Winter is on its way, which means now is the perfect time to get your heating oil ordered and delivered ready for the colder days ahead. It is unfortunate that heating oil becomes the target of thieves when your family needs it the most. Heating oil theft if sometimes an opportunistic crime, but it can also be one where your home is targetted in advance. Consider these three ways to make sure the heating oil you order remains on your property this winter.
Don't Advertise Your Storage Space
If you don't want your heating oil storage space to be targetted by thieves, then the number one thing to do is to make your storage area less visible. There are a number of ways you can do this: …show more content…
Therefore, for example, you cannot cover the tank with something extremely flammable that is going to void your insurance if the whole thing goes up in flames.
Embrace Technology
Technology has come a long way, and this is particularly true of security monitoring equipment. There are ways that you can now monitor the inside of your home using video cameras and an app on your cellphone. So, why not use this technology to monitor movements around your heating oil tank as well?
Security cameras are advanced enough that you can purchase ones that will contact you when movement in detected in the area. The camera software will send a notification to your app so you can immediately check in and see who is in the area. This may seem a security overkill for heating oil, but when you compare it to the cost of having to replace stolen oil it is an investment that will pay off over the longer term.
Create Deterrents
Just as thieves will think twice when they see CCTV cameras, there are other types of deterrents that you can use that will make someone look for an easier target than your heating oil storage