How Can You Save Money On Heating Oil This Winter?
Posted on: 6 October 2015
If high heating oil prices have had your family shivering under blankets to conserve heat, you may be wondering what you can do to keep the cost of heating down this winter. Fortunately, analysts are already predicting that this year's heating oil prices should be lower than those you've seen over the past few winters, combined with higher average temperatures. However, there are still several things you can do to reduce your heating bills this winter and in the future. Read on for three tricks that should help you keep your home toasty all winter without breaking the bank.
Time your purchase carefully
The price of heating oil can take wild swings throughout the year, and being forced to purchase at the wrong time could have you paying a significant premium. Many states have historical data on the price of natural gas and heating oil -- by reviewing the charts for your state, you should be able to get a good idea of the best time of year to purchase heating oil, as well as the times you'll want to use a backup heating method rather than pay to fill the tank.
Rent a bigger tank
Another potential cost-saving method may be to purchase or rent a larger holding tank for your oil. If prices in your area skyrocket mid-winter but you find yourself running low on fuel before the thaw, you'll likely benefit from being able to purchase twice as much (or more) heating oil at the lowest annual price.
Investigate biodiesel as an alternative
The same biodiesel used to power "green" cars can be mixed with your heating oil to create an environmentally-friendly, inexpensive fuel. Biodiesel and heating oil operate in essentially the same manner, and to convert your existing heater to run on biodiesel only requires you to gradually increase the proportion of biodiesel to heating oil over time to ensure your heater doesn't react adversely. Because biodiesel can be harder on rubber tubing and seals than heating oil, you'll want to check your heater over carefully every few months to ensure nothing must be replaced.
If you have some extra space in your garage or basement and enjoy the DIY method, you may even be able to distill your own biodiesel fuel using waste oil from restaurants or other suppliers. This process can take some tweaking to perfect, but will allow you to use discarded oil to create a clean-burning fuel that will warm your entire home. Talk to a company like Small & Sons Oil Dist Co for more information.
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