DOE/EIA-0207/1 

Order Mo. 306

Single-Family Households: 

Fuel Oil Inventories and 

Expenditures

National Interim Energy Consumption Survey

December 1979

U.S. Department of Energy

Energy Information Administration 

Assistant Administrator for Program 

Development
Other NIECS Reports

Preliminary Conservation Tables from the National 

Interim Energy Consumption Survey 

(August 1979) DOE/EIA-0193/P

Characteristics of the Housing Stocks and Households: 

Preliminary Findings from the National Interim Energy 

Consumption Survey 

(October 1979) DOE/EIA-0199/P

Copies of these reports are available from:

National Energy Information Center

1726 M Street, N.W.

Room 850

Washington, B.C. 20461

(202) 634-5694

Released for printing January 9, 1980.
DOE/EIA-0207/1 

Dist. Cat. UC-92

Single-Family Households: 

Fuel Oil Inventories and 

Expenditures

National Interim Energy Consumption Survey

December 1979

U.S. Department of Energy

Energy Information Administration 

Assistant Administrator for Program 

Development

Office of the Consumption Data System 

Washington, D.C. 20461

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office 

Washington, D.C. 20402.

Stock Number 061-003-0007B-4
PREFACE

This report of the Office of the Consumption Data System, 

Office of Program Development, Energy Information Adminis 

tration, presents final data from the National Interim 

Energy Consumption Survey (NIECS) and a quick-response 

survey of fuel oil households. The focus of this report is 

the consumption, expenditures, and conservation activities 

of households which use fuel oil as their main space heating 

fuel.

A detailed description of how the survey was conducted and 

a glossary of terms is presented in a previous report, 

Preliminary Conservation Tables from the National Interim 

Energy Consumption Survey (EIA/DOE-0193/P).

This report was written by Lynda T. Carlson and Kenneth A. 

Vagts, statistical analysis was performed by Stuart Cohen, 

and Diane Good performed the secretarial and clerical func 

tions .
CONTENTS

Preface.................................................. i

Introduction............................................. 1

Caveat................................................... 2

General Characteristics.................................. 3

Consumption and Expenditures............................. 3

Prices................................................... 4

Conversions.............................................. 4

Supplementary Heating Systems............................ 4

Conservation............................................. 5

Inventory................................................ 5

Capacity................................................. 6

Tables

Table 1 Heating Degree Days......................... 7

Table 2 Average Gallons Per SingleFamily Household 

Used From September 1978 through March 1979, and 

Estimated Ranges of Expenditures and Consumption 

for September 1979 through March 1980............. 8

Table 3 Average Price in Cents Per Gallon Paid by

Single-Family Fuel Oil Households................. 9

Table 4 Average Price in Cents Per Gallon Paid 

by Single-Family Fuel Oil Households, April 1978 

to August 1979....................................10

Table 5 Fuel Plans for the Winter of 1979-1980...... 11

Table 6 Energy Conservation Changes Made by Fuel 

Oil Households, January 1978 to November 1978 

and December 1978 to August 1979 (In percent 

of households) .................................... 12

111
Table 7 Plans for Supplementary Fuel Use in the

Winter of 1979-1980 ............................... 13

Table 8 Furnace Cleaning and Heating System Changes 

Made By Single-Family Households Between September 

1978 and August 1979 .............................. 14

Table 9 Gallons in Storage as a Percent of Tank

Capacity, August 1979 and August 1978............. 15

Table 10 Total Gallons Delivered to Single-Family

Fuel Oil Households ............................... 16

Table 11 Average Gallons Delivered Per Single-Family 

Fuel Oil Household................................ 17

Table 12 Estimated Storage Tank Capacity for

Single-Family Households, August 1979 ............. 18

IV
INTRODUCTION

This report presents the results of the Energy Information 

Administration's (EIA) quick-response survey of fuel oil* 

use by single-family households. Two surveys were conducted 

in August and September 1979 to determine if households were 

experiencing problems in obtaining fuel oil. The surveys 

also collected information on the households' expenditures 

for fuel oil and their conservation activities. The surveys 

involved contacting fuel oil households and dealers, respec 

tively .

