The owner of Sterling Oil would like to thank customers for voting in Reader’s Choice News and Advance and the Lynchburg Living Magazine for being voted best oil company as Sterling gears up to celebrate 35 years of business.  He appreciates the hard work and dedication from all of the employees and most of all the love and support of his family. (for entire pdf click here)

We are celebrating 35 Years!

Click the images to see them in full size

The readers of Lynchburg Living have voted in their annual “Best Of Lynchburg Readers’ Choice Contest” and have voted Sterling Oil best in their category. We are proud of this award and to serve The Greater Lynchburg area and Surrounding Counties.

The award announcement can be seen in the editorial section in the January/February 2017 issue of Lynchburg Living.

Local youth baseball team wins city championship with a final score 8 to 4. The team is sponsored by Sterling Oil.

Here are a few pics of the team.

Check out our very own Donna Beeler Hensley at the School Supply Drive for Delegate Scott Garrett at the Lynchburg Wards Road Walmart.

June 11, 2016 – 6:30 pm EST

Place: Kirkley Hotel on Candlers Mountain Road

Our very own Donna Beeler Hensley was presented an award at an event hosted by The Honored Committee Whitehead Media Ventures and the Event Sponsors. The Award is for Business/Service. Donna was one of 12 people to be awarded that night at this prestigious tuxedo event.

The event itself was The 4th Annual Recognition of Community Service, Scholarship and Journalism.

Donna says about the event: “My family and I had a wonderful time and just feel so blessed and honored to be a part of it and to be a part of the Greater Lynchburg Area and Surrounding Counties.”

You can see more images of the night below:

If your home is not properly winterized, it will be like throwing money out with your heat.  Snow and below freezing temperatures are the norm during Lynchburg, VA winters.  A few simple and easy preparations can save you a lot of money on your heating bill.  You may even be able to make it through the winter on just one tank of heating oil and Heating Your Home.

Places You Lose the Most Heat

Doorways and windows are the places where you will lose the most heat.  When you run your hand along the frame, do you notice a draft or change in temperature?  Replace worn out weather stripping with new, inexpensive rolls and for around $10 a door.   Continue reading ‘Ways to Save Money When Heating Your Home this Winter’ »

An improperly working oil tank can cost you hundreds of wasted dollars.  Whether you are buying a new home or have an older pump that seems to be going through oil faster than it usually does, an inspection can tell a lot.  It is important to have your heating oil storage tank regularly maintained and inspected to ensure you will not only be getting what you pay for, but also to avoid costly repairs and lost oil.

Locating the Tank

It is important to determine if your home has an above ground storage tank (AST) or an underground storage tank (UST).  If you are purchasing a new or new-to-you home through a mortgage lender, they could deny your loan until proper inspection is completed.  They may deny it all together given the bad reputation of UST.  Even if your tank is above ground, it could still be leaking or have faulty parts.  Lynchburg is known for having some of the richest history in our nation and that means older establishments that need to be regularly maintained. Continue reading ‘Inspections for Oil Tank’ »

If you have ever been in a home warmed with heating oil, there is a depth to the warmth not found in homes that use electric or space heaters.  It is the most efficient source of heat and has a bright future to go along with its progressive heritage.  Originally marketed as a medicinal product, it wasn’t until a Pennsylvania chemist provided the needed insight to distill it and transform the energy industry as we know it.

From Wood to Oil

When our nation was first formed, fire was the way to procure heat.  It was used to keep the family out of the bitter cold and to keep warm food in bellies.  The use of oil was not a new method when it was first drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859.  There are records of it being used as early as the 4^th century in China.  But for the Western World, coal was rapidly replacing wood until the internal combustion engine allowed for a more economical refinement of oil that heating oil emerged.  But it still wasn’t until the turn of the 20^th century that heating oil for homes began to surge and become the number one fuel source for home heating in Lynchburg, VA.

It is all about the Barrel

As long as there is crude oil, there will be heating oil.  There are 42 gallons of crude oil in a barrel and only around 20 gallons get refined into the gasoline we use to power machinery and vehicles.  Another 11 or so for diesel fuel, 4 for jet fuel and the rest gets refined into heating oil and for various petroleum based products such as crayons, tires, computers and cleaning products.  The amount is slightly flexible based on demand and the refinery that a company specializes in; however, the process is quite complex.

A refinery is essentially a factory.  It takes the crude oil and distills it.  The liquid oil is heated until it becomes a vapor and is then cooled back into liquid form in different chambers to be collected.  Now, that is the very simplest of explanations.  All the various forms are already in the highly complex makeup of crude oil.  We just separate them and then allocate the barrel in the best way possible.  This allows refineries to harvest heating oil all year long and store the distillate product until the demand picks back up in the winter.