Oilheat is a great fuel for home heating. It typically is more affordable than the alternatives. It provides a hotter flame that delivers better comfort. And when you use Oilheat, you don't contribute to the destructive methane emissions that occur with natural gas.

Tracey Energy adds value to this great fuel with our full range of expert services: energy conservation advice, repairs and installation, automatic delivery, price protection, budget plans, emergency service and much more.

Benefits of Oilheat

Oilheat is economical: Oilheat has been a better value than gas heat in Connecticut for 16 of the past 20 years, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Oilheat means more hot water: Oil-fired hot water heaters make faster, cheaper, hotter hot water than gas or electric.

Oilheat is safe: Nothing beats the safety record of Oilheat. Heating oil is not explosive, and inhalation of fuel oil fumes is not lethal. What's more, if you have a system malfunction, an oil-heating system will give you tell-tale signs such as smoke, odors or even soot before releasing dangerous levels of carbon monoxide (CO). Gas heating systems give you no warning of CO production or release.

Oilheat is clean: In fact, heating oil burns so cleanly that its emissions aren't even regulated by the Federal Clean Air Act, and new fuel formulations are coming to market that integrate renewable biofuel and ultra low sulfur heating oil. A blend of ultra low sulfur heating oil that contains 12 percent biofuel burns with lower emissions than natural gas.

Oilheat is comfortable: Heating oil produces the hottest flame of any home heating fuel, heating your home faster, with less fuel, and keeping your home at the temperature you want.

Oilheat billing is easy to understand: Heating oil usage is measured in gallons, something we are all familiar with. You know what you're getting. Gas heat usage is measured in "therms," a measurement that few people understand. Gas heat bills also contain a variety of mysterious and incomprehensible add-ons such as gas-cost adjustments and weather-adjustment clauses, which actually increase gas rates when the weather is warmer. Oil bills are simple, straightforward and easy to understand without any gimmicks.

Oilheat is dependable: You can count on plenty of fuel from both the U.S. Government and Tracey Energy. The United States' Strategic Petroleum Reserve has a capacity of 700 million barrels - the world's largest emergency oil stockpile.

Oilheat means personal service: We're proud to know our customers - and their heating systems - personally. (You'll never get that with the big gas utility!)

Seven Reason Not to Switch to Gas Heat

The gas utilities are spending a lot of money marketing gas heat to Oilheat customers, and they often distort the facts. Here are seven good reasons to stay with Oilheat.

1. Oilheat is more economical than gas heat.
   The gas utilities claim that gas heat is less expensive than Oilheat, but the facts do not support that claim. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration indicates that on a BTU-for-BTU basis, Oilheat has been less expensive than gas heat in Connecticut in 16 of the last 20 years. Gas customers also pay extra fees such as basic monthly charges, delivery charges, supply charges, cost adjustment charges, distribution charges, taxes, franchise fees and administration charges.
   
   
2. Oilheat is safer than gas heat.
   Natural gas is explosive. If a leak develops inside a house or nearby, a deadly explosion can result. Between 1999 and 2008, there were an average of 44 gas pipeline incidents per year that caused at least one death or hospitalization, according to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Oilheat is not explosive. In fact, it will not even burn unless it is preheated to 140° F. Oilheat systems also offer better protection against carbon monoxide poisoning, because they produce odors and visible warning signs in the event of a malfunction. Gas heat systems can emit dangerous levels of carbon monoxide without visible warning signs.
   
   
3. Upgrading an Oilheat system is less expensive than converting to gas heat.
   Converting a home from Oilheat to gas can cost $10,000 or more. Costs might include relining the chimney; installing a gas line; installing an excess flow valve to protect against dangerous gas leaks; and plumbing and wiring the new system. The Consumer Energy Council of America (CECA) calls fuel conversion "an expensive gamble" with no guaranteed payoff. "In 95 out of 100 cases, it makes economic sense to stick with oil, and if an energy-related investment is desired, to invest in conservation," CECA wrote in its brochure Smart Choices for Consumers: Best Ways to Deal with High Heating Costs.
   
   
4. Competition Is Very Limited in Natural Gas
   Most communities are served by several independent Oilheat companies that complete on price, but there is only one natural gas pipeline network, and it is owned and controlled by a utility. Natural gas utilities have very little competition, and there is often no one to compete with them and drive down the price.
   
   
5. The Natural Gas Industry Pollutes With Methane
   Natural gas pipelines are plagued by leaks that release gas into the air. Natural gas is 95 percent methane, which is a greenhouse gas that has up to 72 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Gas utilities routinely tolerate leaks that do not pose a direct threat of fire or explosion.
   
   
6. Natural Gas Supply Relies on a Controversial Drilling Method
   The utility gas industry claims that there are plentiful deposits of gas in the United States, but 60% to 80% of the new wells being drilled require the use of a highly controversial extraction technique known as hydraulic fracturing or "fracking." Fracking uses millions of gallons of water and injects chemicals into the ground. Many residents who live near gas wells say their water supplies have been tainted. Some even have flammable methane gas entering their homes through faucets and showerheads. To read more about fracking, visit the American Energy Coalition website.
   
   
7. Gas Utilities Do Not Offer Full Service
   Natural gas utilities do not service equipment in customers' homes, so customers must make arrangements with an independent service company or neglect their equipment altogether. Full-service Oilheat companies like Tracey Energy offer preventive maintenance, 24-hour emergency service, equipment installation, conservation advice and friendly, personal service.