The quick-response surveys were preceded by the EIA survey 

of residential energy consumption** conducted in the fall of 

1978. Information was collected on housing unit charac 

teristics, household characteristics, fuel consumption and 

end uses, and transportation characteristics from a sample 

of 3,843 households of which 2,675 resided in single-family 

units. In addition, waivers were collected from the house 

holds to obtain fuel consumption and expenditure data from 

their energy suppliers. These data were obtained from the 

dealers for the period April 1978 through March 1979. A 

detailed description of the survey design and sampling plan 

is provided in Preliminary Conservation Tables from the 

National Interim Energy Consumption Survey(NIECS)***.

There were 575 single-family households in NIECS which used 

fuel oil as their main heat source during the 1978-1979 

winter heating season. In August 1979, these households 

were contacted either by telephone or through personal 

interviews (in cases where the occupant had changed from 

NIECS or could not be contacted by telephone).**** in all, 

498 or 87 percent of the original 575 were contacted. They 

were queried about changes to their heating systems, the 

status of their fuel inventories as of August 1978 and 

August 1979, storage tank capacities, and any conservation 

changes performed on their housing unit since fall 1978. 

Four-hundred and sixty of these indicated that they would be

*Data were collected from both fuel oil and kerosene 

households. There were 55 kerosene households in the sample 

and these data are included with the fuel oil.

**The National Interim Energy Consumption Survey (NIECS). 

***National Interim Energy Consumption Survey, Office of 

the Consumption Data System, Office of Program Development, 

Energy Information Administration, August 1, 1979; 

DOE/EIA-0193/P; pp. 47-52.

****Single-family housing structure types are either de 

tached or attached. Mobile homes are not included in this 

category.
using fuel oil as their main heat source during the 1979- 

1980 winter heating season. New waivers for additional fuel 

oil expenditures and delivery information were requested. 

After the waivers were obtained, the companies servicing 

these households were recontacted and data on deliveries and 

expenditures from April through August 1979 were obtained 

for 288 or 63 percent of the 460 households. Information 

obtained included gallons delivered to the household, price 

per gallon, and expenditure per delivery.

The 63 percent response rate during this period may be 

attributed to several factors: First, the short time frame 

for this emergency survey precluded personal or multiple 

contacts in order to obtain waivers from households; second, 

insufficient time was available to make multiple contacts 

with fuel oil dealers; and third response fatigue may have 

occurred for both households and fuel oil dealers. Data 

from this part of the survey were used for only two pur 

poses: First, the delivery data were used to verify the 

inventory information the households had provided; and 

second, the price data were used. These price data matched 

the price data obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 

(see Table 3) .

CAVEAT

The NIECS sample was based on a national probability sample 

of households. Fuel oil households had a probability of 

being selected proportional to their occurrence in the popu 

lation. As the sample size for the quick-response survey is 

quite small, the data should be used to indicate trends 

rather than as providing definitive numbers. Standard 

errors are provided for several tables.*

*The standard errors presented in the tables are estimates 

which allow the user to develop a confidence interval for 

the given estimate. A 95 percent confidence interval can be 

derived by taking twice the standard error and subtracting 

this value from the estimate to obtain the lower end of the 

interval. Adding twice the standard error to the estimate 

will give the upper end of the interval. For example, if 

766 is the estimate of average gallons per household from 

September 1978 through March 1979 (Table 2) and 30 gallons 

is the standard error, then the 95 percent confidence in 

terval is 706-826. A 95 percent confidence interval means 

that if we repeated the survey using all possible samples, 

95 percent of all intervals calculated in this fashion would 

contain the true mean. (The error bounds quoted in the text 

are already at the 95 percent level and should not be 

doubled.)
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

There are approximately 11.5 million households living in 

single-family units who used fuel oil as their main heat 

source during the 1978-1979 winter heating season. Fuel oil 

was the second ranking home heating fuel and was used in 

22 percent of the housing units. Natural gas was first with 

57 percent; electricity was third with 13 percent; and LPG, 

wood, and other fuels accounted for the remaining 7 per 

cent.* Fuel oil-heated housing units are concentrated in 

the Northeast census region. Of the 22 percent of singlefamily housing units nationwide who heat with fuel oil, 

9 percent are in the Northeast census region. The North 

Central census region has 6 percent, the South has 6 per 

cent, and the West has 1 percent.

Fuel oil is used for water heating in six percent of the 

total number of single-family housing units. Virtually all 

housing units which use fuel oil for hot water heating also 

use fuel oil for their primary heating fuel. Looking at 

this the other way, only a little more than one-fourth of 

the housing units using fuel oil as the primary heating fuel 

also use fuel oil for water heating.

