Around 5.7 million households in the United States depend on home heating oil to heat their homes, according to U.S. Energy Information Association (EIA).
Data from the EIA shows in 2017 residential consumers in the Northeast purchased about 3 billion gallons of heating oil. These sales account for 85% of total U.S. residential heating oil sales for the same year.
Massachusetts households hold the 3rd spot nationwide for residential home heating oil consumption, the EIA reports, which means there’s no shortage of demand come wintertime.
How can you get the best price for home heating oil?
Our recommendations for getting good deals on home heating oil and Bioheat® fuel is to have automatic delivery and be on a monthly budget plan.
You can stay up to date on the price of home heating oil in Massachusetts at the Mass.gov website: mass.gov/service-details/massachusetts-retail-heating-oil-prices.
Can I get oil delivered in the summer?
Absolutely. In fact, the best oil delivery companies in Boston and Massachusetts will encourage customers to top off tanks in late spring or summer.
Not only do homeowners get a low price for home heating oil and Bioheat®, but their oil tanks last longer and their furnaces and boilers last longer with less repairs.
The science behind topping off in warm weather.
When there’s not home heating oil or Bioheat® fuel in your tank, it’s filled with air.
As the weather warms up, oil tanks undergo temperature fluctuations that cause moisture to be pulled from the air and condense on the tank’s interior walls.
From there, microorganisms begin creating sediment that corrodes the tank, which leads to rust that eats away at your tank from the inside out until . . . you have a leak.
Meanwhile, the sediment builds up and eventually clogs the fuel lines and the burner nozzle. It’s a slow process, but over time, your heating system will require more repairs and fail faster than it should.
How should I have home heating oil delivered?
There are typically two ways home heating oil and Bioheat® fuel is delivered:
• One-time delivery
• Automatic delivery
Here’s a look at the pros and cons of each delivery option:
One-time delivery
Also called “on-demand delivery,” this home heating oil and Bioheat® fuel purchasing option enables a homeowner to fill the oil tank on an as-needed basis.
Pros: You’re not locked into a long-term contract. If you have a secondary oil storage tank, this is a good option for buying in bulk when the home heating oil price reaches an annual low.
This is also a good choice for buying oil if you’re shopping around for a new supplier. Once you find a heating oil delivery company you like, spend time investigating its pricing options.
Cons: You’re responsible for remembering to fill the oil tank! If you forget, you could be sitting in a cold house and paying a premium for emergency oil delivery.
Also, you can’t let your tank get too low. Sediment and other impurities settle at the bottom of oil tanks, and any “gunk” that gets sucked into your furnace or boiler can clog filters and fuel lines.
The rise and fall in the price of oil is extremely hard to predict when you get into the colder seasons. Unless you can buy one bulk shipment for the year, you’re going to have to refill during the cold season. Without a contract, there’s no telling what you may pay.
Automatic delivery
Automatic delivery is a home heating oil and Bioheat® fuel purchasing option that enables a homeowner to have home oil delivery managed by a company.
Pros: Automatic delivery service is a turnkey way to keep your oil tank filled. There are many different ways companies track or forecast your heating oil use so you always have fuel when you need it.
Top-rated oil delivery companies often give automatic-delivery customers incentives, such as 24/7 emergency service, convenient payment plans, dependability, and the ability to lock in oil prices or pre-buy. This way, customers can take advantage of price fluctuations and still benefit from building a relationship with an oil delivery company. The best oil delivery companies also offer service plans for your HVAC equipment.
Cons: If you choose the wrong home heating oil delivery company, you may be paying for more than you get. “Shorting” customers is an old scam where dishonest oil companies pump air through the fuel hose for part of the delivery time. Another scam is to warm up the heating oil so it expands before pumping it in.
To avoid such scams, choose an oil delivery company that’s an A+ Accredited Business with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and an Angie’s List Super Award recipient. Genove has been proudly serving Eastern Massachusetts and the Metrowest area since 1977. We have maintained an A+ rating with BBB and are proud to have received the Angie’s List Super Service Award for 10 years in a row.
If this article is useful to you, please Like it below. If you know someone who can benefit from it, please Share it.
If your question isn’t answered here, contact the friendly team at Genove Oil & Air, and we’ll find a solution for your home or business.
Whether you need home heating oil or Bioheat delivery, or installation and service of oil & natural gas systems for HVAC, heating, and cooling—call us at 781-893-9191 or email us.
