Homeowner Oil Heating System Upgrade and Insurance Law

By July 1, 2010, you must upgrade your home heating system equipment to prevent leaks from tanks and pipes that connect to your furnace. By making a relatively small expenditure now, you can prevent a much greater expense in the future.

Massachusetts has a new law to address oil leaks from home heating systems (see Chapter 453 of the Acts of 2008). This law has two major provisions that require:

• the installation of either an oil safety valve or an oil supply line with protective sleeve on systems that do not currently have these devices; and
• insurance companies that write homeowner policies to offer coverage for leaks from heating systems that use oil.

Most homeowner policies do not currently include such coverage, leaving many to pay for costly cleanups out of their own pocket. Although it is mandatory that insurance companies offer this coverage, the insurance is an optional purchase for homeowners. The effective date for both provisions is July 1, 2010.

Log onto http://www.mass.gov/dep/cleanup/laws/hhsl.htm for more info!