Need a different solution?
We’re here to help!
Our team is here to help!
Deliveries you can count on!
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, heating oil is the primary home heating fuel in approximately 5 million U.S. households, with New England showing the highest concentration at 33% of homes. Yet many homeowners struggle with knowing exactly when to schedule their next delivery—especially during cold months when usage spikes unpredictably. Miss a delivery during a cold snap, and you could face an expensive emergency. Automatic delivery eliminates this guesswork by predicting exactly when your tank needs refilling.
Automatic oil delivery uses two primary metrics: Heating Degree Days (HDD) and your home’s K-Factor. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, a degree day compares mean outdoor temperatures to a standard temperature, usually 65°F. A day with a mean temperature of 40°F has 25 HDDs.
The K-Factor represents your home’s unique fuel consumption pattern. It’s calculated by dividing heating degree days by gallons of fuel oil used in that period. This measurement ranges from 3 to over 30 depending on insulation quality, home size, and heating system efficiency.
Advanced software tracks weather patterns in real-time, monitors historical usage, and accounts for seasonal variations to create a personalized delivery schedule unique to your household.
Get Started with Automatic Delivery
Step 1: Weather Data Collection
The system calculates mean daily temperature by averaging high and low temperatures, then subtracts from the 65°F baseline. If the mean temperature is 55°F, that day generates 10 heating degree days.
Step 2: Calculating Your Home’s K-Factor
After your first delivery, your oil company tracks heating degree days until the next delivery. If 1,000 HDDs accumulate and your tank requires 200 gallons to fill, your K-Factor is 5 (1,000 ÷ 200 = 5)—meaning your home burns approximately one gallon for every five heating degree days.
Step 3: Continuous Tracking
The system continuously monitors weather data and accumulates degree days, calculating in real-time how quickly you’re consuming fuel.
Step 4: Automatic Scheduling
The system predicts when your tank will reach 25-30% capacity and schedules delivery before that point—typically filling to 70-80% to leave room for thermal expansion while providing adequate supply.
After two or three fill-ups, the system establishes a highly reliable pattern accounting for your home’s unique characteristics.
Manual monitoring requires weekly tank checks during busy seasons, creating conditions for oversight errors. Running out of heating oil triggers immediate furnace shutdown through built-in emergency shutoffs, but the real problems begin afterward. When tanks run dry, sediment and sludge from the tank bottom get pulled into fuel lines, clogging filters and potentially damaging the oil pump. Air enters the system, requiring professional line bleeding before the furnace can restart—a service call that costs time and money during the coldest days of winter. If the tank remains empty for extended periods, water condenses inside and causes rust, which then mixes with fuel oil and clogs lines, filters, and furnace components.
Meanwhile, your home loses heat precisely when you need it most, leaving your family uncomfortable until service arrives. Professional automatic delivery monitoring prevents all of these scenarios by ensuring your tank is refilled well before critical levels are reached, eliminating both the mechanical damage and the stress of winter heating emergencies.
Beyond safety, automatic delivery transforms heating oil from a recurring worry into a seamless background service. Manual monitoring requires regular tank gauge checks, mental calculations, scheduling calls, and coordinating home presence. Automatic delivery eliminates all of these tasks.
Get Started with Automatic Delivery
Myth: You Lose Control Over Delivery Timing
Automatic delivery customers can still communicate preferences. The “automatic” aspect refers to monitoring and scheduling—not ignoring customer communication.
Myth: The System Delivers Too Early
Systems schedule deliveries at 70-80% remaining capacity, providing optimal efficiency while ensuring adequate supply.
Myth: The Technology Isn’t Reliable
The U.S. Energy Information Administration and EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager use heating degree day methodology to forecast demand and manage energy systems. This technology has been refined over decades across millions of homes.
Reality: Professional Monitoring Beats Manual Checking
A homeowner must mentally calculate consumption rates, predict weather, estimate days until empty, and remember to call for delivery. An automatic system performs these calculations continuously using precise weather data, historical patterns, and real-time degree day accumulation.
Getting started is straightforward—enroll online, by phone, or speak with a customer service representative who will help set up the service based on your needs.
Key Benefits:
For millions of households relying on heating oil, automatic delivery represents the modern solution to knowing exactly when you need more fuel.
