We are coming up on two years in our home and this would be our 2nd winter. Our home relies on oil to heat it and we have to have a company come fill the tank when we run out. To my surprise we woke up cold , and the house was at 67. Which is cold to me. So I pulled out the space heater, put warm clothes on , and called the oil company. To get about a half of a tank would be somewhere starting at $500 . We talked about just getting an additional space heater and just kinda roughing it and bundling up in the house, since we’re close to spring and it’s starting to warm up . Or should bite the bullet and fill the tank? We’re just penny pinching right now. We also have a wood stove , but fire wood burns quick and is just as expensive. Not to mention it’s a lot of work. We do have a one year old, she doesn’t seem to notice anything and is hopping around as normal. I’m not sure I’m making the right decision. It just seems like we could use the money for something else , vs the oil which we will only need for a few more weeks and won’t need until next year.
This morning it was 67 and with the heater the living room is now at 73 and I normally keep it on 75 but I like to be toasty….
Are we being irresponsible in not refilling our oil tank ?
byu/thisisdy inFrugal
Posted by thisisdy
32 Comments
Fill the tank. You will need it eventually anyhow.
If no one is gonna freeze to death i dont see the problem. Thiu space heaters might eat into any electric budget you have set.
You need to look at the cost of fuel oil, the efficiency of your furnace, and the price of electricity to make that decision. That being said, it is almost ALWAYS more expensive to heat with resistive electric. For me, it is double the cost to heat with space heaters vs oil.
The oil doesn’t go bad, right? You’ll have to get it anyway in the fall. If you have the money right now, do it. Oil is much cheaper than using electric.
Be careful about water pipes freezing. Other than that, there is a certain time of year when the heating oil is at its cheapest. You might add a second holding tank, and fill them both up when the oil is cheap.
Set the thermostat low to conserve on oil, and use room heaters so you’re not heating the entire house.
It depends where you are and how many heating days you have left. If you are expected to have a warmup in the next 2 weeks, I wouldn’t bother with oil. If you are in an area that won’t see consistently warmer temperatures for another 6 weeks, I would probably get the oil. You can do the math with energy usage and figure out your break even point. By me, oil is much more efficient than electricity for heating a home. Find that breakeven point.
Not sure how expensive electricity is where you are but you may get a big surprise with the next bill if you use electric exclusively. Space heaters use a ton of electricity. I like to be toasty too but dropping a few degrees would make a big difference too. Space heaters also come with risk, especially with a toddler in the house.
Close to spring…
It did not get warm where I live until June last year. The seasons are shifting as the climate changes. I would suggest you consider that.
That’s warmer than I keep my house when the heating is on. That said you know you’ll need it next year. Buying it now will keep you from using inefficient alternatives. Unless you have no saving for emergencies I’d buy it now.
Idk about irresponsible but rarely is a space heater energy efficient. You don’t say what your power bill is but if you heat with just space heaters, expect it to double electricity usage. In average winter weather here in SWVA anyway.
Electric heaters will drive your bill WAAAAAAAAAY up. There are oil delivery companies out there that offer monthly payments, and that may be worth it.
Or you can join The Energy Cooperative ([Home – The Energy Co-op](https://www.theenergy.coop/)) and see the discounts offered in your area.
You probably should get the oil, it is still good next year. You have a small child, you need adequate heat. Not getting basic necessities isn’t being frugal.
The oil will be even more expensive next year so do it now. If you can.
It depends on where you live. Could the weather reasonably get back down really cold again?
Where I am we don’t plant our gardens until after Mother’s Day because that’s the usual end of the freeze risk.
One month of using space heaters may cost more than the oil.
IDK where you are that winter is ending in a few weeks. But in most places it stays cold a lot longer than March. I think you are also underestimating how much electricity those space heaters use. Get the oil. Sometimes being frugal will cost you more money in the long run.
You’re tripping over nickels to save pennies – the oil is cheaper than the space heater
But also what are you usually keeping the house at if 67 feels cold?! Sweaters are cheaper than either
Edit: I just reread your post and noticed the final paragraph – you keep your thermostat set at SEVENTY FIVE? “We’re just penny pinching right now” lol yeah right. Are you also doordashing every meal because groceries are too expensive?
Oil is cheaper than using electricity for heat.
It’s a cashflow difference since you buy all the oil at once and you don’t prebuy electricity.
You might be able to get financial help with filling the tank.
Why not both?
Fill the tank *and* keep the thermostat low to conserve fuel.
You’re “Penny pinching”, which leads to important questions:
* Do you even have the $500 to buy the oil? If not, when will you have it? What would you have to sacrifice to have it ASAP?
