budgeting for heating oil
heating oil usage factors
You may find yourself asking questions like “About how much heating oil can I expect to use this season?” and “How much will I spend on heating oil this year?” For regular Weaver Energy customers, it is easy for us to estimate annual usage based off historical usage. While that does change based on outdoor temperatures and changes in individual preferences, we are able to provide a reliable estimate based on average winter temperatures. For new customers it can be difficult to accurately answer either of those questions. If you are a new customer and can obtain the gallon information from 2 or 3 consecutive deliveries from your prior provider, we can calculate a reliable estimate for you based off that information. If you have just moved into a new home, we can use some of the factors below to try to help you prepare for the upcoming heating season:
- Size of the home (Are all of the living areas heated? Are certain zones turned off?)
- Home insulation (Is much of the heat created escaping from the home?)
- Sources of heat (Are there supplemental heating systems such as baseboard electric?)
- Thermostat settings (Households with the thermostat set at 78* will use much more oil than those set at 65*.)
- Efficiency of the boiler or furnace (What is the age and quality of the heating system? Has it been regularly maintained and cleaned?)
- Condition of ductwork or radiators (Have radiators been properly bled, and are ductwork, vents and filters clean and free from obstructions?)
- Is the oil heat system “heat only” or “heat and hot water”? (Is the oil being used to heat the hot water in the home, and if so, how much hot water is being used by all of the residents?)
- Outdoor seasonal temperatures (Is the upcoming winter expected to be a typical one in temperature and duration, or will it be milder or more extreme?)
- Crude oil market (Will the market prices fluctuate based on demand, shortages, natural disasters, human error, politics, conflicts, etc.?)
As you can see, every consumer is likely to have different answer to these questions, which is why it is difficult giving a definitive, one-size-fits-all answer when answering questions about heating oil consumption. By gathering and analyzing information about total gallons used in past years, you can more easily predict how many gallons you will continue to use on an annual basis. Tenants and homeowners who are new to a house or apartment should inquire how much had previously been purchased.
smart pay budget program
Weaver Energy customers have the option of enrolling in our Smart Pay Budget Program, which will assist you in planning for your home heating oil expenses. By enrolling in this program, we gather all possible data about your usage, your home and heating system, the forecasted weather, and the markets predictions and determine a monthly payment amount that we think accurately covers the cost of your heating oil usage for the upcoming 12 months. By paying to initially fill your tank to start the program, and then making these regular monthly budget payments, you build credit each month that we then use to pay for your upcoming deliveries throughout the year. At the end of the 12 months, any credit or balance remaining is automatically rolled over and calculated in your next 12-month budget cycle. We are happy to provide this program free of charge to our customers. Visit www.weaverenergy.com or call the Weaver Energy office at (717) 626-7169 during normal business hours to find out more about how we can help you with the Smart Pay Budget Program.