance.

John

 

[maple1]

I pulled the plug on my oil man & put in an electric hot water heater for DHW & electric boiler for (only used one day this winter) backup heat. Heating DHW with oil is not very efficient. The Buderus system is pretty good for an oil one, not sure you would have much to gain if you keep using it.

 

[peakbagger]

If you have a seperate "hot water maker" tank that heats hot water off a seperate zone, you can install a timer on the wiring to the thermostat inside the tank so that it doesnt run at night. The other big issue is to review the piping into and out of the tank. Some installers are far better at putting in neat or cheap and forget to so the basics like installing a heat trap at the top of the tank. My parents had a "neat" install and their furnace room got hotter with the new furnace. They had runt he pipes straight up so heat from the tank was going up the pipe and heating the room. I put in a loop and insulated the pipes and it made a big difference.

 

[velvetfoot]

I'm not sure if the overnight timers are effective. Web opinion, when I was researching, indicated no. I also switched to an electric water heater. This winter we also used electric heaters in the rooms upstairs that would get turned on, mostly by my wife, when the rooms were in use. On the one hand, she was a sport and didn't turn on the oil heat upstairs, and, on the other hand, she's now used to turning on the heaters and probably will also turn on the oil heat upstairs next winter.

Anyway, although I have the capability to revert back to the indirect water heater, I think I'm going to hang with just the electric water heater next winter, even if the oil boiler goes on once in a while.

I put an outdoor reset and a flue gas damper on the ~7 year old Burnham V8 boiler.

 

[AddictiveStew]

I just survived my first winter in an old farmhouse heated by a converted coal boiler from the 20's. 63% efficiency here! My biggest savings this year was from increasing insulation in the attic (from 0 to R49). Also sealing up those window frames and doors made a huge difference. I'm using 33% less oil since I made these changes. I just purchased a pellet stove with my tax refund and I'm planning to install an electric water heater as well so we aren't using this old beast to heat our DHW all summer.

 

[69911e]

I would consider a heatpump water heater and turn off the oil. Installed ones at my house and my mothers. Hot water oil savings paid for it in less than 2 years plus it keeps the dirt basement floor and pipes bone dry, and air dehumidified in the summer.

 

[AddictiveStew]

I would consider a heatpump water heater and turn off the oil. Installed ones at my house and my mothers. Hot water oil savings paid for it in less than 2 years plus it keeps the dirt basement floor and pipes bone dry, and air dehumidified in the summer.

What did that cost if you don't mind me asking? I'd like to get off oil altogether.

 

[69911e]

They are expensive, normally $1500. I found a GE on sale with 11 year extended warranty for $900, used the 10% off HD coupon, Fed tax credit and CT energystar bought it down to $300. I did the install. Check to see what Fed and CT rebates/credits are available now.
The savings of not running the dehumidifier in the summer on my mothers 270 year old dirt fieldstone/basement actually paid for it in 1 year not counting any oil savings.

 

[Fred61]

http://www.brandsmartusa.com/Produc...term=2019873&gclid=CI2E1tDf2bUCFcxlOgodayYAlQ
Sears has them for $1,199.00. Show them the web page. They have a price match policy.