* How cold will it get by the time you can refill the oil?
* What is your expected cost of buying and using the space heaters? There should be specs on how many watts the heaters uses over time, and your utility company should publish its rates.
* Is it worth getting sleeping bags? There are reputable ones for 40°F and warmer available on Amazon for under $50 (I think).
I’d refill the oil. With inflation, delivery cost is probably going to be higher next year and that way you have it in case we have a sudden unexpected freeze next fall or the temperature stays colder longer than expected. That said, if you’re pinching Pennies, maybe keep the heat at 70 instead of 73-75.
Fill the tank, at least partially if you can’t afford a full tank.
Keep track of your bills and how much you use in a year. Then set aside some money out of each paycheck for it.
We have a 300 gallon tank and usually get 2 refills a year at about $500 each.
$1000/26 paychecks (I get paid twice a month) means I set aside $40 per paycheck in a savings account to pay for propane. When it’s time to pay, I already have the money and don’t have to scrape it together.
Also, the company I use offers a discount if you prepay. So I set aside a little extra so that I could prepay the following year. Because of that, we only pay $1.99/gallon instead of $2.70 like everyone else.
We supplement our propane bill by using our pellet stove. We buy pellets by the pallet/ton (about $280 each), so same deal: I tracked how much we used in a season, then divided the cost across my paychecks.
Side note: If you can cut your own wood, check with your township or conservation office on firewood. We had a storm come through our area, and they let people come get the downed trees for firewood, as much as you can cut and haul for like $30 for the season. Chip Drop may also be willing to drop wood to you from trees they’ve cut down.
Edit: Get a warm-mist humidifier. Sometimes air feels cold when its actually just dry. Adding a humidifier makes it much more comfortable in the winter.
Only filling the oil halfway is going to make the oil more expensive actually. I would think there’s a charge to come out plus a cost per unit for the oil. So if you’re going to fill it, fill fully. If you know when oil will be cheaper, do that. As others have covered well, space heaters are less efficient. If you want to get by at 67 now that spring is coming, that’s up to you. But I figure you’ll refill the oil anyway, so you might as well do it now. Whatever you don’t use will still be there for you to use in the fall, and you need to be prepared with something know case there’s a freeze again. Personally I prefer the oil to wood stove, but it also depends on what kind of stove you have and how it’s installed.
And for goodness sakes the best frugal move here is to set the heat to a more reasonable temperature! Your problem is targeting 75° in winter 😵 bonkers. There are numbers that exist between 67 and 75.
Believe it or not, space heaters – even in one or two rooms – will be more expensive than home heating oil. Heating oil is usually the cheapest route. Electricity adds up quick and even the new space heaters that auto shut off and are more efficient will still be more expensive to run.
I’m doing the same thing with my propane I’m gonna stretch it till the spring, fingers crossed. I’m off grid and I only use it for hot water. 67° would be a luxury for me. My living room is usually in the 40s when I get up in the morning. However, fuel for heating and hot water is a necessity and yes, it’s expensive but you just have to budget it in. Depending on where you live electric space heaters can be extremely expensive. One suggested I could make that I do is use electric blankets. They use a fraction of the power. When I’m moving around working, I don’t care if it’s 50° I have an electric blanket on a chair in the living room and when I take a break, I just sit on it and it warms me up just fine. I have an electric blanket on my bed too, but I don’t turn it on till about 5 o’clock in the morning so I get warmed up before I get out of bed.
We have oil heat and keep it at 68. I agree with some other comments, put some in there now to get through the next couple months, then figure out when it’s cheapest to fill it completely
May or may not be a problem in your particular geology, but it’s possible to float empty tanks out of the ground in heavy rains, which is much more expensive to fix. Definitely something to ponder…
My other advice is to call around and research different oil companies in your area. There are websites that also help you find the cheapest ones that serve your area. Some have bigger discounts if you pay early. Find out what their minimum fill can be (1/4 tank, 1/2 tank, etc). I’m not sure where you live or if this app is available to you but my friend uses fewlr app to check oil prices.
1. You have a one year old
2. Your pipes can freeze if it gets too cold and then you have a bigger problem
3. Space heaters cost more to heat compared to oil
4. You’re going to have to spend it anyways the only variable in cost is if in the summer the price per gallon is cheaper. If that’s the case let it be a lesson and always fill up or top off when it’s cheapest.
I agree with the comment that says the oil will be more expensive if you wait. However, my thermostat is set at 58F so 67F sounds boiling hot to me!
fill it, otherwise when hot weather comes its going to “sweat” and you’ll have a bigger problem, with those space heaters just wait till you get the bill