Energy is something most of us take for granted on a daily basis. As long as you can heat food on the cooker and drive your vehicle, you probably don’t think much about it. However, energy suppliers are always working behind the scenes to help improve the lives of those around them, particularly their clients.
Fuel Supplier Benefits
What kind of benefits do fuel suppliers offer? They are useful in many areas and while gas or heating oil may not be the most glamorous things to work with, they are very necessary in today’s world. After all, everyone needs fuel at some point, as well as heating.
Here are a few other ways they can benefit the general public:
Fueling Vehicles
Petrol is essential in keeping vehicles running, but commercial vehicles usually run on diesel. This is provided by energy companies and it offers some specific benefits, as well. Diesel is available in different grades and is often used for the following reasons:
Improved fuel efficiency: Diesel generates more power from the same amount of petrol, which means it is far more efficient than regular gasoline cars. Diesel engines are also built to be used in commercial vehicles and have more power than the average petrol engine.
Reduced fire hazard: If there is an accident or if someone lights up near a tank of diesel, it’s highly unlikely anything will happen. While diesel can catch fire, it has a much higher flashpoint than petrol and will not burn as easily. This makes it far more stable and therefore, safer.
Less maintenance: Another thing that people like about diesel is that the engines using it are built to last much longer and don’t require as much maintenance as other engines. This is due to the lack of a sparking ignition system. Instead, it uses compressed, super heated air as a method of igniting the fuel.
Keeping Farms Running
Energy providers offer a lot of benefits, but one of the big ones is that they help farms run more efficiently and on a budget. The most common uses for farms is keeping the home warm and running farm equipment.
Without fuel, there is no forward movement and no fields will be tilled. Tractors and just about every other type of machinery on the farm will require fuel in order to function. Without these essential pieces of equipment, the farm would most likely fail. Therefore, fuel serves a very important purpose on the farm.
You may also want to look for AdBlue suppliers to help your fuel be more eco-friendly. This liquid solution contains urea and it produces ammonia. When mixed with the nitrogen oxides in the exhaust pipe of your vehicle or farm tractor, it turns it into nitrogen and water, both of which are environmentally friendly. It’s a relatively simple way to reduce your impact on the environment while using fuel. Often, the same companies that sell the fuel will sell AdBlue.
Providing Alternatives
With most energy providers, you’ll have several options to choose from when it comes to fuel, whether it is for heating or running a vehicle. They’ll provide you with a variety to choose from, including oil, diesel, and canned gas, so you can make the best choices for your home and vehicles.
Heating Homes: What Are Your Options?
There are multiple methods of keeping your home warm, so how do you choose the best one? Let’s take a look at some of your options:
Oil
When you heat your home with oil, you need to have a boiler that will provide heat through radiators. This is considered a wet system, since water is heated and used to transport the heat throughout the home.
Oil heating is very efficient and if you have a modern boiler, it’s probably over 90% efficient. Boilers do get old and leaky though, so you will need to replace it after 10-15 years. It’s very simple to replace these and get the heat running again.
Unfortunately, there are also some downsides to using oil for heating, as well. It can change prices rapidly, which means you may end up paying more some months than others. It is also not a clean energy, as it is a fossil fuel. It won’t burn clean and produces carbon monoxide, which can be lethal.
Gas
Far more cost effective than most options, gas is used in quite a few modern boilers. It also has the advantage of being piped directly into your boiler, so you don’t need to worry about storing it or filling up a tank when you need it. If there is no piped gas in your area, you may need a gas cylinder or a large, outdoor tank that can be filled on a regular basis.
Gas is considered more efficient in many ways, but it is also more flammable, so care must be taken when handling it. You may use gas in both heating and cooking in the home, so it’s a very useful option to use.
Coal
You can also burn coal, but this is not only messy and difficult, it can also produce some pretty toxic fumes. The world is moving away from coal and that’s for the better. However, if you live in an older home, it may still be an option for you to heat the house with coal. You should attempt to switch to a better option as soon as possible.
Wood
This is the traditional method, which requires burning logs in order to heat the home. That can be a good option if you have no access to fuel, but it does cause smoke and can be more dangerous in that way. Also, you need a good wood stove to keep your home warm, since a regular boiler won’t handle wood.
Wood is not great for the environment either. It produces smoke and, depending on the method of collection, it may not be very sustainable, either.
Solar
While solar power is both sustainable and efficient, it tends to be expensive to install and isn’t for everyone. Most people choose to move slowly over to solar power, if they do that. However, if they do install solar power, it has to produce enough power for the home. This isn’t always possible, depending on the number of appliances they have in the home.
If you opt for solar power, you’ll have to install expensive panels and a system to store the energy created. Since heating a home requires a lot of energy, you may have to look at alternative methods to electric heating.
A solar heater doesn’t provide electricity, but it does offer solar heat by heating air or water in the sun and then passing it through the home.
There are plenty of choices when it comes to heating your home. In today’s world, we have the ability to select what we want, according to our needs. From eco-friendly to super-efficient, there’s something for every need and energy suppliers offer a wide range of choices for you to look at.
Domestic Heating Oil
Domestic heating oil can be used in your home boiler and it can help you keep your space warm enough to weather even storms and snow. As mentioned above, it can be a good way to heat your home and it is often used with boilers to provide wet heat throughout the home.
Domestic heating oil is usually trucked in and you’ll need to have a suitable oil tank for it. A good oil tank will be large enough to hold the oil you need for at least a few months. It should also be non-reactive and somewhat flexible so you don’t have to worry about it. Plastic works very well for oil tanks and it can be used above or below ground, depending on your needs.
As you can see, energy suppliers have a lot to offer and are flexible in their offerings, as well. If you aren’t certain what you need, they will be eager to help you find a solution to your problem. Whether you need to heat your home, run a more fuel efficient vehicle, or something else that involves energy, you’ll find that you can get plenty of advice from your energy supplier.
Are you looking for a better solution for your energy needs? Contact Stoddard’s today to learn how we can help you with all your fuel needs.
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