Tips & Info

Today’s versatile Oilheat systems can heat with water, steam or warm air. Additionally, a boiler can dispense hot air through the home by using hydro-air. Thus, any Oilheating system is compatible with air conditioning. Oilheat is also a terrific option if you are interested in radiant heat.

Some new systems do not require chimneys, they vent directly. In fact, the newest trend is to put the boiler outside of your home, or to combine a furnace and an air conditioner, and have that unit outside.

The efficiency levels of Oilheat systems can exceed 95%. For every gallon of oil burned, 140,000 BTUs of energy are released.

To heat the home a furnace uses air and a boiler uses water. A furnace uses the flame from the oil burner to heat air, which is distributed throughout the house. A boiler uses the flame to heat water that is either sent around the house in pipes to radiators, or is sent to a fan coil unit that heats air.

There are over 36 oil-producing countries. The U.S. is not overly dependent on any one region for our supply. More than 40% of our crude oil comes from the USA. Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia are our other main suppliers. The world’s total proven reserves of crude oil are about 10% higher than they were in 1980. We are finding oil faster than we are burning it. This makes oil a dependable heating fuel of choice.

After refining, No. 2 heating oil is the color of champagne. For tax purposes, regulations require that heating fuel be dyed red before it is sold. This is so the authorities can tell the difference between heating oil and on-road diesel fuel. The dye has no effect on the fuel and how it burns.

Heating oil is safe. It takes an advanced high-tech burner to ignite the oil. If you drop a match into heating oil it will go out as if dropped into water. Heating oil must be vaporized before it will ignite or burn.

New oil fired heating boilers and furnaces are much smaller than older ones. The average boiler today is as big as a three-drawer filing cabinet. Furnaces are similarly sized.

The Oil heating Industry has made great progress with energy conservation. In 1978 the average American home burned 1,297 gallons per year. In 2005, the average number of gallons burned is 860. This is a 33.6% decrease per household! A new system offers exceptional efficiency – you could save up to 25% or more in heating and hot water costs.

Tanks are an effective way to store oil, and with proper maintenance can last virtually forever. You should not be concerned if you or your oil dealer are taking care of the tank. Kiff offers Oil Tank Replacement Service as well as Oil Tank Inspection with our service.

There are a lot of reasons but the fundamental issue is that demand is out pacing supply. China and India’s demand for energy has increased dramatically as their economies grow. North American demand has also increased since 1999 as has Europe’s.

Meanwhile, supply has been unable to keep pace because of the war in Iraq, decreased production by Venezuela and Nigeria, the impact of hurricanes on US production, and a lack of investment to increase infrastructure (wells, refineries, pipelines, ships, and storage facilities) during the late 90s. Investment in oil production was low because oil prices in the 90s were at an all time low.

Oil prices have yet to come back down because of international uncertainty. Iran is the forth-largest oil producing country, and its future is in doubt. Terrorism continues to threaten Middle East production. Possible future hurricanes threaten Gulf of Mexico production.

Heating oil consumers should first talk with their heating oil retailer about Oilheat buying programs such as price caps and fixed price programs. They should also establish a budget plan with their retail dealer.

The best strategy continues to be conservation. NORA has completed a 160 page training guide “Efficient Oilheat, An Energy Conservation Guide” which is the foundation for the NORA Gold Certification. This program educates technicians on energy conservation strategies ranging from simple thermostat replacements to system redesign including boiler replacements and how to analyze the energy savings for consumers. It also includes information on how to explain these energy improvements to the customer. Working with customers, Oilheat dealers can help them cut energy costs by 20 to 25 percent.

Careful attention to energy conservation can cost effectively be achieved by nearly all consumers. NORA estimates that a replacement of an older boiler that is burning 1200 gallons of oil per year could save nearly a third of the oil consumed and bring the house down to the national average of 800 gallons per year. If the party was paying $2.50 per gallon, this would save nearly $1,000 per year. Another way of looking at it is to say that the boiler conversion essentially lowered the cost per gallon by 33 percent or to $1.65 per gallon.

Less expensive modifications such as insulating pipes and ducts can save 5 percent per year, and even a modest tune-up may save 3 percent. For a house using 1000 gallons, these changes will pay for themselves in a short time.

Needy families and the elderly can apply for fuel assistance (Heating Energy Assistance Program –HEAP) through state agencies such as the Department of Housing & Community Development.

YES! Kiff is here to help you. Click here for all the different options we have for you.

Primary controls have a reset button. This button allows the homeowner to restart the burner should a problem cause the unit to shut down. (For example, burners may need to be restarted after a power outage.) Pushing the reset button should get the burner running, but if the safety switch shuts the burner down again, the homeowner should call for service. Homeowners should NEVER push the reset button more than once because it might cause excess oil to be pumped into the combustion chamber. This will result in a lengthy and costly repair.