We’ve put together some of the most common questions and answers about heating oil, to help you understand why and how it has become one of the most popular heating fuel choices in the country.
What is oil?
- Oil is the remains of ancient plants and animals, compressed deep in the earth into liquid strings of hydrogen and carbon. Ancient Greeks gave it the name petroleum, from the Greek “petra” meaning rock, and “oleum” meaning oil.
When did oil start being used as a heating fuel?
- The modern history of oil began in the 1840s, when a Canadian geologist discovered that crude oil could be distilled into kerosene to light lanterns but the heating oil industry truly began when the oil burner was invented to take advantage of crude oil discoveries in California.
How does oil heat a home?
- Oil makes a long journey from deep in the earth to the tank in your home. It begins when crude oil is turned into a series of products, including gasoline, jet fuel, and heating oil. Oil is extremely stable and must be heated above 140 degrees before it will begin to burn. Inside your furnace or boiler, your oil burns extremely hot – 400 degrees hotter than natural gas or propane – and is extremely efficient in heating your home!
Where does our heating oil supply come from?
- More than 3/4 of oil in the U.S. now comes from outside the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and our supplies often arrive from Canada, Mexico or Venezuela. It’s because of these extensive resources, matched with our history as a trusted, local home heating oil company, that we’ve never run out of oil.