Every time you turn on the heating or run the bath, do you spare a thought about the heating oil you’re using? Probably not. And why would you? But, it’s an interesting fuel that’s been used for thousands of years around the world. We thought we’d give you our top 10 facts about oil so you can share our appreciation for it.
Before we go into our favourite oil facts, let’s start with what heating oil is exactly.
Well, it’s a refined petroleum product derived from crude oil through a process called fractional distillation. The process starts with crude oil being extracted from oil wells. It’s then transported to refineries via pipelines, tankers, and trucks. It then undergoes what’s called fractional distillation which separates it into various components by heating it into a vapour that rises into a tall fractionating column. As it rises, it cools and condenses at different heights forming different fractions (kinds of fuel) such as diesel fuel, jet fuel, and kerosene heating oil. The heating oil obtained then undergoes further processing to meet the required standards before being transported around the world. Eventually, ending up in your heating oil tank.
10. Heating oil has lots of names
You may have heard people use other names for heating oil and possibly not realised it’s the same thing, Other names for heating oil are fuel oil, kerosene, kero, paraffin and 28 second heating oil. And there's Premium Heating oil too which is standard heating oil with an added additive to make it cleaner burning and more efficient by up to 15%.
Then there's gas oil, also known as 35 second heating oil, with the only difference being its grade, based on viscosity and suitability for specific types of heating systems.
Looking to the future, an exciting renewable fuel is on its way. We're looking to supply hydro-treated vegetable oil, or HVO, to households very soon.
9. Oil has been used for over 5,000 years
Ancient civilisations, such as the Sumerians, Babylonians and Egyptians, were among the first to use crude oil for various purposes. They used it as a waterproofing agent, for medicinal purposes and in religious ceremonies. The oil they used would most likely have been collected at places where it seeped naturally to the surface of the earth. Learn more about the history of off-grid heating.
8. Over 1.5 million homes in the UK rely on heating oil
Would you believe that if the average home has four people in it, they add up to six million people using home heating oil for central heating and warm water. Then on top of this, there are the many industries and businesses across that country that use it, as well as schools and colleges.
7. Oil makes far more than just heating oil
As well as being used to make heating oil, and other forms of fuel we’ve already mentioned, oil is also used to create everything from plastic bottles and clothes to sporting goods and medical supplies. In fact, it makes so many different everyday items, there are too many to list here.
6. The biggest oil reserves are in Venezuela
Bet you thought it was Saudi Arabia? Well, it was until 2014, which is when Venezuela officially had the largest proven oil reserve in the world. With a proven reserve of 304 billion barrels, it just beats Saudi Arabia’s 298 billion barrels.
5. Crude oil is 300 million years old
Crude oil is made from fossilised organic material like basic animals and plants that were alive 300 million years ago. At the time, algae and zooplankton were the main lifeform around. They would absorb carbon molecules, then centuries after they died, they became buried beneath rock. Over millions of years under high pressure and the right temperature conditions, they’d become what’s called kerogen. Following this, a process called catagenesis turned the kerogen into hydrocarbons that then become crude oil.
4. Due to offshore oil drilling, America extended its border 200 miles off its coast
The U.S. boarder doesn’t stop at the coast, because in 1983, President Ronald Reagen claimed an area called the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which was 200 miles from the coastline. But don’t worry, because in 1994, all countries were granted an EEZ zone 200 miles from their coastlines to make it fair!
3. Kerosene replaced whale oil
Kerosene was discovered by Canadian geologist, Abraham Gesner in the 1840s. Later, in 1854 kerosene manufacturing began and when it did, it soon became cheaper and more widely available than whale oil which was being used at the time. It’s thought by many that the production of kerosene helped lead to the decline in whale hunting which happened during this period.
2. Bubblegum’s made using oil
We hope we don’t put you off if you’re a big fan of bubblegum, but it’s made from petroleum-based polymers. This is why it behaves in the way it does.
1. The first oil wells were in China
Even though they weren’t the first to use oil, the Chinese were the first (as far as we know) to drill for it. The first oil wells date back nearly 2,500 years with Chinese engineers using bamboo to extract the crude oil.
We hope you’ve found out top 10 facts interesting. And next time you run the hot water tap, remember that the heating oil you’re using is older than the dinosaurs!