FAQs about Heating Oil & Propane Delivery Services in Southern Maryland, Southern Charles County, Southern Calvert County and St Marys County MD.
If your question is not answered here, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We’re happy to answer any questions you have.
Is your heating oil treated?
Yes, our oil is treated with UltraGuard™. Read the UltraGuard™ Brochure (PDF) for more information.
What is your delivery time?
Most deliveries are the same or next day, no more than 2 days. (Please note that sometimes weather may play a factor and increase delivery time.)
Should I turn my furnace off before a delivery?
If you are low or out of fuel, we recommend you turn your furnace off before delivery. It can be turned back on about 20 minutes after the delivery. This ensures any sediment in the bottom of the tank does not cause an issue.
What can homeowners expect in the way of rates for heating oil?
Fuel prices, as with all commodities, change daily. We will do everything possible to ensure our customers receive the lowest prices in Southern Maryland.
Is there a minimum order for heating oil deliveries?
Yes, there is a 75 gallon minimum on heating oil deliveries. All deliveries less than 150 gallons will have a $20.00 delivery charge applied.
Is there a minimum order for off road fuel deliveries?
Yes. Off Road Fuel Deliveries have a minimum order of 150 gallons. There is no delivery charge on off road fuel orders.
Propane FAQ – Home & Business
What is propane and how is it used?
Propane is a clean-burning, versatile fuel used for heating homes and businesses, powering appliances, cooking, water heating, fireplaces, generators, pool heaters, and more.
Why should I consider propane for my home or business?
Propane provides reliable, efficient energy for heating and appliances, especially in areas where natural gas is unavailable. It offers flexibility, dependable performance, and many options for residential and commercial use.
Is propane safe to use in my home?
Yes. Propane is a safe fuel when equipment is installed properly and maintained by qualified professionals. Propane systems include safety features, and an odor is added to help detect potential leaks.
How do I know if propane is right for my home?
Propane may be a great option if you:
- Do not have access to natural gas
- Want to replace an older heating system
- Need reliable heating for your home
- Want one fuel source for multiple appliances
Can propane heat my entire home?
Yes. Propane can power a complete home heating system, including furnaces, boilers, and fireplaces.
Can propane be used for both heating and appliances?
Yes. One propane tank can supply energy for:
- Home heating
- Water heaters
- Stoves and ovens
- Fireplaces
- Clothes dryers
- Pool heaters
- Backup generators
Is propane more efficient than heating oil?
Modern propane heating systems can be highly efficient and provide excellent comfort. Many homeowners choose propane because it burns cleaner and offers a wide range of high-efficiency equipment options.
Can I convert my home from heating oil to propane?
Yes. Many homes can be converted from oil heat to propane. A professional evaluation can determine the best equipment options and installation requirements for your home.
How much propane does a home use?
Propane usage depends on several factors, including:
- Home size
- Insulation
- Weather
- Number of propane appliances
- Thermostat settings
- Equipment efficiency
How often will my propane tank need to be filled?
Delivery frequency depends on your usage and tank size. Many customers choose automatic delivery programs so they do not have to monitor their propane levels.
What size propane tank do I need?
Tank size depends on how propane will be used. A home using propane for only cooking may need a smaller tank, while a home using propane for heating, hot water, and appliances may require a larger tank.
Can propane tanks be installed above ground or underground?
Yes. Propane tanks can be installed above ground or underground depending on property layout, homeowner preference, and local requirements.
What happens if I run out of propane?
Running out of propane can interrupt your heating and appliance operation. Automatic delivery and tank monitoring options can help prevent unexpected outages.
How often should my propane system be inspected?
Regular inspections and professional maintenance help keep your propane system operating safely and efficiently.
Can propane power my business?
Yes. Propane is used by many businesses for:
- Building heating
- Restaurants and cooking equipment
- Warehouses
- Agriculture operations
- Backup power systems
- Commercial water heating
Why should my business use propane?
Propane offers businesses dependable energy, efficient operation, and a reliable fuel option for locations without natural gas service.
Can propane be used for backup generators?
Yes. Propane is a popular fuel choice for standby generators because it can be stored on-site and provides dependable backup power during outages.
Is propane environmentally friendly?
Propane is considered a cleaner-burning fuel compared with many traditional fuels and produces fewer emissions during combustion.
