The Difference Between Home Heating Oil & Kerosene [infographic]

We live in an age when there are many different ways you can heat your Hickory, North Carolina home during the winter. You could have an electric furnace, a natural gas-fueled furnace, or a heating system that uses heating oil or kerosene. At Bumgarner Oil, we offer oil delivery services of both home heating oil & kerosene. Although both home heating oil & kerosene come from crude oil, the refinement processes are different. Let’s take a look at the differences between home heating oil & kerosene so you can make a decision about which is right for you.

Home Heating Oil

• Safe- Home heating oil does not burn in its liquid state, won’t explode, and won’t get hot enough to ignite.
• Interchangeable- If you were to run out of home heating oil, you need only go to your local fuel station and purchase diesel fuel. It is the same thing, although you’ll pay extra because road taxes are applied that aren’t assessed on home heating oil.
• Cold conditions- One downside of home heating oil is that it can gel during cold winter conditions unless you put an additive in it. However, you won’t notice this problem if you have located the tank where it is protected from the cold.

Kerosene

• Burns cleaner- Kerosene is refined differently to burn cleaner than home heating oil.
• Efficient- While kerosene costs more than home heating oil, it burns more efficiently, so it will last longer than an equal amount of home heating oil.
• Lower flash point- Kerosene has a flash point of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. By comparison, home heating oil’s flash point is generally around 140 degrees Fahrenheit.