We’re Busting 5 Common Heating Oil Myths

Americans have been using heating oil to heat their homes for almost 90 years, yet it remains one of the most misunderstood sources of energy around.

Well, we’re here to set the record straight with some good old-fashioned myth-busting about the black gold (well, it’s more sort of brownish) sitting in the tank in your basement.

Heating Oil Truth Uncovered

Here are five common misconceptions about heating oil – and the truth behind them:

• Myth 1: Oil heating harms the environment.
  Fact: Burning heating oil may have not have been great for our planet 40 years ago, but today’s Ultra Low Sulfur Heating Oil (ULSHO)* burns more than 95 percent cleaner than it did back then. In fact, ULSHO produces near-zero particulate emissions and reduces nitrous oxide and CO2 compared to yesterday’s heating oil – a big reason why heating oil isn’t even regulated by the federal Clean Air Act.
• Myth 2: Oil heat is an inefficient.
  Fact: By reducing sooting and scaling compared to regular heating oil, ULSHO leaves more heat in your house and less up your chimney. It does even better against other energy sources, providing more heat per gallon than any other fuel.
• Myth 3: Oil heat is dangerous.
  Fact: Dropping a lit match into a pool of heating oil would do exactly the same thing as if you had dropped it in water. That’s because heating oil must first be heated to 140 degrees and then vaporized in order to burn it – unlike natural gas or gasoline, which can be volatile even at room temperature.
• Myth 4: Heating with oil is expensive.
  Fact: Adjusting for inflation, home heating oil is cheaper now than it was in 1980; although the oil market does rise and fall, heating oil remains an affordable source of home energy. Today’s clean-burning ULSHO oil saves you money by leaving fewer deposits on heat exchangers, which prolongs the life of your equipment and reduces out-of-pocket repairs.
• Myth 5: Most home heating oil comes from the Middle East.
  Fact: More than one-third of the heating oil we use in the US is produced domestically; of the remaining supply, Canada produces more of our oil than all Middle Eastern countries combined.

*Every gallon of heating oil you get from Bottini is ULSHO.

To get the facts about ULSHO heating oil and what it can do for your home or business, contact Bottini today.