Millions of US homeowners use oil to heat their home but what do you know about this important fuel that we rely on to keep life going on as normal every single day? Learn some the more important facts and figures about heating oil below:
Oil Facts & Figures
- Oil is the remains of ancient plants and animals, compressed deep in the earth into liquid strings of hydrogen and carbon.
- Ancient Greeks gave it the name petroleum, from the Greek “petra” meaning rock, and “oleum” meaning oil.
- In the 1840’s, a Canadian geologist discovered that you could distill crude oil into kerosene, which was then used to light lanterns.
- The heating oil industry truly began when the oil burner was invented to take advantage of crude oil discoveries in California.
- Crude oil is the basis for lots of everyday products and fuels, including gasoline, jet fuel and heating oil.
- Oil is a very stable fuel and must be heated above 140 degrees before it starts burning. Inside your furnace or boiler, your oil burns extremely hot – 400 degrees hotter than natural gas or propane.
- As a home heating fuel, oil is extremely energy-efficient and recent advances in the oil industry continue to make it a greener fuel option.
- More than 75% of oil in the U.S. now comes from outside the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and U.S. supplies often arrive from Canada, Mexico or Venezuela.