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Harvey's Home Heat Oil Heat Facts |
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Oil heat is one of the safest fuels ever developed. It is non-explosive, and will not ignite like gasoline. An oil heat system doesn't "burn" oil like a kerosene lamp. Before heating oil will burn, it must be vaporized. The burner unit in the oil heat system acts like a finely tuned carburetor, turning fuel into vapor for efficient combustion in a sealed chamber. Modern oil-fired furnaces are very efficient. Our customers' furnaces are tuned periodically, and their efficiency averages between 82% and 86%. Electric heat may be 100% efficient once it reaches your home. However, for electricity generated with oil, approximately two-thirds of the heat value of the fuel is lost in the generation and transmission. (For a comparison of the cost of various types of heating fuel, see Fuel Cost Comparison.) Heating oil creates the hottest flame of any home heating fuel. It burns 400 degrees hotter than natural gas or propane. That's why your home heats up more quickly, and why your oil-fired hot water heater supplies hot water five times faster than electricity - and at less cost to you. The Canadian government provides an online booklet on
"Heating With Oil"
which provides a wealth of information on how to select a heating or hot water
system. You can follow the link "Heating With Oil", or you can write to
get your printed copy at: |