Heating oil can be an efficient fuel source for heating your home, but some households may find they still struggle to pay for enough oil to live comfortably. There are multiple strategies you can use to make heating your home more economical.
Take Advantage Of The Daylight
Whenever possible, you should take advantage of the warmth during daylight hours to help heat your home. First, it will be important to have windows that are installed properly and do not allow cold air or wind to come into the house, otherwise opening the curtains will be counterproductive. Keeping the curtains and blinds open during the daytime, whenever possible, will take some of the burden off the heating system because of the sunlight. Similarly, once the sunlight is gone from a particular window, be sure to close the blinds and curtains to retain the heat longer. Many households are incorporating solar energy into their household energy usage. Even if you use heating oil, you might find using solar energy allows you to use space heaters or another source of heat that is not reliant on heating oil, thereby conserving more of your heating oil.
Find Ways To Moderate Your Usage
The most common way to moderate your usage is to adapt to a cooler household temperature. Wearing an additional layer of clothes or putting extra blankets on the bed can make the colder temperature more tolerable. At a minimum, turn the heat down or off completely while you sleep. Ideally, you should cut the heat off when you are not at home, but there can be instances when this is not possible. In extremely cold temperatures, turning off the heat for an extended period could result in frozen pipes, which can cause significant, expensive damage. Moderating your usage both in terms of your heating system and other appliances in the home can result in using less heating oil. You may want to use certain appliances later in the day when it's colder because you won't have to turn the heat on while those appliances are in use, or at least you will require less heating. Some major appliances that generate a lot of heat are clothes dryers and ovens.
Ask About Budget Plans
Your heating oil company might have ways to reduce your cost of fuel. One way might be pre-planning a particular amount of oil to be delivered to your home at regular intervals. Companies might offer residents a discount when they are ordering oil ahead of time, thereby reducing the per-unit rate for heating oil. Another option might be akin to budget billing by electric companies. Your heating oil company might use your prior year's amount of heating oil to estimate how much you need for the upcoming year. The cost can be divided over several months. In this instance, you will pay a monthly bill for heating oil, even in months when you are not using heating oil. It can be more cost effective to pay a smaller amount each month than lump sums in the cooler months while you are using the heating oil.
Although heating oil is more cost-effective than heating with electricity, it may be difficult for some households to afford as much as they need throughout the cooler months. Finding ways to reduce your usage and asking the company about any programs they offer can prevent spending extended periods without heat. Contact a heating oil company near you to learn more.