Heating Oil News
Propane Continues to Be a Major Heating Fuel Option
Propane remains an important heating source for homes and businesses, especially in rural and suburban areas where natural gas infrastructure is unavailable. Residential customers commonly use propane for space heating, water heating, cooking, fireplaces, and other appliances.
Smart Propane Tank Monitoring Is Growing
One of the biggest changes in propane delivery is the move toward remote tank monitoring technology.
Smart monitors allow propane companies to:
- Track customer tank levels remotely
- Schedule deliveries before customers run low
- Improve delivery efficiency
- Reduce emergency deliveries
The smart propane tank monitoring market is expected to continue growing as companies adopt connected delivery systems.
Propane Is Being Positioned as a Cleaner Energy Choice
The propane industry continues promoting propane as a cleaner-burning fuel option that can help reduce emissions compared with some traditional fuels. The U.S. propane supply has also increased significantly over the last decade due to growth in natural gas production.
For former oil customers, this is a strong message:
- Cleaner-burning fuel
- Less soot and residue
- Modern high-efficiency equipment options
- Reliable performance
Propane + Heat Pumps Are Becoming More Popular
A growing HVAC trend is dual-fuel systems:
Electric heat pump handles mild temperatures. Propane furnace provides powerful heat during colder weather. This gives homeowners efficiency while maintaining dependable winter heating. Industry forecasts note that propane heating is facing competition from improving heat pump technology, making hybrid systems an important area for propane companies.
Propane Demand Remains Strong in Agriculture and Business
Propane continues to be widely used beyond homes, including:
- Farms
- Construction equipment
- Warehouses
- Commercial kitchens
- Forklifts
- Industrial applications
Propane Supply in the U.S. Remains Strong
The United States continues to be a major propane producer and exporter. Recent industry reports have highlighted record export activity, while domestic availability remains supported by strong production.
Why Choose Oil for Home Heating your Southern MD Home?
Oil heating isn’t something a lot of people think of for home use, but it’s actually one of the safest and most efficient options on the market. Oil heating is energy efficient and provides you with a steady source of warmth, and is quite affordable, too.
Fuel oil is one of the most stable and easy to work with products for heating. It has a relatively high BTU (energy) content, and is safer than gas because it is not explosive. It’s also good because it will only ignite using a fairly sophisticated system in a furnace – it’s not going to accidentally catch fire while in storage.
Oil heating systems are a minimum of 85% efficiency, often as much as 95% efficient – which means that for every dollar you spend on the oil, you can expect to get up to 95 cents worth of heat or hot water – that’s far more efficient than most other types of heat. For most homes, the annual cost of heating them with an oil system will be lower than that of using electricity or natural gas. In fact, the Department of Ecology said that oil heating is around 16% more efficient than a natural gas heating system. Because the oil flames burn so hot, you should find that they heat your home up more quickly, and your water heats up more quickly too.
It’s for those reasons that oil heating is becoming so popular in the United States. It’s easy to get oil refills, and it’s in steady supply. Throughout the year you can get deliveries of fresh supplies of oil, and you can store some while it’s not in use if you have the space, without worrying about it being dangerous. This means that you could save up a supply ready for the winter if you’re worried about getting deliveries during the bad weather.
Oil heaters do need maintenance, and it’s important that you get this done, because it’s the maintenance that will make sure the oil is burning cleanly and that the system is properly ventilated. Any combustion system, whether it burns coke, gas, oil or wood, must have good ventilation to be safe to operate.
If you are building a new home, or are looking to improve your existing heating system, then an oil system is well worth considering. Oil heating is efficient and effective, and it is surprisingly affordable too. You’ll have hot water far more quickly than you do with most alternatives, and you don’t have to worry about lighting wood or stoking coal or coke furnaces, cleaning up ash, or managing the storage of volatile propane gas cylinders.
If you’re not sure whether your home is suitable for an oil based heating system, call a reputable heating engineer in your area. Most properties can take such systems, and you should find that they are easy to install and will save you money in the long term as well.
Three Ways To Keep Your Heating Oil Tank Secured This Winter in Southern Maryland
Winter is on its way, which means now is the perfect time to get your heating oil ordered and delivered ready for the colder days ahead. It is unfortunate that heating oil becomes the target of thieves when your family needs it the most. Heating oil theft is sometimes an opportunistic crime, but it can also be one where your home is targeted in advance. Consider these three ways to make sure the heating oil you order remains on your property this winter.
