The Benefits of Heating Oil

Written on: September 25, 2023

Today’s heating oil is cleaner and more efficient than ever before.

heating oil Fairfield County, ct People have kept their homes warm and comfortable with heating oil since the 19th century. Roughly 90 percent of our country’s heating oil use happens in New England. What is it about heating oil that makes it so enduringly popular for homes in the Naugatuck Valley and throughout this region?

At Seymour Oil & Propane, we have decades of experience providing dependable heating oil delivery to Connecticut homes. Let’s discuss some of the significant advantages of using this outstanding fuel.

What is heating oil?

Heating oil is a crude oil distillate like gasoline, kerosene and diesel fuel. In fact, the heating oil you use in your boiler or furnace is pretty much identical to off-road diesel. Your heating system’s burner must convert it to a mist and heat considerably to ignite it.

How much heat can heating oil generate?

In terms of heat generation, heating oil is just about as effective as you can get. One gallon of heating oil generates approximately 137,381 Btu of energy. That is the equivalent of approximately:

  • 132 cubic feet of natural gas *
  • 40 kilowatt-hours of electricity *

In short, you get a lot of warmth with each gallon of heating oil. And the equipment using it is getting more efficient. Today’s oil-fired furnaces and boilers have fuel efficiencies up to about 90%, so less heat energy escapes out of your chimney. Modern heating equipment uses about 700 fewer gallons of heating oil annually than it did in the 1970s.

Heating oil’s strong energy generation combined with the high efficiency of oil-powered systems ensures that you’ll stay warm no matter how frigid the winter gets.

How safe is heating oil?

Heating oil is one of the safest ways you can heat your home. Remember how we said it needs to be misted and super-heated to combust? Well, heating oil presents no explosion risk in its liquid form. A lit match dropped into a bucket of heating oil would go out immediately.

Is heating oil eco-friendly?

Gone are the days of black smoke and soot from oil furnaces and boilers. Today’s heating oil is considerably cleaner and more environmentally friendly than it used to be.

All of today’s heating oil is ultra-low-sulfur, and more and more of it incorporates organic biodiesel made from renewable and recycled products. The resulting fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions, improves air quality and even saves you money. This cleaner-burning fuel leaves fewer deposits in your equipment, decreasing the need for frequent cleanings and maintenance.

Seymour Oil & Propane is here for your heating oil needs!

If your western Connecticut home’s heating equipment runs on heating oil, then you won’t find a more reliable fuel partner than Seymour Oil & Propane. Our FREE Automatic Delivery option prevents runout and unburdens you from needing to call us for fuel. We’ll track your oil tank levels and deliver more heating oil before you run low.

Don’t wait — contact Seymour Oil & Propane to join our happy family of customers.

* Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration