We know that your heating costs are likely to be a cause for concern, with the cost of living higher than ever and energy costs rising every year. Finding ways to optimise your heating oil budget will help to set your mind at ease, and we have noticed that many of our customers are asking us to share our top tips.
If your home uses home heating oil, you may already have talked to us about the best ways to optimise your investment in your home and your comfort all year round. Here, we’ll bring together our most important recommendations and help you to make the most of your home heating system. We’ll share tips on usage tracking, payment plans and smart tank monitoring, and we’ll help you to get the best performance and the best value from your home heating oil.
Top Tips to Make the Most of Your Heating Oil Budget
Home heating oil is a great choice for flexible, reliable home heating, especially in homes in remote areas of Ireland. Many people worry that it is an expensive or environmentally damaging way to heat their homes, but there are many options, and our experienced team can work with you to find the best fit for your lifestyle and your budget.
Our top tips include:
- Track your usage. Working out how much oil you are using can help you to optimise your budget and prepare you to make savings wherever you can. If you have been using home heating oil in your property for a long time, you’ll probably have a good idea of your normal usage, and you may find that it helps you to be more efficient if you track your usage more precisely. However, if you have moved into a new home that relies on home heating oil, you can discuss average usage with the previous homeowners, but it is unlikely that you will be able to estimate your usage exactly, so you may need to record it carefully for the first year to give you a baseline to work from.
- Payment plans. A payment plan gives you the flexibility to spread payments for your home heating oil throughout the year, and we can help you arrange this to suit your budget. A payment plan that spreads the cost of your home heating oil into smaller, manageable payments each month can ensure that you are not surprised by a sudden, large bill. The cost of your fuel will vary depending on the size of your home and your preferences, as well as how well your home retains heat. A double-glazed, terraced home, for instance, will usually be considerably cheaper to heat than a detached property with single glazing.
- Insulate your home. The energy efficiency in your home will have a significant impact on your heating costs, and this means that anything you can do to improve the insulation or heat retention in your home will save you money. There may be government grants available to help you optimise the efficiency of your home, and you can consider upgrades such as improving your wall and loft insulation, installing double glazing and sealing any gaps, especially around windows and doors, that allow air to escape. Simple measures such as using draft excluders, insulating pipes and closing curtains can also make a big difference to the amount of heating oil you use.
- Service your boiler. If your heating system is well-maintained and in good condition, it is likely to perform much more efficiently and use less heating oil to heat your home. You should have your boiler serviced at least once a year and take note of any recommendations, including replacing your boiler or radiators with more efficient options if they are very old or inefficient. You may need to check the oil pipelines and bleed radiators regularly to optimise performance, and you should ensure that any inspections and work on your boiler are carried out by a professional with the correct qualifications and insurance.
- Inspect your tank. It is vital to ensure that your heating oil tank is in good condition, as a small oil leak could be extremely costly – affecting your heating oil budget and your local environment. You should inspect your tank regularly, before you begin to use your heating system for the year, to check for damage or leaks. If your tank is broken or very old, you may find that it improves your energy efficiency to replace it with a new tank, and this will protect your home and the surrounding area. Any oil leaks must be reported to the relevant authorities and cleaned up appropriately to avoid damaging plants and wildlife in the local environment, and you should be aware of local reporting procedures. A bonded tank is the safest option, and our experienced team can help you explore the options.
- Smart Tank monitoring. Smart tank monitoring is a great way to monitor your home heating oil usage and save money on your heating oil throughout the year. Smart tank monitoring uses wireless sensors to track the level of oil in your tank, and this data is transmitted to your account – usually using a mobile app. This is a quick and easy way to keep track of the amount of oil you are using and will prevent you from running out of fuel unexpectedly. You can also make the best use of delivery systems to buy oil when it is most cost-effective, and you are likely to be more aware quickly if your tank has developed a leak and your heating oil usage suddenly increases as a result. Talk to our professional team about smart monitoring options, and we’ll show you how this technology can help you budget for your heating oil throughout the year.
- Heat the person, not the home. Ensuring that you are using your heating oil effectively can reduce your energy bills a great deal, and avoiding unnecessary costs can be as simple as choosing not to heat your entire home when you are mainly using one or two rooms, and encouraging your family members and guests to wear warmer clothing or use blankets to keep themselves warm before resorting to turning the heating on or up. Heating the person, not the home, is a popular strategy to keep energy costs down, and this is a great way to save yourself a significant amount of money on your energy bills. You can even make it fun by gifting everyone a cosy hoodie for Christmas and keeping a stash of warm blankets in your lounge so that it is easy to add extra layers when needed.
- Check oil prices. The price of home heating oil fluctuates throughout the year according to demand and global variations. This may be affected by political events, oil market changes and shifts in the weather. Keeping track of the way in which oil prices are likely to change will enable you to order your oil at the most cost-effective rates and make the most of your money. Oil is likely to be cheaper in the summer months, when demand here in Ireland is low, so many people find that it helps to organise themselves to buy their fuel at this time.
Making the most of your heating oil budget is most effective when you use as little fuel as you can and ensure that your heating system gives the best performance possible. This means optimising your system and using the best quality heating oil from a supplier you know you can trust.
Order Home Heating Oil in Ireland
At East Cork Oil, we have been delivering top-quality heating oil to homes and businesses across the Southern counties of Ireland for many years. We source and deliver reliable and clean fuels for homes, workplaces and vehicles, and we offer agricultural, marine and road diesel so we can find the best solutions for your requirements. We know that heating your home can be a stressful expense, and our expert team will be happy to help you make the most of your budget.
Getting the best performance from your heating system will help you to save money and reduce your carbon footprint, and we offer flexible oil deliveries and other services such as tank replacements. We understand that mistakes can happen, and we provide an emergency ‘out of oil’ delivery service in case your oil runs out unexpectedly. However, we can work with you to prevent this problem with our versatile delivery services and payment plans that enable you to budget for your fuel costs throughout the year. We stock a comprehensive range of oils, lubricants, replacement tanks and smart tank monitoring systems, and we can support you with maintenance and annual management options. Call us today and find out more about the best ways to keep your home and your family warm this winter.
