Heating Oil vs Diesel Fuel
Trailer Engineering | 11th May 2022
Heating oil and diesel fuel are often two terms that are used interchangeably, and while there are many similarities, there are some differences between the two substances. This post delves into these differences in an easy-to-understand way. It will help you learn more about the different types of fuels, most specifically heating oil vs diesel, their characteristics, composition, and uses.
What is Heating Oil?
Essentially heating is a fuel that is used for heating purposes. For example, heating oil, specifically gas oil, is primarily used to fuel tractors, farm equipment and utility vehicles in a commercial setting. Home heating oil is used to heat up domestic residences with oil boilers, and commercial gas oil is used in commercial and agricultural settings. While domestically is more commonly used for light sources, the Amish community use kerosene in lamps for nighttime illumination as they do not use electricity and for heating systems that aren't hooked up to mains gas.
Home heating oil is kerosene, sometimes known as 28-second oil, 35-second oil or red diesel. It is similar to diesel and is lighter than gas oil. Heating oil doesn't catch fire or burn in liquid form, which is why it is considered safe to use in the home.
When looking at the chemical composition of heating oil, it is a mixture of petroleum-derived hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons are in the 14-20 atom range, which condenses between the 250 and 350 debris Celsius mark during the oil refining process.
What are the Different Types of Heating Oil?
When it comes to heating oil, you need to know you are using the right oil for your equipment to ensure you are able to use it correctly and reduce the risk of harm or damage. Heating oil is a blanket term for a range of fuels. Heating oil is heavier than diesel and is most commonly used in the form of gas oil and kerosene in domestic settings. Chances are, if you have a home heating system that uses oil, you are using kerosene.
Gas Oil
Gas oil has different names, including red diesel, farm diesel, USLG, Marked EN590, Class A2, Class D and 35-second burning oil.
Gas oil is a dual-purpose fuel with a high calorific content (i.e. heat content). Another thing you should know about gas oil is that it is typically coloured red. This is due to it being a form of diesel and its ability to be used in diesel engines for cars or other road vehicles. Gas oil is subject to lower or zero duty ratings and is coloured red to prevent people from avoiding paying for standard diesel that is subject to higher taxes, increasing the cost.
Generally, gas oil is recommended for use in agricultural machinery and equipment or industrial installations. However, it can be used as fuel for backup generators for establishments such as hospitals and non-commercial buildings.
Kerosene
Kerosene, also known as paraffin or kero, is a flammable liquid most commonly used in domestic settings for light, heat and power. It is thought that over 1.5 million homes are considered "off-grid" and use kerosene for their energy usage.
It is worth noting that while all three monikers for this field are used interchangeably, there are slight differences between kerosene and paraffin.
Kerosene is a petroleum product that has gone through a distilling process known as "fractional distillation" to leave a thin clear oil that we know as kerosene. It has a density of 0.82 g/cm³ (paraffin is slightly different at 0.8 g/cm³ ).
Kerosene is used as jet fuel thanks to its low vapour level and the chance of exploding. When it comes to how kerosene is used, while it is still popular for lighting and heating homes, it is also used in many commercial applications. Kerosene can be used to clean bike chains before they're relubricated, and it is used in the entertainment industry for acts like fire breathing and juggling.
What is Diesel Fuel?
Diesel fuel is a combustible liquid used for powering diesel engines. Diesel fuel is obtained from less volatile fractions of crude oil than are used in gasoline. Diesel doesn't need a spark to ignite and therefore is ignited via a mixture of compressed inlet air and the fuel injection. Diesel fuel releases more energy on combustion, making it more economical for engines and a better economical choice.
Diesel fuel can also be manufactured in different grades for various applications, including "heavy" for slow-moving vehicles such as trains or boats for example. In contrast, "middle" grade diesel is ideal for trucks and cars.
Different Types of Diesel Fuel
There are multiple types of diesel fuel in the market today, and each one has different properties and uses. The type of diesel most people will be aware of is ultra-low sulphur diesel (USLD). This diesel has a sulphur content of 15 parts per million (ppm) or less. This means its harmful emissions are reduced, making it more environmentally friendly. This is the type of diesel that is most commonly used for on-road vehicles.
You can also find biodiesel made from vegetable oils and animal fats and used alone or with petroleum-based diesel. The benefits of this type of diesel are that it reduces emissions and a reliance on fossil fuels. Other types include renewable diesel, which is chemically identical to petroleum-based diesel and can be used instead of standard diesel without requiring any modification and non-road diesel. Non-road diesel is used in off-road vehicles. Lastly, you can have marine diesel exclusively for use in marine engines.
In recent years, there have been many changes to emission regulations to reduce pollution and make diesel better for the environment. EN590 is a European standardisation for diesel fuel that all diesel fuel types must meet. This standard is designed to reduce sulphur emissions.
What is the Difference Between Heating Oil and Diesel?
This section looks into the key differences between each oil so you can make a more informed decision when purchasing diesel or heating oil. Choosing the wrong type of oil can be disastrous if you don't know what you are doing and lead to damage to equipment, your heating system or even to yourself.
For example, in a pinch, you could power your home heating system using diesel if you were running low, as both are mid-level or midweight distillations of petroleum. However, diesel engines are designed to use diesel only, so using heating oil in a diesel engine can cause massive damage to the system.
Power
While heating oil and diesel give out the same heat-giving properties, heating oil is heavier than diesel. The measurement for this standard is Btu (British Thermal Unit). Heating oil can produce 138,50 Btu per gallon, while diesel will produce 137,500 Btu.
When you apply this to heating your home, heating oil will burn 300 degrees hotter, meaning you can heat your home faster and warmer.
Sulphur Content
It is worth noting that in its pure form and at low levels, sulphur isn't harmful to humans, and people generally consume it in their daily diet. Sulphur is found in diesel and heating oil in compounds that can be detrimental to humans and the environment and contribute to air pollution and acid rain.
In recent years, the law has changed to reduce the amount of sulphur in diesel, which is currently at its lowest level. Sulphur that is found in diesel for machinery and equipment is permitted to be at a maximum of 15 ppm.
Heating oil has significantly higher allowed levels of sulphur at 500 ppm. But you can purchase low sulphur heating oils at 332 ppm, while super-low sulphur heating oils can be as low as diesel at 15 ppm.
Price
Diesel fuel is taxed, meaning you pay a higher price for it than heating oil. The cost is mainly down to the fuel tax; diesel fuel is liable for fuel tax, and the fact that many motor vehicles require this fuel source to operate, thus driving up the cost. Heating oil is a more cost-effective heating source.
Despite recent fluctuations in the price of gas due to economic changes and world events, the price of heating oil has dropped slightly to an average cost of 68,445 pence per litre on sales of 1,000 litres. While this is up on the average price from 2020, it has dropped from an all-time high of 99 pence per litre per 1,000 litres sold.
This is in direct contrast to the current average price of diesel per litre, which is 160.99 per litre.
On a supply and demand basis, diesel is more sought after than heating oil, and due to its composition and the efforts to make diesel more environmentally friendly, you can expect to pay a premium for this fuel compared to heating oil, as detailed above.
Other factors that can affect the price of diesel and heating oil include; Local demand, supply, weather, political unrest, the cost of crude oil and the quality of your purchase, to name a few.
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