Friday, March 22, 2013

Blog #3

Heating your home can get more expensive by the year. The cost of oil continues to rise because of the competitive companies that try to sell oil. All of the companies are trying to keep prices at a competitive rate, as the cost of oil increases per barrel, the price of each oil company will increase because of the profit margin that must be met, for the company to make a profit and have a payroll. Also the North Eastern part of the united States has the most oil consumed, because only six percent of homes use oil as their primary source of heating.
   Propane is one of the most widely used in over 6.5 million home from 2005-6, at a cost of about 2,386 dollars. Also this depends on the region because of the cost of the fuel; For example if someone in the Midwest the average cost is 1,534 dollars. In Maine it is easier to heat with propane because it is cheaper to use than oil.
Electric heat is one of the more cheaper and newer ways of heating, approximatly one third of all U.S. homes rely on electric heat as a primary source of heating. Complaints have been filed because of the alleged in-effectiveness of being able to sustain a regulated temperature. The cost is just over 1,300 dollars a year so it is cheaper than oil and propane.
 Natural gas is on of the most environmentally safe ways of heating because the gas comes from the earth. It comes in around 1,024 dollars a year, but in order to use natural gas as a heating source, there has to be a source of it and they have to drill. This is one of the most expensive  parts but using natural gas in the cheapest form of home heating that is currently available.
I believe that if natural gas is available for use then it is one of the best ways for home heating because it burns clean. A mixture of electric heat and oil or propane will also limit the cost and make the supply of oil in a home cheaper and more affordable. Also propane would be my last choice because it is not the cleanest burning fuel, and oil is more affordable depending on the area you live in.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2012/1207/Cheapest-way-to-heat-your-home-Four-fuels-  compared/Heating-oil-2-526