- Don’t Advertise Your Storage Space
If you don’t want your heating oil storage space to be targeted by thieves, then the number one thing to do is to make your storage area less visible. There are a number of ways you can do this:
* Plant trees or shrubs in front of the tank to stop it being easily seen from the road.
* Conceal it behind a wall or building.
* Paint it a color that blends with the landscape so it does not obviously stand out.Remember, however, that if you hide the tank, it must still comply with local council requirements and the oil delivery company still needs to access it easily. Therefore, for example, you cannot cover the tank with something extremely flammable that is going to void your insurance if the whole thing goes up in flames.
- Embrace Technology
Technology has come a long way, and this is particularly true of security monitoring equipment. There are ways that you can now monitor the inside of your home using video cameras and an app on your cellphone. So, why not use this technology to monitor movements around your heating oil tank as well?
Security cameras are advanced enough that you can purchase ones that will contact you when movement in detected in the area. The camera software will send a notification to your app so you can immediately check in and see who is in the area. This may seem a security overkill for heating oil, but when you compare it to the cost of having to replace stolen oil it is an investment that will pay off over the longer term.
- Create Deterrents
Just as thieves will think twice when they see CCTV cameras, there are other types of deterrents that you can use that will make someone look for an easier target than your heating oil storage tank.
For example, if you have a dog, relocate their kennel so it is close by to the storage tank. Thieves hate dogs because they don’t want you to be alerted to their presence because of a dog barking. Also, make sure you put a heavy duty lock on the tank. The stronger it is, the longer a thief would need to spend breaking it, and that puts them at risk of being caught.
Don’t make your heating oil tank an easy target this coming winter. Instead, get it secured now so that you do not have to worry about it going missing once the winter months start to take hold.
What you should know about home heating oil…
Heating Oil is a product that is actually created in the off season in the refineries that make gasoline during the winter. The way this works is simple. An oil refinery doesn’t make any money unless it’s making product. Even going full bore 100% of capacity which is almost impossible, the oil refineries throughout the country are unable to meet the demand for fuel or heating oil during the winter and gasoline in the summer. The answer to this dilemma, while also recognizing the need to keep the plant operating at peak efficiency, is to make heating oil in the summer and store it in tanks for deliveries in the autumn and winter cold seasons. They also do the same in the colder winter months by manufacturing gasoline for use in the summer. This allows the oil company to keep the refinery operational while also turning out the products we depend on every year.
What you should know about energy and heat loss leakage from your home…
Often overlooked, there are several major potential areas where you should check for heated air loss.
- Fireplaces. These are a chimney or hole to the outside. Check and see if the damper is tight. Use glass window fireplace covers. And if you decide not to use the fireplace, consider getting some 2 inch rigid foam insulation from the hardware store and making a plug to close off the fireplace even better. To make a fireplace plug, measure the fireplace opening below the damper, cut a piece of foam insulation to fit and wedge it into place. A good safety idea is to attach a short piece of rope to the plug to not only help remove it when you are ready to use the fireplace but also as a safety device to make certain it’s remembered before the fireplace is used. Make certain the short piece of rope or even ribbon is long enough to easily be seen. Mine touches the fireplace logs and acts as a reminder the plug is in place.
- Air leaks are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home. Air leaks occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, and outside electrical outlets. A good way to seal the electric plugs is to pick up some plug gaskets and install on all outside electrical outlets. These are simply a thin rubber about the shape of the outlet cover that fits over the plug and seals around the outlet and the cover.
- Doors are a special problem because you can’t simply seal it up. They need to open and close regularly and seal. Weather stripping around the perimeter of the door is a good way to seal out the leaks around outside doors. Another suggestion is to take fabric material, cut 2 pieces about 3 inches wide and make it 6 inches longer than your door opening. So if the door is 46 inches, you want 2 pieces of fabric 3 inches by 42 inches. Sew the fabric together along the long sides and one small side. This will give you a pocket similar to a pillow case. Next turn the pocket inside out so the finished seams look good, and fill with any small material. Any cooking beans, rice, popcorn, even sand is a good material. You now have a bottom door seal that can be placed against the door sill at the bottom, keeping the cold air out but can also be removed during the day. This is also a great idea for rooms that have been closed off for the winter. Have a guest room that isn’t being heated? Make another bottom door seal and save energy. You can even purchase similar door seals from many stores because they’re so popular and very efficient.
