Category: Spring 2016

Dear Friends,

Sometimes, an otherwise satisfied customer will leave us for another fuel dealer because they want to save a few cents on a gallon of heating oil. But they soon find out that the best value doesn’t always mean the lowest price. It’s about what you get for your money. Most heating oil companies simply don’t offer the type of high-quality products and services we do.

When you put your trust in us, you’re relying on a full-service company that can expertly service and install your home comfort equipment. We make your life a little easier in other ways, with convenient payment plans, money-saving service agreements, expert plumbing services and so much more.

Burt’s is also the only fuel dealer on the North Fork to deliver natural heating oil with a 20% biofuel blend. The fuel we put in your tank is the most environmentally friendly source available. It burns more cleanly, with fewer emissions, and it reduces dependence on traditional petroleum sources. It’s also kinder to your equipment, helping it to last longer.

Because we deliver 20% biofuel, you can apply for a 20-cents-per-gallon New York State tax credit. Now that’s real value!

We know you have a choice in fuel and service companies. So we want to thank you for choosing us! As always, we’re here for you and appreciate the opportunity to take care of your home.

Warmly,
Martin Romanelli

Periodic maintenance on your heating system maximizes operating efficiency, improves comfort levels, helps prevent breakdowns and saves you money on fuel! A spring or summer tune-up also allows us to detect and repair minor problems before they turn into expensive repairs over the winter.

Now is the best time to get your heating tune-up done because you’ll get your choice of appointments. Our schedule fills up fast in the fall and we may not be able to come to your home at a time that’s convenient for you. Fall storms and early cold snaps also force us to cancel some appointments so we can respond to no-heat emergencies.

Please call or contact us to request your tune-up appointment. When the cold weather returns in the fall, you’ll be glad you did!

Why wait for fall to prepare for the next heating season? Here are four wise moves to make now that can really pay off later.

1. Upgrade to a high-efficiency boiler or furnace and eliminate big heating bills forever.
2. Enroll in our E-Z Plan so you can spread your fuel costs over the year, instead of paying us in full every time you get a delivery. Enrollment begins in July.
3. Make things really convenient by opening an online account, registering for paperless billing and making automatic payments.
4. Enroll in our service plan to guarantee your tune-up, save on repairs and ensure priority service.

Make life easier! Call us today.

Extreme summer weather brings about a unique set of problems and comfort challenges. Here is some advice to help you not only stay cool and calm—but save money on energy costs too!

don’t be the last one to use Freon

Still hanging on to an old a/c system that uses Freon?* If you are, it’s going to be harder to hang on to your money! First, older, inefficient systems waste a lot of energy. Second, if you ever need to add more Freon to your air conditioner, it will cost you a small fortune.

Freon is becoming as rare as a rotary phone!

Because Freon is being phased out and replaced with refrigerant that is not harmful to the ozone layer, its price continues to skyrocket.

If you want to cut both high energy costs and Freon out of your life, please talk to us about your options in new systems. All the a/c systems we install today use an economical and environmentally friendly refrigerant — instead of wildly expensive Freon. You may also qualify for a tax credit when you upgrade your system.

give yourself some credit

Good news! The federal tax credit for new equipment that expired in 2014 has been extended through December 2016 — and kicks in retroactively through all of 2015.

This means that if you purchased qualifying high-efficiency heating, cooling or waterheating equipment in 2015 — or plan to do so this year — you can apply for a tax credit of up to $500.

If you had new equipment installed last year, check with your tax preparer to see if you qualify. And if you didn’t, you should consider updating your system this year so you can save money before the tax credit expires again.

Give us a call today to explore all of your options.

*Freon is a brand name for refrigerants, including the R-22 form used in older home air conditioners.

summer forecast: cool but clammy

When a home feels hot and humid, most people react the same way: they crank up the air conditioner. This may make the house feel cooler, but the air will still feel heavy and your skin will feel clammy because you haven’t eliminated the excess humidity.

Besides making you feel uncomfortable, too much moisture trapped in your indoor air encourages the growth of mold and mildew.

The solution is a whole-house dehumidifier, which can be installed directly into your ductwork. Your dehumidifier will operate quietly and discreetly to lower indoor humidity levels. There are no buckets to empty and only minimal maintenance.

