We have always taken pride in delivering a safe, reliable and highly efficient fuel to our customers. And we’re always pleased to share good news with you about oil heat. Staying informed about what’s going on allows you to make smart decisions for your home and family.
U.S. Projected to Be Number One in Oil Production Soon
The U.S. is expected to take away Saudi Arabia’s crown as the world’s largest producer of crude oil by 2020!*
That’s mainly due to a big boom in nonconventional drilling techniques (extracting oil from shale), along with the addition of new pipelines, which move crude oil from Cushing, Oklahoma (a major hub in oil supply), to refineries in the Gulf states.
As one example, the Seaway Pipeline came on line in January, allowing 250,000 more barrels of oil per day to flow out of Cushing. More pipelines are expected to be operational later this year.
U.S. oil production, already at a 15-year high, is projected to rise to 7.3 million barrels per day this year. That’s an increase of 900,000 barrels per day from last year.
Because of this abundance in supply, oil prices are predicted to come down in the next few years.** And that’s good news for all of us!
Oil Heat: The Ultimate Comfort Fuel
Many people believe they’ll get a big payout if they switch to another heating fuel. But the mere cost to convert — typically thousands of dollars — could easily break the bank.
So why gamble by switching fuels when heating your home with oil is one of the safest bets around? Because oil generates more Btu’s of heat and warms a home more evenly than any other fuel, your home will be among the warmest on the block every winter. That’s why oil heat is the ultimate comfort fuel!
And don’t forget about service! You can always expect a fast and courteous response from us whenever you need help.
We think that’s one of the most important differences between utility companies and local fuel dealers like us. Utilities have been conditioned to think more about numbers than about people, in large part because they are monopolies that are more focused on financial and operational aspects than on customer service. In this respect, they are the opposite of local fuel oil dealers.
It’s just another reason why heating with oil is your best choice!
What’s So Hot about Oil-Fired Water Heaters?
Oil-fired water-heating systems mean low-cost access to virtually unlimited amounts of hot water. That’s because their “recovery rate” is as high as 120 gallons per hour. (Recovery rate measures how many gallons of water can be heated in an hour.)
This means plenty of hot water for the whole family — something that less efficient gas and electric water heaters cannot provide.
Oil and Water DO Mix
More people are using their oil boilers not only to heat their homes, but to produce domestic hot water too. (That means hot water for sinks, tubs, showers, washing machines, etc.) This is commonly done through an indirect-fired water heater, which connects to your boiler.
This type of water-heating system provides a unique advantage for people with oil heat. Indirect-fired water heaters are only practical if the water in the tank can be heated quickly. Oil heats water very quickly. Indirect-fired units are less common in gas-heated homes because gas-fired systems produce hot water at a much lower rate than oil.
How it WORKS
- The boiler circulates hot water to a coil inside the water heater.
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The heat from the boiler’s hot water transfers from the coil to the water in the tank.
- This system is most efficient in the winter when the boiler is being used to heat both the home and domestic water. In effect, no extra energy is needed to heat your domestic water — as opposed to a traditional water tank with its own oil or gas burner or electric heating elements.
- Because the indirect-fired water heater gets installed as a separate zone with its own thermostat, the boiler “understands” when it needs to produce heat for that tank only — and not send unnecessary heat into the home.