HOMEWORKS  Energy Blog
You may receive in the mail a letter from a company called Homeworks Energy, Inc. telling you that one of their Certified Home Energy Specialists is going to be on your street giving a few of your neighbors a home energy assessment.
The specialist will be testing their home to see how energy efficient it is and will provide recommendations to help these neighbors save money on their utility bills – all paid for by the Mass Save Home Energy Services Program.
The specialist will offer to provide you with the same assessment since they will be in the area anyway and they can take an additional 2 – 3 hours to check your insulation levels, and heating system efficiency.  They will also bring along LED lightbulbs and programmable thermostats at no cost to you.
They will give you a report with any energy efficiency recommendations they can find so you can decide if you want to move forward with any insulation work.  They will also be looking to see if you can take advantage of great rebates up to $2,750 to upgrade your heating system or install air conditioning.
Here is what you should know about HomeWorks Energy and this letter:
Should You contact Homeworks Energy to arrange for an energy assessment of your home?  Yes.

Homeworks Energy has been authorized by the Mass Save Program to conduct Energy Audits.

Homeworks Energy is primarily a company that does insulation and weatherization.

Homeworks Energy may offer to give you an estimate for replacing your heating system, hot water tank, or A/C system, but they may hire sub contractors to do this work.

Crowley Fuel and Tasse Fuel are not certified to do this home energy assessment but we are more than qualified to do the heating and cooling upgrades.

​Recommendation:  Have Homeworks Energy give you an assessment of your home’s energy efficiency, take estimates from them for any work that you want to have done, and call us at Crowley Fuel and Tasse Fuel to give you an estimate for the heating, hot water, and cooling work.

I would like to start this blog with an apology to all of our loyal pellet customers who came in to buy bags of pellets during the past month after we stopped selling them by the bag.
Last year we were stuck with too many pallets that were half full of pellets and we decided to stop selling pellets by the bag at the end of April.  We did not anticipate that the weather would be so cold and that customers would need to buy more bags.
Our guarantee is that we will have bags of pellets available starting in September until the last cold snap next spring.  There may only be one brand available but we plan to have them available to pick up by the bag.

Speaking of availability, there is a prediction that there will be shortages of pellets this upcoming heating season.  The demand for pellets was so great this spring which caused our suppliers to run out.  In years past there would often be pellets leftover from the heating season in manufactures yards to start filling orders with.  This spring, pellets are loaded onto trucks and shipped as soon as they are made.
This means that pellet supplies will be tight and prices higher this winter!
We are probably seeing the lowest prices right now and most of the pellets that we have on our lot are  already sold.
We expect to continue offering our Super Spring Pellet Prices until the end of June when prices from our suppliers will go up.  Call or go online to pay for and reserve your pellets today and you can take delivery of them any time before September 30th.  Make sure to order enough to get you through a cold spring!

CROWLEY FUEL CO. / TASSE FUEL CO.
THE IMPORTANCE OF VENT ALARMS WHEN FILLING HEATING OIL TANKS
Have you ever heard a loud whistling sound in your neighborhood or in your basement nearby your oil tank?  If you have not yet discovered where that sound was coming from, the chances are that it was from yours or someone in your neighborhood’s oil tank when it was being filled.
This document has been written to explain to our heating oil customers how important vent alarms (whistles) are for our drivers to make a safe delivery that does not result in a release of heating oil.
What you should see when you look at you oil tank are two black iron pipes.  One is for filling the oil tank and the other is for allowing the air in the tank to escape when the oil comes in.

• Heating oil nozzles do not shut off automatically like the nozzles you use to fill your car with gasoline.
• Heating oil deliverers must shut off the flow of heating oil manually.
• Oil tanks, by code, must be equipped with a vent alarm (whistle) which makes a whistling sound for the deliverer to hear when filling a tank.
• Vent alarms are installed into the top of oil tanks and the vent piping goes from there to the outside of the home.
• Vent alarms will stop whistling when the oil level in the tank rises to the bottom of the fluted whistle and the tank is full.
• Crowley Fuel and Tasse Fuel both have a “no whistle - no fill” policy, which means that if the driver doesn’t hear a whistle when they open the nozzle, they will immediately shut the flow of oil off.

Vent alarms will also not sound if:

• There is no tank connected to the fill and vent pipes.It does sometimes happen!
• There is an opening in the tank, the tank is not sealed and air escapes another way.
• The vent pipe is plugged.Usually with insect nests. High risk for blowing a seam on the tank!
• The whistle itself is plugged.Again, usually with insects.

