1. Schedule a furnace tune-up at least once a year.
   • Save as much as five per cent on heating costs by scheduling a service appointment for your furnace before cold weather arrives to ensure your furnace operates at its peak efficiency throughout the winter.
   • Cleaning or changing the filter will reduce the furnace energy required to heat your home.
   
   
2. Check the condition of your oil tank. Many reported oil spills are from domestic oil tanks at private homes. A leaking oil tank can become a serious fire and environmental hazard and can affect your health. The removal of oil from a basement can be very costly as well.
   
   
3. Contact your insurance company to discuss your coverage for oil tank spills before a spill occurs. Coverage will vary depending on the insurance company.
   
   
4. Inspect your tank to see if it’s leaking.
   • If your furnace seems to be using more fuel than usual, your heating oil tank may have developed a leak. Other possible factors include unusually cold weather or furnace malfunction.
   • Use water-reactive paste on a stick to see if there’s water in your tank. A small amount of water is normal, but several inches may mean water is getting in through a hole in the tank — which means oil could be getting out.
   • During the summer, when you aren't using the furnace, carefully measure and record the level of fuel in the tank. Make sure the furnace is completely off. Wait as long as possible, keeping the furnace off (preferably at least two weeks). Then measure the level of the fuel again. If the level is down, the tank is probably leaking. If the level is up, you should check to see if water is entering the tank.
   • Check with your home heating fuel distributor about the services or programs offered. Some distributors may provide warranty against leaks and regular tank maintenance programs.
   
   
5. From time to time, check the outside of your tank for any rust and damage.
   • Damp spots or rust bubbles lead to corrosion and leaks in your tank.
   • Obvious signs of damage include dents, bent or pinched lines, cross-threaded fittings, a broken or cracked fill gauge, cracked weld seams, or broken base support. Such damage can lead to tank corrosion, oil supply line failure, joint failure, and/or tank upset.
   
   
6. Avoid carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
   • CO is produced by fuel-burning appliances and equipment in our homes. If you have heating, cooking or power equipment that uses fuels such as oil, natural gas, coal, wood, propane, and gasoline, then your home is at risk for potential CO poisoning. CO is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas produced by the incomplete burning of fuel. When there is not enough oxygen for the fuel to burn well, carbon monoxide can be produced in deadly amounts.
   • Symptoms of CO poisoning can include headache, dizziness, nausea and shortness of breath.
   • Install an alarm, placing a detector near each sleeping area or outside the bedrooms in homes with fuel-burning appliances, a fireplace or an attached garage. CO alarms are different from smoke alarms and can provide early detection if CO leaks or accumulation occurs.
   • A qualified technician should annually check heating appliances, water heaters, vents and chimneys.
   • If you suspect CO poisoning in your home, call your local fire department. Open windows and doors to ventilate the rooms, or in severe cases of CO exposure, evacuate the home.
   • Seek immediate medical treatment for anyone who has severe symptoms.
   • Follow the advice of the fire department before re-entering your home, and quickly obtain repairs as needed.
   
   
7. Keep doors closed. Check to see that doors shut and latch properly. High winds can sneak through in areas around doors if they do not seal or latch tightly.
   
   
8. Keep windows shut as tightly as doors.
   • Inspect windows and fix any cracks or holes in the window itself or in the frame of the window. You also should be able to lock your window. When a window locks, it is shut tight, limiting or stopping air from seeping through the window.
   • If you have single pane windows, tack plastic sheeting over the windows.
   • Hang heavy drapes over drafty windows to keep heat in.
   • Consider replacing old windows with more efficiently-designed windows.
   
   
9. Replace mail slots with external mailboxes. Older homes often have mail slots — a slit in the door or wall of a house or apartment where mail can be delivered. Consider sealing the slit and replacing it with an external mailbox.
   
   
10. Insulate your home and save.
    • Check your home insulation. A good layer of insulation is one of the most cost-efficient ways to reduce energy waste.
    • Insulate the attic, basement and household air ducts and you’ll significantly reduce the amount of heat lost in your house.
    
    
11. Manage the thermostat effectively.
    • Save on heating bills by turning the thermostat down 2 degrees C during the night.
    • If you are away from your home for an extended time, don’t turn off the heat. No heat in the home can lead to frozen pipes and costly repairs. If possible, lower the thermostat to 13 degrees C at night and when you are away.
    
    
12. Choose an efficient home heating product and service provider. ThermaClean™ is a cleaner burning home heating fuel that’s good for the environment and protects your home heating system. Compared to natural gas, it’s:
    • Cleaner, producing fewer greenhouse emissions. Residential oil burner emissions measure at near-zero levels.
    • More efficient: a ThermaClean flame is hotter than a natural gas flame which means you get a warmer home faster. ThermaClean also heats water twice as fast.
    • More economical: Natural gas prices have increased due to expensive pipeline and utility costs.
    • Safer: ThermaClean is neither flammable nor explosive.

Learn more about Thermaclean
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