Total Energy News and Insights

Only in New England Spring is rhere and it has felt like we've been in Spring off and on for the past couple of weeks. It sure has been an odd winter, like last year it was one for the record books. This winter we had the most days at 50 degrees or above during December, January, and February, but only in New England could you have a 50 degree day followed by negative 15... As for this Spring it is shaping up to be warmer than average, just like our winter.   While this is the average temperature is suppose to be higher than what we're use to, this doesn't mean that winter is going anywhere. We've seen temperatures this winter, since March is still winter, range from -14 to 75 here in New England. This weekend, as winter comes to its official end we could get a Nor'easter dumping a foot of snow on us.  Only in New England could we have one week where we see two days in a row in the 70's and most days in the week in the 50's and 60's and the fo...

How to prepare for the cold Starting this afternoon, Friday February 12th through this Sunday the Northeast will see the coldest temperatures of the Winter. Temperatures will barely make it out of the single digits and feel like temperatures could reach -20's by Sunday morning due to powerful wind chills.  This can lead to a wide range of issues from frozen pipes, fuel run outs, and broken system due to over working. It is also important to understand the damage this kind of cold can do to your body with prolonged exposure. It is important to keep your home's thermostat set to at least 65 degrees through this weekend. This is the best way to keep your pipes from freezing inside of your home. The most vulnerable pipes are those that are in external facing walls, this walls will be hit with extremely strong wind burst. You can buy insulating covers and temperature activated heating tape for your pipes at your local hardware store. These shouldn't be an issu...

As an Oil or Propane Customer what should I do when snow is in the forecast? This weekend, parts of New England could see a considerable amount of snow. What does this mean for Oil and Propane home here, well not much is changing temperature wise.  However, snow in most cases worries customers and leads many to request an additional or quicker delivery of fuel. In some cases it's enough to push those that have been holding off on getting a delivery to get a delivery. When you see snow in the forecast and you are an automatic delivery customer, you can rest assured that your company should already have your next delivery planned. Most good fuel companies use a program that determines how much fuel your home uses a season. That means that when you get a delivery there is a good chance that your company will have an idea of when you should need another one.  This can change with temperature fluctuations as they normally use the average temp, but they will monitor...

How low can the price of Oil go? For many home heating oil customers the price of oil is a major factor when it comes to picking a company to use.  As the price of oil here in New England continues to trend downward as the global market receives more and more supply, now is a perfect time lessen the weight price contributes to picking a heating company. Think back to 2012-2013 when the price of home heating oil was about $2.00 more per gallon then what you can find today. Now think about what the average home burns per year, which varies around the region but usually is about 800 gallons. That means that two years ago could have spent 1,600 more than what you would pay now. That's a vacation or a couple of payments on a car, or a service plan for several years or another seasons worth of heating fuel.   With the price of heating oil as low as it is compared to past year the difference between a full service company and cod company is as vast as it always h...

Can your Oil Company Make Their Delivery As we get closer to Winter and snow begins to fall there are a couple of things your home heating company would like you to know.   We will work as hard as we possibly can to make your delivery regardless of the weather, but there are some conditions that make it nearly impossible for a delivery to be made. In the event of snow we would greatly appreciate a path to be shoveled or plowed to the fill pipe.  The hose that is used to make delivery weighs around 50lbs and is around 150ft long, walking through snow with the hose can make deliveries impossible or could lead to inquiry.  You also need to make sure that your fill pipe is clear of snow and ice, if the driver can't see or doesn't know where the pipe is they can't make a delivery. Another thing is that the delivery truck is wider than most vehicles. If the driver usually makes the delivery from the driveway, it would greatly help to have the driveway clea...

What do you expect when you need service on your heating system? It's the middle of the night in the middle of winter and you wake up to a freezing house, your first thought maybe "why isn't the heat on". So you check the thermostat, it reads that the temperature is much below what you set it at. Your next step is head downstairs and check the heating system. Come to find out it isn't running, what do you do? First check a few things. Does your tank have oil it? When the temperature drops you may begin to burn more fuel than you anticipated and a run out may be the culprit. Many full service companies will be able to deliver an emergency amount of fuel to get you through the night until a more substantial amount of fuel can be delivered. Has your emergency on/off switch been flipped for some reason? This can usually be found heading down to your basement or around the heating system itself. You can also hit the burner reset button once...

Are you ready for the cold weather? This past weekend we saw and felt the first glimpse of winter or at least the cold weather that is associated with it. A lot of people may have turned on their heat for the first time, if they hadn't already.  That begs the question, were or are you ready for the cold weather? When it comes to oil heated homes there are a few things to think about when you get ready for the heating season. First think back to last year, were you happy with the amount you ended up paying during the heating season. If you weren't happy there are a few things that you could do now to prepare.  Think back to when your heating system was last serviced or tuned-up. If it's been more than a year, this could be negatively effecting your heating system' s performance.  If your system was serviced but you weren't happy, maybe it's time to look into a new heating system. A new heating may not save you money a first but over time you will...