A fuel oil furnace burns oil as a heat source, instead of a gas furnace, or even electric. Many older home have this kind of furnace, because at one time it was a cheap and easy to find resource, especially after World War II. Now it is no longer as widely available as it once was, and the prices have steadily gone up. There are many people who are still using fuel oil furnaces, simply because they can’t afford the cost of replacing a whole heating system in their home.

If something has gone wrong, and your fuel oil furnace has seen its last days, this may be a good time to replace the furnace with a more energy efficient one. There are many propane and natural gas systems that burn much cleaner, burn hotter, and are more efficient than an oil furnace. There are many incentives to switch over to better models. Propane and natural gas companies will often put in piping, and hook everything up for free for new customers. There are tax incentives, and energy assistance programs to help offset initial investment costs. There are even electric models, that can be incorporated into solar energy systems.

Granted if your fuel oil furnace is working just fine, and you always do regular maintenance, change all the filters, you may not want or need to change over to a brand new unit. There are always alternatives to using fuel oil for your furnace. One of them is refined vegetable oil, or even bio-diesel. These concepts have been around since Rudolph Diesel engineered the first diesel motor over one hundred years ago. If you have enough room, and some technical knowhow, you can even make bio-diesel in your own garage, and have an almost endless supply of fuel to heat your home.

Bio-diesel is a great fuel oil furnace fuel alternative, because there is really virtually not adjustment or retrofitting is needed when you switch. There are a few things to remember when dealing with bio-diesel. Like fuel oil, bio-diesel will gel if it gets too cold, and so you will need to store it either inside, or in an underground tank. If you have one of these installed already great. Fuel oil also has what is called ‘pour point,’ a temperature which fuel oil will stop flowing. For No. 2 fuel oil this is 11 degrees below zero. While the actual pour point for bio-diesel varies, it is well above 11 degrees, so you will have to have a higher temperature.

It is important that we free ourselves from the reliance of foreign oil products, and there are many alternatives. You can find this and many other resources online. There is information on the differences between LP, NG, and electric home heating systems, and the pros and cons of each one. You can also find an abundance of information on bio-diesel, vegetable oil and other alternative fuel sources for you fuel oil furnace. You can find furnaces for sale, complete kits and details instructions on making bio-diesel.