The cost of home heating oil has surged dramatically over the past few heating seasons. Many families have seen their heating bill rise out of their reach, and some bills have even doubled in size. This is because the price of fuel oil has been steadily rising since 2002 and promises only to get higher.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, heating a home this winter with home heating oil will cost American families approximately $1,500 for an average size home. This same organization has also predicted that cost of fuel oil per gallon will be $.30 or 6 % higher than last year.
To protect themselves against ridiculously high heating bills, many of the millions of consumers that use home heating oil are looking into alternative ways to heat their home. And what they are finding are some surprising, efficient and inexpensive ways that they can replace their traditional fuel oil furnace.
Before we look into the alternative energy sources that you can replace home heating oil with, it should be noted that upgrading to these alternate heat systems costs about the same as replacing your traditional heating system with a new traditional system but costs less to operate. This means that you could actually save money by changing your furnace. And if you need to replace your existing furnace anyway, there is really no reason not to purchase an alternative heating system.
Alternative Fuel Sources You May Not Have Thought Of
Corn, Grain, and Rye – These natural, plentiful fuel sources are ideal for replacing home heating oil. You can burn these materials in an outdoor furnace or an indoor furnace that is specified for these materials. What’s great about using these fuel options is that they burn hot and efficiently heat your home using very little product. And as you probably already know, they are cheap to purchase. You may even be able to grow your own home heating fuel which will further lessen your cost to heat your home in future seasons.
Wood, Wood pellets, and Coal – While these heating fuels are not new, the way we burn them is. Many of today’s wood stoves and furnaces are situated outdoors and pump heat into your home using your existing duct work. The new design also allows for you to burn larger pieces of wood which means that you will be tending your fire a lot let than you may think.
Water: Replacing your home heating oil furnace with a radiant water system is both efficient and cost effective. These systems work by pumping heated water throughout a network of pipes installed in your home.
Solar energy: using solar energy for part or all of your home’s energy needs is also a great way to save money on your winter heating bill. Solar energy is harvested by solar panels and stored until it is needed meaning that you don’t have to worry about not having heat on cloudy, winter days.
It is predicted that the world’s oil supply will be completely depleted in the next 30 to 40 years if consumption continues at its current rate. This means that prices will continue to rise and that one day soon your traditional furnace will be obsolete. That is why now is the time to look into some alternative sources to heat your home.
