Becoming More Energy Efficient With Oil Fired Boilers
Many people these days have oil fired boilers. Access to oil is more common in some areas than access to gas, so people choose these even though they might not be the most energy efficient choice. However, there are things that you can do to be more energy efficient when using boilers fueled with oil.
One option is using heating fuel that has been blended with biodiesel. This makes the fuel you use more environmentally friendly since you are not using as much of a nonrenewable resource. Check to see if this type of fuel is available in your area at a price that you can afford.
If you have one of the very old oil fired boilers it is probably pretty inefficient. You can become a lot more energy efficient while saving money if you purchase one of the newer Energy Star options that are available.
Those who have overly large boilers for the area that they want to heat can actually get a small nozzle installed that will lower the energy use of the boiler while still heating the home. In the future you should make sure to purchase the smallest boiler that will meet your needs in order to avoid wasting energy. You can also get your boiler checked out to see if you are losing heat to the outside. If this is the case things such as vent dampers and flue dampers can help to minimize this loss and make oil fired boilers more efficient, saving you money in the process. With newer and more efficient models this might not make much of a difference, but it tends to help with older models. Of course another way to save money regardless of how you heat your home is to make proper use of thermostats. Programmable thermostats can make it easy to keep the home cooler in the night and when nobody is home. You should also turn down the thermostat and put on a sweater instead of just cranking the heat up. For those whose water is heated by their boiler, using less hot water and turning down the temperature of the hot water can also save some fuel and money.
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