In many situations oil is the perfect choice for home heating needs. It can be delivered in large quantities and it will provide serious heat to the biggest home at a manageable price. But there are various oil heating systems - which is best? And how can you get the best performance.
There are two main ways to get you home heated by oil. Basically you heat up the air and blow it about in the house or you use oil fired home boilers to heat up water which is then piped around the home.
Each type has supporters and it is impossible to be prescriptive about the best system. If you already have ducting running through the house then you may be well advised to use a furnace system to send hot air around the house. But bear in mind that ducting invariably develops leaks and these several effect the efficiency - servicing the ducting can be a smart investment.
Given current prices for heating oil, it is well worth looking at how to get the best from your systems. If you have an older system (boiler or furnace) it is likely to be inefficient compared with new units. This can be the difference between 60% and 90% efficiency! Bear this in mind it the time for replacement is coming up.
New oil systems use something called a Flame Retention Head Burner where old systems use a cast iron head burner. This is a cost-saving retrofit that you can do with many older units. It should be done by a quality contractor, but should turn out to be worth it.