Written on: January 28, 2025
People who have old heating oil furnaces may be considering switching to a natural gas furnace to heat their home because they think this could save them money on heating expenses.
What they don’t realize is that the upfront cost to convert to a natural gas furnace can typically be thousands of dollars. And it really doesn’t make sense to switch to a less efficient fuel like natural gas when our B20 Bioheat Plus® fuel can keep you warmer, even on the coldest of nights.
That’s because a heating oil furnace produces a tremendous amount of heating energy, providing both efficiency and comfort. For every gallon of heating oil consumed, nearly 140,000 Btu’s of heat are produced. That’s about 40% more heating energy than a natural gas furnace produces.
This is because the flame in a heating oil system burns much hotter than natural gas, as well as other energy systems. When the outdoor temperatures are below the freezing point, that powerful heat output can help keep your home as cozy as ever.
Advancements in both fuel quality and heating equipment have made heating oil more clean burning than ever before. As noted, Westmore delivers B20 Bioheat Plus fuel. This is a mix of ultra-low sulfur heating oil blended with 20% premium biodiesel made from renewable resources.
The use of Bioheat fuel lowers greenhouse gas emissions and puts home heating oil on track to becoming a carbon-neutral fuel. It has already been shown that B20 Bioheat Plus fuel emits fewer greenhouse gas emissions than natural gas.
Without question, home heating oil is one of the safest fuels you can use to warm your New York or Connecticut home.
To start with, heating oil cannot burn in its liquid state. It takes an advanced high-tech burner to ignite the oil. Before combustion can even occur, heating oil must first be vaporized by your oil burner at temperatures above 140°.
Rest assured, the fuel you have stored in your tank right now is very safe. In fact, if you drop a lit match into a bucket of heating oil, the flame will go out just as if you dropped the match into water. In other words, heating oil cannot explode.
Unlike natural gas, a heating oil system poses a very low risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. If an oil burner malfunctions, the safety devices in the unit will typically shut the furnace off.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that heating oil consumers shouldn’t have working carbon monoxide detectors inside their homes, especially near all bedrooms. Besides a malfunctioning furnace, there are other sources of carbon monoxide leaks, including:
Make sure you check your carbon monoxide (and smoke) detectors regularly to confirm they work properly!
With an oil tank on your property, you can always count on having a secure, on-site supply at your home. Westmore’s 1.2-million-gallon marine storage terminal, along with strategic supplier alliances, takes away any worry about any supply shortages. Not every fuel oil company can make this guarantee!
Contrast that to natural gas delivery. If an underground natural gas pipeline gets damaged, customers may lose their supply until repairs get done. And if a serious problem occurs with a gas pipeline, such as excessive pressure, explosions can occur.
Today’s high-efficiency heating oil furnaces provide extra heat more efficiently than furnaces made a generation ago. Higher efficiency means more energy savings, which of course translates into lower energy costs. This is why it pays to learn as much as you can about today’s high-tech heating solutions—and Westmore Fuel is here to help with the installation of the latest high-efficiency heating oil furnaces.
Our knowledgeable installers examine your current system, not only the old furnace, but the ductwork as well. Where other heating companies may just replace the furnace connecting it to existing ductwork, we upgrade the ducts to ensure proper hot air carrying capacity and flow.
Westmore’s installation team is our own, we never use contractors. That means we can stand behind our work and will be there for you in the years to come.
Westmore Fuel has been taking care of our customers in Darien, CT and other communities in Connecticut and New York since 1938. Contact us today to become a customer.