Oilheat Benefits

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• Oilheat - Feel the Difference...
  
• Oilheat Is Efficient
  
• Oilheat Is Clean Heat
  
• Oilheat Is Better for the Environment
  
• Oilheat Is Safe
  
• Heating Oil Supply Is Reliable and Secure
  
• Oilheat Is Versatile
  
• Oilheat Efficiency Conserves Energy
  
• Oilheat Is A Money-Saving Investment
  
• Oilheat Is Economical
  
• Oilheat Provides Real Service for Real People
  
• The Future of Oilheat
  

Oilheat - Feel the Difference...

Oilheat is consistent, comfortable, satisfying heat - compared to other types of heat that can leave you shivering, no matter where you set the thermostat. You can actually feel the difference Oilheat makes...and you will love it!

Oilheat produces higher air temperature in the home than heat pumps. This keeps people warmer. It is hard to determine all of the factors that make Oilheated homes more comfortable. They just seem to have a nice cozy feeling.

Oilheat Is Efficient

Oilheat has always been the efficiency leader. Heating efficiency is the amount of usable heat extracted from the potential energy of the fuel. If a heating system is 85% efficient, 85 cents of every dollar you spend goes to heat your home and hot water.

Efficiencies of new oil equipment range from 83% to 95%. Efficiencies for gas ranges from 78% to 95%. Electric resistance heat and electric water heaters are between 27% and 31%, air-to-air heat pumps between 51% and 62%, and geothermal (ground source) heat pumps between 76% and 82% efficient.

Oilheat Is Clean Heat

When properly adjusted and maintained, Oilheat systems create no observable soot, dirt, or odors in the home. They release almost no smoke or combustion residue up the chimney. Emissions from residential gas, propane, and oil burners are all at about the same low level. While electric heat at the point of use in the home has no emissions, the power plant creating the electricity may give off 10 times more particulate matter (smoke and soot), depending on the fuel used to power the generator.

Oilheat Is Better for the Environment

The environmental impact from using home heating oil is much lower than the alternatives, especially electric heat and wood. The air pollution emissions from oil burners are insignificant, and oil storage tanks do not present a threat to the environment because heating oil is not toxic, contains no carcinogens and is biodegradable.

The Oilheat Manufacturers Association (OMA) has calculated the costs to society of using the various fuels, including their impact on air pollution, crop failures, and fishing grounds. When all factors are considered, low-sulfur Oilheat comes out as the least damaging heating source available. It is 1% better than natural gas or propane. Oilheat is 136% better for the environment than geothermal heat pumps, and 208% better than air-to-air heat pumps. It is 516% better than electric resistance heat and electric water heaters, and Oilheat is an amazing 2,437% better for the environment than wood heat!

Homes that are now heated by electricity can lower their emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by more than 50% by switching to oil heating equipment. Carbon dioxide is the most prevalent gas believed to contribute to undesired global warming. The reduction of carbon dioxide with oil equipment equals 16 tons per year for each house that is converted from electric heat and hot water for the average energy use in the Northeast. Simply replacing an electric water heater with an oil-powered unit can lower carbon dioxide release by more than 2 tons per year.


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Oilheat Is Safe

Safety is everyone's concern ... and Oilheat offers consumers real peace of mind!

• Oilheat does not pose a health hazard for you, your family or your property.
  
• Heating oil will NOT explode.
  
• A match dropped into heating oil will go out as if it were dropped into water.
  
• In a liquid state, heating oil will NOT burn.
  
• To light on fire, heating oil must be heated above 140° so it will vaporize.
  
• If there is a burner malfunction, an Oilheat system creates visible smoke before deadly carbon monoxide is produced.
  
• With Oilheat, you benefit from having your fuel source safely stored on your property - with no need to worry about the weather or disruptions in the fuel supply. Modern underground storage tanks are designed with corrosion-resistant materials to make them safer and more leak-proof than ever before. And optional tank enclosures provide additional protection for aboveground tanks that can be conveniently located in the garage, basement or next to the home.
  

Heating Oil Supply Is Reliable and Secure

Oil companies shop for crude oil, the raw material used to make heating oil, all over the world. There are over 36 oil-producing countries. We are not dependent upon any one country or region for our supply. We enjoy an over-abundance of crude oil, and world oil reserves will last for a long time. Despite wars, embargoes, political unrest, and natural disasters, Oilheat suppliers have always kept their customers warm. The future looks bright as well. Technological advances are slashing the cost of finding, producing, and refining oil.

Top 10 Countries Providing U.S. Imports
Of Crude Oil And Petroleum Products - 10/05

Data from the Energy Information Administration


Oilheat customers have a tremendous petroleum reserve to rely on

• There are over 50 oil-producing nations worldwide.
  
• Three of the four top oil importers to the U.S. are in the Western Hemisphere (Canada, Mexico and Venezuela).
  
• 85% of our nation's oil is refined here in the U.S.
  
• The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the world's largest emergency oil stockpile, has a capacity of 727 million barrels of crude oil.
  
• The Energy Policy Act of 2005 directs the Secretary of Energy to expand the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to one billion barrels.
  
• If it were necessary (assuming a rate of 1 million barrels a day), the Reserve could release oil into the market continuously for more than a year and a half.
  
• The Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve is a 2-million barrel supply of emergency fuel oil for homes and businesses in the northeast United States. Established in 2000, the Heating Oil Reserve acts as an "emergency buffer" that can supplement commercial fuel supplies should the heavily oil-dependent region be hit by a severe heating oil supply disruption.
  

