Winter in Nova Scotia always seems so much longer than it actually is. Cold weather somehow makes the weeks seem to stretch out for months at a time. It may get you thinking about how much money you’re spending on your heating when every morning you get up to crank the thermostat. It’s a question we get a lot here at West Nova Fuels and Superline Fuels. How much heating oil will I use? How much should I be spending on my heating? The answer isn’t always straight forward but today we’ll try to demystify the process for you.
There are a lot of factors that go into how much heating oil you’ll need to heat your house over the winter. Of course the size of your house matters, more rooms means more spaces to heat. But you should also consider the age and efficiency of your home as well. Newer homes tend to be more efficient with more measures taken to keep heat inside. Well taken care of or renovated older homes can also be more efficient. The same goes for your furnace. Newer & well maintained furnaces will use less oil to heat your home, keeping your costs down. Keeping your house and furnace in tip top shape will help lower your oil consumption.
However there are factors you don’t have as much control over. We all wish we could control the weather, though I’m sure if we could we wouldn’t have as much need to heat our homes. The number of cold days and how cold it gets exactly can affect how often you’re cranking up the thermostat. If the winter is particularly cold you’ll likely be burning through more oil than you may have in previous years.
So what’s the magic number you ask? How much should you be spending? The number we suggest, for any type of heating source, is $2000 a year. If you’re spending in and around $2000 on heating you’re doing pretty well. For oil customers, on average a typical house with four people in it should burn about three to four tanks of oil in a year to heat your home and hot water, about 2800 litres of oil. But if you’d really like to get a good estimate for your own oil consumption your best bet is to take a look at your history. If you’ve lived in your home for a few years you can look back at previous statements to get an average cost over the years.
Looking to cut down on heating costs this winter? Check out our Facebook page this month and next for tips on small things you can do to save on heating. But if you’re seeing a big increase in your heating bill it may be time to have someone take a look at your furnace! Give your local West Nova Fuels and Superline Fuels branch a call to set up an appointment with one of our technicians.
Stay warm Nova Scotia!