How Much Heating Oil Will I Use A Day?
If you use a heating oil system to warm your home, you will need enough fuel in your tank to last you. Knowing the amount of heating oil you use daily helps determine when you will need to schedule your next heating oil delivery. This will also help you budget home heating costs more effectively. Clients often ask our techs, “How much heating oil will I use a day?”. In this article, we discuss the answer to this important question.
Factors That Affect Heating Oil Usage
Contents
Below, we cover several factors that have an impact on how much fuel oil you use per day:
1. The Home’s Size And Design
The amount of home heating oil your home needs relies on its size and design. Larger homes require more heating compared to smaller houses. Even if the surrounding temperature is the same, larger homes will still have a higher heating oil consumption.
The home’s design is also a significant factor. Your home’s overall volume affects your heating requirements as well. Other factors that affect fuel consumption include the insulation quality and wall thickness of your home.
2. Ambient Temperature
The temperature in your surrounding area can significantly affect how much fuel you use. The colder the outdoor temperatures are, the more heating oil you use per day. For instance, a 15-degrees Fahrenheit drop will result in your household consuming double your usual heating oil usage.
3. Oil Furnace’s Condition
The oil furnace must be cleaned and maintained at all times. This will ensure that it functions at high efficiency. Therefore, have it tuned up at least annually, especially before the cold season begins. An efficient heating unit utilizes less heating oil.
Heating Oil Consumption Based On Temperature
The average capacity of oil tanks is 275 gallons. If your local temperature averages at 50 degrees Fahrenheit, you will likely use around 2 gallons daily. Hence, a full tank will last you approximately four and a half months or the entire winter season.
Unfortunately, temperature fluctuations happen during the cold season. A temperature drop results in higher heating oil use. As a matter of fact, a 10-degree drop from the average 50-degree temperature can result in consuming 3.7 gallons of heating oil. If the temperature remains at 40 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the season, then a full tank will only be sufficient for two and a half months.
When the temperature goes down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, the average home needs around 7 gallons of oil daily. As a result, a full tank will only be sufficient for 39 days if the temperature consistently stays the same throughout the season.
The temperatures typically fluctuate from the 20s to the 40s, averaging 30 degrees Fahrenheit during winter. This leads to your home using around 5.3 gallons of heating oil a day, so a full tank will last for a month and three weeks during the coldest months.
A 275-gallon tank can typically support an average-sized home. Check your home’s tank size to determine if you might have a smaller tank installed. This way, you can estimate your fuel use and know when you need to fill your tank again.
Use Historical Statistics To Estimate Your Heating Oil Needs
The information from your past heating bills can help you determine the daily, monthly, and annual heating oil consumption values of your household. Therefore, make sure that you keep a record of your home’s yearly heating oil consumption. However, remember that this is only possible if you’ve lived in the same house for several years.
If you recently moved into a new neighborhood, look for houses of similar size to yours. You can ask neighbors about their heating oil consumption to give you an idea of how much oil you’ll use in a day. You can call the local heating oil supplier to help you as well.
Average Heating Oil Usage Based On Square Footage
The home’s size has a significant impact on how much heating oil your home uses. The average American home has a size of 2,687 square feet. However, your home might be smaller or larger than this.
The following estimates are what your house needs for every 1,000 square footage in comparison to the average ambient temperature:
- 3.27 gallons for 10 degrees Fahrenheit
- 2.67 gallons for 20 degrees Fahrenheit
- 2.07 gallons for 30 degrees Fahrenheit
- 1.47 gallons for 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 0.87 gallons for 50 degrees Fahrenheit
For example, if your home has a size of 3,500 square feet, you will need 3.5 times the average requirements listed above. Therefore, a typical day with a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit will consume 5.15 gallons of heating oil.
Heating Oil For Water Heaters
Water heaters can be powered by natural gas, propane, electricity, and heating oil. If both your water heater and heating system use heating oil, you need to adjust your calculation. Water heaters typically consume around 0.5 to 1.0 gallons of heating oil per day. This depends on your home’s size and how many residents shower every day.
Conclusion
The amount of heating oil for your household’s daily needs can be determined using your home’s ambient temperature, size, and historical statistics. However, if you only just moved into a new neighborhood, you can always contact the nearest heating oil provider to get an educated estimate.
Call R.F. Ohl For Fast & Affordable Heating Oil Deliveries
R.F. Ohl is a reliable HVAC company and heating oil supplier. We offer the most competitive heating oil prices in the region, and our deliveries are always completed in a timely and efficient manner. We offer many different delivery plans and financing options so that you can customize your heating oil deliveries to fit your needs. In addition, we employ only experienced, licensed HVAC technicians to complete any necessary heating tune-ups and repairs so that you can reduce your overall energy costs.
At R.F. Ohl, we provide and state-of-the-art HVAC repairs, replacements, tune-ups, and installations. Our professionals have the knowledge and experience to offer you practical and reasonably priced solutions for all your home comfort needs.
Contact R.F. Ohl as soon as possible, and we will be happy to schedule a complimentary, in-home estimate of your HVAC system. Likewise, call us today to find out more about our fuel deliveries.
Click here to contact us today or give us a call at (610) 377-1098 if you have any questions.