Keep Us in the Loop to Avoid Runouts

One thing that we’ve all gotten used to over the past year-and-a-half is change. A lot of people spent more time in their homes on the North Fork of Long Island.

For some, it was the ability to work remotely and spread out in a summer home over the winter months. For others, the household got bigger, with grown kids moving back home or grandparents moving in. Kids were homeschooled. But no matter the reason, everyone was spending a lot more time at home.

For some, it was a silver lining of COVID. For us, it means recalculating your fuel usage if, like most of our customers, you’re on automatic delivery.

You may already know that we base the timing of your heating oil deliveries on your past usage habits, with adjustments based on the weather. But if your lifestyle or circumstances at home change significantly, it can affect our estimates and leave you vulnerable to an unexpected run-out. In a nutshell, more people at home will use more fuel.

Now, with some companies calling people back to their offices, and schools back to in-person learning, plans may be changing again. You may be returning to your primary home full or part time, or your kids may be going to college. Or maybe you’ve had a baby!

If you’re on automatic delivery, and you’re planning to remain at a second/vacation home or return to your primary home that Burt’s Reliable also delivers heating oil to it’s important to let us know.

Not only do we want to be sure that we’re calculating your usage correctly so you don’t experience a runout, but we also want to avoid trips when you don’t need fuel. That saves energy and money, and keeps our trucks free for people who do need us.

Lots of Factors Can Affect Your Usage

There are a lot of changes that can affect your fuel usage. If you built an addition onto your home, or finished the basement or garage, or added other living space, you’ll be heating a larger area, so you’ll be using more fuel. Adding a bathroom can mean you’re using more hot water. So even if the number of people remain the same, let us know about any of these changes.

Maybe you replaced your heating equipment. If you updated or added any oil-fired appliances, your usage can also change. New, high-efficiency equipment lets you keep your home more comfortable while potentially using less fuel.

Smart Solutions:

As the saying goes, “The only constant is change”. That seems to be especially true these days. One solution is to just let us know of any shifts in your plans this winter that will impact your fuel usage.

An even simpler option is to add a Gremlin tank monitor. These state-of-the-art units attach to your tank and constantly measures its fuel level. With a tank monitor installed, we’ll know exactly how much fuel is in your tank at all times, so you can feel 100 percent confident you will get exactly the fuel you need, when you need it. There’s even a phone app you can use to track your usage, too.

While we all look forward to things getting back to normal, it’s nice to know one thing that hasn’t changed: Burt’s commitment to serving you. If you’re planning any changes to your home or lifestyle this winter, let us know and we’ll take care of it!