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Heating Oil News
New Device Could Reduce Home Heating Oil Consumption
April 13, 2011
Its designers say the device will save homeowners money and reduce “fuel poverty”, as low-income households struggle to pay rising winter heating costs.
It could also prove useful for heating oil dealers by reducing instances of dry tanks and making for happier heating oil users.
Dunraven Systems Ltd is about launch Apollo Smart in the UK, which it bills as the world’s first energy monitor for oil heating systems, the British heating oil site oilfiredup reported on Wednesday.
While such devices are already available for electrical energy, this is the first that will gauge home heating oil consumption, carbon emissions and energy costs, the company says. According to a company press release, electronic energy monitors have transformed energy consumption in millions of homes across Europe, allowing customers to know exactly how much energy they are using and how much they are spending warming their homes. But until now, the technology has not been available to monitor residential heating oil systems.
The device consists of a battery-powered transmitter, which fits to the storage tank. It connects wirelessly to a plug-in electrical receiver featuring an LCD display.
Dunraven Systems managing director Gerry Jones said the system accurately monitors a home’s heating oil consumption, allowing consumers to monitor average daily, weekly, monthly and yearly energy costs and CO2 emissions.
It will alert the homeowner when their heating oil is running low, giving a precise number of “days to empty” to ensure customers never forget to fill up. This is displayed in both liters remaining and as a percentage of the tank’s capacity. The device also displays real time temperature information and cold weather alerts.
Jones said the system would save homeowners money by allowing them to accurately gauge how much energy they used. By better understanding their energy use and heating oil consumption patterns, consumers could take practical steps to control it and reduce costs.
Research by the UK government showed electricity customers using similar devices saved between 5 and 15 percent on energy costs within 12 months. Jones expressed optimism that the Apollo Smart device would afford users similar cost savings and additional benefits:
We expect that similar reductions in energy costs, fuel consumption and carbon emissions will be achievable with Apollo Smart. At a time when reducing emissions and tackling fuel poverty [have] never been higher on the agenda, Apollo Smart is uniquely positioned to reduce carbon output, enhance energy efficiency and reduce fuel costs at 1.7 million heating oil installations across Great Britain and Ireland.
The device is due to be unveiled in Britain this week, and will be rolled out in time for next winter. But there is no word yet on whether it will be available in the US.
If the devices come on-stream in the US, heating oil dealers could also benefit in terms of their marketing potential making heating oil systems more attractive. Apollo Smart, if it lives up to its manufacturer’s promises, could also make for better-informed and more conscientious heating oil users, which would help streamline deliveries and improve customer relations.
HeatingOil.com stresses that we’ve yet to test the device ourselves but invite comments from anyonce who has seen and/or used Apollo Smart.
