Home Comfort

"Does home heating oil really heat better than natural gas?"
We're asked this question all the time. I'm glad because it's very important. Since we're in the oilheat business, you would expect us to say that it does a better job creating a comfortable home.

The truth is that it does exactly that. Let me explain. Oil burns at a higher temperature than natural gas. This means it heats your home faster and uses less energy to maintain the right comfort level. In other words, you get more heat for your energy dollar.

Avoid cold weather problems while away on lengthy trips
If you will be away for several weeks during the winter, here a few suggestions for avoiding cold weather problems in your home. Be sure to leave a key with a neighbor who can check your home every day or so to make sure the heating system is operating. If you're a Federal Heating customer, leave our telephone with the neighbor if service is needed.

Finally, set your thermostat no lower than 55 degrees. This is just about right if your home is well insulated. If you have house plants, you may want to set the thermostat above 55 degrees.

How to set your ceiling fans to turn in the summer and the winter
It turns out that many people have them going the wrong way.

In the winter. Set the fan to run counterclockwise, (reverse: this looks clockwise as you are looking up). This redirects the warm air from the ceiling and down the wall into the living space.

In the summer. You should operate your fan so that it turns clockwise, (forward: this looks counterclockwise as you are looking up), causing a more directed downdraft, especially with the fan running slightly faster.