Prepare for Winter with Affordable Fuel Refills

Budgeting Options Available

Keep Your Home Warm This Winter with a Fuel Refill

When it is officially winter in Pennsylvania, most home and business owners know what this means – it’s time to refill your oil tank. Whether you use heating oil, kerosene, or diesel to heat your space, Courtesy Oil is here to refill your tank in a timely manner in Scottdale and Mt. Pleasant, PA. Do not freeze this winter – call us at (724) 438-4328 or (724) 277-8478 to schedule a fuel refill today.

When refilling your tank, there’s a few ways to make it easier on the staff at Courtesy Oil. Provided are a few tips to making this tank refill season easier for all of us.

How to Make Sure Your Heating System is Ready for the Winter

Pennsylvania winters can often be unpredictable. Be sure you are ready for whatever winter brings your way. Whether you have had your oil-based system for years, or you just moved to a new home with an oil tank in the Westmoreland County area, you might wonder what it takes to prepare your oil tank for winter. It is easy enough to winterize your tank and prepare your home for winter deliveries, you just need to know the steps to take.

  1. Have Your Tank Inspected. The first step to winterization is always inspection. A tank inspection from professionals like the ones at Courtesy Oil can ensure that your heating oil storage tank is clean and that there are no leaks. An inspection can also check gauges and filters to ensure they are functioning properly and do not need replacing.
  2. Make Sure the Tank Site is Clear. Cut trees or bushes back from the oil tank to allow for access all the way around the tank. Keep the area free of debris and remove low-hanging branches from around the tank to prevent it from getting damaged. As the winter progresses, make sure any walkways leading up to the tank are clear of ice and snow, and shovel snow away from access points.
  3. Check that Your House Number is Visible from the Road. Having your house number visible means that your heating oil delivery driver can make deliveries more efficiently and more accurately.
  4. Take Steps to Prevent Fuel Gelling. Your heating oil can gel when the temperatures get low enough. Make sure you take steps to prevent gelling from happening. Some of these steps include insulating pipes and purchasing anti-gelling additives for your fuel. Talk to the professionals at Courtesy Oil for more information on preventing fuel gelling.

If you need advice on how to winterize your heating system or how to prepare for a delivery, call Courtesy Oil today.

How Much Heating Oil Will You Need This Winter?

Once you winterize your oil tank and heating system, you are ready to purchase oil for the winter. Perhaps you recently got a new oil-based heating system. Or maybe you simply forgot what you ordered last year. Regardless, you need to know how much oil to order. But how much heating oil will you need this winter? Courtesy Oil has some tips for estimating your oil consumption.

Determine Oil Tank Capacity

Most aboveground oil storage tanks have a capacity of 275 gallons. Many of the larger tanks are underground. This capacity is not a measure of how many gallons of oil a tank can hold, merely the volume of the container. Oil tanks should not be entirely filled. Knowing how many gallons your tank can hold is important in knowing how much oil to order for the winter. Your user manual should contain more information on the specifics of the size of your tank and how many gallons of heating oil it can hold.

If you don’t want to worry about estimating anything, simply call Courtesy Oil and order the maximum capacity of your tank per the guidelines in your user manual. Heating oil has a long shelf life, so if you do not use every ounce of the oil you ordered for this winter, you can use it next year.

How to Estimate Your Fuel Refill Needs

As we discussed last month, it can be tricky to determine how much oil you will need to refill. If you want a more exact number for your order, it is not too difficult to roughly estimate your heating oil needs. Have you lived in your home and used this oil-based heating system for several years? Perfect! Gather up some previous years’ oil bills and see how much oil you used in the past. Calculate the average of these numbers, check the weather forecast to see if you are in for a mild or harsh winter, and base your order on that information.

But what if you just moved in, or your furnace is new? Check the manufacturer plate near the nozzle or burner—there should be a consumption rate printed there. This number applies specifically to newer furnaces, so if your furnace is new, you’re in good shape. If the furnace is not new, this will still give you a good starting point. Multiply the consumption rate by the approximate period of usage to find out roughly how much heating oil or kerosene you will burn over the winter. Adjust as you deem necessary.

Courtesy Oil Offers Fast & Easy Weekend Oil Delivery in the Winter

When winter hits the Westmoreland County area, you do not want to wait a long time for heating oil delivery, especially if it is an emergency. If you need prompt delivery of heating oil or kerosene, give Courtesy Oil a call. We offer delivery when you need it, even on the weekends in the winter. When you give us a call, you’ll see why we were voted the Uniontown area’s best fuel delivery company in 2012.

Payment Plans Available for Fuel Refills

At Courtesy Oil, we understand that times get tough. Income might not be what it was before, and you may wonder how you will afford to fill your oil or kerosene this winter. This is why we offer convenient budgeting options and payment plans to help our customers keep their homes warm.

LIHEAP is also available to help customers fill their tanks. LIHEAP offers energy assistance for Mt. Pleasant-area residents who meet income requirements. Call your local office to learn more or call on Courtesy Oil for your annual fuel refill.

For more information on affordable fuel refills, how to prepare your oil tank for winter, or if you have questions about how much heating oil you will need this winter, call Courtesy Oil at (724) 438-4328 or (724) 277-8478. We provide the reliable heating oil delivery you need to Scottdale and Mt. Pleasant PA, and the surrounding areas.