What is Heating Oil?

Written on: November 21, 2022

Get the best heating oil delivery and service from OSI Comfort Specialists!

If you’re among the many who use heating oil to keep your home in Staten Island or New Jersey warm, or if you’re new to using heating oil altogether, then you might have some questions about it.

At OSI Comfort Specialists, not only do we provide you with reliable heating oil delivery, but we also install, maintain, and repair oil-fired home heating systems. In other words: our team of professionals has got your back when it comes to all things related to heating oil services!

Let’s get started on some common questions when it comes to heating oil.

Where does heating oil come from?

Although No. 2 heating oil and diesel fuels share a close chemical makeup, they differ in purpose. Both are derived from crude oil through the distillation process and have a low viscosity.

No. 2 heating oil does not have a federal excise tax, so it is dyed red to distinguish it from the taxed on-road diesel fuel – like off-road diesel fuel. Because people use No. 2 heating oil for home boilers or furnaces, and not for vehicles, it does not get subject to the excise tax. To avoid confusion with regular diesel fuel, No. 2 heating oil is usually referred to as home heating oil or fuel oil.

No. 2 heating oil has a winterized variety known as winter blend. This winter blend is a combination of No. 2 heating oil and No. 1 heating oil that is less viscous, less prone to gelling in extreme cold, and easier on your furnace or boiler. Winter blend is also sometimes referred to as kerosene mix.

How is today’s heating oil different?

The substantial changes in heating oil over the past couple of decades has allowed OSI to offer our customers a superior product.

The heating oil industry has endeavored to create a cleaner, more environmentally friendly product than in the past, leading to significant changes.

Since 2012, New York has required that all heating oil delivered be ultra-low sulfur heating oil (ULSHO), which has 15 parts per million (PPM) or less sulfur content. Traditional No. 2 heating oil contains an average of 4,000 ppm. This big reduction in sulfur dramatically reduces greenhouse gas emissions while helping your heating system run smoother and with better energy efficiency.

Reducing the amount of sulfur in ULSHO has immense benefits, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is pivotal in the fight against climate change.

Not only is lower sulfur fuel better for the environment, it’s also great for your furnace or boiler. With less sulfur in heating oil, your system will run more efficiently and use less energy overall, meaning you’ll save money on winter heating costs. Fewer sulfur deposits on heat exchangers in your furnace or boiler means less wear and tear, fewer breakdowns, and a longer life expectancy for your heating system.

This is just the beginning of the advances as the heating oil industry strives for net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050.

Biodiesels, which are created from eco-friendly materials like plant oils and algae, burn cleaner than regular fuel and can help reduce our reliance on foreign oil. Our B5 Bioheat® Fuel contains 5% biodiesel.

When should I order more heating oil?

If you use Will-Call for your heating oil delivery, it is your responsibility to frequently check your heating oil tank gauge and order more before it falls below 30%.

Here’s how to check your tank gauge levels.:

On top of your heating oil tank, look for the transparent plastic tube with markings on it that resemble car fuel gauge numbers: F, ¾, ½, and so on. There is a red marker or a float inside the tube that informs you how much heating oil is in the tank.

OSI’s Automatic Delivery makes getting your heating oil easy! Our state-of-the-art software uses your heating oil usage history along with current temperatures and weather predictions to calculate when you’ll need more heating oil and make the delivery before you run low.

Get peace of mind when it comes to your home’s heating oil supply. Become an OSI Comfort Specialists customer today!