If you are building a new home, you will need to figure out what kind of heating system to install. Some of the options include having an electric furnace or using natural gas. One more option that you may not have thought about is an oil heating system. If you don't know much about heating your home with oil, here are the answers to five frequently asked questions.
1. Is Heating Oil Safe?
Since gas is combustible when it's exposed to a flame, heating oil is a much safer alternative. In its liquid state, heating oil is not combustible, but there are other reasons that oil is a safer option than gas.
If something goes wrong with your oil heating system, you would know it by seeing dark smoke or smelling fumes. Heating oil also doesn't contain any carcinogens, which means it will not put toxins in the air or reduce the air quality in your home.
2. How Clean Is Heating Oil?
Heating oil meets the strict standards put into place by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Because of this, heating oil hardly produces any emissions, which are known to contribute to global warming.
Thanks to the near-zero amount of emissions it produces, heating oil has become an even cleaner fuel source than natural gas. According to some statistics, oil heating systems produce less than one-third of one percent of the total number of particulate emissions each year in the United States.
3. How Plentiful Is Heating Oil?
Heating oil is produced with gasoline when crude oil gets refined, so as long as there is a need for gas in this country, the production of heating oil will never cease. If heating oil ever does need to be imported, it usually comes from Canada.
4. How Long Do Oil Heating Systems Last?
Heating oil appliances can last 30 years or more if they are properly maintained. Compare this to a gas furnace, which usually lasts between 15 and 30 years, or an electric heating system which might only last for 20 years.
In order to make your oil heating system last as long as possible, make sure it's made by a reputable manufacturer and that it gets installed by a professional HVAC specialist.
5. Where Do I Get Heating Oil?
One of the most convenient and cost-effective ways to get heating oil is by using a company that offers cash on delivery. With COD oil, you are not locked into a contract with one company, plus you can order heating oil whenever you need to.
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