There are many options for heating your home and many different types of fuel to keep your family as comfortable as possible. Oil heat is frequently overlooked nowadays, but it is a great way to consistently and efficiently warm your home. Here are the key facts about oil that we are frequently asked.
Oil vs. Gas
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The key difference between oil and gas is that oil heats up much faster than gas. This means that oil helps you to warm your home much more quickly. Usually, those who use oil find that it significantly improves their comfort, particularly in the winter months when the temperature can drop suddenly.
Keeping Comfortable
It is important that you keep your oil tank full throughout the winter when heating your home. Depending on the option that you have chosen, your oil will be delivered through either the “Automatic” or “Will-Call” Delivery Option.
If your tank is less than ¾ full and you are on the “will-call” delivery option, you will need to call us to ensure that your oil is topped up to keep your home comfortable throughout the winter. The automatic option takes the hassle out of scheduling service and delivery, and is a great option for many busy homeowners.
Safety
In many ways, oil is considered safer than gas, because oil is not explosive. This means that oil significantly minimizes the risk of danger to the home and its inhabitants. It is also much less flammable. Carbon monoxide poisoning is also much rarer with oil than with many other types of fuel.
Quality Fuel
The quality of fuel is standardized in the US. This means that the quality of your oil is guaranteed. Poor quality oil will never arrive at your home thanks to this system, and you can rest assured that your oil is clean and efficient to burn.
Price and Costs
The price for electricity, natural gases and propane have unfortunately been slowly and gradually rising over the course of many years. Fortunately, the price of oil is declining, meaning that using oil to heat your home could save you money. In particular, the price of natural gas is predicted to soar in the coming years. Keeping monthly utility bills low is a concern for most families, and oil is a great, secure option to consider.
The Efficiency of Oil
SEER is a rating system which measures how efficiently equipment uses oil to burn and create energy. In fact, for the past 20 years, other fuels have significantly underperformed against oil systems in terms of efficiency. This provides further evidence to the cost-effectiveness for many householders to use oil to heat their homes.
The Cleanliness of Oil
Soot used to be a real problem for oil systems. However, in this day and age, oil has been found to be more or less soot free, offering a clean solution to heating the home and resourcing energy. The cleanliness of oil is tested by the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Regular tune-ups of your furnace will help to ensure that your equipment is kept soot-free and that your oil burns cleanly.
Want to find out more? Contact PFO. Our team is happy to help you understand how to get the most out of your home equipment and be comfortable and safe within the home.