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Question 1

How do oil companies know when to deliver oil?

Answer

Oil companies determine when to deliver oil by using the "degree day" oil consumption calculation method. Starting the day after your oil company fills up your tank, each day, the company estimates how much oil your boiler or furnace uses on that day. As the outdoor temperature drops, your boiler or furnace needs to burn more oil to maintain a comfortable temperature inside. Therefore, the "degree day" usage estimate is based on two factors:

the outside temperature that day,
how many gallons your boiler or furnace burned on days in the past with a similar outdoor temperature.

At the end of each day, the oil company subtracts that amount of oil from its estimate of the gallons of oil remaining in your tank. When the oil company estimates that you have approximately 60 gallons of oil remaining, the company schedules an automatic delivery for you the following day.

Question 2

How do oil delivery trucks work?

Answer

Oil delivery trucks use a three stage system: a pump, a meter, and a hose with a delivery nozzle. The pump, typically a gravity assisted transfer pump such as a Roper 3600, generates the fuel flow. The meter, such as the Liquid Controls "M-Series", measures the exact quantity of fuel that is dispensed into your tank. Meters are audited by your state's Weights and Measures inspectors to ensure accuracy. Finally, the fuel oil passes through a hose and into a delivery nozzle, such as the Scully Ball Valve Delivery nozzle.

Question 3

Do oil delivery companies use tank gauges?

Answer

Very few oil delivery companies use tank gauges for four reasons:

Oil tank gauges are expensive
Oil tank gauges require battery replacement every year or two
Oil tank gaugues require a wifi signal, and most home wifi routers do not reach down to the boiler room and
The degree day oil consumption estimation method is typically accurate enough for oil companies to know when to refill your tank.

Oil delivery companies that do offer wifi oil tank gauges include:

Robison Energy
Bradigan
Combined Energy Services

Question 4

What is oil heat?

Answer

Oil heat is a space heating system that burns heating oil (diesel fuel) as the source of heat. An oil heating system can use either a furnace or a boiler. In the case of a furnace, the combustion of the oil heats a metal box known as the combustion chamber, and air flowing over the outside of the combustion chamber is heated. With a boiler, water is heated as it runs over the outside of the combustion chamber, and the water is piped around your house into radiators or heat exchangers. These radiators or heat exchangers then heat the air.

Question 5

What is heating oil?

Answer

Heating oil is the marketing name for diesel fuel when it is used for space heating. Other names for heating oil are "fuel oil", "home heating oil", "#2 heating oil", and "distillate" fuel. Heating oil is one of the fuels produced during the process of refining crude oil. The purpose of refining crude oil to separate it into different grades of fuel. Every 100 gallons of crude oil yields 42 gallons of gasoline, 29 gallons of heating oil (diesel), 9 gallons of jet fuel, and 20 gallons of other fuels and products.

Question 6

What is oil heating in a house?

Answer

Oil heating is a heating system that burns diesel fuel in a furnace or boiler to generate heat. This heat warms up the air in your house. When used for space heating, diesel fuel is called "heating oil", "home heating oil", "#2 heating oil", or "fuel oil". It is delivered by oil companies, which have fleets of tanker trucks that pick up the oil from wholesale terminals (giant tank farms known as "racks"), and deliver the oil to your home.

Question 7

Should I buy heating oil now or wait?

Answer

If you have less than a quarter tank of oil, you should buy oil now. Otherwise, wait until you are at that point so you can place a large order. If you order more than 150 gallons in one delivery, you are eligible for a volume discount. The only exception to that rule is if there is an extreme weather event on the horizon that may close streets for an extended period of time.

Question 8

What color is home heating oil?

Answer

Home heating oil is naturally transparent, but is dyed red for tax purposes. The IRS requires heating oil to be dyed red to prevent its use in cars and trucks. If a tax official suspects a truck of using tax-free heating oil instead of taxable diesel fuel from a gas station, the official can put a dip-stick in the truck's tank to check the color of the fuel.

Question 9

Is electric heat cheaper than oil?

Answer

Oil heat is cheaper than heating a home with space heaters but more expensive than an efficient electric heat pump. But the cost of prematurely purchasing and installing an electric heat pump before your oil heat system has reached the end of its useful life would exceed any savings versus continuing to use your existing oil heat system.