CONSUMPTION AND EXPENDITURES

Single-family households using fuel oil as a main heating 

fuel (approximately 11.5 million households) consumed ap 

proximately 10.7 billion gallons in the period from April 

1978 through March 1979. The total expenditures for fuel 

oil were approximately $5.8 billion. The average con 

sumption** per household from April 1978 through March 1979 

was 936 gallons, +JL06 at the 95 percent confidence level. 

The weather for this period was 11 percent colder than the 

47-year average (see Table 1).

From September 1978 through March 1979, the average con 

sumption per household was 766 gallons, +_60 at the 95 

percent confidence levex. The average expenditure was $420 

per household, +38 at the 95 percent confidence level.

*Numbers do not add due to rounding. See Table 10 in 

Characteristics of the Housing Stock and Households: Pre 

liminary Findings from the National Interim Energy Con 

sumption Survey, October 1, 1979, DOE/EIA-0191/P.

**Fuel oil data are represented by gallons delivered. 

Unlike gas and electricity, the deliveries do not correspond 

directly to consumption.
Table 2 presents average expenditure and consumption esti 

mates for households with incomes "less than $15,000" and 

"$15,000 or more".* Estimates of consumption and expendi 

tures for September 1979 through March 1980 are also pre 

sented based on the August 1979 fuel oil price and two 

weather conditions last year's and the 47-year average.

PRICES

Prices have increased substantially in the last year. From 

April through August 1978, fuel oil prices remained steady 

at 50 cents per gallon. From August 1978 through August 

1979, however, fuel oil households experienced a 60 percent 

increase in the price per gallon. From April through August 

1979, there was a 29 percent price increase (see Table 3). 

Table 4 presents average prices for the April through August 

1978 and April through August 1979 time periods.

Based on last year's weather and an 80 cents per gallon 

price, the average household will spend $613 on fuel oil 

from September 1979 through March 1980. If this year's 

weather pattern is similar to the average of the previous 47 

years, the average household will spend $561 (see Table 2).

CONVERSIONS

Approximately seven percent of the single-family households 

that used fuel oil as their main heat source during the 

1978-1979 winter heating season have converted to an alter 

native fuel source (see Table 5). Four percent have con 

verted to utility gas and three percent to wood.

The meaning of the data on wood is unclear. It appears to 

indicate that households do have wood-burning stoves, but it 

is not known if the oil-heating equipment has been removed 

from them. Consequently, households may still be able to 

use their fuel oil furnaces.

SUPPLEMENTARY HEATING SYSTEMS

Approximately 60 percent of all single-family households 

using fuel oil for space heating do not plan to use a sup 

plementary heating fuel in the coming winter (see Table 7}.

*See p. 40 of Characteristics of the Housing Stock and 

Households; Preliminary Findings from the National Interim 

Energy Consumption Survey for a definition of the variable 

family income.
CONSERVATION

Detailed information on energy conservation activities of 

households are to be found in Preliminary Conservation 

Tables from the National Interim Energy Consumption Survey.* 

In this special fuel oil survey, households were reminded of 

the data on conservation changes which they had provided 

during the fall 1978 interview. They were then asked if any 

insulation, storm windows, or storm doors had been added to 

the unit since that point. Responses indicated a major 

trend in that approximately eight percent of the households 

have added attic insulation and seven percent have added 

insulation in the outside walls since November 1978 (see 

Table 6).

The data also indicate that since fall 1978, approximately 

60 percent of the households had their furnaces cleaned. A 

number of households have also otherwise improved the effi 

ciency of their heating system (see Table 8 for details).

INVENTORY

An estimated 80 percent of single-family fuel oil households 

reported that their fuel oil tanks were at least half full 

in August 1979. They were also asked to estimate what their 

inventory was as of August 1978. Although these data are 

subject to respondent recall error, 83 percent indicated 

that their tanks were at least half full in August 1978 

(see Table 9).

The total single-family fuel inventory as of August 1979 is 

estimated to be 59 million barrels, +_8 at the 95 percent 

confidence level. The total single-family fuel oil in 

ventory as of August 1978 is estimated to be 58 million 

barrels, j^8 at the 95 percent confidence level.

The data on the households' estimates of their inventory for 

August 1978 and August 1979 appear to be verified by deli 

very data from suppliers. Table 10 indicates that singlefamily fuel oil households purchased approximately the same 

amount of fuel oil from April through August 1979 as was 

purchased from April through August 1978. Table 11 presents 

the average gallons delivered during this period.

