Oil to Gas Conversions: Are They Worth It?
When it comes to energy savings, homeowners will look down every avenue and leave no stone unturned to find the best value for their hard-earned dollars. While rising energy costs aren’t exclusive to any one source of energy, there’s a reason that more than 9 million American homes and families choose heating oil over gas to maintain comfort and reasonable heating costs.
Before you make the call to convert from oil to gas, make sure you know the facts!
- Converting to natural gas could cost homeowners as much as $11,000 – or even more with equipment boasting higher efficiency.
- According to the Consumer Energy Council of America, upgrading oil-fired heating equipment is a more effective way to conserve energy over converting to natural gas.
- Overall, conversions are more expensive than upgrading and provide very little meaningful savings overtime… if any at all!
While heating oil customers might consider the ups and downs of fuel prices a reason for making the switch, it’s worth noting that the healthy amount of competition present within the heating oil industry keeps costs reasonable. And with the addition of value-added services, such as service contracts; automatic deliveries; and heating & cooling equipment sales, installation and maintenance, energy dollars go much further!
In addition to heating oil companies offering extra services not provided by the natural gas industry it has some other benefits over natural gas as well, including:
Cleanliness
- With the innovation of ultra-low sulfur heating oil and biofuels, heating oil now burns 95% cleaner than it did decades ago – making it cleaner and greener than ever.
- Modern heating oil equipment is built with a focus on environmental friendliness – meaning it creates fewer greenhouse gas emissions than older equipment.
- Properly maintained heating oil equipment doesn’t create soot, dirt or odors inside the home.
Efficiency
- Heating oil creates 140,000 BTUs of heat per gallon while the equivalent amount of natural gas produces only 100,000 BTUs.
- New heating oil equipment boasts energy-efficiency ratings ranging from 83% to 94% - meaning it utilizes more of the fuel it burns instead of wasting it.
- Overall, today’s heating systems use 25% less fuel than they did 20 years ago. And improvements are constantly being made!
Safety
- The accidental inhalation of oil fumes is not fatal, unlike gas – which is commonly referred to as “the silent killer” and has been the leading cause of death from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in the United States.
- Heating oil is not explosive and only ignites within the combustion chamber of oil-fired heating equipment. It also will not burn in a liquid state, so it’s safe to store on the property!
- If a heating oil system should malfunction, it will produce clear warning signs before releasing any carbon monoxide into the home. Since gas lines are buried, you’ll never know if there’s an issue until it’s too late.
When considering the choice for your home’s energy source, look at the big picture. Think about the safety of your family, the efficiency of your heating equipment, and where you can get the most bang for your energy dollars.
You might just find the answer to energy conservation and true value has been with heating oil all along! Call or contact Coan Oil today to find out how you can save on energy costs while sticking with heating oil.