During the exceedingly frigid months of winter, temperatures can drop to an uncomfortable low. The good news is that you can count on an oil heating system to keep your home warm whenever this happens. You have to ensure that your fuel oil tank is full for sustaining comfortable temperatures all winter long. This can be a challenge given that the use of home heating oil during winter can vary according to the outside temperatures, the size of your home, the age of your furnace, your personal heating preferences, the available insulation, and many other factors.
How Much Heating Oil Will Your Home Require This Winter?
This article will share a variety of ways to determine how much heating oil you’re likely to use in your home this winter. We will also share tips that will help you get ready for the cold weather season. We also offer several strategies for reducing fuel oil consumption to keep your home heating costs better under control.
Table of Contents:
Determining The Capacity Of Your Fuel Oil Tank
Start by deciding exactly how much fuel oil your tank is able to hold. The smallest tanks usually hold about 100 gallons of oil at one time. The typical home has an above-ground tank with a 275-gallon rating. Larger tank ratings are also available. However, these are found in designs that are installed underground. Keep in mind that the stated capacity for a tank is not actually how much fuel that it can hold. Tanks that have a 275-gallon rating will only hold up to 225 gallons oil while the remainder of the space is used to hold debris or air. The receipt for your fuel oil delivery will provide a lot of helpful information to this end.
Estimating Your Needs For Home Heating Oil
Multiplying the usage period by the consumption rate is one way to calculate your requirements for fuel oil. For instance, a furnace that uses oil will likely burn between 0.8 and 1.7 gallons of fuel each hour of use. This is a figure that may be printed on the manufacturer’s plate that’s affixed to the nozzle or burner. Think of how many hours your furnace is turned on. Keep in mind that the listed number is usually meant for ideal conditions such as when the unit was new and initially installed. Consumption generally increases for heating systems as they age due to increasing inefficiency.
Another strategy is to look at your historical rates of consumption. This can be quite helpful if you have lived in your current home for several years. Take a look at past heating bills to see how much you’ve used in years prior. Take an average of this use and you will have a pretty fair idea of how much fuel you are likely to use in the current year. You can complete additional calculations to determine your daily, weekly, and monthly usage values. Check out the weather forecast as you might need to have more oil in supply if the temperatures are expected to drop lower than normal.
If your home is relatively new, then think about asking your neighbors with comparable properties in terms of house and furnace size to get a rough estimate. You also have the option of speaking with a local heating oil supply company and requesting an educated estimated based upon the above-mentioned factors. It is not unusual for households to use between three and six gallons of heating oil fuel each day throughout the coldest months of the winter season.
Strategies For Reducing Your Oil Use This Winter
Layer Up Your Clothing
Consuming lots of oil will create larger bills. To limit your costs, you should be ready to take a few drastic measures. You can start by building up your ability to tolerate cold temperatures. Before you even turn on your furnace, think about adding a few layers of clothing or changing into warmer clothing.
Window Treatments
Open up your curtains or blinds to let the sunlight flow in. When you do, you may not even need to turn your heater on until night. You can also close your curtains during the nighttime hours so that cold air isn’t seeping into your home.
Invest In A Smart Or Programmable Thermostat
You should also verify that your home heating system is set to a low temperature when the entire house is unoccupied. With a programmable thermostat, you can easily do this according to your regular schedule. The goal is to limit how much oil you burn by making your furnace work less.
Tune-Up Your HVAC System
Routine maintenance of your HVAC equipment will also keep your heater working efficiently for manageable fuel consumption overall. Professional HVAC systems can clean your unit up, make any needed adjustments to the system, and take other steps to ensure optimum functioning. These services are low in cost, and they are guaranteed to provide great value over time.
Add Insulation And Seal Up Air Drafts
Finally, take steps to increase the amount of insulation in and around your home. Seal up all of the cracks around your windows and doors to start. Find a way to add extra insulation to your walls and roof. This will keep warm air trapped inside of the home so that your furnace doesn’t work so hard.
Get In Touch With A Reputable Oil Supplier
Using a reputable oil supplier will really help you cut your home heating costs. A lot of oil suppliers have different delivery options and payment plans available that can help offset the prices of heating oil. Some full-service oil suppliers, however, will charge you for extra services when you choose automatic oil delivery. Therefore, be sure to read the fine print and see if it really suits your needs. With a discount or COD oil service, you will need to monitor the fuel levels in your tank and then call when a refill is needed. Thus, if you are trying to cut the costs of heating your home, your best bet may be to find a local oil company and see what options they have available.
Contact The Better Home Heat Council To Find A Local Oil Dealer
When oil levels fall to about 30 percent of the oil tank’s capacity, you should get in touch with your oil supplier. Even during times of severe weather, this will ensure that you never run out of fuel.
Being able to rely on a reputable heating oil delivery service is essential during the cold winter months. This will assure you of a safe, warm, and comfortable home. Contact Better Home Heat Council to connect with a local oil dealer who offers rapid and efficient fuel delivery. To make sure that your furnace is working precisely as it should, our dealer’s seasoned technicians can offer regular heating system maintenance and repairs.
For questions and concerns concerning your HVAC system or oil delivery, click here to contact the Better Home Heat Council today.