Heating Oil Tank Capacities

One of the most frequent questions we’re asked is ‘What size of tank do I require?’ The answer will be largely dependent upon the size of your house, size of your household, how many hours you spend at home and whether you use oil for just for heating, or for cooking too.

Heating with Oil

With modern gardens seemingly becoming ever smaller, it’s just as well oil boilers are getting ever more efficient and use substantially less fuel than their predecessors. A modern condensing oil fired boiler can use up to 20% less oil each year, compared with an old-fashioned, standard efficiency boiler. That’s a lot of oil, space and cash to be saved.

At the same time, many Heating Oil distributors have significantly reduced their minimum delivery size too. It’s not that long ago some distributors wouldn’t deliver any less than 900 litres in a single drop. Today’s minimum delivery volumes are often significantly lower. Many distributors are happy to deliver as little as 500 litres and some will even deliver as little as 200 litres. Why not call your local distributor and check out their minimum order volume?

Combining a modern, highly efficient, oil fired boiler with deliveries from a distributor offering low minimum order volume allows you to choose a smaller Heating Oil Tank. Indeed, whereas just 20 years ago the capacity of a typical Heating Oil Tank was c.2,500 litres – today, it’s around half that. And it’s getting smaller all the time.

However, it’s worth remembering that choosing a Heating Oil Tank larger than you require, allows you to buy ahead and stockpile fuel when Heating Oil prices are low. And of course, you may be able to benefit a lower price when buying in bulk. The table below shows suggested tank sizes for a range of different properties, when heated with a condensing boiler.

Table 1: Suggested Tank Capacities – Heating Only

But remember, these figures are only a guide. The ideal size of tank for your home will be dependent upon several factors, including floor area, boiler efficiency, daytime occupancy and thermal efficiency.

Cooking and Heating with Oil

It’s almost impossible to picture the perfect country kitchen without also picturing an AGA, Esse, Firebird, Marshall, Rayburn or Stanley oil-fired range cooker at the heart of it. Across the UK and Republic of Ireland, cooking with oil is a popular choice. Many oil cookers use a gentle, radiant heat for baking, simmering and roasting. So, you end up with food that many believe tastes better then when cooked on a conventional cooker. And many oil-fired ranges are truly multi-purpose too… they boil, roast, dry, simmer, fry, bake, grill, toast and warm. Some can even help dry your clothes, whilst others will produce lashings of hot water

Thanks to modern, modulating, high-efficiency, modulating burner technology, some oil-fired cookers can provide heating and cooking for a 2-bedroom apartment just as efficiently as they can heat a much larger home. And at a time when green energy is high on the agenda, it’s good to know that some oil cookers can even be integrated into renewable energy sources too.

If you’re using oil to cook as well as heat your home, then you’ll obviously need to allow for additional storage capacity when choosing your tank. The table following contains recommended tank capacities, assuming you wish to store the fuel you use to cook in the same tank as your heating oil. Unless your cooker uses a different fuel to your boiler, a separate Heating Oil Tank is normally not required.

Table 2: Suggested Tank – Heating & Cooking

Cooking with Oil

If your cooker requires its own dedicated fuel supply, then we recommend choosing a tank with a minimum capacity of 1,000 litres. 

Store More Fuel in Less Space

If you’re tight on space or access to your home, farm or business is restricted, then you may wish to take a look at the new generation of Slimline Heating Oil Tanks. Expertly engineered to minimize space requirements, they can go where many other tanks quite simply can’t, helping to take Heating Oil further.

Minimum Delivery Volumes

Before ordering any Heating Oil Tank, we always recommend speaking first to your fuel distributor to make sure they’re prepared to fill it. Every fuel distributor operates a minimum delivery volume policy i.e. the smallest delivery they’re prepared to make. Some fuel distributors will deliver as little as 200 litres in a single drop. Others will have a significantly higher delivery volume, typically 500 litres. And some distributors may have a single delivery threshold that’s higher still. Choosing a tank that’s too small could provide an expensive and awkward mistake.

Converting from LPG to Heating Oil?

If you’re switching from Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to heating oil, the good news is not only can you look forward to lower bills, you’ll also be able to store more energy in a smaller space. Highly refined, clean burning and efficient, heating oil has a has a significantly greater energy density than LPG. Therefore, a litre of oil will provide more heat and warmth than a litre of LPG. This means you can store more heat in less space, allowing you to choose a smaller tank.

And whilst many LPG Suppliers charge you a fee for storing their tank on your property, with Heating Oil, once you buy your tank… it’s yours, with no ongoing rental charges or commitment.

Queries? Questions?

Few people ever buy any more than 2 Heating Oil Tanks in a lifetime. So, if you’re unfamiliar with how to choose the ideal Heating Oil Tank for your home, our Customer Support Team is here to help. You can call us on 01789 632 151 in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, call 01 5268 642 from the Republic of Ireland or e-mail hello@fueltank.store. We’re open weekdays from 9am to 5pm and look forward to helping you choose the perfect tank for your home.