Home Heating Oil Delivery and Considerations
Compared to the cumbersome coal heat of the 1920s, heating oil is definitely a safe and environmentally responsible fuel choice for homes and offices that do not have access to gas. Heating oil produces 138,500 British thermal units (146,100 kJ) per US gallon and weighs 7.2 pounds (3.3 kg) per US gallon (0.85 kg/l), which is about the same heat per unit mass as the somewhat less dense diesel fuel. Unlike natural gas and LPG, heating oil is not flammable at normal room temperature.
However, this petroleum distillate product poses an environmental threat to the earth, but if proper care is taken to avoid leaks, oil spillage and water accumulation, there really is nothing to worry about heating homes with oil. Thanks to "bunded", fire-proof, corrosion-resistant oil tanks that have one tank effectively stored within another tank, spillage of surplus oil can be easily controlled. Modern boilers, in which oil is heated, now feature higher energy efficiency ratings in excess of 95 percent than other alternatives. Most heating oil vendors provide reliable and convenient fuel supply with fixed payment plans that extend over the entire year.
Of course, the price of heating oil is rising with every passing winter. The price of one barrel of crude oil recently hit $82.82. Judging by the price of oil at $40 a barrel in January 2009, there has been a 100 percent increase in heating oil. The high demand and cold weather are to blame, of course.
Exactly how much heating oil is required to get through a winter depends on the size of the home, insulation effectiveness, cost of oil, supply available, demand, world economic state and, of course, the weather. The cost of home heating oil is determined by the marketing and delivery costs, followed by the actual cost of oil as well as processes involved in refining. In 2001, the distribution and marketing cost of heating oil accounted for 46 percent of the cost of one gallon of heating oil and crude oil accounted for approximately 42 percent of the cost of one gallon of heating oil. The refinery processing costs accounted for another 12 percent.
Despite the disadvantages, utilization of heating oil show no signs of going lower. Issues in the local market also play a role in hiking the prices to unaffordable levels, say for example, when a drop in the supply of crude oil is further aggravated by an increase in demand.
Though there is nothing much families can do to control external factors that affect oil prices, a few insights into the effective utilization of heating oil can ensure that the heat of heating oil doesn't burn a hole in your pocket.
The "right" provider changes week to week in the heating oil industry. Since heating oil is essentially a commodity, it's price which determines the best. Prices fluctuate up and down constantly, leading to opportunities to save money everytime you buy.
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