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Crude Oil Prices, Variable-Rate Contracts, and the Safety of Heating Oil
This article was originally published in the HEAT This Week newsletter, October 23, 2009.
The recent rise in crude oil prices has given oil companies the incentive to start drilling again and spend money looking for new sources of oil. But if companies increase production and start pumping out more crude, that would increase supply [...]
Biofuel Blends Catching on With Heating Oil Dealers
This article was originally published in HEAT This Week on October 9.
The national oilheat industry recently decided to include 2 percent biofuel in all heating oil by 2010. Some heating oil dealers aren’t waiting that long, and have made biofuel blends—conventional heating oil mixed with fuel from a source such as soybeans or canola—available now.
The [...]
Fewer Oil Dealers Offering Price-Lock Contracts
This article was originally published in the HEAT This Week newsletter, September 11, 2009.
Volatility in the oil market has convinced some oil dealers to reconsider offering price-lock and price-cap contracts that many customers used to favor to insure themselves against rising oil prices. Last winter’s steep decline in oil prices left both consumers and dealers [...]
Oil Prices End See-Saw Day Down Slightly
The price of crude lost 0.5 percent to settle at $68.44 a barrel and the price of heating oil fell 0.3 percent.
HEAT USA Price Report
Evening projection (for Monday’s areage retail heating oil price per gallon):
DOWN $0.01
After rising sharply in early trading on a positive US jobs report, oil prices fell on profit-taking before beginning to [...]
Keep Your Oil Tank Full to Avoid Corrosion
Corrosion is every homeowner’s enemy. The gradual wearing away of metal and stone by the elements can cause irreparable damage to many different parts of your home, including your heating oil tank.
Read More »Oil Prices Steady, Then Rising Despite Economic Downturn
Everyone knows we’re in the middle of a recession. It’s impossible to read, listen to or watch any type of news these days without hearing about the dismal state of the economy in the US and around the world. One by-product of the recession is decreased demand for oil and oil products. [...]
Read More »Heating Oil Contracts: Beware of Fine Print and the Gamble of Price Locks
Spring is the time to turn down your thermostat and enjoy the sun. It’s the time to get heating systems cleaned and serviced. And for many, it’s the time to renew their heating oil contract or find a better deal elsewhere for next heating season. Before signing the contract with your 2009-2010 [...]
Read More »Home Energy Audits Help You Save Through Conservation and Tax Credits
HEAT USA always advocates energy efficiency and conservation. Last fall, HEAT This Week offered some cheap and easy ways to make your home more energy-efficient. Once you have followed all those do-it-yourself steps, what’s next? Call in the pros and get a professional home energy audit.
Home energy audits are inspections that use [...]
Renewable Fuels of the Future are Ready Today
President Obama has designated $15 billion a year (about 10 percent of the $787 economic stimulus bill, according to a New York Times editorial) to developing renewable energy alternatives to fossil fuels to power America.
So what is the state of the industry that is poised to receive these new subsidies? How far along are [...]
Obama’s Energy Plans and What They Mean
The big news story of last week was President Obama’s address to Congress on his plans for economic recovery. In his speech, Obama focused on three main areas that he deemed “critical to our economic future”: education, health care, and energy.
His comments on energy policy were consistent with positions he staked out during his [...]
Why Are Heating Oil Prices Dropping Like Feathers While Crude Prices Sink Like Stones?
As the heating season begins to wind down, heating oil prices remain considerably lower than they were at this time last year. However, in the last three months, retail heating oil prices have stayed relatively stable while crude prices have continued on their epic fall from their peak last July. So why the [...]
Read More »Another Take on Oil Speculation
Last week’s edition of HEAT This Week explained the role of speculators in the oil markets and offered two different points of view on how responsible they were for the extreme volatility of oil prices from June until December of last year. A 60 Minutes story and an OPEC spokesman agreed that the surge [...]
Read More »Speculators Make Their Mark on the Oil Market
Speculators in the oil markets are frequently labeled as the “bad guys” that caused extreme volatility on the crude market over the last year. Who are these speculators and what are they doing to affect the price of oil? Are they really to blame for the huge price swings seen in 2008?
Speculators are [...]
Once Tightly Linked, Crude and Heating Oil Prices Now Move More Independently
Heating oil customers who follow the price of crude oil on the commodities markets might be wondering how the price of crude could be going down while the price they pay for heating oil stays the same or even increases. Not too long ago, crude oil and heating oil prices almost always moved [...]
Read More »Chart Your Contribution to the Fight Against Global Warming with the new HEAT USA Carbon Thermostat Widget!
You already know that conserving heat and electricity can save you money on your heating and utility bills. You may already know that conserving heat and electricity also greatly reduce carbon-based emissions into the atmosphere. But how much could your carbon footprint really be reduced by just turning your thermostat down a few [...]
Read More »Learn How Much Conserving Heat can Save You with the New HEAT USA Savings Thermostat Widget!
HEAT USA has always been an advocate of conservation because using less heat is the best and easiest way for homeowners to save money on heating bills.
Posts here on The HEAT Zone and HEAT This Week newsletters have strongly encouraged residents to turn down thermostats just a few degrees to save hundreds of dollars a [...]
Good News: Signs Point to Relatively Low Heating Oil Prices Through End of Winter
We are about halfway through the 2008-2009 heating season, and so far heating oil prices have made for good news. After hitting all-time highs last summer, heating oil prices began declining in August and continue to fall as 2009 begins. In July, many heating oil customers feared that prices would keep climbing to $5 or [...]
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