There are several oil delivery companies in Brooklyn. If you are not happy with your current company why not switch to someone else?

The number of oil fired boilers and furnaces decreases each year. In my opinion it makes send to have the oil burner serviced by the company which you buy the fuel oil rather than an independent third party. You want a technician who is an expert at servicing oil burners. Those guys typically work for a fuel oil company. You may be able to find an old timer who works for himself.

I also don't think you need to sign a contract for your service. Pay to have the burner cleaned and serviced each fall and you should be fine.

Thanks Mike! Are they replacing the oil burning with gas? Heard it doesn't heat as well as oil. Is gas cheaper than oil? House was built in 1960 and $$$$$ to convert to gas.

If you converted from oil to gas, you should be able to cut your heating bills at least in half, and probably more. Post the price you pay for a gallon of oil and your gas rate. A calculation can be done to compare the costs and give you an idea how much you can save.

Gas heat can produce the same amount of heat as oil. The myth of of gas not heating as well oil is something oil delivery people like to say.

Thanks much! I was told it's as much as $8,000 to convert to gas and that it would cost just a little less than oil. The best I got for straight oil is about $2.64 #2 oil on credit card from companies that offer no service. That's why I adked about the service contract. Companies that offer both are about $2.94 a gallon right now. Not sure how much Nation Grid is for gas. It's the conversion price that's stopping me. Is there any program in place where part of the cost is picked up? Thanks!

A possible option is to convert just the burner from oil to gas and keep the current boiler. That would be a cheaper conversion but the efficiency gain would not be as high as buying a new boiler.

Did you get a quote from National Grid to do the gas conversion? Using a utility company to do the conversion would not be my first choice. However it would be good to get an estimate. They may offer some incentive to make the switch. You should also get two additional estimates from heating contractors that don't sell oil. You want an unbiased estimate.

This is what if found for National Grid residential gas rates. I think heating customers qualify for a lower rate than what you pay now. It rate starts high and then drops with more usage. Call National Grid and have it explained to you.

Do you know approximately how many gallons of oil do you use each year? Is the hot water heater tied to the boiler, or it is separate?

I have used COD heating oil for many years, since I got tired of paying extra for an inclusive contract only to find out 95% of what has gone wrong with my system wasn't covered (electronic components). In my area, all the inclusive oil companies cover almost all repairs for hot water heating, but I have forced hot air. Luckily, the independent guy I use for repairs and cleanings is good, reasonable, and honest. This doesn't give you much advice except to say the decoupled method works.

The cost of oil is a huge factor, though. If you have a contract where the price is locked, you're protected from fluctuations in the wholesale price of oil.

I live in the DC area, and when we bought our house we paid about $8,300 to convert to gas and install a Buderus conventional retrofit gas boiler for our existing radiator system. It would have been more expensive to have a gas condensing boiler installed, but efficiency would have been about 10-12% higher. The gas line was already there for the water heater and dryer, so we just had to have it extended and connected to the new boiler.

I only had the oil burner running for about 3 months before the conversion, so I don't really know how fuel cost compared. However, the realtor and everyone else here told us we would save about 40% by converting.

Bruce