How to Avoid High Heating Oil Bills This Winter

Gerner Energy Save Money on Heating Bills

With fuel prices hovering around record highs these days, looking ahead and planning your winter energy usage is a smart financial move. There are plenty of reasons why your heating bill is higher in the colder months, but there are also plenty of things you can do, and plenty of programs you can join, to keep those numbers down. Here are some of our best recommendations:

Upgrade Your Heating System

If your heating system is between 10-15 years old, it’s time to start considering a replacement. 

The older your heating system, the less energy efficient it becomes. Older systems break down more often, and tend to use more fuel to produce the same amount of heat. 

The benefits of investing in a newer model include not needing to spend money on frequent repairs, and their energy efficiency levels can reach as high as 98% — which means significant savings on your heating bill!

Schedule Annual Heating System Tune-Ups

Stay ahead of the curve and ensure that your system is working efficiently before the incoming busy season by scheduling your routine annual tune-ups early. 

This way, you can catch any small problems and repair them before they escalate into bigger, more expensive issues.

Routine maintenance is also a great way to make sure that your furnace or boiler isn’t being overworked. When that happens, the system’s lifespan decreases and you may find yourself having to buy a new one earlier than expected.

Don't Forget to Insulate

Insulation is an essential to save energy at home. The right insulation determines your home’s R-value: resistance to heat flow. Making sure that your attic and roof are properly insulated (especially for the winter months) can save you money. 

Incorrect attic insulation can cause hot air to be lost through your roof, which in turn causes your heating system to work extra hard to keep your home warm. The good news is that insulation choices like mineral wood, natural fiber, and spray foam are all very affordable, leaving you with plenty of cost-effective options to increase your home’s R-value.

If you really want to go the extra mile, you can also choose to double the thickness of your preferred insulation. We also recommend checking for gaps around any wiring, beams, or switches, and making sure those are properly insulated, too.

Enroll in Automatic Delivery

We offer an automatic delivery option in which we monitor customers’ household size, average fuel usage, and daily weather to anticipate when they’re due for their next delivery. Then we dispatch our drivers appropriately for fill-ups.

Our automatic delivery customers never have to worry about paying emergency delivery fees, and they also receive the added benefit of our lowest pricing on every delivery. 

Enroll in Budget Billing

Avoid large heating bills during the cold winter months by signing up for our budget billing option. Customers receive a monthly statement with their account balance showing their accumulated interest. Then, their monthly payment is based upon their typical usage. 

This lets customers enjoy even payments throughout the year instead of dealing with more expensive bills during the winter. Payments also remain the same regardless of the time of deliveries.

Winter will be here before we know it, which is why now is the perfect time to consider these options for avoiding high heating oil bills. Plan ahead, and you could end up saving more money than you think!