Question 10

How much is home heating oil?

Answer

Home heating oil is $3.07 per gallon right now, on average. Today's oil prices range from the cheapest price of $274.00 to the most expensive price of $340.00 right now per gallon for a 100-gallon heating oil delivery, depending on the oil company you use and the delivery address.

Question 11

How many oil companies deliver home heating oil?

Answer

5,025 residential home heating oil companies deliver #2 heating oil. 847 full service heating oil companies offer both fuel oil delivery and boiler and furnace repair. 4,178 discount companies offer heating oil, but do not offer furnace repair.

Question 12

How does oil heat work?

Answer

Oil heat works by spraying the oil into a box in your furnace called the combustion chamber and igniting the oil vapor to generate heat. Air from your home is drawn into a duct and heated as it passes by the hot metal outside wall of the combustion chamber. Then the heated air is blown back out through a duct into your home.

Question 13

Is heating oil the same as diesel?

Answer

Heating oil is the same as diesel. In an emergency, you can use diesel from the gas station in your furance or boiler. You would never do that on a regular basis because tax rates for diesel at the pump are much higher than heating oil purchased from an oil company, which is typically tax exempt.

Question 14

Is oil heat expensive?

Answer

Oil heat is more expensive than natural gas but less expensive than propane. Though if you have an oil-fired furnace or boiler, it is not cost-effective to replace it with an alternate fuel before the end of the life of the existing system.

Question 15

How much does heating oil cost per month?

Answer

Heating oil costs $84.06 per month (averaged over 12 months), totalling $1,092.82 per year. On a cost per delivery basis, this equates to 4 deliveries of $273.21 per delivery.

Question 16

How long does heating oil last?

Answer

How long heating oil lasts depends on the outside temperature and the square footage of your home. For example, in the next 7 days, the average 1,500-square-foot home will use 7.67 gallons of fuel oil.

Question 17

How many stops can a home oil delivery truck make a day?

Answer

A home oil delivery truck can make up 30 stops on a normal day. On the day before a major storm, a truck working around the clock can make up to 50 stops in a 24 hour period. In this case, drivers work in shifts.

Question 18

What is heating oil used for?

Answer

Heating oil is used for residential space heating, primarily. The same fuel, also known as "off road diesel" or "dyed diesel", is used in applications such as farming and construction equipment.

Question 19

How much heating oil will a home use in the upcoming week?

Answer

In the upcoming week, the temperature is expected to drop to a low of 64.7°F. The average 1,500 square foot house will burn 7.67 gallons of heating oil.

Question 20

Should I switch from oil to electric heating?

Answer

No, it is not cost effective to switch from oil to electric heating unless your oil heat system has reached the end of its useful life and needs a total replacement.

Question 21

How much do oil delivery drivers make?

Answer

Oil delivery drivers make between $20/hour and $35/hour depending on the individual driver's years of experience and the cost of living in the town.

Question 22

Does heating oil go bad?

Answer

Heating oil will go bad after 24 months unless you add fuel stabilizer and store it in a full tank to prevent condensation.

Question 23

Is it worth buying a house with oil heat?

Answer

Yes, oil heat, used by more than 4,000,000 homes in the U.S., is a safe, efficient, and cost effective space heating fuel.

Question 24

How many gallons of heating oil does a home burn annually?

Answer

A 1,500 square foot home uses an average of 399 gallons each year.

Question 25

How many gallons in a fuel oil delivery truck?

Answer

A fuel oil delivery truck carries between 2,500 and 4,500 gallons of #2 home heating oil.

Question 26

How long is the hose on an oil delivery truck?

Answer

The hose on an oil delivery truck is typically 150 feet long.

Fuel	U.S. Households	% of Households
Natural Gas	59.8M	47.00%
Electricity	51.1M	40.13%
Propane	6.3M	4.96%
Heating Oil	5.4M	4.30%
No Fuel	2.7M	2.16%
Wood	2.0M	1.61%
Other Fuels	738,092	0.58%
Solar	349,814	0.27%
Coal	120,092	0.09%

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	7.7M
2012	7.4M
2013	7.1M
2014	6.8M
2015	6.5M
2016	6.2M
2017	6.0M
2018	5.8M
2019	5.7M
2020	5.5M
2021	5.4M
2022	5.4M

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