In order to understand how much home oil you use (and prevent running dry during high usage periods), you must first determine the rate of consumption. There are a number of factors that can affect how often your tanks need refilling and understanding the importance of each will help you keep tabs on how often you need to schedule your automatic delivery appointments. As the area’s leader in providing inexpensive, reliable and safe oil heating solutions, our tank experts have all the details you need to know.
Heating Degree Days
When the temperature outside drops, your furnace has to work harder to maintain any set temperature in your home. Colder temperatures increase the rate of oil consumption by your furnace, which means it will need refilling sooner. We are able to use a measurement called heating degree days to evaluate the load placed on your oil furnace.
A heating degree days’ calculation uses a base temperature (65 F or 18 C) as a starting point, which is the lowest point where no heat is required and your furnace will not be in use. The calculation is fairly simple whereas the average outdoor temperature for a specific period is subtracted from the base temperature. If the base temperature is 65 F and the average outdoor temperature is 65 F then that would be considered a degree day of 0. If the average outdoor temperature is 60 F then the resulting degree day would be 5.
Base Temperature – Average Temperature = Degree Day Rating
The combination of degree days over a certain period will let you and your automatic heating oil delivery service understand how often your oil tank needs refilling.
Other Factors That Affect Home Oil Usage
1. Oil Tank Size: Simply put, the larger your oil tank is the longer your oil supply will last in between refilling appointments.
2. Your Thermostat: If you set your thermostat a degree or two lower than you normally would then your furnace will burn less oil.
3. Wind: Wind has the ability to strip a significant amount of heat away from a building depending on insulation and how drafty the building is.
4. Insulation: The better insulated your home is the less oil it will take to effectively keep it warm.
5. Efficiency: The efficiency of your furnace or other heating appliance also affects how much heating oil they consume. As your heating appliances age they will slowly become less efficient, but without regular maintenance and servicing that efficiency can decline even faster.
Princeton Fuel For All Your Home Oil Needs
Over time you will get a better sense of how much oil you use in the course of a specific month or year, and figure out how much heating oil fuel is left in your tank. For more information about heating degree days or to arrange for automatic heating oil delivery contact Princeton Fuel Oil in Mercer County today: 1-800-253-9001.