Fracking Fluid Kills Trees in Test... (read more)

Oil Vs. Gas

Oilheat vs. Natural Gas

Oilheat is the best choice for home heating - for lots of different reasons. We compare Oilheat to natural gas below to illustrate Oilheat's advantages.

Better Warmth

An Oilheat flame is hotter than a natural gas flame, so Oilheat systems heat homes and hot water more quickly, and you are more comfortable.

Better Value

Oilheat is a better value than natural gas. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that Oilheat has cost less than natural gas in Connecticut for the majority of the past 20 years, on a BTU-for-BTU basis.

Natural Gas Pollutes

If you can't see pollution, is it really there? The natural gas industry is a prolific polluter, but it counts on the invisibility of natural gas to avoid public scrutiny.

Natural gas is 95% methane¹ - which is a greenhouse gas with 72 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide² - and it is constantly leaking into the atmosphere from leaks in gas pipelines³. If that gas was a liquid fuel instead, there would be pools and puddles in our streets, and the public outcry would be deafening. But the gas dissipates into the air, where the utilities count on it to be "out of sight, out of mind."

Gas leaks may be invisible to the naked eye, but they take a heavy toll in the stratosphere. Only carbon dioxide is doing more to force climate change than methane.⁴ Oilheat distribution, by contrast, does not contribute significantly to climate change.

The environmental damage caused by natural gas drilling is the subject of the powerful documentary film Gasland, which aired on HBO starting in June 2010. The film offers an in-depth look at the devastating effects of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" - the gas drilling technology that involves smashing underground rock formations and injecting a massive amounts of a chemical-laced blend. Residents claim that water supplies have been ruined and that flammable gas enters their homes through faucets. The Gasland trailer can be viewed on YouTube.

While the natural gas industry has been creating new environmental risks, our industry has been improving the environmental profile of Oilheat. Today, Oilheat burns 99.9% clean, as measured by the combustion residue left behind after burning 1,000 gallons of the fuel. That residue amounts to just seven ounces from burning 7,100 pounds of fuel, according to the National Oilheat Research Alliance. Before 1970, an oil burner typically created 10 pounds of residue. That's a 95% improvement.

Safe Delivery vs. Unsafe Delivery

Oilheat delivery is safe. Oil trucks receive their loads at storage terminals and deliver to customers' homes and businesses. Oil releases during delivery are extremely rare.

Natural gas is delivered by underground pipelines that are surprisingly vulnerable to damage during construction. Contractors often strike gas pipelines with heavy equipment, causing immediate or delayed leaks.

If a leak poses an immediate hazard, it is considered Category 1, and the utility repairs it right away. But leaks that pose no imminent threat of fire or explosion are designated as Category 2 or Category 3, and the utilities often leave them leaking, despite the climate change implications.⁵ When you spot dead vegetation along a road, it may well have been killed by gas leaking from a damaged or corroded pipeline.⁶

Avoiding an "Expensive Gamble"

Converting from Oilheat to gas is an "expensive gamble," according to the Consumer Energy Council of America. Converting guarantees you nothing, and it might cost $10,000 or more in upfront costs, which includes removing valuable Oilheat equipment and disassembling your entire Oilheat installation, which includes a tank, fuel lines connecting the tank to the burner, and the heating system itself.

Buying Local

Converting to gas means trading in a relationship with a local provider like Dominick Fuel to do business with a large, faceless gas utility. In an era where international conglomerates already dominate commerce, the local connections that we maintain enrich our lives and keep us connected to the community.

Dominick is a local company that employs local people, pays local taxes and supports local organizations. We know your community, and your business is very important to us.

Switching to a utility also means giving up convenience and clout. Oilheat customers who use a full-service company like Dominick Fuel know that 24-hour emergency service is just a phone call away, and one company meets all their home heat needs. Gas customers need the utility for fuel, and they need another provider for service, because the utilities don't service home equipment. With their business divided, customers might feel insignificant and powerless when they need help the most - an experience you'll never have with Dominick.

Catching the Green Wave

If climate change concerns you and you want to do your part to help the Earth, you're using the right fuel in Oilheat. Oilheat dealers are enthusiastically embracing a fuel reformulation that will make Oilheat one of the cleanest fuels on the market. Oilheat is also being blended with renewable biofuel to create Bioheat - a blend that can outperform natural gas on emissions reduction.

As Oilheat gets cleaner, natural gas is headed in the opposite direction. Utilities are using more liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet increased demand, and LNG has a larger carbon footprint than domestic gas.⁷

Oilheat Homes are Safer

Oilheat is a safe fuel to store. It is non-explosive liquid that does not even ignite at room temperature. It is delivered in finite amounts to a sturdy tank where it poses no risk or health hazard.

Contrast that to natural gas, which has caused many homes to explode. Not only is gas a far more hazardous substance, its delivery by pressurized pipe creates the risk of gas building up in a house. After a string of explosions a few years ago, the National Transportation Safety Valve called for mandatory installation of excess flow valves on gas lines to protect homes and families. The gas industry opposed the measure, however, and most gas-heated homes remain unprotected from the pressurized gas pipeline.

Hidden Costs

When you buy Oilheat, you pay the per-gallon price and nothing more. Gas customers, on the other hand, get saddled with a succession of surcharges, including monthly minimum charges, delivery charges, supply charges, cost adjustment charges, taxes, franchise fees and more.

The next time you hear a claim that gas is cheaper than oil, ask whether the quoted price includes the utility surcharges.

Self-Reliance

When your Oilheat tank is full, you enjoy a pleasing degree of self-reliance, with no dependence on "the grid" to supply your heat. Natural gas, by contrast, requires continuous delivery that can be discontinued at any time. If you enjoy feeling independent and self-reliant in your home, Oilheat is the heating fuel for you.

¹U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
²Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
³U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
⁴Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
⁵Aegis Insurance
⁶Aegis Insurance
⁷Center for Liquefied Natural Gas