Burning oil or kerosene oil

Burning oil - also known as kerosene oil - is widely used for home heating purposes throughout the UK and the rest of the world. It is known for its clean-burning properties, reliability and cost efficacy.

A petroleum derivative refined to a high quality through processes of fractional distillation, it is suitable for a range of domestic heating appliances, although a flue or chimney is needed to extract the waste products arising in the burning process. Particularly, a flue leading out of the property is important to avoid the potential build up of carbon monoxide.

Consumers who have just moved into a new property and wish to check whether their boiler is designed to use burning oil can do so by examining the oil tank gauge for signs of colouration. Because kerosene oil is transparent or very pale yellow in colour, it should not stain fuel tanks, while gas oil - the main alternative to burning oil which is commonly used in older boilers - is red in colour and is known to mark oil tanks.

Kerosene oil is used throughout the UK and is available for delivery via a competitive distribution and retail network. It is most commonly relied upon by residents living in properties where access to mains gas is unavailable.

In such properties, burning oil is stored outside of the home in a tank, commonly with a maximum capacity of 1,000 litres, which is then fed to the internal boiler via underground or overground pipes. Kerosene oil is a preferred method of home heating because its combustion properties make it both very safe and environmentally sound. Furthermore, kerosene oil has a very low freezing point and as such is very useful for properties located in cold areas. This reliability may be particularly pertinent for those with overground pipes which are more exposed to inimical ambient temperatures.