Here’s how it works:

Your house uses heat at a constant rate for each degree of “cold”.  The colder it is, the more heat your house uses.  We compare the oil you use with the amount of "cold" that elapses between deliveries to determine the unique rate at which your house uses heat.  Once we know that, we keep track of the cold, and follow your home’s fuel use day by day.

As soon as we calculate your tank is between ¼ and 1/3 full we deliver.  Simple… and yet it takes a sophisticated computer program and some thoughtful people to do it well.  We can even tailor the schedule to your needs:  If you don't want a late Spring delivery, for example, we can make a permanent note on your account and honor your request every year.

Automatic delivery is a win-win situation for everyone, as it ensures your tank is full when you need it and let’s us economically group our deliveries by neighborhood, saving us special trips later in the week.  Plus, it eliminates one more thing from your To-Do list.  Life is busy enough—let us worry about oil delivery for you.

Automatic Delivery Calculator

To quantify how cold it is, Bantam Fuel takes the average temperature for each day and subtracts it from 65 degrees Fahrenheit.  The difference is the number of degree days accumulated for that day.

Example: If the average temperature was 45 degrees, that would account for 20 degree days.

  65 degrees
 -45 degrees
=20 degree days

Here is a breakdown of how many degree days elapsed during the month of January for each of the past ten years:

1997 ..........1,273
1998 ..........1,071
1999 ..........1,246
2000 ..........1,343
2001 ..........1,248
2002 ..........1,040
2003 ..........1,416
2004 ..........1,520
2005 ..........1,330
2006 ..........1,026*
2007 ..........1,125
2008 ..........1,171

Good news—January 2006 was the warmest in a decade!