subject: Tips to Prevent Heating Oil Theft [print this page] Tips to Prevent Heating Oil Theft Tips to Prevent Heating Oil Theft
There are many negative effects of the price of oil rising throughout the country. Of course, it means higher gas prices and repercussions throughout the economy. There is another negative effect of the high cost of oil. This is a rise in theft of heating oil. Many homes make use of heating oil, especially homes in rural areas. More and more, during the cold parts of the year, there are thefts of this heating oil as other people resort to crime in order to have the oil they need or to simply capitalize on the high prices of the oil.
If you are concerned about heating oil theft at your house, then here are some tips that can help you make sure your home is protected from this kind of theft.
Security lights are a must. Most thieves will not risk the process of stealing the heating oil if they cannot hide under the cover of dark. Simple motion lights can be installed in the area of your oil tank. These lights will automatically come on if potential thieves walk into the area, and this will alert you as well as most likely scare the thieves away.
Keep your heating oil tank obscured. Most thieves will choose an easy and obvious target. If they cannot see your oil tank from the road, chances are, they will not take the time to keep looking. Either have your oil tank placed behind the home or obscure it with hedges or a simple fence. Any sort of decorative fence, trellis, hedge or tree can make a big difference in obscuring your heating oil tank.
Finally, make sure that you have some sort of security on the heating oil tank itself. A lock can go a long way if you are dealing with amateur thieves because they are least likely to spend the time it takes to break the lock. An alarm system can be installed to send you a signal if the oil levels drop. This can actually help you avoid thieves and leaks, which can be helpful in many ways.
It is unfortunate that more and more heating oil thefts are coming up throughout the country. However, this is one of the very real side effects of the constantly rising cost of crude oil. You can take steps, though, to make sure that you are not a victim of this theft when you need your heating oil most of all.
