1. Service: Full-service Oilheat dealers like Wilcox Fuel protect their customers with 24-hour emergency service, 365 days a year, and many offer system upgrades, cost management plans, and service contracts. Gas utilities generally offer no service, and customers must make their own arrangements.


2. Safety: Oilheat is non-explosive and doesn't ignite at room temperature. It is stored safely inside a tank on your property. Utility gas is highly explosive, and if a leak develops the underground pipeline can fill your home with gas and cause a deadly explosion. Also, if an Oilheat system ever malfunctions, it will issue telltale warning signs, but a gas system can emit deadly, invisible carbon monoxide gas without warning.


3. The Environment: Changes in fuel composition are leading Oilheat to a cleaner, greener future. Refiners are preparing to eliminate nearly all the sulfur from Oilheat, and future blends of Bioheat® and reduced-sulfur oil "may well become the preferred fuel for lowering greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.," according to the Energy Research Center.


4. Supply: There is no need to worry about world supply of crude oil -- with over 70 oil-producing countries providing imports, the U.S. is not dependent on any one source for our supply. In addition, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the United States has a capacity of over 727 million barrels -- the world's largest emergency crude oil stockpile. Also, the increased use of Bioheat® enables Oilheat customers to draw on a renewable supply.