In the Northeast, oil-heated homes are very popular. However, natural gas is often more common throughout the rest of the states. The reason heating oil is so popular is because of how cost-effective it is. It’s very easy to come by and also incredibly safe. If you’re curious on what some of the other benefits are, then keep following along! We’ll touch upon everything shortly!
What is Heating Oil?
In the northeast, heating oil is one of the most popular ways to heat your home. You’ll store heating oil somewhere on your property in an oil tank. This oil is then fed into your boiler or furnace where it’s burned and converted into heat! The most common places to find your oil tank are indoors in your basement, or outdoors on the side of your house.
Alternatively, you can also find your heating oil tank located in your garage or underground in your backyard! However, underground tanks are growing less common each day. This is because they have issues with leaking and are often difficult to maintain.
If the home you are considering buying has an underground tank, it is best to uninstall it and replace it with an above ground tank. If you’re unsure on what kind of tank to get, try taking a look at this article!
Oil Deliveries
To keep your heat running, your oil tank must get a fill every so often. We have a more in depth article on this topic. You can find that here! To ensure that you don’t run out of oil, it is best for you to order oil whenever your tank is low. We do not recommend automatic delivery services. We go over the pros and cons of getting your heating oil delivered automatically here.
Long story short, it is much more cost effective to order heating oil when you need it. Automatic delivery services will end up costing you several hundred dollars more a year. This is because dealers will charge a premium price for automatic delivery. Additionally, because of wireless smart gauges such as the Smart Oil Gauge, automatic delivery has become more optional.
What are the Benefits of Heating Oil?
There are a multitude of benefits to using home heating oil. Here are just a few reasons:
- It is Safe to Use: The flash point of heating oil is 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows heating oil to be non-flammable at room temperature! It is extremely safe because of this and isn’t something you should have to worry about having in your home. To even get your heating oil to ignite, you must preheat it first. It will then need to me atomized.
- It is Efficient: 138,500 BTUs (a measurement of heat) are produced from a single gallon of heating oil. Because burners are usually around 85% productive, that equals to 117,725 effective BTUs per gallon of oil. However, propane on the opposite end only produces 91,500 BTUs per gallon, and they’re not all effective! Compared to heating oil, you will need to burn 1.35 gallons of propane to match the effectiveness of heating oil! If you are curious, please check out this article to find out all the secrets your propane dealer is keeping from you!
- It is Readily Available: Throughout the northeast, thousands of heating oil dealers delivery oil daily! With helpful websites such as FuelSnap, you can compare prices from all of your local dealers. All of these dealers are competing for YOUR business! You have so much flexibility with heating oil that you don’t have with other sources of heating!
- It’s Cost Effective: Heating oil is incredibly cost effective. This is because it creates so much heat from a single gallon of oil. Over the past decade, oil prices have dropped significantly. As you being the homeowner, you have complete authority on who you want to order oil from. The oil market is highly competitive, and dealers are constantly trying to out sell each other. Dealers are constantly trying to keep their oil prices as low as possible. This is so you are more incentivized to buy their oil! However, dealers will also try to incentivize you into signing up for automatic delivery. DO NOT use automatic delivery as it will cost you more money in the long run. To keep up to date on oil pricing, take a look on our FuelSnap website.
Conclusion
Should you buy a home with Heating Oil? Short Answer: Yes
Heating Oil is a safe and cost-effective fuel for keeping your house warm. If you are deciding between heating oil or propane, heating oil is the clear answer. If you are given the option for natural gas, then we recommend you use natural gas. Natural gas is both cost effective, and plentiful! You’ll never have to worry about your supply!
However with heating oil, you have complete control of when you order, and which dealers you order from! Using websites like FuelSnap can guarantee the best price by comparing between all of your local dealers. Finally, to ensure you never run out of oil, invest in the Smart Oil Gauge! You’ll be able to keep an eye on your tank’s level wherever you go!
Happy Heating,
Hunter
