If you live in the northeast US, then you’re likely well aware of how important your heating oil service is, as well as which type you use. Small condos will typically use electric heat as their main source of heating. But the same can’t be said for larger homes. Electric heat is expensive enough as is, but in a large home, the cost to heat the home would be ridiculous! Instead, most homes of that size will resort to either heating oil or natural gas, which are more cost-effective. But which is better and which one should you go with? Well, I’ll be covering that here!
The Big Three
The three most well known and desired forms of heating are Heating Oil, Propane and Natural Gas. But they each have their own pros and cons when it comes to being your main source of heating oil. For example, if you want to use natural gas or propane you must have a gas stove at your home. That is also true if you use propane only for gas.
Natural Gas
This has become one of the more popular forms of home heating in recent years. But, it usually is only available in cities and downs that have a dense populous. This is because there is a network of pipes below ground that connects multiple buildings throughout the neighborhood. There’s a good way to determine if your neighborhood has these pipes by keeping an eye on road work. If the roads in your town are constantly being worked on and ripped up. This is so that the piping can be constantly worked on and maintained.
You can also tell by looking at the other homes on your street. If you look in the back or sides of their home, you’ll see that they might have what looks to be some kind of meter. This meter is their natural gas line. These tend to track and regulate how much natural gas flows into your home. Homeowners are then billed by the natural gas companies for using it. Luckily, natural gas tends to be pretty cheap.
But, this form of heating is much less common in areas where homes tend to be more spread out. This is because these pipes are hard to maintain in those areas. Some companies will actually lack clients in these less populated areas, making it not worth while for them.
Heating Oil
Heating Oil has quickly become one of the most popular forms of heating oil in the northeastern united states. It’s very reliable and puts out a large amount of BTUs when compared to propane. It is also much cheaper per gallon than propane is. But, the prices for heating oil tend to fluctuate a lot more than other sources of heating. However, heating oil can be reliably stored on your property, and it’s very safe to use! You will usually find these tanks located indoors or outdoors.
Additionally, because heating oil is so popular, you can find dealers everywhere! Now with all these different dealers available to you, this means that you’ll be able to shop around for the best price per gallon. You can look at local dealers in your area, as well as using websites such as “FuelSnap” to look to see what prices other dealers are offering. Unlike, propane you’ll have the freedom to order from who and where you want.
Propane
Propane is another popular form of heating. But it’s also very versatile. You can use it to heat your home, for hot water and even for cooking off the stove! Now, unlike natural gas, they are stored in large tanks that are usually somewhere on your property. These tanks can tend to be large, white and pill shaped. Propane is stored in these tanks as a form of “Liquid Propane”. These tanks also tend to be pretty ugly to look at.
The unfortunate thing about propane is that about roughly 95% of propane tanks are owned by propane dealers. This is a huge problem when it comes to heating with propane. This is because this prevents you from ordering propane when you need it as the homeowner. When you are renting a propane tank, the dealer decides when you get a delivery and nobody else can fill it! In some states its against the law! It also tends to be much more expensive than both natural gas and heating oil!
Choosing the Right Option
When deciding which one to use it’s important that you weigh in all the pros and cons to really think if this is something for you. Both heating oil and natural gas are fantastic ways to heat your home and they’re both relatively cheap! However, Natural Gas is usually owned by a utility provider, so it’s not as flexible as heating oil. However, it is not as restrictive as propane. Propane tends to be very restrictive, but it is still a great way to heat your home! Just be aware that it is still expensive.
But, if you’d rather not have to worry about ordering automatic delivery or constantly ordering oil when you need it, Natural Gas is for you! The nice thing about natural gas is that it will naturally flow into your home through ducts that connect to pipes in your neighborhood. It is cheap and reliable!
When using heating oil, it’s important to monitor your tank level and usage to ensure that you don’t run out. You can monitor this with a Float Gauge or a Smart Oil Gauge. Either way, you will have to monitor your usage in some way. But, you also cannot use Heating Oil to power a gas stove, gas fireplace or a generator.
What is the Best for You?
If you’re looking for a home and you find one with Natural Gas, then I highly recommend it! It’s cheap, reliable, and effective. It can run systems such as stoves, fireplaces and much more! Even some modern apartment complexes have it as a heat source!
But, if you don’t have access to natural gas then I would recommend using heating oil to heat your home! It is incredibly cost-effective and when you compare it to other forms of heating such as propane, you’ll find that you’re able to shop around when you order! Meaning that you can find the best prices available to you! You can do this by shopping around with local dealers or by using FuelSnap! Which puts all your local dealers in one convenient place!
Now, if you can’t get access to either natural gas or heating oil, then sticking with propane is still great! It can be expensive and restrictive, but if you live in an area that doesn’t have access to heating oil, then propane is your best bet! You can use it to heat your stove, fireplace, and much more! But if you do have access to heating oil or natural gas, then using propane alongside those puts you ahead of the game!
Happy Heating,
Hunter
