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Frequently Asked Questions

What is residential heating oil?

Essentially, residential heating oil is the oil delivered via truck to your home to heat it. There is no difference between heating oil that is used to heat a home or a business. All residential heating oil delivered in New England since July 2018 is Ultra Low Sulfur Heating Oil.

How Long Does an Oil Tank Last?

On average, a fuel oil tank lasts 15-20 years, although some can last longer with the proper maintenance. However, it is recommends that homeowners plan to replace their oil tank approximately every 15 years to get ahead of possible problem associated with an aging fuel oil tank.

An aging oil tank can damage your furnace, or it can leak oil into the ground. Both of these scenarios have the potential to cost a lot of money to fix and, in the case of an oil leak, it may cause damage to the environment as well.

What Affects Home Heating Oil Prices?

The price of heating oil is affected by both global and local forces - forecasts for the global economy can affect the local price of heating oil as much as a really cold New England winter.

Crude oil accounts for the majority (58%) of the cost of heating oil and therefore has a large impact on the price. Because crude oil is a commodity, its own price is driven by the law of supply and demand. That means the global economy and any issues that affect the supply of crude oil will affect how much you pay to heat your home in the winter.

What Are The Benefits Of COD?

COD oil might be a new concept for some homeowners, but it is already standard practice for others. These homeowners have discovered some of the many benefits of COD, or cash on delivery, oil.

  1. No Sticker Shock- When you shop for COD oil, the price is typically displayed on the home page of the company’s website and is updated daily,

  2. No Expensive, Long-term Contracts- Some oil companies that set up automatic deliveries for a season can lock homeowners into months-long contracts. When you order your oil from a COD oil company, you aren’t locked into a long-term agreement.

  3. Order as You Go- Many homeowners cannot afford to fill their oil tanks when they are almost empty. They also may not be able to afford to sign up for automatic oil deliveries due to ever-changing oil prices. With COD oil service, you can specify exactly how many gallons of oil you want and shop around to get the best price available. Being in control of how much oil is to be delivered, and the price allows homeowners to budget for oil deliveries and get deliveries when they can afford them.

  4. Find the Right Fit For Your Family- Just because a company offers the lowest oil prices around does not mean it’s the best company. By not entering into a contract with a particular provider, you can easily find another oil company if you don’t like the service provided. An oil company should be reliable, have a courteous and professional staff, and offer its customers competitive prices.

How often do I need to order heating oil?

In the same way that certain factors affect how much gas you burn in your car, certain factors affect how much heating oil you’ll burn at home.

Factors like:

  • Is it summer or winter?

  • Do you get your system tuned annually?

  • How warm do you keep your house?

  • Is your house drafty?

  • How big or small is your house?

Because of all these different factors it is impossible to say exactly how often you will need oil. However, most customers order about 150 gallons a month during the winter and one or two 150 gallon deliveries in the summer dependent on need.