Heating Oil Blog, Heating Oil Price News

Econotherm Plus Premium Kerosene

blogadmin — Tue, 31 May 2011 08:14:11 +0000

Domestic heating oil is just heating oil, right? Not necessarilly. Any heating oil will burn in your boiler but our premium kerosene, called Econotherm Plus, has been specifically designed to be more energy efficient, reduce maintenance costs and extend the life of your heating system.

Our premium kerosene can be used in your standard kerosene boiler without any modifications and works by stabilizing the fuel and keeping it fresher for longer. It also reduces carbon and sludge build-up and in turn, will help to improve overall efficiency.

At Heating Oil we can offer our customers Econotherm Plus premium kerosene. This has a number of benefits over standard heating oil:

Keeps the fuel fresher, for longer.
Stabilises the fuel.
Improves the system efficiency, which can reduce fuel consumption and cut CO₂ emissions.
Reduces service problems.
Has a fresh scented fragrance.

To see the benefits for yourself, choose Econotherm Plus for your next order of heating oil.

Environmental Consequences of Heating Oil Theft

blogadmin — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:31:13 +0000

Victims of heating oil theft are being advised they should report the crime to the environmental agency in addition to reporting it to the police. If the thief damages the oil tank, the remaining oil could leak into nearby water and cause contamination. Cleaning up these spills can cost thousands of pounds.
With the rise in the oil price and consequent rise in heating oil prices, the number of thefts of heating oil have risen dramatically. Installing a tank lock and securing your oil tank can help but the determined thief is going to drill into the tank leaving you with a leaking oil tank and an environmental problem.
Shaun Rowson, an environmental agency spokesman said, “Being able to act quickly is vital to stop oil pollution spreading and potentially reaching important underground water supplies.”
If you have had your oil stolen and you think the oil tank has been damaged then you are advised to call the environmental agency as soon as possible.

How Long Does your Heating Oil Last?

blogadmin — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:57:44 +0000

One of the questions we get asked quite often by people that are unfamiliar with oil powered central heating is, ‘How long does heating oil last?’ To which the answer is invariably, it depends on how you use it.
How much heating oil does your oil central heating use and what lengths do you go to, to make it last longer? Have you found that you have been using too much heating oil and then discovered there was something wrong with your heating system?

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A Harsh Winter Ahead?

blogadmin — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:47:22 +0000

If old wives tales are anything to go by then the red berries on the holly trees in the countryside are predicting a harsh winter to come. As a result of the warm, wet
Autumn, the holly bushes are groaning with bulging red berries. Don’t eat them though, they are poisonous to humans. Does this mean that we can expect a cold winter snap in the near future?
Last year, the UK had severe snow over much of the country for the first time since 1978-79. We shouldn’t be too harsh on the weather forecasters however. It is very difficult to predict the weather accurately over a long period of time. Even though we have good models and data about the atmosphere, unless we know the initial conditions precisely, weather predictions starting from almost identitical starting points can diverge very quickly. One thing is certain, however, winter is nearly upon us and the best thing to do is be prepared by buying your heating oil now so you can be cosy and warm while the winter wind howls outside.

Winter Fuel Payments Scam To Cheat Pensioners

blogadmin — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 10:14:51 +0000

A scam revealed by Radio 4′s consumer programme, ‘You and Yours’ has outlined how criminals are using winter fuel payments to tease bank information from vulnerable pensioners. What is even more worrying is that even when unsuccessful, the details of victims are being passed to other criminals so they can try their luck.

Norfolk Trading Standards was alerted by Albert Wilson, who has had four attempts to separate him from his money by telephone scammers. Some have been laughably amateurish, such as telling him his computer downloading was disrupting the Internet. He knew this wasn’t true, not because he is an expert in computer networks but because he doesn’t own a computer. However, he was almost convinced by the winter fuel payment scam.
He was phoned by someone posing as a government official. The scammers claimed they were checking recipients’ details and that his winter fuel payment will not go through until they have verified their bank details.

This type of scam reaches a new low by fraudsters as the winter fuel payment is available to the over 65′s only. It is easy to say, don’t give out information such as bank card numbers, security codes over the telephone but old people are particularly vulnerable. HeatingOil are astonished by callous nature of this scam and are happy to make people aware so they don’t get caught out. Have you had any similar experiences?

The Right Fuel for your Aga or Rayburn

blogadmin — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:27:40 +0000

People are passionate about their oil-fired Agas and Rayburns. They exude quality and make the house feel wonderfully cosy and warm but it is important to ensure that they are kept in tip-top condition to keep them efficiently.
A number of oil fired cooker users are reporting that burners are cutting out. The Daily Telegraph has attributed this to the European Union insistence on lower Sulphur levels in domestic kerosene. This type of oil produces more soot that can clog the burners inside the oven. When your Aga cuts every six to eight weeks, it is a great inconvenience and call out fees for engineers can be costly.
One thing you can do to make your oil fired cooker run at its best is to use Exocet fuel. This has been specifically developed for oil-fired cookers such as Agas and Rayburns with an oil addittive that makes it burn more cleanly producing less soot than normal oil. Exocet Plus also inhibits the build up of sludge in the oil tank.

