Hart & Iliff - Questions and Answers - Automatic Fuel Deliveries

Comfort Line - Questions and Answers

Automatic Delivery by Charles J. Brand

This quarter, our "Questions and Answers" segment discusses automatic fuel deliveries...

How often are automatic fuel deliveries made?

Fuel deliveries are made according to a computerized degree day delivery system. The interval between deliveries is different for each home.

What is a degree day?

It is a measure of coldness, technically equal to the difference between the average temperature for the day and 65° F

For example, if the average temperature on a particular day is 30°, it would equate to 35 degree days (65 ° minus 30 ° ). While we use a sophisticated meter to take our degree day readings, you can find daily degree day computations in the weather section of your local newspaper.

How do you use degree days to determine when to make an oil delivery?

Fuel consumption is affected by the following factors:

The size of the home being heated.
The efficiency of the heating equipment.
The R-value, or resistance to heat transfer, contained in the walls, ceilings, windows and doors of the home.
The outdoor air temperature.

As the temperature gets colder, fuel consumption increases. Like miles per gallon for a car, fuel consumption can be closely estimated by computing gallons used per degree day. For example, an average home uses approximately .15 - .20 gallons per degree day, or 4.5 - 6 gallons on a day with 30 degree days. This same home would use less oil on a warmer day and more oil on a colder day.

How does tank size affect automatic deliveries?

The smaller the oil tank, the more often you will receive a delivery.

Do you try to deliver when the price is the highest?

Absolutely not! We make the same profit on each gallon regardless of the price. Every day, for each customer, our computer takes into account the following factors:

Tank size.
Hot water factor - stated in gallons per day.
Heating factor - stated in gallons per degree day.

When our computer projects that you have used approximately 70% of the oil in your tank, it will generate a delivery ticket, which we forward to our delivery department.

I make hot water with my boiler. How does hot water use affect fuel consumption?

The average family of four uses approximately one-half gallon of oil per day, or 15 gallons per month, to heat their hot water.

How accurate is computerized automatic degree day delivery?

It is very accurate as long as you heat your home in a consistent fashion. Supplemental heat sources, such as wood stoves, can create problems since you may not use the stove consistently throughout the heating season. If you make changes to your home, such as building an addition, be sure to notify us so that we can adjust your heating factor accordingly. This is also true for significant changes in the way you use the heat in your home, such as weekend versus full-time use.

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