If Your Oil Furnace Is Well - Energy Economics

If you own a well-maintained oil furnace that's the right size for your home and running with respectable efficiency, consider retrofitting the oil burner with a smaller gauge spray-nozzle and a delayed-action solenoid valve to improve the oil/air mixture. That, plus changes to reduce heat loss through the venting system and combustion chamber, could improve efficiency by almost 22 per cent. Doing this will cost $700 or more and shear 20 per cent off your fuel bills.

A gas conversion burner for an oil furnace is yet another option. While only 50 per cent of most furnaces can be converted, installing the burners will prove five to ten per cent more energy efficient than even conventional gas furnaces because oil furnaces have a superior heat-exchanger. As well, less air is used in the combustion process which results in less heat loss up the chimney.

With such an adaptation, it's advisable to insert a metal chimney liner into all outside chimneys. During the combustion of natural gas, a considerable amount of water vapour is passed into the chimney, condensing as water or combining with combustion products to form corrosive acids. Freezing and thawing also adds to the deterioration of masonry chimneys.

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