HEATING OIL In comparing the benefits of heating oil with oil or natural gas or electricity, OIL is the choice in numerous categories. When deciding how to heat your home, learn about efficiency factors: oil furnaces can exceed 90% efficiency, gas furnaces are 77% efficient, electric heat furnaces are only 31% efficient.                                             (Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy) Oil also creates hot water 2 to 5 times faster than electric or gas water heaters. Oil creates the hottest flame of any home heating fuel and that includes electricity and heat pumps.  What that means is your house will heat up faster with less fuel and maintain your desired temperature better. Oil delivers more heat per unit of energy (measured in BTU’s) than any other fuels.  A gallon of oil delivers 140,000 BTU’s while gas delivers only 100,000 BTU’s per therm.  So don’t be misled by claims that a fuel other than oil is a cheaper way to heat your home!  One therm of gas does not generate as much heat as a gallon of oil. While all energy prices can vary from year to year, oil consistently has been the most economical heating fuel.  According to the U. S. Department of Energy data, oil heat has been less expensive than gas heat for 11 of the last 12 years. Home heating oil won’t burn in a liquid state - it is non-explosive until vaporized.  A lighted match dropped into a container of liquid heating oil will extinguish itself.  In order to ignite home heating oil, it must be heated to above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature at which it begins to vaporize.  Leaking oil will not explode or ignite in liquid form. For answers to your questions about heating oil and its pricing structures, click on the oil drop to go to the Department of Energy’s Energy Information website.