Heating Oil Costs (how much, house, calculation)

[Miker2069]

Can someone tell me what the expected cost of heating oil will be this winter?

[BubbyBu]

i just got a delivery today at $3.50 a gallon..I wont turn on my 175 gallon boiler until late October but my it typically needs a refill once every 3-4 weeks, sometimes longer depending on temperature. Also depends on how large and insulated the house is...mine is old and drafty. Luckily I splitt he cost of the oil so I only spend $100 or so a month out of the $500 or so total cost to heat the house per month from December through March.

[smarty]

$4.00 +/- 15% = $3.40-$4.60 a gal.

An average house is 800-1000 gal per year. Hence, between $2500-$4600 a year.

Of course, it also depends on outside temp, inside temp, efficiency of burner, insulation, how long you take your shower, ...

[aduke]

If you join Mass Energy Consumer Aliance you can get your oil at a slightly cheaper rate per gallon. I have been a member for over 5 yrs, until we just converted to natural gas and have had no problems.

Here is there link. Massachusetts Energy Consumers Alliance

[bigal555]

Can anyone help me? Assuming an average oil heating system, how much oil is used for heating hot water for one day, including 4 showers of 15 minutes each. One gallon? Half gallon? Thanks

[smarty]

Wow... this is an old thread... oil now is $2.20/gal.

In any case, no easy way to answer your question as it depends on so many factors.

1. Oil produce 140,000 BTU per gallon but this assume efficiency of 100%. Most oil burners varies between 50-80% depends on many factors.

A BTU (British Thermal Unit) is the amount of energy required to raise 1 lb of water 1 degree Fahrenheit. You will usually see burners rated in BTU's, but what they mean is BTU's/hr.

Here is a simple way to see how many BTUs you need. Water density is 8.3 lb/gal. To raise 1 gallon of water (1 x 8.3 = 8.3 lbs) from 70 to 212 deg F in 1 hour you will need 8.3 x 142 = 1,178.6 BTUs.

Hence a gallon of oil can heat 70-100 gallons of water.

2. The above calculation assumes your water starts at 70F. If you have colder water, it will take more to heat up.

3. Since you are mixing hot and cold water, you're never sure exactly how much hot water you are using.

4. Also, different shower has different flow rate. The Federal Energy Policy Act of 1992 required all faucet / shower fixtures made the USA to have a flow rate of no more than 2.2 GPM at 60 PSI. But, we do not know your shower flow rate.
Low Flow: 1.0 - 2.0 GPM
Meets Code / 1992 Standard: 2.2 GPM
Pre-1992 Faucet: 4.0 - 8.0 GPM

Hence, your water use can vary between 25 to 120 gallons per 15 minute shower.

My guess.... Four 15-minutes show will need 1-2 gallons of heating oil....

In addition... you have a hot water tank storing hot water. This means you are keeping that water hot even when you're not using the water. No easy way to estimate energy needed to keep it warm. It depends on temp outside, your water tank, .... etc.