Heating oil: how many gallons a winter?

[veek.livejournal.com]

I'm considering moving to an apartment with oil heating. Really not crazy about that, but on balance it might all work out. I've been reading through the heating oil posts, and got a lot of good information from them (thanks, denizens! MassEnergy is definitely on my radar), but am still not sure how much I'd end up paying per winter.

For those with oil heating, how many gallons do you end up using per winter, for how many square feet, and at what average temperature? Or just for this winter, with its crazy temperatures.

ETA: This is, of course, a more complex issue than just square footage and internal temperature! I've done some research, and am doing more. Right now, I'm more interested in local numbers than anything else. :) If you have more variables to share with me in the context of your numbers, I'll be even more grateful!

Comments

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

I'll throw out a number for you.

we live on the second floor of a standard triple decker. this means we have the advantage of "insulation" from the first and third floors. We keep our thermostat set at 58 during the day, with the exception of two hours when we wake up (it goes up to 65), and then from 6pm to 8pm it goes to 65, then down to 58 over night again. On average, we will get one delivery a year (although last year we didn't get one), and it's usually about 100 gallons (so cost depends on cost of oil). We do have a membership to MassEnergy (used to be Mass Oil Consumer Alliance), and this winter we got a new, more energy efficient furnace and had the outside walls insulated. I doubt we used much oil at all this winter because of these improvements.

I have no idea if that is typical or not, but that has been our experience over the past 10 years.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

i forgot to add we are 1054 square feet

[overstim.livejournal.com]

youre lucky because youre on the second floor. ill guarantee the tenants below you use a LOT more oil than that.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

Oh absolutely. I would also imagine the third floor pays a ton more, because there is no insulation on our flat/tar roof!