A lot of homes are set up to use heating oil as opposed to natural gas and coal. This fuel is incredibly safe for use in many residential and commercial environments, given that it is neither combustible nor flammable. In fact, it is often said that you can drop a lit match right down into your tank, without having any explosive event occur. The primary problem that homeowners face with this product is cost. With that in mind, here’s how to save money on your home heating oil.
It’s vital to note that quality is always key when it comes to reducing your home heating costs. If you wind up purchasing a low-grade and ultimately low-value fuel, you can wind up doing far more harm than good. Fuel that is delivered with particulates and contaminants can cause problems with corrosion, condensation, and bacterial growth in your tank. Sludge can begin to form that clogs up the entire system. A corroded tank will eventually need to be replaced. As such, investing in pure, reliable, and high-grade oils is generally the most cost-effective solution.
You also have to think about overall efficiency. Lower-grade oils do not burn cleanly and thus, they do not generate an optimum amount of heat. To get the best results, make sure that you are always working with reputable and well-established companies.
Established companies have reliable storage and transport vehicles. As such, their oils are unlikely to become contaminated with moisture, bacteria, and other substances during housing or transport. Start-ups, however, may be leaving their merchandise in substandard tankers that have visible areas of compromise.
Another drawback of working with a less-established provider is that many of these entities routinely purchase oils from the bottom of barrels. This is where the majority of contaminants lie. Moreover, these oils tend to be mixed together and they may even have secondary filler ingredients added to them.
Aligning yourself with a reputable company is only one small part of claiming the greatest possible range of available savings. Another step in these efforts is timing the delivery correctly. You want to make sure that you’re ordering refill services during times when demand is at its lowest. This is usually the case during the warmer months of the year such as in spring and the tail end of summer.
When demand is low, prices invariably drop. When the weather grows cold, however, most homeowners are suddenly thinking about their heaters and making arrangements for having their tanks refilled. This is when prices start to climb. As such, simply waiting too long to get a resource that you know you’ll ultimately need can dramatically increase overall spending.
Scheduling deliveries during times of low demand is the easiest way to save on these products. It is also a good idea to work with companies that offer a full range of home comfort services. This way, you can make sure that the tank is clean and corrosion-free before your new supplies are dropped off, so that problems with bacteria and sludge do not keep you from getting maximum value from your purchase.