*Published, October 1, 1979; DOE/EIA-0193/P.
CAPACITY

The total storage capacity for single-family fuel oil 

households is estimated at 86 million barrels, + 10 at the 95 

percent confidence level. Table 12 presents more detail on 

storage capacity.
Table 1. Heating Degree Days

Month

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

January

February

March

TOTAL

1931-1978

Average Heating 

Degree Days*

361

159

34

6

11

71

267

564

861

957

802

664

4,757

1978-1979

Heating Degree 

Days*

373

167

31

8

11

66

308

545

888

1,134

1,016

613

5,278

*Population weighted numbers for the United States provided 

by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration,
Table 2. Average Gallons Per Single-Family Household Used From September 1978 through March 1979, and Estimated Ranges 

of Expenditures and Consumption for September 1979 through March 1980

September 1978 Through March 1979

Distribution

All Households

Income Under

$15,000

Income Of

 $15,000 and 00 Over

Average

Gallons

766

654

783

Standard

Error

30

44

41

Average

Expendi 

tures

$420

$360

$429

Standard

Error

19

28

26

Estimated

Expendiditures*

$613

$523

$626

September 1979 Through March

Standard

Error

28

41

38

Estimated

Gallons**

702

599

717

Standard

Error t

27

40

38

1980

Estimated

Expendi 

tures***

$561

$479

$574

Standard

Error

25

37

35

*Based on 80C per gallon, and 1978-1979 consumption and degree days. These numbers are calculated by multiplying the 

average gallons column by .80.

**Based on average degree days for 1931-1978. The estimate is based on the ratio of the 47 year average of heating degree 

days for the period of September 1 through March 31 to the number of heating degree days from September 1, 1978, through 

March 31, 1979.

***Based on 80$ per gallon and average degree days for 1931-1978. These numbers are calculated by multiplying the estimated 

number of gallons in the previous gallons column by .80.
Table 3. Average Price in Cents Per Gallon Paid by Single-Family Fuel Oil 

Households

Year

1978

1979

1979 

(BLS)*

*These

April

50.

62.

62.7

price

Stan 

dard 

Error

2.

3.

data are

May

50.

66.

65.

from

Stan 

dard 

Error

2.

3.

6

the Bureau

Stan 

dard 

June Error

49.

71.

70.

of

2.

2.

9

July

50.

75.

75.2

Labor Statistics

Stan 

dard 

Error

1.

2.

August

50.

80.

80.0

Stan 

dard 

Error

1.

2.

news release, Consumer

Prices; Energy.
Table 4. Average Price in Cents Per Gallon Paid by Single-Family Fuel Oil 

Households*, April 1978 to August 1979

Fuel Oil 

Households

All Single -Family

Household Income

 Under $15,000

 $15,000 and Over

Heating Degree Days

--5,500 or More

 4,000 to 5,500

 Less than 4,000

April 1978 

through 

August 1978

50.

49.

50.

49.

51.

50.

Standard 

Error

3.

5.

4,

5.

5.

7.

April 1979 

through 

August 1979

68.

67.

68.

69.

67.

66.

Standard 

Error

4.

7.

5.

6.

6.

8,

*Represents single-family fuel oil households who plan to use fuel oil as their 

main heating fuel in the winter of 1979-1980.
Table 5. Fuel Plans for the Winter of 1979-1980*

Percent of Standard 

Fuel Plans_____________________Households_________Error

Will Continue to Use Fuel Oil 92 2

Have Converted or Plan to

Convert** from Fuel Oil to: ***7 2

Utility Gas 4 2

Wood 3 2

Other 1 1

Plans Unknown 1 1 

TOTAL ***100

*A11 single-family households who used fuel oil as the main 

heating fuel in the winter of 1978-1979.

**The survey was conducted with NIECS households who, in 

the fall of 1978, indicated that they used fuel oil for space 

heating. Therefore, our August 1979 sample does not include 

any household that has converted to fuel oil. In addition, 

the sample does not include any units constructed since 

September 1978. 

