What is Domestic Heating Oil?

Date Published: 18/11/2024

While many households in the UK are connected to the national gas grid, there are also millions that instead use domestic heating oil for their heating and hot water. You might also think that being off the grid may put you at a disadvantage, but there are in fact many benefits to using domestic home heating oil.

However, if you’re about to move into a property that relies on heating oil, or you are considering using a domestic heating oil system to provide warmth for your home, you might be keen to learn a little bit more about it first. So, as experts in this area, we’ve explained everything you need to know about domestic heating oil, including what the other names are for it as well as the answers to some of the most popular questions customers have about it.

What is domestic heating oil? Our explanation

Domestic heating oil is what’s used with any boilers and/or heating systems of a property that are run using oil. There are a number of different types of domestic heating oil, but the most common example is Kerosene – this is also often called ‘28-second oil’ and is a lighter oil type that is the most likely to be found being used in UK households that have oil-fired systems.

What is ‘home heating oil’?

The easy answer to this question is that ‘home heating oil’ is exactly the same as domestic heating oil. This is simply just another common name used to describe this particular source of fuel. Find out more about the benefits of domestic home heating oil here.

What is home heating oil made of?

Domestic heating oil is produced from petroleum, which itself is created when crude oil is heated at high temperatures during what’s known as ‘fractional distillation’. Heating oil itself condenses during this process at temperatures of around 250°C and 350°C.

What are home heating oil additives?

In terms of heating oil quality, this can vary and ultimately be boosted through the inclusion of specific additives. One example is home heating oil anti-gel additives that can be added to a fuel mix which in turn helps prevent lines and filters from clogging at lower temperatures.

Here at Your NRG, our standard domestic heating oil is indeed kerosene (28-second oil) but we also supply kerosene additives that can reduce consumption, maximise the efficiency of the oil, improve the ‘burn quality’ compared to standard kerosene, as well as help to reduce the maintenance needed on the domestic boilers that use this oil. Want to find out more about kerosene additives? Take a look at our guidance on how kerosene additives work. 

What does home heating oil smell like?

Home heating oil has a distinct, acrid and oily smell. It can also sometimes have a metallic smell to it as well.

What does home heating oil look like?

Domestic heating oil should have a honey yellow colour and has a consistency more like water when compared to thick crude oil. This is something you can also check by inserting a dipstick into your storage tank.

How does home heating oil work?

Homes that use domestic heating oil will have a plastic or a metal tank near their property which is used to store and then supply the heating system. The oil is pumped from the tank into the boiler where it’s ignited by an electrode to create a flame. The hot exhaust gases from this are then sent though a heat exchanger which heats up water to supply radiators and any hot water taps and fixtures. This supply is of course limited and the storage tank will need topping up periodically. Discover more about our remote tank monitoring on our services page. 

Are home heating oil and diesel the same?

Simply put, the answer is no. Although they share similar properties in terms of combustion and heat production, home heating oil and diesel are two separate entities with the former having a much heavier composition. However, you can still encounter older heating systems and boilers that run off gas oil – which is often also called ‘red diesel’.

How is home heating oil delivered?

Specialist suppliers can deliver home heating oil from their depots via a tanker. The oil is then pumped securely from the tanker into the oil tank that’s attached to the property.

How to get a domestic heating oil delivery

The first thing you should do is find how many litres you need and then get in touch with a specialist supplier like Your NRG to get a quote and purchase your new supply of domestic heating oil. Our team can then also arrange a free delivery at a time that suits you.

How to use a home heating oil usage calculator

If you’re unsure how much heating oil you’re going to need, then an online usage calculator can tell you what you need to know. This can be done by entering the specific details about your domestic tank’s volume into the calculator – whether your tank is horizontal, vertical or rectangular – and it should be able to work out an estimation of the amount you require.

How to get a home heating oil quote

You can quickly get a quote for your home heating oil by either contacting a specialist supplier directly or by using something like the Your NRG online quote tool. You can find this here and with it you can get a quote in seconds by entering information about your location, the amount of domestic heating oil you need in litres and/or your maximum spend.

Additional support from Your NRG

If you have any other questions about domestic heating oil, you want some more information about how it’s made or you want to make an enquiry about the services we provide then don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our knowledgeable staff will be more than happy to assist you and provide the answers you need. All our contact details for our depot locations can be found here. In addition, we also have some handy FAQs that cover everything from how to order your domestic heating oil, to our delivery options and more.

See also...

Benefits of domestic home heating oil
What is domestic home heating oil
How much is domestic home heating oil