Oil & Wood - Factsheet
OIL
Oil (fioul) is commonly used in rural areas for powering central-heating systems. Unfortunately it is not cheap, at around €0.40-0.50 per litre, but in many cases if you buy an old house with an oil-fired boiler (chaudiere) you will not have much choice.
There are a number of suppliers – check your yellow pages www.pagesjaune.fr for details under "Combustibles". You will need to pay the driver by cheque on delivery.
Switch off your boiler during the re-fuelling and don’t switch on again for 2 or 3 hours to allow time for the oil to settle.
Have your boiler serviced once a year for safe and economical operation.
Did you know: that a survey carried out showing costs in euros per 100 Kwh gave the following information: Fuel 3.81E. Town Gas 4.25E. Gas propane 9.14E and electricity 10.75E (From the Minister Economics for Finances and Industry)
WOOD
If you have purchased a home in rural France there’s a good chance you will have at least one open fireplace or wood-burning stove (poele). Stoves are far more efficient than open fires, don’t need re-lighting so often and some of the larger ones can radiate heat effectively throughout a small house. Everybody loves an open fire but remember that most of the heat from an open fire disappears up the chimney.
Wood is widely available and costs around €50 per cubic metre, sometimes a little more if you want it cut to size and delivered. The best wood for burning is oak (chêne) but it must be seasoned i.e. left to dry out for at least a year or more. If you can’t find a local farmer with a ready supply you will see firewood advertised for sale in local papers or supermarket notice boards.
Depending on the climate in your region and the size of your house you may well find that a combination of wood-burning stove(s) and portable gas heaters for cold-spells is a viable and economical alternative to installing central heating.
If you live in area that suffers from termites you may want to avoid storing your firewood in a storage area which adjoins your house because termites enjoy travelling from dead wood to fresh if they get the chance!
Finally, don’t forget to have your chimney swept regularly!
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