Source: Dept. of Energy

Oilheat Is Versatile

Oilheat can be used in:

• Forced air systems, boilers or radiant appliances.
  
• Indirect hot water heaters, which have the highest per-gallon hot water recovery rates.
  
• Heating systems that can be adapted by adding air conditioners and electronic air cleaners.
  

Oilheat Efficiency Conserves Energy

The Oilheat Industry has an impressive record of quickly responding to changes abroad and here at home. We provided a positive response to the oil embargoes of the 70s. And we've been there for our customers following the more recent supply disruptions and rising energy prices with helpful conservation tips, equipment efficiency upgrades and convenient payment plans.

Oilheat equipment manufacturers have continually improved the efficiency of oil burners and heating equipment. The results are impressive. In 1973 it took 1,294 gallons of oil to heat the average home. Today the average Oilheat homeowner uses just 833 gallons - that's 35% less fuel!

Thanks to conservation measures, and the increased efficiency of new Oilheat equipment, Oilheat customers today use 6 billion fewer gallons of oil a year than they did in the 1970s. Brookhaven National Laboratory's oil heat research has been credited with efficiency improvements that have reduced fuel oil use in homes by more than 40 percent! And the Oilheat Industry continues to search for ways to conserve even more energy in the future.


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Oilheat Is A Money-Saving Investment

If you're buying a new home, you can assure yourself of a reliable, economical heat supply by choosing a home with a modern Oilheat system. You can also reduce your heating bills by converting your present home from electric, natural gas, propane, or wood heat to Oilheat. Since heating oil prices are typically 2.5 to 5.5 times lower than electricity prices, converting electric resistance heat, heat pumps, and electric water heaters to oil is an especially good way to reduce your home heating costs (see chart below).


Based on average regional energy prices

This graph is a comparison of cost savings in dollars per year after converting from electric to Oilheat for the five regions of the US. Notice that the greatest savings is achieved in the Northeast, with the New England region being a close second.

If you own an older Oilheat system, you can upgrade it with a new oil burner, furnace, or boiler. You can enjoy considerable savings and the luxury of virtually unlimited hot water by replacing your electric or gas water heater with an indirect oil-powered water heater system.

These conversions and upgrades can often return your investment costs in three to five years, and continue to provide you handsome tax-free returns on your investment year after year. Click here to learn more about equipment upgrades.

Oilheat Is Economical

Oilheat is significantly less expensive than electric heat and propane. The Consumer Energy Council of America has studied the costs of oil and natural gas for over 25 years and has concluded that the prices have tracked one another over time and that over the life of a heating system the prices will be comparable. CECA has stated that "because prices are volatile - and will continue to be so in the foreseeable future because of escalating world demand for fuels from the burgeoning economies of China and India - there is no compelling evidence to suggest that switching from one fuel to another will make economic sense for the consumer." (Source: Tips for Saving Energy During the Heating Season, Oct. 2005)

The best way to compare energy prices in your market is to look at the price per unit of heat value. Scientists measure heat value in British Thermal Units or BTUs for short. A BTU is the amount of energy required to raise one pound of water one degree F. It approximates the heat generated by a birthday candle.

• Heating Oil has a whopping 138,690 BTUs per gallon.
  
• Natural Gas has 1,030 BTUs per cubic foot (135 Cubic feet equals the heat content of one gallon of oil).
  
• Kerosene has 131,890 BTUs per gallon (1.05 gallons equals the heat content of one gallon of oil).
  
• Propane has 91,500 BTUs per gallon (1.52 gallons equals the heat of one gallon of oil).
  
• Electricity has 3,413 BTUs per kilowatt hour (40.6 kwh equals the heat content of one gallon of oil).
  
• One full cord of wood has the heat value of 95 gallons of oil.
  
• Anthracite Coal has 12,000 BTUs per pound (about 12 pounds equals the heat content of one gallon of oil).
  

When comparing the unit costs for the various fuels, remember to include any taxes and meter or service charges the gas or electric companies add to the bill.

Oilheat Provides Real Service for Real People

When it comes to all the comforts of home, local, dependable Oilheat delivers.

• In a recent survey, over 95% of consumers gave Oilheat the "thumbs up", citing personal service as one of its strongest benefits.
  
• Oilheat provides dependable service from a local supplier that knows you and your heating system.
  
• Oilheat companies customize their services to meet your budget and home comfort needs.
  
• An Oilheat dealer's "full service" menu includes automatic delivery, service contracts, budget plans and much more. For more information on full service, click here.
  
• Oilheat offers you a choice of many suppliers.
  

The Future of Oilheat

Recent innovations in oil heating equipment, including the design of new burners, controls and heat distribution systems, offer important opportunities for cost savings, lower air emissions, and other performance improvements.

New Oilheat employs very sophisticated technology to achieve its incredible reliability, efficiency, and safety. Achievements in oil burner technology have resulted in emissions levels approaching zero, making Oilheat 95% cleaner than it was 25 years ago (Source: USEPA, BNL Report 52249). The Oilheat equipment being developed in our research facilities will ensure Oilheat's advantages over other fuels well into the future.

Oilheat is Safe, Efficient, Economical, Clean, Environmentally Friendly, Convenient, Dependable, Comfortable, Reliable, and Secure. It improves your family's quality of life. Oilheat is the fuel of the future!

This consumer information has been prepared by the Oilheat Manufacturers Association (OMA). Technical reference to information herein is located in the OMA publications: Oilheat Advantages Project issued May 1995; The Benefits of Oilheat booklet issued in the summer of 1999 and The Global Warming Benefits of Oil Heated Homes.


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