For those of you with an oil-fired furnace, what are you paying for oil?

 

I just got the following quotes, which assume you get 150-gallon minimum. It's not difficult to determine which I went with.

 

$4.30 per gallon.

$4.00 per gallon.

$3.79 per gallon.

$3.67 per gallon.

 

It's pretty amazing how large the swing in prices are for home oil.

Prices look good

 

Falcon Oil, Oak Ridge $3.62 which is pretty good up north here.

However it is difficult to understand how its so pricey to begin with,since its a by-producy when you refine gasoline. Essentially its the waste from petroleum refinement and it cost more than premium gas.. bend over America..

Filled-up on 1/23 @ 3.459/gallon

The only difference is the dye they put in heating oil. you can burn diesel in your furnace or heating oil in your truck. just dont get caught running heating oil in your truck

What bothers me is the poor old lady that doesn't know any better who's been dealing with the same company for years, getting screwed. The difference between that top price I posted and the lowest is huge, when you consider that filling up an almost empty oil tank could range from 200-350 gallons or more.

Big oil and BIG GOVERNMENT , like i said BEND over America

$3.62 Gallon

Any one who has a oil or lp furnace should look into converting it to a dual fuel set-up, which is a heat pump for mild days and oil heat for below 40. you will save a ton on oil especially considering the mild winter we have now. Heat pump don't blow hot but it heats the home at a fraction of the price considering how expensive fuel oil is now. obviously this is what i do for a living.

I haven't read about heatpumps in years, but from what I recall, they ain't worth anything when it's cold. "When it's cold" is when I want heat.

if you want the best bang for your buck convert to natural gas if it is your area, it would slash your heating bill in half. and with rebates and incentives from gas company it is a win win. we are to far north for heat pumps to work effectively

I have a very effective 2-pipe steam radiator system, fired by an oil burner. I have absolutely no interest in replacing the radiators, but wouldn't mind replacing the oil-fired burner with a gas-fired burner.

 

Do I need a whole new furnace / boiler, or do I just replace the burner with a new gas-fired one?

 

I know some gas converters are big on converting steam systems to water systems, but I have no interest in that....

 

I'm paying WAY WAY WAY too much for oil.

 

My other concern is that while I pay too much for oil, I do get great steam system service from the oil guys. I know they won't do a service contract if they're not doing the oil, so I guess I just have to find a plumber who knows steam?

I thought about converting to natural gas, but it would be a hassle and possible expense for me, since I have no gas coming into the house as of now. I know the gas company would probably kick in for something, but I don't see them footing the bill to 1) tap into the main gas line in the street, 2) running that gas thru my front yard and into the crawl-space, 3) getting that gas line up to the furnace and 4) converting the oil-fired furnace to gas-fired.

I think I paid almost $3.54 a couple months ago, but it was for only about 150 gallons. I didn't shop that hard, $0.10 extra for putting it on the CC, and prices around here go down tremendously with quantity.

 

I get off under $500 to $600 a year heating on oil. The indirectly warmed part of the house is large, but the heated part is small

I have a very effective 2-pipe steam radiator system, fired by an oil burner. I have absolutely no interest in replacing the radiators, but wouldn't mind replacing the oil-fired burner with a gas-fired burner.

 

Do I need a whole new furnace / boiler, or do I just replace the burner with a new gas-fired one?

 

I have a one pipe steam system and since one of the sections cracked, I decided to replace the furnace with a gas burner. My oil guy gave me 101 reasons to stick with oil but, no matter what he said, gas was the correct way to go. The biggest argument is that oil produces about 30% more btu's (gal of oil vs 1000 sq.ft gas) but the price difference of both fuels makes gas more appealing.

 

With a steam system, you MUST find a qualified person who understands how to match the correct size furnace to the square footage of your radiators and know how to properly install it for optimal performance. I paid about $1000 more compared to the lowest estimate for the job but the cheaper guy gave me plenty of wrong answers when I interviewed him.

 

Out of about 10 companies I called for estimates, only two had the proper experience with installing a steam heating furnace.

 

Your plumbing contractor can service the new gas furnace which is a piece of cake compared to the oil fired furnace. You don't have to worry about nozzles, electrode spacing, excess soot, the motor failing, etc. And since they don't provide oil, you don't have to worry about them screwing with the tune-up to cause your burner to use more fuel than it needs.

I thought about converting to natural gas, but it would be a hassle and possible expense for me, since I have no gas coming into the house as of now. I know the gas company would probably kick in for something, but I don't see them footing the bill to 1) tap into the main gas line in the street, 2) running that gas thru my front yard and into the crawl-space, 3) getting that gas line up to the furnace and 4) converting the oil-fired furnace to gas-fired.

 

Elizabethtown Gas dug up the street, ran a new gas line to my home and installed a meter for free. That also included replacing the square cement slab from the sidewalk that they jack hammered to run the line to the side of the house.

 

It's your plumbing contractor's job to run the new gas line from the meter to the furnace and that's when you open up your wallet.

I thought about converting to natural gas, but it would be a hassle and possible expense for me, since I have no gas coming into the house as of now. I know the gas company would probably kick in for something, but I don't see them footing the bill to 1) tap into the main gas line in the street, 2) running that gas thru my front yard and into the crawl-space, 3) getting that gas line up to the furnace and 4) converting the oil-fired furnace to gas-fired.

gas company runs line to house for free, you just have to pay for the street opening permit. then you have 6 months to install one gas fired appliance or they charge you for the new line

Good to know. Thanks.

