We make settlement on the house we are buying, literally next to our existing house, on 11/29 and I'm looking at having to buy heating oil for it for this winter. My plan to convert to natural gas is still on, it's just going to have to wait till next year.

I've never had to buy heating oil and don't know if going on a budget billing plan or just buying 2 tanks worth at once is the way to go. House has 2 each 275 gallon tanks in the basement.

The best price I can find is around $2.12 a gallon for cash, which is probably more than a lot of you pay as PA is expensive for fuels.

I'm worried that if I DON'T buy 2 tanks worth up front to try and get through this winter with, Fat Kim is going to start some shit in NK and heating oil shoots up to 5 or 6 bucks or more a gallon.

What do you guys with oil heat do?

Although not exactly the same, I believe heating oil is essentially diesel fuel. Take your local price at the pump, subtract road taxes, and compare that to the price you were given.

I'm on propane and always fill the tank in the summer when the demand (and price) is typically low. If you're worried about rising cost I would fill it now.

I have no idea how much oil is required to heat a home, but we go through roughly 700 gallons of propane a year (two furnaces, water heater, and stove/oven).

Just checked my usual supplier, and they are currently at 2.27 for 150 gallons or more. $2.12 sounds pretty darn good to me. I'm in Oxford, Chester County, right at the corner of MD and DE.

Last delivery was $1.89 a gal.Right now it's averaging between $2.00 and $2.10 a gal.

I stopped using the budget plan a few years back. You pay more per gal. gambling it will go up. A few times it went way down and I dot beck. Buying the downside protection costs even more per gal.
I'm on auto delivery and they have the software to really get my fuel use tracking down. Never had the tank go below about 30 percent. Ads they are local, they will come within a day.

I'm not a fan of letting the fuel sit all winter so why fill both up? Do you use that much?

quote:

Originally posted by rscalzo:


I'm not a fan of letting the fuel sit all winter so why fill both up? Do you use that much?

Like I said in the OP, I have never used oil to heat a home before, my first house was electric/HP and house we are in now until 11/29 is NG. The furnace is about 5-6 years old in the house we are buying and looks to be pretty efficient, I'm just taking a WAG that we would use 2 tanks from 11/29/17 to 4/1/2018, my wife is a stay at home mom with 2 kiddos, so there won't be any setting of thermostats back during the day, only at night. We currently run 68 during the day and evening and 65 overnight.

Re: Letting fuel sit

The idea is to buy ALL your fuel at once getting the usually lower Summer price AND a volume discount if applicable.

I know folks around here that pre-buy 1000 gallons at a whack.

I would buy ALL at once while prices are low and fill up both tanks. Run off of one tank until it's near empty and you can track your usage and refill that tank if need be.....or if you're far enough along in the winter just switch over to the other tank.

I paid $2.13/gal just last week. Hoping prices are stable. I remember paying nearly $4/gallon several years ago. At that point I think I'd just go and be cold. haha

quote:

Originally posted by MikeNH:
I paid $2.13/gal just last week. Hoping prices are stable. I remember paying nearly $4/gallon several years ago. At that point I think I'd just go and be cold. haha

My Dad stopped using oil altogether back when it was $4 a gallon and ran a pellet stove. Now it's flipped with pellets expensive and oil much cheaper, he's back to using oil heat.

I estimate we used about $700 of NG (for heat and hot water) from last year this time to now, so it sucks that I have to pay much more for oil heat this winter, that's a motivation to get converted to NG in the new house this summer.

I just paid 3.09 last week from Petro. They’re not my favorite, but I’ve come to realize that all of the oil suppliers in Bucks and Montgomery counties pretty much suck.

quote:

Originally posted by JJexp:
I just paid 3.09 last week from Petro. They’re not my favorite, but I’ve come to realize that all of the oil suppliers in Bucks and Montgomery counties pretty much suck.

$3.09?

You got hosed! Yes, I've heard only bad things about Petro, including my BIL who had a bad experience with them and told me to avoid at all costs.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by JJexp:
I just paid 3.09 last week from Petro. They’re not my favorite, but I’ve come to realize that all of the oil suppliers in Bucks and Montgomery counties pretty much suck.

$3.09?

You got hosed! Yes, I've heard only bad things about Petro, including my BIL who had a bad experience with them and told me to avoid at all costs.

Indeed. I was on a trip, and came back to find out they had topped off the tank. My price lock contract had expired and rolled to auto delivery at the current price per gallon.

While oil may be more costly, remember it has a higher BTU content per gallon.

LP 91,502 per GAL.
NAT 100,000 per CCF
#2 Oil 138,500 per GAL.

So take the cost of Oil and times it by .722 to get the comparable cost of NAT.

$2.12 OIL would be equivalent to $1.53 NAT.

The price around here is usually roughly near the price of a gallon of gas/diesel...give or take a quarter...