Humidity is a common comfort problem during the summer — a problem we can solve for you with little disruption to your home and daily routine. Please call us today for details.

a healthy home starts with ductwork

A national survey recently revealed that the number one indoor air quality (IAQ) concern for homeowners was excessive dust.* The presence of airborne allergens, viruses or bacteria, and mold or mildew also caused worry.

In most cases, all of these problems can be traced to leaky ductwork. If you have a leak, your return ductwork (which takes the air inside the home back to your heating or cooling system) will draw air from places like garages, attics and crawl spaces. This can result in:

• Dust, mold and mildew spores being circulated throughout your home
• A loss of as much as 40% of the heated or cooled air moving through your home. This forces your system to work harder, and you end up paying more.

We can inspect your duct system to identify problem areas and seal leaks. In addition to gaining significant energy savings, you’ll be more comfortable. Well-sealed ductwork reduces allergens by ensuring that all conditioned air passes through filters. Sealed ducts also improve air circulation so temperatures are more even. Uneven temperatures are the most common complaint in homes where there are significant duct leaks!

see for yourself

Most air leaks occur at joints and seams in the ductwork. You can check for air leaks by holding a lit stick of incense around these areas when the blower fan is moving air through your ducts. If you see the smoke getting pulled in or pushed away from the duct, you’ve found a leak!

*Decision Analyst, 2013 American Home Comfort Study.

don’t leave home without it!

Whether you’re taking a short trip this summer or leaving for a long getaway, always make sure your cooling system is in good working order before you depart. The last thing you want is to return home and find that your equipment has malfunctioned, resulting in damage to your home. This can include water damage along with mold and mildew infestation.

Investing in a smart thermostat is one way of monitoring your home remotely while you’re away.

Besides scheduling your annual maintenance to head off problems, a wise move is to invest in a smart thermostat. This lets you monitor temperature and humidity levels inside your home while you’re away. If there is a problem, you can make arrangements with us to make repairs. We will do all that we can to resolve the situation so you can continue with your summer vacation plans.

Additionally, we suggest you have someone check your home regularly and as often as possible. Keep your vacation plans off social media too! It’s estimated that nearly 80% of burglars now use Facebook and Twitter to target their next break-in.

Smart thermostats have been helping homeowners keep their homes comfortable while lowering their energy costs for some time now. Models like the Ecobee Smart Si let you manage heating and cooling remotely from your smartphone, and even send you low-temperature alerts, which is a nice feature for our snowbirds.

The Ecobee3 takes “smart” to a whole new level. Unlike a typical thermostat, which monitors the temperature in a single location (usually a hallway), this system uses multiple sensors throughout your home to monitor the temperature in every room.

Plus, motion detectors allow the Ecobee3 to adjust when it senses that the room is occupied. And when used with an Apple HomeKit, you can integrate the Ecobee3 with all the smart systems in your home — temperature, lights, even locks — giving you total control, no matter where you are.

Contact us today about getting this smart thermostat installed in your home.

Keep your cool this summer! Whether you need a new a/c system or you just want to make sure your current system won’t break down when summer really heats up, Burt’s will take care of it.

Think your old cooling system is wearing out? We can help you choose a new high-efficiency system that will keep your home cool and comfortable while also helping you take advantage of great savings, including up to $700 in rebates from PSE&G LI and a $300 federal tax credit. Ask about our financing options, too.

If you’re not ready for a new system, keep your current system problem-free with our air conditioning service plan. You’ll be covered for your tune-up while also getting protection from expensive repairs and priority service.

Call us or contact us through our website for further information.

Last fall, a huge methane leak from a natural gas well uprooted thousands of California residents and took months to fix. As a result, thousands of tons of methane were released into the atmosphere. The main component of natural gas is methane, which is 25 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, which makes it much worse for the environment.

Another issue of concern is the methane leaks coming from aging gas pipelines. Have you ever smelled gas in your own neighborhood?

While natural gas seems to be going backward, heating oil keeps moving forward, with lower sulfur content, renewable biofuel blends, and high-tech oil boilers and furnaces. Today, heating oil is a much more environmentally friendly option than natural gas.