I paid about $1000 more compared to the lowest estimate for the job but the cheaper guy gave me plenty of wrong answers when I interviewed him.

 

Out of about 10 companies I called for estimates, only two had the proper experience with installing a steam heating furnace.

 

Can you PM (or post, your choice) the plumber or contractor you chose? I'm in Fanwood, so it's likely I could use the same contractor.

We are locked in at $3.40 per gallon. We signed the contract in March of last year.

i said duel fuel my heatpump works great down to around 40 which is when you want your HEAT then you would automatically switch to oil. i agree with heaterbob if you can get natural gas its the best but dual fuel is a feasible option for somewhere where ng is not an option. dont get rid of your oil heater just build onto it, just food for thought to lower your utility bills.

HERE IS WHAT I HAVE PAID FOR HEATING OIL:

 

Date - Price per Gallon

 

3/3/1999 - 0.539

 

11/18/1999 - 1.029

 

1/4/2001 - 1.349

 

9/4/2001 - 1.079

 

4/2/2002 - 0.929

 

1/14/2003 - 1.169

 

10/1/2003 - 1.069

 

2/17/2004 - 1.329

 

12/7/2004 - 1.629

 

4/23/2005 - 1.839

 

11/14/2005 - 2.359

 

3/21/2006 - 2.299

 

11/15/2006 - 2.219

 

4/20/2007 - 2.359

 

12/31/2007 - 3.099

 

7/21/2008 - 4.299

 

12/3/2008 - 2.479

 

3/31/2009 - 2.059

 

11/10/2009 - 2.479

 

3/2/2010 - 2.759

 

4/12/2010 - 2.779

 

11/29/2010 - 2.969

 

1/31/2011 - 3.349

 

12/23/2011 - 3.559

Holy crap. Wish I got in on that as an investment.

I have a very effective 2-pipe steam radiator system, fired by an oil burner. I have absolutely no interest in replacing the radiators, but wouldn't mind replacing the oil-fired burner with a gas-fired burner.

 

Do I need a whole new furnace / boiler, or do I just replace the burner with a new gas-fired one?

 

Replace the burner, clean the boiler and chimney are a requirement before you fire the gas the first time.

 

I know some gas converters are big on converting steam systems to water systems, but I have no interest in that....

 

I'm paying WAY WAY WAY too much for oil.

 

My other concern is that while I pay too much for oil, I do get great steam system service from the oil guys. I know they won't do a service contract if they're not doing the oil, so I guess I just have to find a plumber who knows steam?

 

It's two pipe steam, it's not that difficult. One pipe steam is much more challenging to get right if the pitch isn't just so, if air vents fail, if someone fooled around with some of the near boiler piping, etc. Just find a knowledgeable heating guy that knows steam systems. Heating Help.com can direct you to a good guy in your area

HERE IS WHAT I HAVE PAID FOR HEATING OIL:

 

Date - Price per Gallon

 

3/3/1999 - 0.539

 

11/18/1999 - 1.029

 

1/4/2001 - 1.349

 

9/4/2001 - 1.079

 

4/2/2002 - 0.929

 

1/14/2003 - 1.169

 

10/1/2003 - 1.069

 

2/17/2004 - 1.329

 

12/7/2004 - 1.629

 

4/23/2005 - 1.839

 

11/14/2005 - 2.359

 

3/21/2006 - 2.299

 

11/15/2006 - 2.219

 

4/20/2007 - 2.359

 

12/31/2007 - 3.099

 

7/21/2008 - 4.299

 

12/3/2008 - 2.479

 

3/31/2009 - 2.059

 

11/10/2009 - 2.479

 

3/2/2010 - 2.759

 

4/12/2010 - 2.779

 

11/29/2010 - 2.969

 

1/31/2011 - 3.349

 

12/23/2011 - 3.559

 

 

I see a trend and it's not a good one .

_{I'd love to have a wood burning stove of some type, however my home doesn't really allow it, due to space constraints, etc.}

I see a trend and it's not a good one .

The trend I see is that my oil dealer is charging me $1/gallon more than anyone else is paying.

The trend I see is that my oil dealer is charging me $1/gallon more than anyone else is paying.

 

 

Like I said, I made (4) different calls, all within minutes of each other and got (4) different prices.

 

$4.30 per gallon.

$4.00 per gallon.

$3.79 per gallon.

$3.67 per gallon.

 

I'm waiting for the oil to be delivered as we speak.

Hi Ray,

 

Do NOT discount it...today's stoves are not not like stoves of the past ....... Also following NFPA guidelines for installation, you would be surprised at how tight of a space you can get the stove into....

 

 

Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll talk to the guy down the street. He got one installed 2-winters ago and I can tell by the smell that he uses that sucker all the time. I can see they drilled the 12" hole or whatever though the wall to run the exterior duct-work up the side of the house, above the roof-line. I've never seen the inside, but maybe he'll let me sneak a peek.

There is a lot of oil being produced in North Dakota with no way to get it to market, they are talking about trucking it.

Meanwhile there is a lot of nat gas being produced next door in Penna, they can get it here.

Electric prices are benefitting from the nat gas prices net of the money wasted on "green energy" subsidies.