Keeping Your Heating Fuel Topped Up
Running out of heating oil is a huge inconvenience – so it’s best that you are always checking the levels in case you unexpectedly run out one day. However, on top of being an inconvenience, letting your tank run out can actually cause issues with your heating system.
To avoid an unexpectedly low level of heating fuel Shropshire, it can be useful to have a better understanding of how often you need to fill your tank, and what factors will affect this.
Factors Which Will Affect Your Tank Usage
If you have never had a heating oil tank before, chances are, you’ll have no idea how often you’ll need to refill it. It’s difficult to tell you specifically how often, as each household is different.
On average, it is estimated that a household will use around 2000 litres of heating fuel every year. Many different factors can affect this, so to figure out an estimate of how much you will use, you should think about the following:
- The size of your oil tank
- What time of year it is/what the weather is like
- How big your household is and how they behave
- How efficient your boiler is
- How well your home is insulated
Checking the Size of Your Heating Oil Tank
The reason why the size of your heating oil tank matters is because this will determine how much heating oil you can store and get delivered. Most have a capacity of around 1000-2500 litres, and most fuel companies will deliver 500litres at a very minimum.
By checking the size of your tank, it will help you find out if you are going to need more than one delivery a year, and how much oil you can get each delivery.
The Weather and the Time of Year
Oil consumption often increases in the winter when we put our heating on and cook more hot dinners. It usually decreases in the summer months as we spend more time outdoors. However, some family’s use a similar amount year-round.
It depends on the behaviour of the household too, some may stick an extra jumper on when it’s cold, and some might crank up the thermostat.
The main thing to keep in mind that your oil usage will most likely increase during the winter months. So, keep an eye on the tank, or your Christmas dinner may be a disaster!
The Efficiency of Your Boiler
Kerosene is an efficient fuel as it is, you’ll get a good return on each unit of energy, but if you’re using an old boiler that is inefficient, you’ll probably go through more than necessary.
Like all important things, you should get them checked every so often. An annual boiler service will keep it running in the nest shape.
Make sure that your service is carried out by an OFTEC registered engineer. They can check if any parts need replacing and if everything is working as it should.
Your Homes Insulation
The main reason why people use more oil is due to the poor insulation of their home. Heat being generated is simply lost, making you keep the heating on for longer.
Getting extra means of installation installed in your home is a cost-effective solution; it will increase the thermal performance and lower the cost of bills. A well-insulated home will use much less heating oil than which is poorly insulated.
How will I know when to fill up my oil tank?
The exact level of when to refill your oil tank will be dependent on its size. To stay on the safe side, you should contact your oil supplier when it only has around a quarter left. That way, you’ll be sure to get a top-up before it is run out completely.
Running out of oil is annoying, but also damages the system due to sludge being pulled through when it’s low – so go out and check your oil tank now!
