Everything You Need to Know About Heating Oil

What is heating oil?

Heating oil is crude oil or unrefined petroleum that is filtered. Using a distilling process, crude oil is separated into different “fractions” for use. The middle levels are further refined to produce the heating oil type that PayLessforOil.com‘s discount fuel uses to heat your home. This type of heating oil is known as No. 2 heating oil.

Why is it red?

Typically, unrefined petroleum is black or dark brown (123RF) [sometimes greenish-yellow]. After refining, No. 2 heating fuel oil is light in color like champagne. It is only for tax purposes that regulations require heating fuel to be dyed red, so it can be distinguished from on-road diesel fuel. Other than that, there is no difference between heating oil vs. on-road diesel. The red dye itself has no effect on PayLessforOil.com’s No. 2 heating fuel or how it burns in your home comfort equipment.¹

Where does heating oil come from?

Much of PayLessforOil.com’s heating oil comes directly from the good ol’ USA! Crude oil is produced in 31 states. The top 3 producing states are Texas, North Dakota, and California.²

There are more than 50 oil-producing countries, meaning that the US is not overly dependent on any one region for our supply. In fact, nearly one-third of our crude oil imports come from Canada. Mexico, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia are our other largest suppliers.¹

How has heating oil changed over the years?

Heating oil has made great advances over just the last few decades, and PayLessforOil.com is proud to be a part of that. Oil-heat is now more clean, efficient, accessible, and reliable than ever! Today’s oil-heat burns 95 percent cleaner compared to 1970. Since it burns so cleanly, it comes well within the air pollution standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, modern low sulfur products and renewable biofuels, such as those made from soybeans, reduce today’s oil-heat near-zero emissions even more.

Not only is heating fuel oil as a product much more reliable, the ways it’s delivered and stored also are, too. Heating fuel can be delivered to your home on a schedule, automatically, and even during emergency situations. This makes accessing the fuel very simple and convenient. Also, today’s tanks (AZ Energy Efficient Home) are now built with an optimum design that includes corrosion-resistant materials and can be installed with monitoring systems that detect oil leaks. This technology helps heating oil remain a reliable and safe source of fuel to heat your home day after day.³

What are the benefits of using fuel oil to heat your home?

Not only is heating oil domestic, clean, efficient, accessible, and reliable, but it is also safe and versatile! Since the design and technology of storage tanks have advanced over the years, modern tanks are stronger and less likely to leak. By using combinations of fiberglass, state-of-the-art steel, double plastic walls, and sensors, your oil tank is sure to be secure, whether it’s indoor, outdoor, or even underground. If a problem should arise with your oil heating system, malfunctions are typically visible. Signs like soot or smoke are early indicators of more serious problems such as leaking toxins. With home heating oil systems, it is rare that a carbon monoxide leak will happen without alert.

There is a common misconception that heating oil is not only dangerous but also explosive. This is true only under certain circumstances. In fact, heating oil will not burn or explode when lit. In order to light heating oil on fire, you must heat it above 140 degrees, the temperature at which it begins to vaporize.⁴

Not only does heating oil serve you with cozy warmth while you’re on the couch, but it also keeps you steamy in the shower. Heating oil is a great source for consistently hot water showers and for all of your other major appliances that use water regularly. Oil-fired water heaters have a quick recovery time for families whose washing machines and dishwashers seem to run all day. Heating fuel oil is used for more traditional functions in the home, but it can also be used in more innovative ways. For example, you can use your PayLessforOil.com fuel delivery to heat pools, floors, and driveways.⁵