Think of this as “Oil For Dummies”. You’ll be the hit of the party and the envy amongst your friends….plus, you’ll have a leg up on everyone out there and actually sound like you know what you are talking about when it comes to heating your home this season. Besides using www.slickenergy.com, stay your course and you might even save yourself a nice chunk of change this season. But first, you have to understand the basics. Let us help.
PART 1: THERE LIES THE TRUTH - WHAT IS HEATING OIL EXACTLY?
Pull up a chair. Pour yourself a nice hot toddy on this cold day and get ready to understand what exactly this stuff is………Drum roll please.
Here you go: it is a low-viscosity liquid petroleum used to heat homes all over the world. They also call this type of oil “No. 2” Why? Because they were all out of No. 1. And plus, it’s not polite to brag. This No 2. is delivered to your home by that truck you see in your driveway and stored in your tank in your basement (however, some tanks are stored above ground or other inconspicuous places). Refineries produce these products in the distillate fuel category of petroleum products. U.S. refineries supply most of our heating oil demand. USA! USA! Imports (again, pay attention. Oil, not beer!) generally supplement supplies during the winter and are mostly for consumers in the Northeast. Before it gets to your house, it is generally transported throughout the United States by pipelines, tankers (ships), barges, trains, and trucks.
Fact: Prior to 1885 most homes in America were heated using wood-burning brick fireplaces. In the early 19th century coal began to overtake wood-burning fireplaces as the primary method for heating homes. It was not until 1935 with the invention of the forced air furnace that heating with black gold became commonly used to heat our homes. Pretty cool. Our finger tips are warm just thinking about not going outside to split logs or shovel coal. You’re welcome.
Are you still with us? We know, we know……ZZzzzzzzzzzz. But kinda cool, right? Right? RIGHT!?
Isn’t Science so wonderful? We think so.
There's actually a lot that goes into making that No. 2. that heats your house... it just doesn’t come out of the ground ready to be used. There’s some love that needs to happen. It is actually created through a distillation process in which petroleum is separated. There are a lot of big words and scientific saying we thought we’d leave out for your sake - but trust us when we say there is a major science component involved. Distillation often takes place at a petroleum refinery where the process is run in a nice, smooth mixture. While it sounds like a scene out of Frankenstein, it actually isn’t that bad of a process.
You won’t be tested on this, but always good to understand what is keeping your little piggies warm at night.
