Eberspacher fuel consumption

[lustyd]

I thought this might be of interest to some here. We’ve used no diesel for anything other than heating so this graph directly shows our Eberspacher fuel consumption over the past week. It’s set to constant and half way on the heat range. Variations I assume are due to outdoor temperatures.

 

[Anibal]

Thank you for that. Just today I refuelled ours because last weekend we consumed quite a bit. My wife feels the cold very easily so she always ask for the heating to be on 24/7 so I set it to 22c and let it do it’s thing. I personally don’t like it when sleeping so I leave it on tick over. I do think the Ebespacher is on the thirsty side of things. On my previous boat I had a 5kwts Chinese eBay job and my cigarette lighter consumed more than the heater.

 

[Supertramp]

Is that 40 litres over 4 days? Thats a lot!

 

[lustyd]

Its around the expected consumption (0.3l/hour). Bear in mind that’s with sub zero temperatures every night and only reaching around 3C in the daytimes. It has been on constant the whole time too in an uninsulated boat with some ventilation and lots of coming and going.
It uses less when it’s warmer, and on average is cheaper than the house was, although that was a 4 bed semi so a little more surface area!

 

[SaltyC]

OUCH! I have a 5 Bedroom Detached house and pay less than half That on a Dual Fuel tariff!

Confused, I thought most modern boats are foam sandwich construction above the waterline hence insulated?

Maybe, being from north of Watford, I set the thermostat lower - certainly don't run overnight!

Your second paragraph is a little superfluous, my heating uses none in summer!

 

[lustyd]

I have a 5 Bedroom Detached house and pay less than half That on a Dual Fuel tariff

What did the heating in your house consume during those same 4 days? Did you include standing charges in your working?

 

[lustyd]

Your second paragraph is a little superfluous, my heating uses none in summer!

Yes as does ours. The point being that in December it was using fewer litres of fuel with the same settings while the heating was running. As such, multiplying 8l of diesel by 31 doesn’t give the monthly usage, and multiplying that by £1.40 doesn’t give the cost as we’re currently buying at 100% domestic usage for way less than that.

 

[Momac]

Must admit we have given up entirely on staying on the boat in the depths of winter due to my wife feeling the cold so I have sympathy regarding heater fuel usage.
If on shore power an electric blanket on the bed would be my suggestion for conserving fuel overnight.

It seems to me , in general , boats have the heater control in the wrong place and should be reachable without having to get out of bed.

 

[SaltyC]

OOOH! touched a nerve?

I don't know what we used over the last 4 days, I don't need a Smart Meter (Most are Dumb), I know if I switch a light / heating on it costs money!

What I do know is I pay <£100/ month for dual fuel on a Detached 5 bed house.

 

[lustyd]

If on shore power an electric blanket on the bed would be my suggestion for conserving fuel overnight.

The problem then turns into condensation so better to heat the boat.

OOOH! touched a nerve?

Not at all, and apologies for splitting my post, no idea why I hit post after the first.

We pay on average way less than £100 to heat the boat, that’s why I asked and gave further detail. You can’t compare 4 days with an averaged out month which is likely averaged over a quarter or more.

 

[chriss999]

FWIW I think that £14/day is quite a lot, even in winter. My house, with central heating and Aga, and occupied pretty much 100%, has cost £1 per day for electricity and £5.50 per day for gas these last few days. My wife feels the cold too. Including breadmaker, washing, ironing etc.
The difference is probably our house has more insulation than a boat, even though the house must have 50 times as much space to heat. Working at the boat today the temperature was 1 degree at 11am and 3 degrees at 1pm and I’d need constant heating to get that to a livable temperature.

 

[lustyd]

It works out more like £8 a day for the very coldest days when you get into the details, but most days are more like £2 when it’s milder.
I think it’s quite reasonable, and our electric, water, and council tax are all zero

 

[paulbrown22]

Must admit we have given up entirely on staying on the boat in the depths of winter due to my wife feeling the cold so I have sympathy regarding heater fuel usage.
If on shore power an electric blanket on the bed would be my suggestion for conserving fuel overnight.

It seems to me , in general , boats have the heater control in the wrong place and should be reachable without having to get out of bed.

The Chinese heater on my newish-to-me Saga 26 HT can be controlled either by an included key fob remote control, a phone app via Bluetooth, or the main control panel mounted on the bulkhead, so easy to control from bed!

 

[lustyd]

It’s sad that the big companies can’t seem to match that functionality despite charging so much more

 

[ylop]

We pay on average way less than £100 to heat the boat, that’s why I asked and gave further detail. You can’t compare 4 days with an averaged out month which is likely averaged over a quarter or more.

but that is a dual fuel price he quoted not heating alone.

4 bed early 1990s house (so not the best insulated but not the worst) with gas heating, hot water, and hob - with four adult occupants over the same 4 days cost less than £4/day (inc standing charge) and we currently have snow on the ground. Comparing to August - it looks like heating alone (ie not hot water or standing charge) is about £3/d.

Historic data suggests anything over £5.50/day (total gas inc standing charge) is truly exceptional.

I think it’s quite reasonable, and our electric, water, and council tax are all zero

Zero? Or water & electric included in your marina fee? The marina will be paying rates for council services plus commercial waste disposal charges etc.

I’m not criticising you - I’m just pointing out your rather obscure “man maths” which are saying it’s cheaper than being at home.

 

[Momac]

If you have the boat anyhow then its only fair to disregard the marina fees.
Otherwise at the house should all of the house maintenance costs be included in the cost comparison?

If the electric is free then I would be considering at least some electric heating instead of running the diesel heater all night . But if its only the very occasional use not worth the expense of buying the heater.

 

[paulbrown22]

It’s sad that the big companies can’t seem to match that functionality despite charging so much more

Exactly - when I bought the boat it was on my list to replace the heater with a "proper" one having only had Webasto and Eberspacher before. But it had only just been fitted before I bought the boat so is brand new, to date works perfectly and has advantages like the remotes. So no plans to change it now!

 

[lustyd]

I’m not criticising you - I’m just pointing out your rather obscure “man maths” which are saying it’s cheaper than being at home.

You’re right of course, but overall it certainly is cheaper than it was in the house even taking marina fees into account. If I remove the mortgage/rent element then I’m probably down by £500, but we save that by not running a car.
My man maths will out perform your sanity every time

 

[lustyd]

If the electric is free then I would be considering at least some electric heating instead of running the diesel heater all night . But if its only the very occasional use not worth the expense of buying the heater.

Space is the issue there, we already have to have the dehumidifier running all day and in the way.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Oh for such low costs, I despair. Which is why I will be selling up and buying a new home.