Comparing heating oil and propane.

If you’re considering upgrading or looking to buy your first home, it’s important to compare fuels and heating systems. There are big differences in cost, safety and risks associated with each type of home heating method. Here is our break down of heating oil and propane.

Safety & Risks

Heating oil

Heating your home with oil is safe and reliable. It is a non-flammable liquid fuel with no risk of exploding when presented with a spark. This means damage and leaks won’t cause catastrophic explosions or fires to your home. If the system does fail, soot and smell will alert you before carbon monoxide becomes an issue. Leaks or fumes can cause minimal health issues such as skin or lung irritation. Transporting, storing and using heating oil is safe.

  • Safe
  • Not an explosive hazard
  • Obvious signs of failure
  • Inhalation not fatal
  • Does not put families at risk

Propane

Like natural gas, propane is explosive and highly flammable. System failures don’t cause any obvious signs like soot which can lead to carbon monoxide in the home or worse. Leaks that go unnoticed can displace oxygen in the room, creating a suffocation hazard, as well as an explosive one. If a leak meets a spark or even just a static discharge, it can flash back to the source and create an explosion.

  • Unsafe
  • Highly explosive
  • Failures can cause carbon monoxide or suffocation
  • Family & home at risk

Pricing

Heating oil

Oil fired furnaces and boilers cost 10% – 25% less than propane powered furnaces and boilers. Installation is less costly and easier. The cost of heating oil is on average more than propane but oil produces more heat than propane.

  • More affordable up front
  • Affordable equipment
  • Annual cost is higher
  • Burns hotter

Propane

Historically, propane is cheaper than oil but like oil prices fluctuate. Certain locations may see prices higher and delivery fees may apply. Propane furnaces are typically more expensive than heating oil equipment.

  • More expensive up front
  • Expensive equipment
  • Annual cost is less
  • Doesn’t burn as hot

Efficiency

Heating oil

The Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency ratings of new oil fired furnaces are between 80% and 90%, slightly less than propane. However, heating oil provides more BTU, more heat, meaning by comparison you need less oil to heat your home than propane.

  • Burns hotter than propane
  • Furnaces 80-90% efficiency rating

Propane

With less BTU than oil, more propane is required to reach the same level of heat as oil. Propane furnace heating systems are typically 9% more efficient than oil fired equipment. However, propane powered systems usually have a bigger price tag.

  • Less BTU than oil
  • Furnaces 9% more efficient

We choose safety first.

Oil is hands down safer to store and transport. The long term costs aren’t as much as propane when you figure in the cost of replacing and upgrading a system in the long term. Our biggest reason to advocate for oil is the safety of your home and family. Every year there are reports of propane accidents and explosions, resulting in critical injuries and deaths. Many of cases are simple accidents or damage from weather. We believe heating your home should be safe, reliable and never fatal.