10 Factors That Influence How Long a Tank of Heating Oil Will Last

You may observe, with all the crazy weather we've been having, that you're using heating oil more than speedily than you expected, even though the weather hasn't been consistently cold this winter.

There's a reason for that (really, there are several, as nosotros'll see). Many factors influence the amount of fuel you fire in a winter flavor, and the speed at which y'all burn information technology. Here are 10 of the cardinal ones:

  1. The size of the oil tank – Some common sizes for dwelling heating oil tank are 275, 340, 420, and 500 gallons.
  2. Your thermostat setting – Increasing the temperature on your thermostat by only a few degrees volition make a large difference in how fast yous burn oil.
  3. The outdoor temperature – Colder outside temperatures mean more oil called-for. Because outdoor temperature varies widely during the day and season, oil companies similar us use heating caste days (HDD) to describe the heating load that your heating system will have to run across. A heating degree twenty-four hours is based on the temperature at which is assumed that no estrus would exist needed – typically 65 degrees Fahrenheit (cheque out this interesting link for a heating twenty-four hour period calculator)
  4. Outdoor wind conditions – Wind significantly increases how chop-chop heat is lost from your home – peculiarly if your home is under-insulated and poorly sealed (meet beneath).
  5. Insulation level – As much as 15 pct of the heated air in your home could be lost due to poorly insulated floors, basements, crawl spaces, and attics.
  6. Air leaks – A drafty building loses rut significantly faster than a tight building, even if the drafty building is insulated. This is why weatherization is 1 of the all-time ways to save money on your heating bills.
  7. Oil burner nozzle size and fuel unit of measurement pumping pressure – An oil burner nozzle delivers oil into the oil burner combustion chamber in a very fine spray to aid to assistance information technology burn better. The size of the nozzle and the force per unit area at which fuel is delivered to it will influence how fast you burn oil – an expert technician will know exactly how to set your heating system to get the most out of it.
  8. Oil burner efficiency – The efficiency of heating equipment tin can vary widely from one system to the next, or fifty-fifty from one flavor to the adjacent on the same equipment. Your system can lose 10 or more percent of its operating efficiency in a unmarried yr if it'south not properly maintained.
  9. Oil burner cycling rate – Most heating systems take a few minutes after kickoff-upwardly to reach meridian operating efficiency. If your heating oil burner is turning on and off rapidly (short cycling) – well-nigh probable due to it being mismatched to the heating load of your home – yous are wasting energy and money.
  10. Other factors – For a more than consummate discussion on the factors that influence your habitation'due south heating and cooling operation, bank check out this resource.

Equally you can see, the amount of fuel you burn is not like shooting fish in a barrel to predict – which is why it'south so much easier only to leave it to u.s.. Sign up for Automated Delivery and we'll figure out exactly when you'll need a heating oil top off so y'all never have to think well-nigh information technology once again.

Sign upwards for Gratuitous Automatic Delivery today and let u.s.a. worry virtually managing your heating oil supply. Contact u.s. today to get started!