6 Factors That Affect Your Heating Oil Consumption
When winter arrives on the South Shore, it’s common to wonder, “How much heating oil will I use per year?” While there’s no quick answer, this blog will dive into some factors that affect your Bioheat® fuel usage and can help you estimate how much fuel you’ll need, so you can plan and budget for your winter fuel oil deliveries.
Related Post: How to Avoid a No-Heat Emergency This Winter
6 Factors That Affect Your Heating Oil Usage
Some variables that impact your home heating oil consumption and how long a tank of oil will last your New England home and family. Here are some of the most prominent factors:
Heating System Efficiency
The more efficient your heating oil furnace/boiler and water heater are, the longer your heating oil will last. A furnace closer to 20 years old will burn through fuel much faster than a brand-new, high-efficiency heating system. A heating system’s efficiency steadily declines with age, making it especially beneficial to maintain your equipment with tune-ups and replace it when you notice your heating bills climbing quickly.
Tank Size
Aside from age and efficiency, the size of your heating oil tank plays a role in your winter fuel consumption. The smaller your tank size, the more frequently you will need deliveries. If you are not enrolled in an automatic delivery service, you’ll want to keep an extra eye on your tank gauge levels to avoid a heating oil runout.
Temperature Preferences
If there are young, elderly, or those who are always a bit chilly living with you, chances are you keep your thermostat up a little higher than average. This increases your heating bills to a small degree. Alternatively, if your family likes to wear slippers and bundle up in sweaters or a cozy blanket, you may be able to get away with a lower thermostat setting and less fuel oil usage.
Home Size
The larger your home, the more heating fuel you’ll need to keep it warm. You can reduce the cost of heating your entire space when you invest in programmable thermostats for each of your home’s heating zones. If everyone is out of the house from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, you can set your thermostat to lower temperatures during that time. Just remember to keep thermostats at a minimum of 55 degrees to prevent your plumbing from freezing.
Number of Residents
Typically, homes with more residents go through fuel oil quicker than homes with fewer people since more people means an increase in hot water needed for bathing, laundry, dishwashing, cleaning, and cooking. With this in mind, if you have a large family or frequent houseguests, you’ll likely use more heating oil to keep family and guests comfortable.
Winter Forecast
When temperatures get low, your heating equipment will have to work harder to keep your home warm. This means during cold snaps and winter storms, you’ll go through Bioheat® fuel more quickly than on milder days. If you’re a will-call customer, be sure to keep an eye on the weather and your tank, and place orders when your oil tank gauge reaches ¼ to reduce the risk of a no-heat emergency. To simplify things, contact us to enroll in our no-added-cost automatic delivery program.
Interested in ordering fuel or signing up for automatic Bioheat® fuel delivery for your South Shore home? Contact the team at Albert Culver to get started!