David Debates Double Summer Time. Scotts not Happy.

blogadmin — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:31:50 +0000

In the UK we observe British Summer Time. We put the clocks forward around March and then back again around the end of October. As winter draws near, it seems that puting the clocks back really brings it home. Winter is here.
But we could soon be enjoying a lighter evenings in the winter as David Cameron is considering the idea of moving the clocks forward by two hours in the summer. This would, so the theory goes, give people more opportunity to enjoy the long summer afternoons. In the winter, instead of moving the clocks back by a full two hours we would just put them back by one hour. This will mean that the evenings will not be as dark. Great for everyone so you might think.
At Heating Oil, we have been debating the idea. It could also bring lots of benefits, such as using less electricity, more tourism and fewer accidents but people from the most Northly regions are not so sure. For them, the Sun would not rise until about 10 am. Famers would wake up in darkness. A Commons vote is scheduled for December. Such a move will undoubtedly divide the nation. What do you think? Perhaps we should have multiple time zones to keep everyone happy?

How to Prevent Heating Oil Thefts

blogadmin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:00:10 +0000

Shhh! There’s a theif about. Someone may have their eyes on your tank of heating oil. As the economic difficulties increase there has been a marked increase in the number of commodity thefts such as scrap metal and heating oil. That tank of oil you have sitting outside starts to look quite attractive to a number of unscupulous people, especially if you live in a rural location.
If you oil is stolen, it is not just the loss of money, although that hurts. It can be an environmental problem in cases where the oil tank has been damaged, causing a leak. For farmers, a thefts of oil lead to delays which may have an adverse effect their business.
What can you do to prevent theft in the first place or a least make the theives live’s more difficult?
Firstly, keep an eye on the level of the oil and watch out of tell-tale oil spills. If you notice that the level is going down more quickly than usual then this may be a sign that the oil is being syphoned from the tank. It could be that the oil is being taken in small quantities rather than being emptyed in one go.
There are commercial products that use ultrasound to measure the level of the oil and transmit the information to a display in your house.
An obvious, but often overlooked measure, is to fit a lock on your oil tank. If you don’t already have one, now might be a good time to invest in one. There are even chemical additives that create a unique chemical signiture when mixed with the oil to help the police identify where it has been stolen from. Although its has to be said that its effectiveness is largely determined by the local police recovering the oil.
Have you ever had your oil stolen? Has anyone got their oil back? What did you do to stop it happening again? Let us know about your experiences.

Thoughts on Heating Oil and Oil Tankers

blogadmin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:19:46 +0000

You probably haven’t given much thought to the oil tankers that deliver your heating oil to your door, I know that I didn’t before I went out with the drivers at Heating Oil but they have some quite interesting features. The first is that they often carry more than one type of oil as the tanker can have different compartments for each of the different types of fuel they can carry: Kerosene 28, Gas Oil, red diesel or premium oils.
I wondered why is Kerosene is called 28-second oil? Not 3-second oil or 30-second oil? It seemed like an arbitary number. Of course it isn’t but rather it is to do with the viscosity. The definition of Kerosene 28 is that it takes 28 seconds for a volume of 50ml to flow through the standard sized nozzle of a Redwood viscosimeter. Try it! (No. On second thoughts, don’t. It will end up in a mess of oil.) Diesel is also known as 32-second oil.
How is the oil is delivered? If your oil tank is in a difficult place to access, a smaller 4 wheeled tanker should be able to manouver close enough for the long reaching motorised extendable hose to reach your oil tank.
How does the tanker driver pump the exact amount of oil into the oil tank? When you fill up your car at the petrol station the volume of fuel is measured but when you decided that is enough, you control the pump so you stop it. When heating oil is pumped to the tank, the exact quantity is counted on a volume flow meter and when it reaches this value it automatically stops pumping. (Although it can be stopped so don’t worry about your tank overflowing!)
I hope that has helped answered some of those nagging questions about heating oil that keep you from sleeping at night.

Should Winter Fuel Payments be Means Tested?

blogadmin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:41:11 +0000

I am sure you will be aware of the stringent cuts that are being planned across the board to government spending plans. Most departmental budgets are being cut by around 20%. Benefits are being scrutinised closely including winter fuel payments. Introduced in 1997, it was intended to help the elderly during particularly cold winters. The government pays £250 to the over 60s or £400 for those over 80. The amount of money that is received is based on age and marital status but is not dependent on income.
I am sure that no one would disagree that the frail and elderly should be granted aid to heat their homes during a bitterly cold winter but in the current climate of economic frugality should this benefit be means tested?

There are certainly reasons why it should. Last year the winter fuel payment cost £2.7 billion and costs are set to increase as the population ages. As overall life expectance increases a larger proportion of those people are living longer. These all increase the cost of providing winter fuel payments. Many pensioners have never been so well off. They own their own homes, have benefited from generous final salary pension schemes and have seen the value of their assets increase dramatically. It is hard to see how giving benefit to people in this situation can be justified.

In contrast, while means testing might reduce the amount that is actually paid out, there would be additional costs to administer the processing of forms. An overly complex application process may make the people most in need from applying in the first place. What do you think? We would be interested to hear your views.