Summer is on the horizon! Which means not only warm, sunny weather but also low oil usage and prices! This makes it a perfect time to discuss heating oil usage this summer! During the summer, you’re probably not going to be thinking too much about heating oil. However, summer doesn’t last forever, so it’s important to have home heating in the back of your mind. During the summer, you might see yourself not using any oil at all, or just for hot water. If you use oil during this time, keep reading, because I’m going to go over what you need to know about heating oil this summer!
Hot Water Usage
In the United States, there are four different major ways to heat your home. Those are, heating oil, propane, natural gas and electric. While they are all different one aspect, they do have one similarity. That’s being able to provide hot water to the home. If your home uses just one of these to heat the house, then you’re in luck because you can double up and use one of these four to heat hot water! Some homes might have heating oil as their main way to heat the home. However, some homes will also have electric or propane heat their water! This is a bit more uncommon as most homes will have their main heat source do both, but it’s not unheard of!
During the summer, if you’re only using heating oil for hot water, then you don’t really need to pay too close attention to your usage. Once the summer weather starts to kick in around mid-late may, your oil level doesn’t become of concern. Your usage will tend to be much lower during the summer. An average size home will burn less than a gallon of oil a day for just hot water, and most of the time, the amount your burning is minimal.
However, around late September to early October is around the time that heaters start to come back on. This’ll mean that the cool fall weather is starting to show up. Most homes will then start to turn on their heaters in preparation for the cold temperatures. But until then, you don’t have to worry about high usage.
Usage for Heat and Hot Water
If your home uses it for both hot water and heat, then I strongly suggest you monitor your yearly usage. You’re going to be burning more oil than you think, and getting a tool like a Smart Oil Gauge will help you track usage and level data more accurately. Using a Smart Oil Gauge gives you an extra layer of protection from running out and unexpected changes to your usage. You can even enable alerts to notify you of a fill-up or when you’re running low! With the Smart Oil Gauge, you don’t have to fear running out!
When you use heating oil for both heat and hot water, you’re going to end up burning much more oil than you normally would if you were using it for just hot water. But, during the summer your usage is going to be low. Summer temperatures in Danbury tend to range from the high 70s, to the low 80s. During that time, you won’t be running your heat, but hot water is something that you might use. I mentioned this previously, but you’re going to likley burn less than a gallon of oil just for hot water. However, if you live in a household with multiple people and everyone is taking regular showers and baths, then you’re likley going to be burning closer to a gallon per day.
When Should You Order Oil?
If you burn oil during the summer for hot water, you might see yourself having minimal usage. However, if you turn off your furnace than you won’t have any usage at all! This means that you can fill-up your tank at the end of the season when prices are lower, so that you can be prepared for the next season!
Oil prices tend to drop significantly during the summer months, which usually makes prices cheaper. However, with the Iran War, prices are currently uncertain. Regardless, ordering a fill-up around 1/4 tank is the best thing to do when you need a fill-up! Using our FuelSnap website will help you prepare for your next delivery and get the cheapest price possible!
Happy Heating,
Hunter
