Energy Answers Today: Keeping Pace with Growing Demand

Keeping Pace with Growing Demand

The United States is the world's largest consumer of the two major fossil fuels, petroleum and natural gas. In both cases the U.S. depends on imports to meet its needs.* For all the talk of "Middle East oil," our leading supplier for both fuels is Canada. The U.S. maintains strategic reserves of both crude oil and heating oil to ensure continuous supply, but there are no strategic reserves of natural gas.
(*Source: Energy Information Administration)

• Renewability. Oilheat is derived from crude oil that is drawn from wells in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and many other countries. In fact, only three of the top 15 countries from which the U.S. imports crude oil are in the Middle East. The fossil fuel component of heating oil is now supplemented by domestically grown plant-based biofuels that are infinitely renewable. Researchers are developing technologies to extract biofuel from non-food plants such as algae to ensure a plentiful, cost-effective supply. Utility gas is refined from a non-renewable, gaseous fossil fuel extracted from oil fields, natural gas fields and coal beds. The U.S. supplements its domestic natural gas production with imports from Canada, Trinidad, Egypt and other countries. There is no renewable supplement to utility gas.

• Secure supply. There has never been an interruption to the U.S. supply of crude oil or Oilheat, and the U.S. government protects our interests by maintaining strategic reserves of both crude oil and heating oil. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) stores 720 million barrels in Texas and Louisiana - the world's largest emergency stockpile of crude oil. The Northeast Heating Oil Reserve stores 2 million barrels in Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey. In the event of a supply shortage or delivery interruption, the President is authorized to make releases from the reserves.

• In your home: Local gas lines can get shut down for many reasons: weather events that put the lines at risk such as tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes; road construction; new buildings, water main breaks, or any work that might utilize a backhoe or otherwise cause a gas leak. Oilheat is delivered and stored on your property in a safe, secure and accessible storage tank, ensuring a constant supply to keep your family comfortable. Most Oilheat dealers offer Automatic Delivery, which frees you from tracking your oil levels or calling for delivery.

• Interruptible Service: The gas utilities rely on the Oilheat industry to provide "back-up" fuel during periods of high demand. Large, non-residential accounts receive lower rates if they allow the gas utility to interrupt their service - shut them down - during peak usage. These facilities automatically switch to their back-up heat source - Oilheat.





Keeping Pace with Growing Demand The United States is the world's largest consumer of the two major fossil fuels, petroleum and natural gas. In both cases the U.S. depends on imports to meet its needs.* For all the talk of "Middle East oil," our leading supplier for both fuels is Canada. The U.S. maintains strategic reserves of both crude oil and heating oil to ensure continuous supply, but there are no strategic reserves of natural gas. (*Source: Energy Information Administration) • Renewability. Oilheat is derived from crude oil that is drawn from wells in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and many other countries. In fact, only three of the top 15 countries from which the U.S. imports crude oil are in the Middle East. The fossil fuel component of heating oil is now supplemented by domestically grown plant-based biofuels that are infinitely renewable. Researchers are developing technologies to extract biofuel from non-food plants such as algae to ensure a plentiful, cost-effective supply. Utility gas is refined from a non-renewable, gaseous fossil fuel extracted from oil fields, natural gas fields and coal beds. The U.S. supplements its domestic natural gas production with imports from Canada, Trinidad, Egypt and other countries. There is no renewable supplement to utility gas. • Secure supply. There has never been an interruption to the U.S. supply of crude oil or Oilheat, and the U.S. government protects our interests by maintaining strategic reserves of both crude oil and heating oil. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) stores 720 million barrels in Texas and Louisiana - the world's largest emergency stockpile of crude oil. The Northeast Heating Oil Reserve stores 2 million barrels in Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey. In the event of a supply shortage or delivery interruption, the President is authorized to make releases from the reserves. • In your home: Local gas lines can get shut down for many reasons: weather events that put the lines at risk such as tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes; road construction; new buildings, water main breaks, or any work that might utilize a backhoe or otherwise cause a gas leak. Oilheat is delivered and stored on your property in a safe, secure and accessible storage tank, ensuring a constant supply to keep your family comfortable. Most Oilheat dealers offer Automatic Delivery, which frees you from tracking your oil levels or calling for delivery. • Interruptible Service: The gas utilities rely on the Oilheat industry to provide "back-up" fuel during periods of high demand. Large, non-residential accounts receive lower rates if they allow the gas utility to interrupt their service - shut them down - during peak usage. These facilities automatically switch to their back-up heat source - Oilheat.