Category: Winter 2013

Dear Friends,

These days, more people than ever are tempted to go searching for the “best deal.” But where heating fuel is concerned, it’s virtually impossible to get stability, dependable service and trustworthy pricing at a big discount.

By staying with Burt’s Reliable, you can always count on reliable neighborhood service — the kind you can’t put a price on! I’m very proud that our team always comes through for our customers no matter what. When the weather really turns cold or big snow storms happen, our people work extremely long hours — including weekends — all so that our customers will not be left in the cold.

As a full service company, we not only provide you with fuel, we install and service the equipment that heats and cools your home. We’re also licensed plumbers, ready to handle problems large and small.

If you have a heating emergency, we answer the phone 24/7, and we always have a technician on call. Our staff is courteous and professional, and our technicians are knowledgeable.

And no matter what fuel you buy from us or what program or service you secure, we back it up with nearly 100 years of commitment to our customers.

So you can rest assured that whatever the rest of winter brings us, we’re here for you when you need us — just like a good friend or neighbor.

Sincerely,
Martin Romanelli

No matter what type of heating system you have or which fuel you use, your home will go cold when the lights go out. That’s because the thermostat relies on electric relays and switches to “call” for heat. The fuel pump is also affected by a lack of electricity, and if you have a furnace, so are fans and blowers.

In most cases, your thermostat will start functioning again after power is restored, although older programmable thermostats may need to be reset.

If you lose your heat, you can call us any hour of the day or night, and you will speak with a live person. Sometimes the problem may be something simple, such as a thermostat that has been turned down too far or a switch that has been accidentally flipped off. If we can solve the problem over the phone, it will save you the cost of a service call.

To prevent problems in the first place, make sure you have us do a preventive maintenance tune-up on your system. (Spring is the best time to have this service done.)

We think it’s important to back up our promise of dependable service. That’s why we have 95,000 gallons of fuel storage capacity on-site. This means our drivers don’t have to drive hours away to pick up fuel to make their deliveries.

Having our own storage facility also means that we have enough fuel to go around when supplies are tight, like they were after Hurricane Sandy. In fact, we were one of the few heating oil dealers on Long Island that did not have supply issues in the aftermath of the storm.

Q: My husband is a tinkerer, but I’ve told him not to touch the boiler. Am I wrong?
A: Although we encourage you to be familiar with how your heating system operates (and if you have a steam boiler, to flush it occasionally to remove sediment), please leave any mechanical work to us.

Today’s oil heating equipment is very complex and requires the skill of a licensed service technician to keep it in good working order. That’s why we invest a great deal of time and money on training our technicians — to be sure they are prepared to diagnose and fix virtually any type of equipment problem.

So if your furnace or boiler isn’t working properly, the only “tool” you should pick up is the phone. One of our certified and highly trained oil heat technicians will come to your home, size up the situation and get your equipment safely repaired.

As of January we are once again delivering our Natural Heating Oil with a 20% biofuel blend, which is better for the environment and your wallet! The 20% blend will get you a clean fuel tax credit of 20 cents per gallon from New York State when you file your taxes next year.

TIP: Please don’t forget to keep your receipts/delivery tickets. You’ll need them to claim your 20-cent-per-gallon credit when you file your state taxes.

No matter the season, it’s always important to keep your fill pipe easily visible for our drivers. So please clear fallen branches, leaves or anything else that may be obstructing the area. After a snowfall, please try to shovel a path. This will help our drivers access the fill pipe and keep our deliveries on schedule.

On behalf of our drivers, thanks in advance for your help!

Catherine Terry explains how to lower your winter heating bills.

We don’t think it is fair for you to have to pay 80% of your fuel costs in just four or five of the coldest months — and that’s why we offer EZ Pay, our convenient monthly payment program. With EZ Pay we let you spread your payments throughout the year. That way your heating costs will always be manageable and predictable.

If you want to avoid paying in full for each delivery you get, contact us now so we can get you ready to be enrolled in EZ Pay. The program begins in the spring — and it doesn’t cost anything to join!