Questions and answers about oil heating

Is oil heating still up to date? How can I become less dependent on the price of oil? How big are the savings potentials? Read the five most frequently asked questions and their answers in the oil heating guide.

Oil heating guide

Oil heating systems have proven to be a safe and relatively inexpensive heating solution for decades. However, in the face of rapid technological development and increasing environmental awareness, some end users have become unsure. The result is numerous questions surrounding oil heating.

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Why modernize your oil heating system if it is still running?

As with any modernization, most consumers ask themselves why this step is absolutely necessary. In this case, there are several reasons for replacing the boiler.

Heating modernization lowers costs

Older boilers operate inefficiently and use much more fuel than necessary. They are also much more prone to defects and breakdowns, which usually happen when heating is needed most. In both cases, this leads to high heating costs.

Old oil heaters pollute the environment

Oil heaters burn oil to generate heat. Combustion produces harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, which is a major contributor to global warming. Since new boilers burn less oil to generate the same amount of heat, they not only ease the burden on the system owner's wallet. They also slow down this development. What else speaks for the purchase of a new oil heating system, you will find in the section Advantages of oil heating.

Old boilers must be partially replaced

The environmental impact of inefficient boilers is also the reason why the EnEV requires boilers to be replaced. Specifically, system owners must shut down or replace their boiler if it was put into operation before 1987. However, only constant-temperature boilers are affected by this replacement obligation. If you have a low-temperature boiler or condensing boiler in your basement, this obligation does not apply. Nevertheless, the replacement of a boiler that is more than 30 years old is recommended for the reasons mentioned above.

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An energy saving check as part of the oil heating guidebook

How much energy costs can be saved with a new oil heating system?

The question of savings cannot be answered in a blanket manner, as several factors play a role. These include the oil boiler to be replaced, the object to be heated, and the selected operating mode. If the existing boiler is very old, the savings are correspondingly high. If, on the other hand, it already uses calorific value technology, system owners can expect cost reductions of around ten percent. If, in addition to replacing the boiler, the entire property is renovated to improve energy efficiency, the energy requirement is reduced even further.

The operating mode also has a decisive influence on the savings. If homeowners combine their new oil heating system with a solar thermal system, for example, the boiler only has to heat the rooms. The solar system is then responsible for heating the water. In this way, too, the cost savings can change significantly.

How long will EL fuel oil be available?

According to the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), oil supplies are secure for decades to come on the basis of currently known oil reserves.

Im Ratgeber zur Ölheizung geht es auch um die regenerative Herstellung von Heizöl

Is heating oil still a viable fuel for the future?

In recent years, oil heating systems have become less and less attractive. Yet they are still one of the most widely used types of heating. What many consumers do not know is that oil can also be produced with the help of biomass. The resulting bio-oil can be mixed with standard oil, making the fuel a bit more renewable. Viessmann oil boilers can be operated ex works with a bio-oil admixture of up to ten percent. Detailed information on this topic can also be found in the section Fuel heating oil.

Is independence from the oil price realistic?

The oil price is subject to economic and political fluctuations. This is the reason why it can change, in part, sharply. If you want to bypass these fluctuations partially or completely in the future, you can reach for a hybrid device. A hybrid heating system usually combines two heating systems and ensures that the cheaper system always takes over the heating of the rooms. In this way, system owners keep heating costs permanently at a low level. Another advantage of such hybrid heating systems is the improved ecological balance. After all, a hybrid unit usually consists of a conventional combustion boiler and an environmental heating system such as a heat pump or solar thermal system.

Whether using environmental heat or solar energy, Viessmann offers a wide range of hybrid systems in this respect that meet different requirements and also operate very efficiently, cleanly and in a way that conserves resources.