Here is an article we recently submitted to the Huntington Chamber of Commerce’s environmental newsletter regarding ways to reduce your oil consumption:
Most people don’t associate oil with having a positive impact on the environment. The fact is, however, that millions of people in the US are reliant on oil and other fossil fuels for many of their everyday tasks. Unless you are prepared mentally and financially to make the changes necessary to be as free as possible from the burning of fossil fuels, you should look toward the conservation of resources as the least you can do to make a positive impact.
Oil heating systems have made great strides in recent years to become extremely efficient and less polluting. Here is a quick fact about historical oil consumption. ”Modern Oil heat equipment actually burns less fuel. The average annual fuel consumption in 1973 was 1,294 gallons; in 2001 it was 800 gallons!” [i]
I’ve created a small list of actions you can take this summer to help conserve oil and keep your costs down. These aren’t all easy or cheap, but you should investigate them if you have the time.
1) Get an annual maintenance (sometimes known as tune-up or cleaning) done by professionals. I can’t stress this enough. Most oil companies offer free maintenances in summer months as a benefit to their contract customers so check with your provider and don’t miss out on this free service. Doing this will help your system run more efficiently and will also reduce service calls later on. Also, if you don’t have a contract and need to pay out of pocket please realize some companies do more than others on the annual maintenance so investigate what you are getting. Getting the lowest price doesn’t mean you will get the best job. Most reputable companies will charge between $120 – $160 for a one hour cleaning and parts.
2) Get a temperature reset installed. Not all systems will support this upgrade without modification, however, making this upgrade could save you up to 20% of your annual oil bill. This upgrade lowers the boiler temperature according to the outside temperature, meaning your boiler won’t be running as much while supporting your heating needs.
3) If your oil burner is an inefficient dinosaur, look into upgrading to a Riello burner. We choose Riello burners because they use less electricity and there is no standby heat loss. They have a European design and are efficient even by European standards. They also have intermittent ignitions, which adds life to the transformer and saves electricity. Riello’s are highly efficient, have extremely clean combustion and are low maintenance. With an annual cleaning it is a very cost effective burner.
4) The Boiler: If your boiler is a relic from the industrial revolution, you may wish to check its efficiency. Most oil companies will offer this service under their contract or as a separate cost. There are many efficient boilers on the market today. If your efficiency is under 80%, you may consider an upgrade.
5) Here is a tip from our service manager, a man that has been with Zadrozny Fuel for over 25 years. If you have had any zones added to your original system check with your installer to guarantee that it was wired-in correctly so that the boiler reverse is in effect. This stops the circulators from pumping at a low temperature so lukewarm water isn’t passed through your pipes thereby wasting oil.
6) Don’t wait until the last minute to have your oil provider do an installation/upgrade. If your system is unreliable and/or you would like to increase your system’s efficiency with upgrades, make sure to have them done in the summer. This way you can carefully plan any changes without the pressures of having intense cold weather and also having oil companies that are extremely busy and possibly not able to fit you into their schedule.
Keeping your heating system maintained will help keep it running well and reduce service calls. A well running system operating at its peak efficiency will also maximize your savings. If your system is outdated and/or inefficient you have the potential to personally make a difference with the environment by upgrading. Upgrading will have an initial expense but should cost you far less in the long run.
Zadrozny Fuel is offering free system efficiency tests to the first 100 residents of Huntington Township that sign up as a way of helping community members determine if they can become greener. You can write us here or phone us to set up an appointment.
[i] Statistics were compiled by The Oil Institute of Long Island and are listed at http://www.ohili.org/oilheatInfo.html
