navitron
 
Renewable Energy and Sustainability Forum
UK's most popular Renewable Energy Forum May 24, 2012, 08:22:14 PM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: Anyone wishing to register as a new member on the forum is strongly recommended to use a "proper" email address - following recent spam/hack attempts on the forum, all security is set to "high", and "disposable" email addresses like Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail tend to be viewed with suspicion, and the application rejected if there is any doubt whatsoever
 
Recent Articles: UPDATE ON DECC APPLICATION FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE SUPREME COURT | Yingli Green Energy's PV Module Ranks No.2 in TUV Rheinland Energy Yield Test | Navitron Solar Showers at Glastonbury for Year 5!
   Home   Help Search Login Register  
Pages: [1]   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Heating Oil Energy Monitor  (Read 1293 times)
AlanIOW
Full Member
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 149


« on: November 19, 2011, 08:49:52 AM »

Hi

Has anyone had any experience with a Heating Oil Monitor such as;

http://www.oilmonitorsdirect.com/UK/uk_apollo_smart.html

Although it only measure the oil left it suggests it can give daily/monthly/annually usage, not sure how accurate it could be, it apparently only takes one measurement per day of the height of oil in the tank. Not cheap either at over £100 + PC/Mac software as an optional extra!!

Surely a more accurate system would monitor the oil flow rate or even the boilers electrical consumption which could correllate to the oil usage.

Alan
Logged

3.96kWp, 22 Sharp NU-180 Panels, Sunny Boy 4000TL, 15 Panels SSE, 7 Panels SSW, all 18 Degree Slope. Location - Isle of Wight. Live output can be seen here; http://pvoutput.org/intraday.jsp?id=2476&sid=1872
camillitech
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 1867



« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2011, 09:03:45 AM »

Hi

Has anyone had any experience with a Heating Oil Monitor such as;

http://www.oilmonitorsdirect.com/UK/uk_apollo_smart.html

Although it only measure the oil left it suggests it can give daily/monthly/annually usage, not sure how accurate it could be, it apparently only takes one measurement per day of the height of oil in the tank. Not cheap either at over £100 + PC/Mac software as an optional extra!!

Surely a more accurate system would monitor the oil flow rate or even the boilers electrical consumption which could correllate to the oil usage.

Alan

Morning Alan,

a friend of mine just fitted one to a holiday let that measures the flow mechanically, it's very accurate, idiot proof and weatherproof but it was around £200  Shocked

I did do a little research before he bought it but couldn't find anything that was much cheaper.

Cheers, Paul
Logged

http://lifeattheendoftheroad.wordpress.com/

12kw Lister
11m turbine tower
10 hundred ah 48v battery bank
900' pennstock
8kw woodburner
7kw Lister
6 bladed Rutland
50w of solar
4 and a half Kw inverter
3kw Lister
2 hydro turbines
and a Proven in a pear tree :-)

Raasay, 57 27 537 N 06
gb484
Jr. Member
**
Offline Offline

Posts: 88


« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2011, 06:18:35 PM »

http://www.antaresint.com/PUBLIC/php/first.php?middle=scheda_prodotto.php&right=0.php&Campo_ID_prodotto=ID_CAT03&idkeysecco=381&ID_prodotto=13136&TABLE=CAT03&ID_CHIAVE=5300&CHIAVE=ID_CAT02&COD_CAT=A.080&left=sx_plus.php&messaggio=DIESEL%20OIL%20METER%20%22CONTOIL%22.&Apri=58.04

Have never fitted one, but I think it works like a water meter/odometer to give a very accurate read-out, not sure of price, you need to register with the company to get prices.
Logged
Fintray
Full Member
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 227


« Reply #3 on: November 19, 2011, 11:12:37 PM »

Alan

You could just measure the time it takes for say 50ml of oil to be burned then just fit an hour meter to the burner control. Then from the time for 50ml to be burned work out how much would be burned for each hour of burner run time.
Logged
mpooley
Sr. Member
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 347


« Reply #4 on: November 27, 2011, 04:08:17 PM »

Alan

You could just measure the time it takes for say 50ml of oil to be burned then just fit an hour meter to the burner control. Then from the time for 50ml to be burned work out how much would be burned for each hour of burner run time.

That is basically what i have done.
I log every minute my boiler is on then using the data on the jet that is in the boiler i can work out my exact daily usage.

Have had my system logging all temperatures in the house including flow and return plus controlling the boiler for just over  year now without fault .
I have checked it against my actual oil usage and adjusted the figure up slightly but its actually very accurate.
I had to change it from  0.0515 litres/min to 0.05684

not bad I think


Mike
Logged
camillitech
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 1867



« Reply #5 on: November 27, 2011, 05:34:56 PM »

Hi Alan,

was over at my mates the other day and took a picture of his meter.



Probably a little OTT at £216 http://www.dmsltd.com/Braun_-_Domestic_Meters/HZ3_Oil_Meter but it's very accurate

Cheers, Paul
Logged

http://lifeattheendoftheroad.wordpress.com/

12kw Lister
11m turbine tower
10 hundred ah 48v battery bank
900' pennstock
8kw woodburner
7kw Lister
6 bladed Rutland
50w of solar
4 and a half Kw inverter
3kw Lister
2 hydro turbines
and a Proven in a pear tree :-)

Raasay, 57 27 537 N 06
mikey9
Full Member
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 249


Fetlar....


« Reply #6 on: November 27, 2011, 07:58:15 PM »

Just thinking on this very subject today.


Ask people what their Electricity/ Gas or Water usage is - although they may not know off the cuff - the information is available (on their bill) and if you want to read the meter regularly - you can soon learn your daily consumption and variations through season and differnt people staying in your house (Elderly relatives...!).

I have gone on too often here about how much difference "awareness" - down to the your daily consumption rates - makes to our consumption of utilities. We did a 1010 campaign effort and easily acheived 10% reductions in utilities usage - simply through being aware - and water was nearer 40% down - and electricity nearly 49% down compared with previous year

Many of us in the Highlands use Oil and /or wood for a portion - or all of our home heating. This is where it gets more difficult.
Wood - I know how much we get delivered as I stack it, chop it and saw it - although weight is a guess.

Oil (to get back on the thread) - I know how much we get delivered (approx 30% less than 2009) - but as we get a delivery 1.5 times a year typically - it is quite difficult to assess where and when the usage occurs. I reckon my Bamboo dipping cane is more use than The Watchman device many of us have.

An inline meter like that shown seems the ideal solution - even better a repeater that displays usage somewhere visible (next to Elec and outside/inside temps) ......but £200 unfortunately will take quite a lot of savings to cover.

Though if these could be subsidised greatly to encourage usage reductions........ angel

Logged

5kw WBS with 1kW Back Boiler - 6m sq Genersys Solar Thermal, 3.05kWp Yingli PV, 10 raised beds, 2 apple, 1 plum and 1 pear tree - and two little helpers
First 2 mWh produced April 2011 ;-)
MN
Sr. Member
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 273



« Reply #7 on: February 24, 2012, 09:42:26 AM »

Anyone used one of these?

http://www.harlequinplastics.co.uk/site/products/i-track-intelligent-oil-monitoring-system/i-track/it9000

My boiler chap just asked if I wanted one (knowing I am a sucker for ALL gadgets!)

MN
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.16 | SMF © 2011, Simple Machines Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!