How do you buy Heating Oil?

[granpajohn]

Sorry for the dumb title, and as usual, I don't know if this is the best forum, but.....
...I want to know the economical way to buy HO, delivered to the house. Here's my story:

1. Years ago, for a signing bonus, I went into budget billing with a local supplier. Worked OK, but I found they were increasingly charging more than I needed and thus always running a credit. I canceled this option, but continued with automatic delivery. This was OK too, except for the changing prices recently.

2. As HO prices fell last year, I noticed I was still paying more per gallon than diesel fuel at the local station. Something wrong there. So, we called competitors and found everyone within a few cents of each other...

3...BUT, when my bill comes, they were charging me about 35 cents more than that price. Happened several times.

4. I wrote to them explaining all this and requesting a refund, as calculated by me, but never heard back until yesterday's bill.

5. Obviously, I'm gonna cancel this supplier, but before I choose another...

6...How do I contract to get a fair price? That is, the price they seem to offer everybody else?

7. We seem to use under 400 gals per year. Only the furnace is oil. They deliver 3 times, usually.

Thanks....just looking for some past experience.

 

[peakbagger]

I have two 275 gallon tanks piped in parallel at the discharge and in series on the fill side. I fill them up once a year, although lately, I only burn about 300 gallons per year. Granted I may get tagged buying when the price is high, but it cuts having to worry about it and the hassle factor for the rest of the year. I have had this in place for 15 plus years and to date havent had an issues with fouling or plugging.

 

[velvetfoot]

I dropped my auto delivery and shop for the best price.
I have to get someone else to clean the unit (assuming I don't figure out how to do it myself), but I figure they will be heating pros.
I like the idea of separating oil supply and unit maintenance.

 

[Dune]

Definitely go C.O.D. Call around for the lowest price, get the delivery and pay for it then. No surprises.
And by the way, get your oil burner serviced in june or july. Better quality work, lower price, less stessed out tech, glad to have work.

 

[Hurricane]

COD is the way I fly now too. I call for today's price and when I like it I fill it. I have a 550 gal tank and usually only get one delivery a year.
I do my own maintenance now since my last maintenance guy charged me about $225 to change a motor and the furnace made a racket afterward. He told me the furnace was old and needed upgrading. I went and looked at what he did and figured out he had a bushing wedged on crooked. I straightened it out and lubed it and quite as can be. Never looked back. I buy my new nozzles and filters online.

 

[DBoon]

I am not on a "contract", and like others, buy oil COD after shopping around. The cash price is 20 cents/gallon cheaper than billing through my normal supplier (the one who usually has the best price). I have a plumber who services my oil boiler once/year.

I just filled my tank for $2.17/gallon - figured it wasn't going to get better than that for a while.

 

[RowCropRenegade]

Got any farmer friends? I ran farm grade diesel in my boiler. Treated it to prevent gelling in the tank. Boiler throws a little more black smoke than the other. Considerably cheaper than #2 fuel oil. .40 a gal cheaper. If you know someone who burns offroad diesel, I'd check with them. You get discount for more gallons too. I wouldn't want anything to do with those prebuy/auto fill things.

I'll be burning wood this year. Still, I filled my 1000 gal tank up. I'd say if you are going to continue burning oil, you need more capacity. My first year living in the house I looked for another 1000 gal tank. Woulda payed for itself that year alone. Fuel oil was .75/gal Allows you to play the market a bit. Filled my tank with 1.49 fuel. That would do half a year. A used 1000 gal tank you can prob get for 1000 bucks. I guarantee it will pay for itself. Give you peace of mind when conditions are bad and when the tank is running low. Allows you to pick your time to fill, get discounts cause of volume and eliminates all the BS fees the supplier wants to nail you for.

 

[velvetfoot]

I got this thing so I don't run out of fuel:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/29265/

 

[Later]

We have a unique situation, we have a second home that we use periodically through out the year and our best solution is to enter a service/supply agreement with a reliable dealer. They are more expensive, but the peace if mind has till now been worth it. Costs us less than $2000 to have a home near my elderly parents. And they provide 24/7 service when our security system calls.

 

[pybyr]

I have to get someone else to clean the unit (assuming I don't figure out how to do it myself), but I figure they will be heating pros.

I got a DVD from this fellow and found it very informative.
(broken link removed)
To do it as well as a service tech, you really need to get some instruments, which are going to cost, although if you look at it over the long haul, and intend to really keep doing it, you'll break even at some point.... Some say that if you go with the precise same brand and type nozzle, you can do it without much instrumentation, others say that's rolling the dice with efficiency and safety-- I'm not going to take sides in that debate (I lucked into a relative bargain on instruments and have already saved back the cost of them)

 

[granpajohn]

Thanks to everyone...very helpful;
and DO click on VelvetFoot's thread. He expresses the same frustration there.

 

[velvetfoot]

Thanks for the link pybyr.
Maybe this'll be the year I finally clean the boiler myself.

 

[summit]

15 gal k-1 twice a yr in my gas cans.. no more needed