Everything You Need to Know about Home Heating Oil in West Springfield, MA

Home heating oil is a low viscosity liquid petroleum product that is used to fuel furnaces and/or boilers in homes and other buildings; more rarely, heating oil is used as industrial fuel or for power generation. The mixture consists of petroleum-derived hydrocarbons, and red dyes are usually added to make the oil easy to identify when used in on-road vehicles.

Heating oil condenses between 482 and 662 degrees Fahrenheit during oil refining, which means it condenses at a lower temperature than substances like petroleum jelly, bitumen, candle wax, and lubricating oil. However, it condenses at a higher temperature than kerosene (which condenses between 320 and 482 degrees Fahrenheit). The substance produces 138,500 thermal units per gallon, and each gallon weighs 8.2 pounds.

In West Springfield, MA and other parts of the United States, heating oil is known as No. 2 heating oil. It is widely used throughout country, and as such, it is strictly regulated. Home heating oil must conform to the standards set forth by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Though often confused with diesel and kerosene, home heating oil is a different substance that must conform to different ASTM standards.

In keeping with financial and trade contracts, home heating oil is traded in units of 1,000 barrels, and a minimum fluctuation of $0.0001 per gallon is allowed; this trade agreement is based on delivery to the New York harbor.

Heating oil is used as home fueling in West Springfield, MA and many other places in the United States. The oil is commonly delivered by tank truck to residential, commercial, and municipal buildings. After delivery, it is usually stored in basements, in garages, or outside, usually in above-ground storage tanks; sometimes, the oil is stored in underground tanks, but this is an unusual occurrence since above-ground tanks tend to be more cost effective.

In 2000, President Bill Clinton established the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve to ensure that residential and commercial buildings did not lose access to heating in cases of severe weather or other difficulties. The reserve consists of a 2-million-barrel that is meant to create a buffer large enough to allow commercial companies to compensate for any interruptions that may occur in supply or functionality.

While home heating oil is convenient, there are certain hazards and problems associated with its use. Leaks from tanks and piping are an environmental concern that is addressed by various state and federal regulations regarding proper transportation, storage, and burning of fuel. Heating oil is also considered a hazardous material (meaning it can cause harm to living organisms, property and the environment), so it is subject to additional chemical regulations, including transportation, cleanup, handling, and disposal regulations.

Another possible problem associated with heating oil is the price; as with all other oils, it can be expensive to obtain. The U.S. Department of Energy tracks the prices homeowners pay for home heating oil. Homeowners can also find resources online that will allow them to compare what they pay per gallon to prices paid by other consumers in the area, as well as to the data that the Department of Energy has collected.

In short, there are many advantages to using heating oil as a fuel source, but there are also potential problems associated with it.