Are some types of heating oil better than others?

If you are new to the world of heating oil, you may wonder if there are different types of heating oil? How do they differ and is one type better than another?

Luckily, the industry switch to ULSHO has simplified these questions! All the states across New England officially transitioned to Ultra Low Sulfur Heating Oil ULSHO in July 2018. This means that all heating delivery companies throughout New England are now essentially delivering the same (improved) product to homes and businesses throughout this region.

ULSHO (what Heatable uses) is a cleaner type of heating oil with lower sulfur content than traditional heating oil. An illustrative comparison: Traditional heating oil has anywhere from 500-4000 PPM (parts per million) whereas the new ULSHO is 15 PPM.

Want to learn a bit more about this oil? Go ahead and grab your coffee and read on!

Making the switch to ULSHO

The industry used to use traditional heating oil. Here are some quick things to note about this oil:

  • It had a higher sulfur content. What does that mean? Well, basically sulfur is the dirty part of oil (the black sooty part) and it’s not great for your heating system.

  • It also had more carbon, so more particulate matter (soot) in your chimney, more debris and sediment in your tank, and more gunk in your oil filter and oil nozzle.

Build-up, or simply...gunk isn't great for systems because it also could “gum up” your heating system and make it run less efficiently.

Thankfully, the much-needed alternative ULSHO oil came onto the scene! Without the extra sulfur crud, this purer oil burns cleaner, and should technically also maximize the life and efficiency of your equipment.*

*Footnote time: It’s so important to note that the most important step in maximizing equipment and system efficiency all comes down to proper maintenance and annual tune ups. If you want to get the most from this clean ULSHO oil, make sure your system is in tip-top shape to enjoy the benefits of an efficient system!

How does ULSHO help the environment?

In other awesome news, traditional heating oil today burns 95% cleaner than it did in 1970. ULSHO is a major ally to our planet when you look at some of these amazing stats:

  • Compared to traditional heating oil, ULSHO reduces nitrogen oxide emissions up to 30% and sulfur oxide and particles by 99%. This cleaner burning fuel is good for your heating system and the environment.

  • ULSHO significantly reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulfur oxide, and particulate matter emissions.

  • Taken directly from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): reducing emissions of NOx is critical for cleaner air since atmospheric NOx contributes to:

  • Ground-level ozone smog

  • Water quality deterioration

  • Airborne particles

  • Global warming

  • Toxic chemicals

  • Visibility impairment

Less pollution and better air quality is good for all of us, and it’s pretty cool we play a small part in using heating oil that is better for our homes and our world!

How the oil flows to you

How does Heatable get ULSHO oil? We get our heating oil from a few major wholesale suppliers in Maine and New Hampshire and these wholesalers supply the entire region. Within the last few years, the New England region has benefited from the transition to ultra-low-sulfur heating oil, allowing us to bring the cleanest-burning oil into your homes (and helping the environment at the same time).

I want this top-quality oil at the lowest prices around; how do I sign up to get fired up?!

At Heatable, we’re all about bringing you heating oil in the smartest, fastest, least expensive, and easiest way possible. To get started, simply enter your zip code on our website or app and see if you live in one of our ever-expanding Maine & New Hampshire delivery areas If you do, we’ll show you the current price of oil – and let you know when we can deliver it (hint: very quickly, we’re kinda known for that). You’ll need to enter a few pieces of information for your first delivery, and then from there on out you can order heating oil anywhere, anytime, and all online with just two taps and a swipe on your smartphone. Just Tap, Tap, Swipe and we bring the heat!

Learn more about Heating Oil

Visit our Ultimate Consumer’s Guide to Heating Oil for everything you need to know about heating your home with #2 heating oil.

Why Heatable?

Heatable’s the smart way to order oil! Our website and quick order app put you in control of your heating oil purchases. You can order anywhere and at any time. Just enter your zip to see your super-low price and get started.

We provide lower prices for all! Heatable is committed to providing consistently low heating oil prices. Our technology and streamlined process allow us to offer the same low price to everyone – no negotiating necessary.

We’re heating oil superstars! Founded by industry veterans, we’ve been around the block (literally hundreds of thousands of times). We have our own fleet of bright orange trucks, and we make our own deliveries.

Heating oil delivery at your fingertips. Try us today!

References:

https://cleanoilheatnh.com/ultra-low-sulfur-heating-oil/uls-environmental-benefits/.

https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/northeast-cleans-heating-oil.

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