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What Are “Degree Days” And How Do They Work?

Learn all about the advantages of Automatic Delivery

automatic delivery maine

Have you ever wondered how PitStop Fuels knows when our Automatic Delivery customers need a delivery of propane or heating oil? We follow the data! That data includes following degree-days, alongside your prior heating oil or propane usage that we use to accurately predict when you will need more fuel.

But what exactly are degree-days, you ask?

A degree day is a unit of measure for knowing how hot or cold it has been over a 24-hour period, comparing the mean temperature for the day to a base value of 65˚ Fahrenheit.

The degree-day information helps us keep track of how much fuel you’ve needed to keep your home warm on a particular day. The more degree-days, the more fuel you’ve used and the sooner you’ll need a propane or heating oil delivery to your southern Maine home.

Here’s how you calculate degree-days for heating your home:

For example: Let’s say that the high temperature on a given day is 33˚ Fahrenheit and the low temperature is 25˚F.

Add 33 and 25, and then divide by 2. That gives you 29. Subtract 29 from 65, and you have 36 heating degree-days. We stack these numbers against the size of your tank and are able to tell when you’ll need your next fill-up!

If you’re interested about how these may look in different parts of the country, The National Weather Service Forecast Office provides an interesting snapshot of average heating and cooling degree-days in various U.S. locations (how’s that for fun cocktail party trivia?). Here are just two examples as it pertains to both heating, and cooling!

Why choosing automatic delivery is a smart move

One of the worst things that can happen to your home in cold weather is running out of propane or heating oil.

It’s not only a hassle, but it’s expensive and potentially dangerous. Your home is cold, putting your pipes in danger of freezing. Using Will-Call for your delivery put you at risk for that because you may forget to check your propane or heating oil tank gauge levels.

But with Automatic Delivery, that task is taken off your to-do list! We’ll use the data from degree-days to help calculate when you’ll need heating oil or propane, and then will schedule a delivery to your home before you run low. Instead of waiting for the first available delivery time with Will-Call, Automatic Delivery is designed for maximum efficiency in fuel delivery service.

You get peace of mind, and you don’t have to pay extra for it because Automatic Delivery is FREE!

Make life easier by enrolling in Automatic Delivery from PitStop Propane and Fuels for your propane or heating oil, today! Give us a call or fill out our contact form – we’ll help answer any questions you have.