Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - Average Oil Consumption

Was just wondering what the average daily oil consumption is? For the past 3 years I have been averaging 5 gallons of oil usage per day. I know that the consumption will have alot to do with size of house, temperature setting, outside temperature, etc. I can tell you this that in the winter months my thermostat is basically set to 72 degrees. My home is approx 2,200 square feet, aluminum sided, with new energy efficient windows. The boiler is from 1950 and the burner was replaced about 6 years ago. Based on this information do you think 5 gallons of consumption a day is normal?

I read that the average is 3-4 gals a day. My has been about 2.5 gal per day heat & hot water 1500 sq ft at 69 deg. It has been a warm winter where I live, no below zero yet , very unusual. I would say your usage is about right,maybe just a bit high.

Just a 20% drop in efficiency increases consumption from 5 gallons to 6.
What sort of insulation does your boiler tank have?

Are your boiler and bare .pipes heating the basement too?

Are you using a modern heat manager control to reduce the number of burner firings?

We can discuss options and equipment but I will tell you right now that there is no possible way that there can be any kind of 'normal'. I'm not trying to be critical of the question but when you consider that temperatures change every day and every year, and that they are different for every part of each state in the US and Canada too. Then you have efficient and inefficient equipment and homes that are insulated well and those that are not. Add in people who like it hot and people who like to freeze. Not to mention multiple zones and integal domestic water with heat. The best way to get a benchmark is to get the degree day data from your local NOAA station for an interval that coincides with a known amount of fuel used. Then divide the degree days by the gallons of fuel burned. You will arrive at your K factor. That number can be used to track changes in your house and system to know if you are making worthwhile improvemets. It still won't help much when comparing with others with homes of a different size from yours.

Ken

In addition to KField's comments, I would like to add differences in lifestyle. You can take two identical houses, next door to each other & one could have 10-20% or even more higher consumption than the other. This can be simply due to differences in lifestyle. The more doors open due to kids, pets, etc., the more heat you loose. The hotter & longer you shower, the more it costs.
If your boiler is a 1950's vintage, I would bet a weeks pay it is oversized for the house. Another energy waster. Domestic coils gobble fuel because the boiler has to stay hot 24/7.

Our old oil dealer said to figure 3 gallons per day winter use. And 1 gallon per day summer use. We had a 1900 sq. ft. home. It was well insulated with excellent windows. Another said to figure 900 gallons per year.

You would probably get your best info from a fuel dealer. They know the area and have hundreds of other homes to use as a benchmark. It still is vague because of actual construction values, age of equipment and personal habits but they can probably put you within a couple hundred gallons of actual usage.

Ken