***May not add due to rounding.

11
Table 6. Energy Conservation Changes Made by Fuel Oil House 

holds*, January 1978 to November 1978 and December 

1978 to August 1979 (In percent of households)

January 1978 to December 1978

November 1978 to August 1979 

Type of Change______________(11 months)______(9 months)

Weather Stripping and/or

Caulking **19 14

Types of Insulation

Roof or Attic 4 8

Outside Walls 3 7

Hot Water Pipes or Heating Ducts 1 3

Basement or Crawl Space 1 2

Other *** 2

Storm Windows and/or Insulating

Glass 4 5

Storm Doors and/or Insulating

Glass 3 5

Automatic or Clock Thermostat 1 ***

*A11 households living in single-family homes and planning 

to use fuel oil as their main heating fuel in the winter of 

1979-1980.

**Caulking only. 

***Less than one percent.

12
Table 7. Plans for Supplementary Fuel Use in the Winter 

of 1979-1980

Supplementary Fuel

No Plan to Use Supplementary Fuel

Supplementary Fuel Use Planned

Wood

--Fireplace 

 Stove

Electricity

Utility Gas

Other/Unknown

TOTAL

Percent of Households*

63

37

22

14 

9

6

2

6

**100

*A11 single-family households planning to use fuel oil for 

space heating in the winter of 1979-1980. 

**May not add due to rounding.

13
Table 8. Furnace Cleaning and Heating System Changes Made 

By Single-Family Households* Between September 

1978 and August 1979

Type of Change_____________________Percent of Households

Furnace Cleaned 61

Nozzle Replaced 21

New Furnace Installed 2

Flame-Retention Head Burner Installed 2

Thermostat Recalibrated 2

Home Heating System Zoned 1

Automatic Flue Door Added **

*A11 households living in single-family homes and planning 

to use fuel oil as their main heating fuel in the winter of 

1979-1980. 

**Less than one percent.

14
Table 9. Gallons in Storage as a Percent of Tank Capacity, August 1979 and 

August 1978

Percent of Households*

Proportion of 

Tank Filled

Single-Family

Less Than 25 Percent

25 to 49 Percent

50 to 74 Percent

75 to 99 Percent

100 Percent (Full)

TOTAL

August 1979

7

13

29

23

28

**100

Standard 

Error

2

3

4

4

4

August 1978

6

10

40

18

25

**100

Standard 

Error

2

3

5

3

4

*All single-family households planning to use fuel oil for space heating in 

the winter of 1979-1980. 

**May not add due to rounding.
Table 10. Total Gallons Delivered to Single-Family Fuel Oil Households 1

CTl

Fuel Oil 

Households

All Single-Family

Household Income**

 Under $15,000 

 $15,000 and Over

Heating Degree Days 

--5,500 or More 

 4,000 to 5,500 

 Less Than 4,000

April 1978 

through 

August 1978

1,739

553 

930

845 

719 

174

In Millions

Standard 

Error

218

117 

154

144 

145 

70

of Gallons

April 1979 

through 

August 1979

1,739

528 

953

867 

641 

230

Standard 

Error

184

109 

132

126 

110 

82

*Represents single-family fuel oil households who plan to use fuel oil as their 

main heating fuel in the winter of 1979-1980.

**These numbers will not add to the total for "All Single-Family" because all 

households did not report their income.
Table 11. Average Gallons Delivered Per Single-Family Fuel Oil Household*

In Millions of Gallons

Fuel Oil 

Households

All Single-Family

Household Income

— Under $15,000 

— $15,000 and Over

Heating Degree Days 

— 5,500 or More 

— 4,000 to 5,500 

— Less than 4,000

April 1978 

through 

August 1978

219

175 

235

227 

236 

152

Standard 

Error

19

27 

27

31 

33 

29

April 1979 

through 

August 1979

209

179 

220

218 

201 

198

Standard 

Error

16

25 

23

27 

25 

34

*Represents single-family fuel oil households who plan to use fuel oil as their 

main heating fuel in the winter of 1979-1980.
Table 12. Estimated Storage Tank Capacity for Single-Family 

Households, August 1979*

Tank Capacity**

Percent of Households

Standard 

Total U.S. Error

All Single-Family Households

Less Than 200 Gallons 

200 to 399 Gallons 

400 to 699 Gallons 

700 and Over

TOTAL 

Average Tank Capacity

7

73

18

3

100

333

1

2

2

2

21

*Represents single-family fuel oil households who plan to 

use fuel oil as their main heating fuel in the winter of 

1979-1980.

**The standard tank sizes for single-family units are 

275 and 500 gallons.

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