................

[C.Ann]

.......

 

[wvjules]

I guess we're all just not as smart as you.

 

[Crankyshank]

Actually gas is cheaper in many cases than oil. My co-worker and I just did a cost analysis yesterday based on similar age house, square footage, and use. He has oil and I have gas. My last year heating average was $400 cheaper than his.

I don't have to worry about running out of fuel. Underground pipelines mean there is no disruption of supply due to storms or power outages. Gas is much more versatile than oil heat. It's safer and cleaner than other forms of heat. it's easy to convert appliances or add additional gas products later on. There's less maintenance on my heating equipment

 

[C.Ann]

I guess we're all just not as smart as you.

-----------------------------

 

[C.Ann]

..irrelevant - old info/news

 

[LisaNJ25]

It was cheaper here in NJ for gas than oil a few years ago.

 

[Crankyshank]

My hot water heater is gas as well. It's quite common to have gas heated tanks than electric. That's one of the benefits of having gas heat. Just like professional cooks prefer gas stoves because it cooks more evenly than electric.
As far as taxes, RI is one of the highest taxed states in the country - only Maine, NY, and Hawaii have higher taxes and the difference is only 1.6% between my state and the highest state.
I also have radiators which are extremely economical, easy to regulate, and is quite cozy.

 

[olena]

I don't know anyone here in GA that uses heating oil. I grew up with electric and gas heat. Wood heat is not a good option because of respiratory sensitivity. Now we have a heat pump that works when it's somewhat cold, but it's less effective when the temps really drop. The gas furnace kicks in after that. Our gas bill last month was $56, which was shocking. I was expecting a huge jump.

After Katrina hit, we expected high rates and decided to ease up on the heat and dress in layers around the house. A mild winter has been predicted for us, which is also welcome.

 

[C.Ann]

........

 

[C.Ann]

.......

 

[momofmikey]

In our case, there were a number of reasons we switched. First off, our oil burner was on the fritz, so it was running inefficiently. Every time we'd get an oil delivery, the smell of oil throughout the house would be terrible. When we switched, the prices were comparable, but the main reason we did was b/c we can budget our gas bill yearly vs. getting nailed with a $350 bill (yep, that's how much it was the last time to fill our tank - would did it at least 3 times in the season) each time we filled up. We're on a tight budget, and spreading out the payments over the year works best for us. I like that there is no smell anymore, and we've been very happy.

 

[KathyTX]

No such thing as heating oil in Texas, and I suspect the same in most other parts of the country that aren't in the far freezing north.

 

[staceyfe]

No heating oil here is SW Missouri either. Your choices are wood, natural gas, or electric.

 

[C.Ann]

.........

 

[nwdisgal]

C. Ann - Well we don't have natural gas now . Wish we did so I could cook with a gas stove! In the past, we've purchased natural gas, because at the time it was in plentiful supply and relatively inexpensive.

That said, there can be some drawbacks to oil tanks. There is some "deconstruction" (as my dad calls it) going on at a school near my parent's house. They are tearing down and rebuilding local highschool. My dad said that there were some deep pits dug by the contractor in the area of the highschool and when he asked the contractor what was going on, they said they had found ground contamination from older homes in the area with oil heating tanks. The tanks of these homes had sprung leaks over the years and it had seeped into the dirt in the surrounding area which included part of the school property.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Gas has been traditionally less costly than oil, and I would think so even this year. I do not know anyone who heats with oil anymore. Years ago, yes, either coal or oil, but now mostly gas, a little electric, but that is very costly. Oil is dirtier, smellier (is that a word, LOL?), more storage concerns, refill concerns.

Also, heat pumps are not considered practical in the north.

 

[C.Ann]

Gas has been traditionally less costly than oil, and I would think so even this year. I do not know anyone who heats with oil anymore. Years ago, yes, either coal or oil, but now mostly gas, a little electric, but that is very costly. Oil is dirtier, smellier (is that a word, LOL?), more storage concerns, refill concerns. .

-------------------------

See - I don't get any of this.. We never had odor problems and I've never seen a gas heating bill that was less costly than my oil bills.. Maybe I was just lucky?

 

[mickeyfan2]

At one time natural gas was the cheapest form of heating. So many people converted to it and the demand went up.

 

[Ziva]

Because oil is evil. j/k

 

[Alicnwondrln]

gas does so $$
we use oil and thats not cheap either
$500 to fill the tank in November and we have used half of it