Heating Oil gallon usage gauge 013024
Report: winter heating oil gallon usage
Period: December → January
Quantity: the gauge is roughly half full, which seems to indicate 65 gallons were consumed for December, and 65 gallons for January. This surpasses the forecasted 1.23 gallons per day of heating oil usage at 83% efficiency. It would be better to cross reference with the daily/weekly cycle time of the oil boiler, but I don’t have that data collected. [update: thermostat and oil boiler cycling]
Idea: would like to implement an audio awareness technology to count the minutes that the oil boiler cycles on each day.
Calibration & sensitivity: thermostat is set to 62 F, while the room seems to be 66 F and the adjacent room 65 F, yet the boiler cycles on at least briefly. Age of oil boiler - twenty years, which during annual inspection maintenance, the unit is anticipated to function many more years.
Summary: as expected, there is insufficient insulation, yet the surprise was around 2.1 gallons of usage per day (assuming the gauge is accurate). I tested the temperature of various wall surfaces which lack insulation, external and internal, and temperature readings were typically in a range from 57 F to 61 F, though the newest extension of the property had readings as low as 51 F. For the next winter season I will test temperature surfaces with a makeshift ultra clear sheet internal and external, and test with additional insulation products. Winter 2023 was the warmest on record, so heating oil usage was mitigated.
Location: Northeast - upstate NY
Electric Infrared Heater test to replace or reduce heating oil usage
Preliminary testing is ongoing with cycle times sometimes occuring at the same time as the oil boiler cycling period. Infrared heat works well, as the heat feels immediate when directly in line with the heater, and would seem to be cost competitive when only using such devices when occupying a room, as infrared heaters heat the people and the objects in a given room, not the air (hence the energy efficiency).
I have seen examples of some folks that have completed winter seasons over the last few years with up to four infrared heaters in operation. This appears to be a cost effective approach instead of replacing a fossil fuel boiler. Propane infrared heaters can be used as a backup when electricity is not available.
An approach to using less heating oil
Replace indirect oil fired water heater at the end of its life span (it’s already twenty years old)
Use infrared heaters during October and November instead of or to supplement oil boiler at lower thermostat setting
Raise R-values of roof/attic to R-95 and walls to R-65, which would be sufficient to prevent or mitigate heat loss. Only minimal utilites usage for heating or cooling would be expected with sufficiently high R-values for the building envelope.
During the summer there are plenty of ways to mitigate the heat -
window: shutters or insulated windows (radiant barrier application for heat waves)
roof: white asphalt to reflect solar radiation or radiant barrier
shade screens: for porch (UV protective fabric or bamboo), though I am tempted to craft a small scale shade experiment for the roof (not applicable to most roof structures since they don’t have anchor points)
attic: exhaust fans in hatch, and box fans inside the attic
Results: no air con usage was necessary during the warmest summer on record (2023).
Author’s note: Sure, I’m tempted to construct and test a temporary insulation layer with a clear vinyl/poly wrap or acrylic for the winter. That would act as a sweater or jacket around part of the property. -M