It’s Not Your Grandparent’s Heating Oil

all about heating oil litchfield county, ct Heating oil has a bit of a bad reputation. And yet, nearly 40 percent of Connecticut homes use heating oil to stay warm. That’s because heating oil is better at generating heat and keeping your home warm, particularly through a cold, damp northeast winter. Other fuels just don’t provide the same heating energy.

So what is heating oil —and why does it perform so well?

Heating oil is a refined form of crude oil which comes from deep wells both on land and offshore. One of the biggest changes in heating oil in recent years has been the development of ultra-low sulfur heating oil. In fact, all the heating oil delivered in the northeast is ultra-low sulfur heating oil. Ultra-low sulfur heating oil is cleaner—and cleaner-burning—than “regular” heating oil. And biofuels take it a step further. Bioheat fuel is a blend of ultra-low sulfur heating oil (ULSHO) and biofuels. Biofuels are made from renewable resources such as animal fats, recycled restaurant oils and plant oils such as soybean. Every gallon of heating oil Marandola delivers is B5 Bioheat, an even cleaner and more environmentally friendly form of heating oil.

What Makes Bioheat Fuel Different?

When ULSHO is mixed with biofuels, it creates a cleaner-burning heating fuel that emits up to 80% less sulfur dioxide as well as 20% less carbon dioxide than traditional heating oils. Fewer greenhouse gases mean cleaner air and a more sustainable future for everyone!

Because Bioheat fuel burns cleaner, it leaves fewer deposits in your heating system, which reduces wear on parts and saves you costs on repairs. Also, when your heating system runs more efficiently, it will save you money on energy costs. And you don’t have to replace, alter, or add to your home’s heating system to use Bioheat fuel.

The heating oil industry is working towards making B50 Bioheat fuel, which is made with 50% biofuels, the standard by 2030. It’s part of the efforts the industry is taking to reach its goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.

Dose Bioheat Work as Well as “Traditional” Oil Heat?

ULS and bio-blend heating oil provides all the benefits of traditional heating oil – and many more. One of the key benefits of heating oil is that it has a higher BTU output per gallon. That means it will warm up your home faster than other types of fuels. Higher BTUs also means you’ll use your heating oil supply more slowly than, say, propane. That means you will pay less to heat your house with heating oil, even if the per-gallon cost of propane is less.

How Safe is Heating Oil?

ULS heating oil is incredibly safe. It doesn’t ignite at room temperature, and is nonflammable in liquid form. In order to burn, it must be heated to 114° and vaporized via the combustion process.

Ready for a Delivery?

If you heat your home with oil, you need a company you can count on for reliable heating oil delivery service. That inherently means offering fair, transparent pricing, but it also means offering true reliability. That’s what families and businesses in Litchfield County and beyond know they get from Marandola. They count on us for every-day needs and convenient services like automatic delivery (so you never have to think about calling for fuel) and budget friendly payment options that take the sting out of winter bills.

Contact us today and let us know how we can help you!

Plus 12 Other Tips to Stay Cozy this Season

heating oil tank litchfield county, connecticut Don’t wait until the first frost: A few easy preparations now can pave the way for a warm and comfortable winter.

  1. Fill your heating oil tank. Topping up your tank now with a heating oil delivery is a smart move to help avoid mid-season price spikes that come from increased demand—especially if we end up having a colder winter.
  2. Sign up for automatic deliveries. Our convenient, free service eliminates the need to call for deliveries and makes run-outs a thing of the past.
  3. Schedule a heating system tune-up. It ensures your system is running at peak efficiency—which can lower heating costs by as much as 10%. It also helps prevent breakdowns. Have a service contract with us? A tune-up is included in your plan.
  4. Don’t have a service contract? Now’s a great time to sign up. In addition to seasonal maintenance, you’ll enjoy priority service, plus discounts on repairs and diagnostics, and more.
  5. Keep fuel bills manageable. Call us for information on our monthly budget plan, and ask about next season’s pre-buy and price cap plans.
  6. Check your oil-tank inspection records. If it’s been three years since your last inspection, give us a call. Our certified team of service technicians can assure your tank is up to speed and ready for the seasons ahead.
  7. Eliminate drafts. Unless you live in a brand-new home, it’s likely that as much as a third of the air in your home escapes via drafts around windows and doors. That’s like throwing money out the window—or door. A weekend of DIY projects, like sealing up drafty spots with caulking, weatherstripping and expanding foam, can help save you 20% or more on heating costs.
  8. Test your carbon monoxide detectors. With windows shut tight and the heat on, winter is the most dangerous time when it comes to carbon monoxide poisoning. Follow manufacturer’s recommendations and change batteries. Smoke detector batteries too!
  9. Be sure the path to your fill pipe is free of debris and branches, and clear a path (about a foot wide) after a snowfall.
  10. Is your tank underground? Marking its location with a pole topped with a bright-colored flag or wide ribbon makes it visible over snowbanks and drifts.
  11. Master your programable thermostat. Used correctly, a programmable thermostat can help you lower your heating costs by 10% or more. To maximize your savings, follow these easy steps: When you’re at home and awake, set the thermostat for 68°. Lower the temperature setting by 10° for the hours you’re asleep or out of the house.
  12. Turn down your water heater. Most water heaters have a default setting of 140° but that’s not only dangerous, it’s also inefficient. Reducing the temperature setting to 120° will meet all your hot water needs and save as much as 10% in heating costs. When you consider that heating water—for bathing, dishwashing, laundry and more—accounts for close to 20% of your heating costs, you may want to talk to us about upgrading your water heater to a high-efficiency model that can help you save even more.
  13. Take advantage of solar power. We’re not talking about expensive solar panels. We’re talking about the free heat from the sun. Leaving curtains and blinds open during the day lets the sun warm your rooms. Closing them at night helps keep the heat in. It can warm your rooms enough that you can lower your thermostat and use your boiler or furnace less.

