Heating Oil FAQs

A. Heating oil burns far hotter than other fuels, which allows oil heated homes to heat up faster with less fuel while maintaining a more consistent, even temperature. Certain system configurations can also provide virtually free hot water, adding even more value into every drop of oil.

A. Heating oil is not flammable by normal means. If someone dropped a match into a tank of heating oil, it would go out, just as if it were dropped into water. Also, in the rare instances when an oil heat system might malfunction, it would usually release smoke or soot as a visible warning before producing dangerous fumes, while other fuel systems do not. This allows homeowners to rest assured in the knowledge that their family and property are safe with dependable oil heat.

A. For the majority of the past 20 years, heating oil has been a consistently economical fuel. According to the Energy Information Administration, consumers are spending less of their disposable income on oil and energy than they did in 1981.* Moreover, the value of oil heat increases even more when you replace your old equipment with a new, high-efficiency heating system.

A. Thanks to dramatic advances in heating oil burner technology in recent years, modern oil heat systems boast efficiency ratings of more than 90%! Average fuel consumption in 1973 was a whopping 1,294 gallons, while modern systems have reduced that number to a mere 800 gallons! Greater efficiencies save you money. Please contact us if your system is more than 15 years old to discuss how much you could save with a fuel-efficient upgrade.

A. Today's heating oil burns 95% cleaner than it did in the 1970s. Emissions have been drastically reduced, and new low-sulfur blends are reducing those numbers even more. Modern heating oil burns cleaner, hotter and more efficiently than ever before!

A. No. In fact, residential oil heat equipment creates such a negligible amount of emissions that heating oil is not even regulated by the Federal Clean Air Act. 

A. There is enough heating oil available to heat the world for a long, long time – even during the coldest winters. The United States has taken steps to create the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which has a capacity of 727 million barrels, which is the world's largest emergency oil stockpile.