The Evolution of Our Premium Heating Oil
Heating Oil
We have been in business since 1937, and we know how to manage operational costs and keep our prices competitive. Our fleet of six tank trucks delivers premium heating oil throughout the South Fork with the option of automatic delivery or per-delivery ordering.
Our premium heating oil outperforms ordinary heating oil because we treat it with Avalux - an advanced performance additive. This is an important customer benefit, because heating oil treated with Avalux cleans your equipment for improved reliability and efficiency.
Our prices are fair, and we generally deliver within 24 hours. We operate a 950,000-gallon independent storage facility that ensures a steady supply close to home.
Heating Oil Benefits
New Yorkers are looking to make smart energy choices that will keep their costs down, benefit the environment, and provide a promising future. A close examination of the facts reveals that heating oil has the most to offer Long Island customers now, and for many years to come.
The gas utilities would have you believe that natural gas is less expensive, but the facts paint a different picture. Between 1992 and 2009, the average annual price of heating oil was lower than natural gas for 12 of the 18 years, and that's just the fuel cost. Utility customers also pay supplemental charges that you won't see in a heating oil bill: delivery charges, supply charges, cost adjustment charges, distribution charges, taxes, franchise fees, administration charges and more. Some utilities even impose a basic monthly charge, so you pay them even when you use no gas.
No one can predict where energy prices will go, but there are serious threats to the price of natural gas. Sixty to 80 percent of new gas wells rely on a controversial extraction technique known as hydrofracturing to operate cost-effectively. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting a two-year study of hydrofracturing because of numerous complaints about water contamination and health problems. Were the EPA to place new restrictions on hydrofracturing, gas costs could rise dramatically. Gas prices could also be driven up by rising demand caused by increased use of natural gas for power generation and transportation.
The supplies of both heating oil and natural gas are plentiful for the foreseeable future, but the heating oil supply is strengthened by the increasing use of heating oil/biofuel blends, commonly known as Bioheat®. Alternative fuel companies use plants and food byproducts as the raw materials to refine biofuel that closely resembles traditional heating oil. As biofuel displaces traditional petroleum, the supply pressure eases. Bioheat is already approved for use in all heating oil systems.
Heating oil has an exceptional track record for safety, because the fuel is inherently safe. You never hear of a home explosion caused by heating oil for the simple reason that heating oil is not explosive. In fact, it won't even burn at the touch of a lit match. Instead, it must be preheated to 140° before it will burn. (The heating oil burner in your house preheats the fuel and uses an atomizing nozzle to create a fine mist that ignites in the combustion chamber.) Also, heating oil is safely stored in a non-pressurized tank. Natural gas, on the other hand, is highly explosive and is delivered by a pressurized line. In the event of a malfunction, gas can accumulate inside a home and reach an explosive level. Gas lines are buried, and the utilities are reluctant to undertake costly excavations and fix leaks. Utilities use a system known as "leak management" that calls for simply monitoring many gas leaks, rather than repairing them.
Ultra-Low Sulfur
Heating Oil
Your heating oil is better than ever!
In 2010, New York State approved a switch to ultra-low sulfur heating oil (ULSHO), which reduces sulfur content in the fuel by 99%. The law went into effect on July 1, 2012.
Ultra-Low Sulfur Heating Oil Benefits:
- Heating equipment that runs on ULSHO lasts longer and requires less maintenance.
- Using ULSHO could also increase your heating system’s efficiency. And, according to the Consumer Energy Council of America, ULSHO reduces emissions by over 70% compared to traditional heating fuel.
- You don’t need to make any modifications to your burner, boiler, furnace, tank or any heating system component in order to use ULSHO.
- ULSHO can be blended with renewable, eco-friendly Bioheat® to create the cleanest home heating fuel in the USA. Combine that with the latest advanced burners, and emissions are reduced even further!
Heating oil already has near-zero emissions, but cleaner fuel and lower emissions are right around the corner. The New York State Legislature in 2010 approved a switch to ultra low sulfur heating oil, which reduces sulfurous emissions by 99 percent. Ultra low sulfur heating oil can be blended with biofuel to create the cleanest-burning home heating fuel on the market. Heating oil emissions are being further reduced by the use of advanced, clean-burning equipment like Low-Nox burners that reburn the combustion gases.
No heating oil benefit is more significant for consumers than the competition among independent heating oil dealers. Companies like W.C. Esp compete heartily for your business, because every heating oil customer has the freedom to switch to a different supplier. The effects of competition are profound: prices are lower, customer service is better, and companies innovate constantly to meet customers' needs. The natural gas industry is not strengthened by competition the way the heating oil industry is, because gas utilities enjoy near-monopoly status. As a result, there is less restraint on price in the gas industry and virtually no incentive to improve customer service.
Heating oil companies like ours are important participants in the economic fabric of the community. We employ local people who support local businesses and participate in community affairs. We support local charities and organizations. We hire local contractors and professionals for the services we need. Gas utilities, on the other hand, are large corporations run by boards of directors. Some, like National Grid, are multinational corporations that sell their shares on major stock exchanges.
Heating oil companies like W.C. Esp enjoy strong personal relationships with many of our customers. There is mutual trust and appreciation that hearkens back to simpler times when people were more comfortable relying on each other. Working with a small, friendly company enhances your connection to the community and enriches your life.
To become a heating oil customer of W.C. Esp, Bradford Oil, Dippel Fuel or Island Oil, please call today at 631-537-0193 or contact us.
