The Facts about Oil Heat
Today's Oil Heat is Clean
The number one myth about home heating oil is that it is dirty. Wrong! Home heating oil is a clear, rosy-red liquid that is non-toxic, biodegradable and has no carcinogens. Oil heat burns at a level of overall cleanliness approaching 99.9% and unlike gas carries no risk of explosion. In fact, oil heat emissions have such low output that they aren't even regulated by the Federal Clean Air Act.
Because of their high efficiency and cleanliness, oil heat systems have an amazingly small impact on the environment. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency says that modern oil burners are one of the cleanest combustion sources available. They release near zero levels of smoke and combustion discharge and produce less greenhouse gas than natural gas systems. Home heating oil is also non-toxic and biodegradable. It all means that oil heat remains a responsible environmental choice for heating your home despite the scare tactics you may have heard from unscrupulous contractors looking to make a quick buck through expensive and unnecessary conversions.
Today's Oil Heat is Safe
Heating oil is one of the safest fuels available without the explosive quality of natural gas (you can drop a lit match in a bucket of heating oil and nothing will happen). Oil furnaces pose little or no threat of carbon monoxide poisoning because equipment in poor enough condition to produce CO will not operate. Heating oil does have a distinctive petroleum odor, but the fumes are not dangerous and usually dissipate quickly. Usually the only time a heating oil odor is detected is immediately after a delivery if a few drops of heating oil are left on the fill pipe. Rarely is there an odor produced when the furnace is running. Heating oil burns cleanly so if there is a smell, or more likely soot appearing at the furnace or around the heat registers, it's due to poorly maintained equipment. A tune-up by a qualified home oil heat technician will take care of the problem and will increase the efficiency of the furnace.
Today's Oil Heat is Efficient
Everyone wants to get the best bang for their buck. Oil heat gives you just that because it uses less fuel to produce more heat. A gallon of home heating oil produces more heat compared to comparable amounts of other fuel sources. That means, in addition to paying a very competitive price on the front end, you also use less fuel to produce more heat. It takes 1.4 therms of natural gas, 1.52 gallons of propane, and 40.6 kwh of electricity to equal the heat content of 1 gallon of heating oil. Add an oil-fired hot water heater to your system and that efficiency is even more impressive. You’ll enjoy unlimited supplies of hot water at a fraction of the cost of a gas or electric water heater.
We know the price of energy is an important factor in determining the total heating costs for your home. For example, the installed cost of an electric system may look attractive, but when you calculate the annual operating costs for electric power, any first-time savings vanish. The same is true for natural gas. When you add the monthly customer charge to your heating bill, equipment and labor costs, and the comparatively short life of a gas furnace, it makes a difference.
Recent technological advances have made oil heat’s efficiency even more impressive. Oil heat systems achieve a significantly higher efficiency rating than gas, propane, wood or electricity. Advances such as the high static pressure flame-retention burner, solid-state microprocessor electronic controls, and cleaner burning fuel have resulted in some systems having efficiency ratings that exceed 90%. This means that up to 90% of your home heating dollars go directly to keeping you warm and cozy.
Today's Oil Heat is Dependable
Home heating oil systems typically last 30 years or more. Compare that to the 15 year lifespan of the average gas furnace. In addition, your heating oil storage tank provides a level of security, control and price protection that other home heating options can't offer. You can buy when oil prices are low. Shop around or sign up for automatic fill with your local dealer. You're in charge. You never have to worry about hassles with public utilities or problems with government-run lines into your home. You own your own supply of fuel right on your property.
Thinking of switching your home heating system? Think again!
The costs of switching are higher than you might think. In addition to the cost of new equipment and tank decommissioning costs, there's the difference in equipment life to consider (30 years for oil, 15 years for natural gas). In fact, the Consumer Energy Council of America Research Foundation says:
"In 95 out of 100 cases, it makes economic sense to stick with oil, and if an energy-related investment is desired, to invest in conservation."
