Home Oil boiler servicing Leicester
Oil boiler servicing in Leicester
Oil heating is rare inside the city, but the homes that have it still need a yearly OFTEC service.
The 2021 Census counted just 49 Leicester households heating with oil alone. Inside the city boundary almost every street has mains gas. Oil is far more common out in the county: 9.5% of households in Melton borough and 6.4% in Harborough district rely on it, mostly in villages the gas main never reached.
If you are one of the few city homes on oil, you are probably in an older detached house or a converted building that never connected to gas.
Leicester at a glance
- How homes are heated
- 74.0% of Leicester households heat with mains gas only and 11.0% with electricity only. 1.9% are on a communal or district heat network and 1.9% have no central heating. Only 49 households use oil alone. Source
What happens on the visit
An OFTEC registered technician cleans the burner, replaces the nozzle and filter, checks the combustion with a flue gas analyser, and tests the fire valve and supply line. A Gas Safe engineer cannot do this unless they also hold OFTEC qualifications.
Ask for a tank check at the same time. Look for cracks, bulges and rust, and check the base is level.
Finding a technician
Most oil technicians work across rural Leicestershire. Tell us your postcode and we pass your request to OFTEC registered firms who cover it. Book in late summer, before the rush.
Bunds and tank rules
Tanks over 2,500 litres, or those close to a watercourse, a drain or a building, usually need a bund to catch leaks. Your technician can tell you whether yours meets current Building Regulations when the tank is replaced.
Plastic tanks tend to last around 20 years. A sudden drop in the level, or oil smell in the garden, needs checking quickly.
Switching away from oil
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards a heat pump, plus a £1,500 top-up until March 2027 if your home is heated by oil or LPG and has no mains gas. If gas runs past your door, connecting may be cheaper. Get a heat pump quote and a gas connection quote side by side.
Areas covered
Engineers who cover Leicester work across areas including Clarendon Park, Stoneygate, Knighton, Belgrave, Evington, Aylestone, Braunstone, Oadby, Wigston and Birstall.
Questions people in Leicester ask
My oil boiler is overdue a service. Is that a problem?
It is worth booking soon. Oil burners build up carbon faster than gas, a dirty nozzle wastes fuel, and many manufacturers need a yearly service to keep the warranty.
Where can I compare oil prices?
For Leicestershire buyers, our heating oil prices guide shows recent trends and when to order.
Sources
- ONS Census 2021, table TS046 central heating (Nomis)
- OFTEC
- GOV.UK: Boiler Upgrade Scheme, what you can get
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