Should you buy a house with oil heat?
Question:I AM BUYING A NEW HOUSE AND SOME HAVE OIL INSTEAD OF GAS- SOME HOUSES SMELL OF OIL IN THE BASEMENT. IS IT BETTER TO JUST SAY NO TO THE OIL HEATED HOMES?
Answers:
Here's the way I see it. You see oil heat a lot in the North East, the oldest part of the country. The cost to install underground gas pipeline in Boston for example was out of the question, that and the impact on historical sites and old streets with cobblestones, so, as those homes were modernized, oil heat became nearly the only choice because it could be delivered to an in-house tank. However, the economic drawback to oil as I see it, is delivery. Driving to your house with 500 gallons of fuel oil isn' t nearly as economically efficient as the pipeline. I'd have to vote for gas, I suspect it will continue to offer better opportunities for containing your heating cost. I'd love to hear the opinion of a HVAC specialist in this regard.
Prefer gas myself; no oil tank issues, no oil smell.
I would give my left chest to have oil heat.
if the house is something you can see yourself in for a very long time and absolutely love it - you can always convert it into gas or electric.
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