Differentiating Fuel Oil and Heating Oil

Date: November 18, 2024

Not all fuel oil is heating oil — and not all heating oil is Bioheat® fuel!

Since 1945, Cubby Oil & Energy has been providing the highest quality heating fuel in the greater Boston area to our valued customers. In the nearly 80 years that we’ve been taking care of our friends and neighbors, the composition of our fuel has changed — and today, it’s more efficient and eco-friendly than ever before.

Our team members get a lot of questions about our fuel, and we’re always happy to answer them. At Cubby, we believe in being upfront and transparent about the benefits of our product. Allow us to take you through a standard question we hear about two terms you might hear us use: fuel oil and heating oil.

What’s the difference between heating oil and fuel oil?

Heating oil is a type of fuel oil, but not all fuel oil is heating oil. Are you confused yet? Let’s break it down. Fuel oil is any petroleum product used to power home heating systems or engines. To get a bit more technical, it usually means the heavier fuels made from crude oil, like those heavier than gasoline.

What fuels fall into the fuel oil category?

Here’s a breakdown of some common fuel oil products:

1. Diesel is a familiar fuel at gas stations. It comes in on-road and off-road varieties. Off-road diesel is dyed red and used in farm equipment, construction equipment, generators and other non-roadway equipment.
2. Kerosene is made by distilling crude oil at high temperatures and has a low gel point, allowing it to function well in freezing temperatures. It’s commonly used by those with mobile homes or outdoor fuel tanks.
>Heating oil, also known as No. 2 fuel oil, is a petroleum-based home fuel similar to off-road diesel. Heating oil generates an extraordinary amount of heat per gallon — 138,500 Btu, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Cubby Oil & Energy’s heating oil is cleaner and more renewable than almost anything else you can find in Massachusetts.

Why is Cubby’s heating oil so advanced?

At Cubby Oil & Energy, we are proud to deliver Bioheat® fuel. This fuel is a blend of ultra-low-sulfur heating oil and biofuel made with organic and recycled ingredients, including the following:

• used cooking oils
• inedible corn oil
• soybean oil
• canola
• tallow

The use of biofuel instead of petroleum significantly slashes the carbon intensity of this heating oil. It also reduces emissions of sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury and particulate matter. At this blend rate, our heating oil has lower greenhouse gas emissions than natural gas. And you still enjoy virtually the same robust heat generation as traditional heating oil. Plus, you won’t need to modify your heating system to use Bioheat fuel.

Wouldn’t you like to heat your home with efficient, environmentally friendly Bioheat fuel? Become a Cubby customer today to get started.