Heating Oil - Fill or not to fill

[Cypress]

I cannot decide what to do and would appreciate SLNers wisdom. I am down to 1/4 tank of heating oil. Here it is Feb 10 and it's a relatively mild winter. I called the oil service to fill the minimum which is 150 gallons. The temptation is to call back and cancel and just be cold until the end of the heating season. My house is insulated and with the southern exposure, the kitchen can warm to mid 60's all on its on. It's the cold nights I am uncertain of. I understand a house should not get too cold.

THe thing is I may change out my heating service for propane this year. I am waiting on quotes for installation due anyday now. The problem is I doubt I will burn 150 gallons between now and April but that is the minimum. If I change to propane and have 1/2 tank of heating oil, can I sell that? to who? I cannot predict the weather and it may suddenly become very cold day and night. Too many unknowns to make a decision.

Help if you can.

[razz]

Given the same circumstances, I would buy the 150 gallons and then sell any excess later when the price is higher as it seems to be heading and you go to gas. There is nothing worse than being really cold and winter in our neck of the woods is not over yet but your area may be different.

[Spartana]

Just a question - what IS the cost to heat with oil for an entire winter somewhere cold nowadays? I have friends in Maine who spend thousands a year just for heating oil for their modest ranch home. That cost is one of the reasons I will probably never buy a home in New England - a place I love - as I see that it will go up every year.

[Cypress]

I am uncertain the price of home heating oil today but say it is $3.40 per gallon at 150 gallons is $510. The company I buy from offers 3% off the invoice if you pay within 10 days. So, that may be $494. I keep my thermostate at 60 degrees over night and during the day. In the evening, I increase to 63. The temps are supposed to plummet this weekend. I have an old American Standard furnace which keeps going despite being as old as me (50 or so). Apparently, this brand performs well with low maintenance. It looks 100 years old but still works. The efficiency has decreased and I just don't want to burn oil. I do not want to be at the whim of politics, saber rattling leaders and market speculators.

Propane is an American product.

[Miss Cellane]

This is an interesting question. I, for one, have no idea how you would go about re-selling the oil once it is in your tank. On the other hand, even though we have had a mild winter so far, it could easily get much colder in March. How well are your pipes insulated? The danger with frozen pipes is that they can leak badly when thawed and cause thousands of dollars of damage.

In your shoes, I'd consider the following options:

1. Ask the oil company if they ever take oil back.
2. Find out what happens with oil in an oil tank if the homeowner is getting rid of the tank. Since you may switch to propane, you might want to get rid of the tank at some point and reclaim that space in your basement.
3. Call around to other oil companies and see if they will make a smaller delivery. I've dealt with companies that will deliver 75 or 100 gallons of oil.
4. Bite the cost, get the 150 gallons and spend the rest of the winter basking in 65 degrees and use it all up. Okay, not the most frugal move.

Spartana, I moved to my current house in September. I estimate that I've used 260 gallons of oil since September 1, to heat a three bedroom house that is one half of a duplex. We might be getting some heat from the half of the house on the first floor, but not very much. And the hot water comes from the same furnace, so the oil is being used for that, as well. The heat is set at 60 degrees at night and when no one is home, and 65 when someone is home.

A lot depends on the age of the house, the amount of insulation and the windows. This house was built in 1900, but new windows were installed 2 years ago, so less heat loss and no drafts. The original radiators have been removed and hot water baseboard radiators installed. I prefer the old radiators, but the baseboard ones are much more energy efficient. I don't know about exterior insulation, but the house has thick old plaster walls, which I think keep things warmer than drywall.

If you get the right house with the right insulation and energy-efficient windows and the right heating system, you probably won't be paying thousands of dollars for heat. Add a wood stove or a pellet stove, and you can reduce the oil bill even further.

Of course, while I think of the oil bill as just part of every day life, I turn pale at the thought of needing whole-house air-conditioning all day every day, the way some places in the southern US need to. Here, I get buy with one window unit A/C, which gets used for about 2 months a year. I figure, in the US, you will need to pay for heat or cooling at some point in the year, no matter where you live.

[herbgeek]

Another thing to keep in mind is that the sludge in your oil tank might gunk up your furnace. We try to not go below 1/4 tank for that reason. You may not want to run your tank to empty.

[Spartana]

Spartana, I moved to my current house in September. I estimate that I've used 260 gallons of oil since September 1, to heat a three bedroom house that is one half of a duplex.

So using Cypress' $3.40/gal and adding about 3 more months of cold weather I guess that would mean needing around 400 gal/season - approx. $1440/ season - plus a bit more for hot water year round (although I'm sure last year was a killer for everyone's heating bill!). I guess that isn't too bad compared to the cost of electric heating. I currently live in coastal Southern Calif and thinking of eventually buying a small condo here - 2 miles from the beach - where I'll live the rest of my life. Partly thinking to stay here permanetly to avoid all those crazy heating and cooling costs as I would rarely need heat and never need a/c. I have always had natural gas heating, hot water and cooking where ever I've lived and it's "currently" fairly reasonable at around $15/month in summer and maybe $50/month in winter. Even when I lived in a 3 bedroom house in Alaska I had natural gas heating too but it was expensive there just because of the very long winter season - but still cheaper then electric - and that was with zoned heating (seperate thermostats for upstairs and downstairs). Regular gasoline prices here are now close to $4/gal and rising, so I assume the same is true for home heating oil.

[early morning]

We have bought second-hand heating oil in the past - pumped it from one tank into 50 gallon drums, and then pumped it into our tank at home. I sure wouldn't do it if I was going to pay the same price as delivery, so you might want to take that into account - you may have to discount it to sell it out of the tank.