Dear Friends,

One of the things we hear a lot from customers is how much they like doing business with us because we are among the few remaining local familyowned companies. They appreciate our deep roots in the community—more than a century of providing year-round service to the Seacoast area.

It’s a special kind of relationship when you see the employees and owners of your fuel company at Little League games, at the supermarket or at a community event. We are more than just an energy company; all of us are your neighbors!

Of course, this wouldn’t mean much if we weren’t also capable of providing you with great service and value.

So as another New England winter approaches, we want to remind you that we are here for you any time of the day — or night! We have the resources and the experience to meet that commitment—read the article on page 4 for examples of how we came through for some of our customers.

Call us any time you need our help. Your comfort is our concern!

Warmly,

Mark Gagnon
President

P.S. We want to add more technicians to our service team! Please call Davis Ellis at 800-696-2213 or go to the “Contact” page to get details.

Everyone who does the following before December 31 will be entered in our drawing to win dinner for two at a local restaurant:

Sign up for paperless billing. We will email your monthly statements so you can reduce paper clutter and easily file your payment history electronically.

Send us your current email address and cell phone number. This lets us reach you immediately, especially when we are facing winter storm emergencies.

Call or email us today!

Our dedication to exceptional customer service is as old as our company. We’re proud of the wealth of experience we bring to every delivery, installation and repair. But we also embrace modern technology because it helps us to serve you even better.

That’s why we recently made a significant investment in new software and handheld computers. Our new software streamlines our routing and dispatching, ensuring that we can deliver our product and service to your home as quickly as possible. That’s also why our delivery ticket has a different look. We’ve come a long way since Robert Gagnon (Mark’s grandfather) used to write delivery information on the back of an envelope!

In addition, we’ve equipped all of our technicians and drivers with minicomputers so they can communicate with our office easily, access your service history quickly, check the availability of parts and much more. It’s all part of our continuing effort to provide you with the best service possible.

The American oil revolution is bringing lower prices and plentiful domestic supplies. But that’s just the beginning. A new formulation of heating oil is becoming available that burns super-clean, is ultra-efficient and is infused with renewable BioHeat.

Cleaner than ever

While solar energy and wind power continue to capture headlines for their potential, one of the exciting developments in the energy world has been the expanded use of BioHeat® fuel.

This is a combination of low-sulfur heating oil and biodiesel, which is made domestically from dozens of natural sources, including soybeans, sunflowers and pumpkin seeds.

As the most refined grade of heating oil, BioHeat® fuel burns significantly cleaner and has little negative impact on the environment. When used with a technologically advanced oil heat system, it produces near-zero levels of particulate matter during the combustion process.

What’s more, BioHeat® fuel is made in America and requires no modifications to your existing system.

Production is up, prices are down

The new American oil revolution is now a reality. Domestic oil production just reached its highest point in 43 years! As a result, most experts expect oil prices to stay lower for the foreseeable future.

Higher efficiency and bigger savings

The oil heat industry continues to make technological breakthroughs that promise a new era of higher efficiency and bigger savings for everyone fortunate enough to heat their home with the new heating oil.

• New oil heat systems boast efficiency ratings as high as 95%, providing more warmth with less fuel than ever before.
• Recent studies show potential fuel savings as high as 48% when replacing an outdated boiler with a new, high-efficiency oil boiler.*
• High-efficiency oil furnaces now feature variable-speed motors that use as much as 80% less electricity.

*Source: New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

How do new water heater standards affect you?

New water heating standards from the U.S. Department of Energy went into effect in 2015. Under the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act, all new storage tank water heaters—regardless of fuel source—must meet a higher efficiency rating.

Manufacturers say those increases in energy efficiency can be achieved in many cases by using more insulation. However, this will make the storage tank units a few inches taller and wider—while also increasing their cost. Depending on the model and tank capacity, new tank water heaters may be as much as three times more expensive as older ones.

That increased size will also have a big effect on homes with space constraints; a small propane gas tankless unit that hangs on the wall will be an easier fit than new, bigger tanks.

These regulatory changes are also expected to close the upfront cost gap between propane tankless units and electric storage tank heaters. Propane tankless units may even end up having a price advantage!

If you’re thinking about replacing your water heater soon, we recommend exploring your options in tankless water heaters. (See related article below.)

Go tankless for savings and comfort

• Tankless water heaters deliver an endless supply of water.
• Their compact size saves roughly 12 square feet of floor space.
• These systems are on-demand, so they heat water only when it’s needed. That feature eliminates standby losses that occur in systems with hot water storage tanks — like the typical electric water heater.
• They save more than $150 per year in energy costs compared with typical electric storage water heaters.*
• They have 50% to 60% lower CO2 emissions compared with electric storage tank systems.
• They may also qualify you for state and manufacturer rebates.

*Source: Propane Education Research Council.

You may know that propane is an efficient alternative to electricity for powering a wide range of appliances. But here are three things you may not know:

• When combined with air, the source of ignition for propane must be at least 940°— twice as hot as what is required to ignite gasoline.
• Autogas is a safe and cost-effective propane-based motor fuel; it’s used for buses, fleet trucks, forklifts, tractors and lawn mowers.
• Nontoxic propane poses no threat to soil and water; that’s why installing propane tanks (above or belowground) is not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

We value all feedback we get from customers, and use it to improve our service. But when you say great things, we like to share it with everyone.

“We cannot say enough good things about how all of your staff helped us out; our problem was fixed within hours of our call! Thank you!”
— Nathan M., York

“Thank you for responding to my call when I thought I was out of oil; a faulty gauge and a water problem turned out to be the reason. Your technician was so kind and reassuring and I also received a follow-up call the next morning to make sure all was OK. Service is everything when you’re in a panic.”
— Nancy C., Eliot

“I just wanted to thank your delivery people. They walked over waist-high snow to get to my tanks. I did not get a chance to make a path, but they delivered through it all. My heartfelt thanks to you all.”
— Kathy S., Eliot

Last winter put a big strain on heating systems, especially older boilers and furnaces, many of which broke down or simply could not keep homes warm enough. Don’t go through another winter worrying about staying warm in your home!

A new high-efficiency heating system will keep you toasty warm—even when temperatures drop below zero! And because a new boiler or furnace uses a lot less fuel than older models, you can reduce your annual heating costs by 30% or more.

Here’s a bonus: You may qualify for the Efficiency Maine program, which currently offers rebates of up to $500 on new boilers and furnaces. Efficiency Maine also provides energy-efficiency financing initiatives.

Get more details by calling us or sending an email.