Keeping your house warm is essential, especially during the winter season. Currently, over five million U.S. homes use home heating oils, but most people have no idea what this mystery fuel—surprisingly one of the safest methods to heat—is all about. Below are some reasons why heating oil is preferable to natural gas.
Heating oil produces the hottest flame of any fuel used for home heating (400 degrees hotter than gas), which causes your home to heat up more quickly and use less energy to maintain temperature. It is also nonexplosive until it is vaporized; therefore, if you accidentally drop a lit match into a jar of liquid heating oil, it will self-extinguish, making it very safe. A typical oil heat appliance is longer lasting since it has a lifespan of 30 years or more with adequate maintenance compared to a natural gas furnace’s lifespan of 11 to 14 years.
Modern oil burners emit almost no smoke or combustion byproducts into your house. According to the EPA, they are currently among the cleanest and most eco-friendly combustion sources. Modern oil system technologies re-burn fuel, further reducing emissions. However, natural gas is 95% methane, and system losses from the natural gas industry account for 18% of worldwide methane emissions, contributing to climate change.