When it comes to staying warm and comfortable this winter, trust the pros at Marandola: We have the knowledge, experience and resources to answer all your questions about keeping your family warm while managing heating costs. Get in touch with us today to learn more.

3 signs it may be time to update your heating equipment—and how Marandola can help!

furnace repair new milford, ct If you’re heading into the fall wondering whether your furnace or boiler will last through the winter, it’s a good indication that you should consider replacing it. But even a boiler or furnace that’s had the best care and regular tune-ups will eventually need to be replaced. And while replacing a boiler or furnace isn’t usually a complicated job, in winter it can be more of a hassle.

Here are 3 important signs you should consider replacing your furnace or boiler before the cold weather kicks in.

1. Frequent Breakdowns

If your heating equipment gave you more trouble than normal last winter, or if it’s been breaking down more often over the past few seasons, it’s a strong indication that it’s hitting the end of its lifespan.

2. Poor Performance

If your heating system struggles to maintain a consistent temperature throughout your home, it’s another sign that it may be time to replace it. You may find that some rooms never get warm, while others are too hot. You might also notice that your energy bills are steadily climbing despite your efforts to conserve energy. That’s because it uses more fuel as it struggles to keep your home comfortable. In addition, the colder it gets, the harder your system has to work to keep up.

3. Old Age

No heating system lasts forever. With good care and maintenance, it will do a great job for about 12 years, but after that you’ll see more breakdowns and reduced efficiency. If you aren’t sure how old your heating system is, you can check the metal identification plate on your furnace or boiler for the serial and model numbers of your heater; send us the info and we can tell you the date of manufacture. If your heating system is more than 15 years old, you should consider replacing it.

Ready to Replace Your Furnace or Boiler?

A new furnace or boiler is a significant investment for your home. That’s why you should talk to the team at Marandola. The technology behind high-efficiency heating systems has likely come a long way since the last time you had to shop for heating equipment, we will answer all your questions and help make sure you get the right system not the most expensive one. You will find that a new system that keeps your home consistently comfortable while using fuel more efficiently will result in long-term savings on energy costs.

To protect your investment, we recommend a service plan: Like health insurance for your furnace or boiler, it provides preventive care to keep your equipment running better, longer, and helps cover costs when breakdowns do happen. It will also keep it running at peak efficiency, keeping heating costs down.

Whether you’re looking to replace your heating equipment before winter, or you want a tune-up to keep your equipment humming along, contact us today.

We’ve Got 6 Great Reasons It’s a Smart Choice for Your Home

heating oil litchfield, ct When it comes to keeping your home warm and cozy through a southern New England winter, heating oil is a safe and efficient option. Even after last year’s relatively mild season, the cold here feels raw and damp. Other fuels just don’t provide the same heating energy. And, what you may not know is that the development of ultra-low sulfur heating oil and bioheat blends have turned heating oil’s bad reputation on its head.

On its own ultra-low sulfur heating oil burns more cleanly than traditional heating oil. When it’s mixed with biofuels, like the B5 Bioheat fuel we deliver, the result is a cleaner-burning heating fuel that emits up to 80% less sulfur dioxide as well as 20% less carbon dioxide than traditional heating oils. Fewer greenhouse gases mean cleaner air and a more sustainable future for everyone!

What are the Benefits of Oil Heat?

  1. Heating oil has a higher BTU output per gallon. That means it will warm up your home faster than other types of fuels.
  2. Higher BTUs also mean you’ll use your heating oil supply more slowly than, say, propane. That means you will pay less to heat your house with heating oil, even if the per-gallon cost of propane is less.
  3. Heating systems and equipment that run on oil are generally less expensive to purchase, and tend to last longer. A heating oil-fired furnace can last 28 years, while a heating oil-fired boiler can last 25 years.
  4. New heating oil systems also now burn fuel 99.9% cleanly, according to studies conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven Laboratory. That means heating oil is many times better for the environment than it used to be.
  5. Heating oil is incredibly safe. It doesn’t ignite at room temperature, and is nonflammable in liquid form. In order to burn, it must be heated to 114° and vaporized via the combustion process.
  6. Bioheat heating oil is better for the environment than electric heating. That’s because more than 90% of the coal used in the U.S. today goes towards electricity production. Meanwhile, Bioheat fuel continues to push toward richer blends of biofuel, so its clean-burning properties make it a more environmentally friendly option for heating than electricity.

The Right Heating Oil Company

When it comes to getting heating oil deliveries for your home, we know you have options. You can choose a company based on price alone, or you can opt for a locally based full-service company like Marandola. There’s a reason we’ve been around, serving Litchfield County for more almost 30 years. It starts with dependability and a commitment to providing you service that exceeds expectations every day.

If you have a problem, we’ll be here when you call and ready to fix it. And we stand behind our work: We invest in training to ensure our technicians are fully certified to work on all makes and models of equipment.

But it’s not just about breakdowns and emergencies: You can count on us for every-day needs and convenient services like automatic delivery (so you never have to think about calling for fuel) and budget friendly payment options that take the sting out of winter bills.

Contact us today and let us know how we can help you!