Heating Costs During The Energy Crisis

Energy costs have soared recently, largely driven by a steep post-pandemic rise in gas prices and because of uncertainty over Russian oil and gas supplies due to the war in Ukraine.   

These energy rises are causing understandable anxiety for households as winter approaches – and not just those who are reliant on mains gas.  There are around 1.6 million UK rural property owners who are not able to connect to mains gas supplies.  Most of these households depend solely on heating oil (typically kerosene) for their heating and hot water.

The average home on heating oil consumes around 1,800 litres per year, so it’s not surprising that their annual bills have now surged well beyond £1,800 (at the time of writing November 2022).  

For these households, buying heating oil is a major financial outgoing so it needs to be carefully planned/budgeted for, protected and monitored as a valuable asset to the home.

Tank monitoring allows homeowners to have greater visibility of their oil levels and a peace of mind that they will not suddenly run out - especially in the middle of winter. It is a vital piece of technology for any home that uses oil as source of heat.

The latest tank monitoring technologies comprise of easy-to-fit devices that use either ultrasonic, radar, or hydrostatic pressure to measure the amount of oil in a tank. This information is then displayed on an easy-to-read plug-in device in the home, or on a mobile app, for 24/7 oil level monitoring. 

Fitting a monitor to a tank gives homeowners a better understanding of their energy use and consumption patterns, including seasonal peaks or troughs.  The data helps with budgeting and allows customers to plan ahead, avoiding expensive emergency top-up purchases, and helps spread the cost of refills across non-peak buying periods.

Managing your energy use (and protecting your oil) has never been easier!

Kingspan’s market-leading and award-winning range of tank monitoring devices will provide you with an outstanding oversight of your oil levels.

We have two great products specifically developed for homeowners: 

1. The Watchman SENSiT Oil Level Monitor allows homeowners to view their oil levels via an easy-to-read display plug in the home. The unit has an inbuilt sudden drop alarm, as well as both visual and audible low-level alerts to help ensure homeowners avoid running out. The Watchman Sonic Advanced is now fitted as standard on all new Kingspan EcoSafe storage tanks. 

2. The Watchman SENSiT Oil Level Monitor takes the benefits of the Watchman Sonic Advanced several steps further by also sending the level information to a mobile app, allowing homeowners to monitor their tank levels remotely 24/7 via their smartphone or tablet.  In addition, the Watchman SENSiT offers users access to a range of enhanced features including:

• Fuel levels displayed as a percentage and the approximate number of litres remaining in the tank

• Sudden-drop alerts to notify users if their oil levels are falling faster than expected

• Predicted run-out date based on historical usage to ensure the tank never unexpectedly runs out of oil, plus, of course, average daily usage

• Low-level push and emails alerts which are triggered when a pre-set level in the tank is passed

• Historical usage over the last 12 months

• Plus, the device is compatible with Alexa

Homeowners who already have a Watchman Sonic Advanced installed on their tank can easily upgrade to a Watchman SENSiT and get access to the mobile application, simply by buying a separate SENSiT USB reciever.

There is also a full Watchman SENSiT Kit available on the product range.

To find out more on how a Kingspan oil tank monitor could help you save money and take control of your heating oil - contact our expert team below.