Im considering converting to natural gas heat. What are the advantages of sticking with fuel oil?
There are five great reasons to stick with oil. First it’s clean burning. If you’ve ever heard “Oil heat is bad for the environment,” think again. Advances in technology have made today’s home heating systems extremely clean burning. For example, a recent study proves that oil burners produce 123 times fewer hydrocarbons (particles of unburned fuel) than the average combustion source. In contrast, gas burners produce nearly five times as much as oil. If all combustion equipment operated as cleanly as residential oil burners, air pollution would not be a problem is the US. Second, oil is a better value. Natural gas rates are rising at a higher rate than oil. While inflation has increased over 5% per year on average on almost everything, form stamps to medical insurance, the cost of heating oil has gone up only 24% over the past 16 years. Figures released by the Department of Energy project that gas prices will rise 31% faster than oil prices through the year 2010.