Crowley Fuel and Tasse Fuel are protected against the liability of a release of oil due to a mis-delivery.  Our insurance company requires that we inspect the oil tanks, fill pipes, oil lines, and heating systems for new customers and that we strictly observe the “no whistle – no fill” policy.
If our driver does not hear a whistle, he/she will attempt to check out the oil tank to determine the cause.  If you are not home, our office will notify you of the situation and schedule a visit from one of our technicians and, if your vent alarm has stopped working, will give you a price for replacing it.
If you have any questions about vent alarms or any other heating issue please contact the Crowley Fuel Office at 508-867-6740 or crowleyfuel.com. and the Tasse Fuel Office at 508-765-0841 or tasses.com.

MASS SAVE SPRING PROGRAMS SPRING 2019
I recently attended a meeting that Mass Save held for installers of efficient heating, hot water, and heat pump systems with our Sales Manager, Red Beaton.  The purpose of this meeting was to explain their programs that they are offering for 2019.
What you must remember is that it’s money that you pay in with your electric bill that funds these programs so you might as well take advantage of what they offer.
The zero percent loan program will continue this year but there are some changes for the rebates offered.  Here are the major changes:

• The Early Replacement Rebate for propane and oil systems that are 30 or more years old has been discontinued for this upcoming year.
• There are no rebates for replacing a steam boiler with another steam boiler but they are eligible for a heat loan.
• < >A $1,000 rebate for replacing a propane furnace with a 95% efficient or higher furnace with ECM (Electrically Commutated Motor).
• An  $800 rebate for replacing an oil-fired forced hot water boiler with one that is 86% efficient or higher.
• A $1,500 rebate for replacing a propane-fired forced hot water boiler with a 90% efficient or higher propane-fired boiler.
• A $2,300 rebate for replacing a propane-fired forced hot water boiler with a 95% efficient or higher propane-fired boiler.
• A $2,000 rebate for replacing a propane-fired boiler with a condensing propane-fired boiler with On-Demand water heater.
• A $400 rebate for replacing a freestanding oil-fired or propane-fired hot water tank or a tankless coil with an Indirect Water Heater.
• A $100 rebate for installing an Outdoor Boiler Reset Control as an After-Market Add-On Unit to an oil-fired or propane fired forced hot water boiler.
• A $25 rebate for a Programmable Thermostat (Limit 3 per account).
• A $100 - $125 rebate for installing a Wireless-Enabled Thermostat depending on the model; again, there is a limit of 3 per account.
• A $150 per ton rebate for a high efficiency Air Source Heat Pump, Non-Ducted such as one made by Mitsubishi.
• A $1,000 per ton rebate for replacing Electric Heat with a high efficiency Air Source Heat Pump, Non-Ducted such as one made by Mitsubishi.
• A $1,500 per ton rebate for displacing oil or propane by adding an air source heat pump and integrated controls

 
In order to get a Mass Save Heat Loan or Rebate you must schedule an Energy Audit.  They will send an energy auditor to your home to access the various programs such as new windows, weatherization, new appliances and, of course heating equipment, that you can get help with.
To schedule an energy audit or to find out more about Mass Save, call 800-632-8300 or go to masssve.com.
If you have any problems contacting Mass Save or if you want to get an estimate for heating and cooling work, please call me at 508-867-6740 or email me at boblaflamme@tasses.com.
 
Bob LaFlamme

​CROWLEY FUEL INSTALLING SMART OIL GAUGE!
We have begun installing a new way to monitor the oil level in your oil tank called the Smart Oil Gauge.  Like a lot of new "smart" products, this gauge connects wirelessly to your smart phone.
These gauges require a 2.4G wifi connection and install easily on most oil tanks that have a 2 inch tapping available.  We are currently installing them for $200 for our oil customers and $300 for future customers.
Here  are the benefits of installing a Smart Oil Gauge:
- you can check your oil level from anywhere you have cell coverage with your smart phone.
- your Smart Oil Gauge will text or email you when the level in your oil tank drops below 1/4 full.
-your Smart Oil Gauge will text or email anyone else you choose to include in monitoring your oil level (including Crowley Fuel).
-you can access your Smart Oil Gauge with Alexa and find out how much oil you have in your tank, how much oil you use per day, and when you can expect to need another delivery.
- you can track track your usage.
- if you are an automatic delivery customer, you will get another level of security.
- if you call for your oil, you should never run out of oil again!
Installation only takes an hour so call now while supplies last.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Crowley Fuel
 
It has been quite an eventful 2018!  We are happy to be celebrating another holiday season with you, our loyal customers.  It would not be a proper Christmas Season here at Crowley Fuel without giving out one of our traditional small calendars.  We hope that this calendar will be witness to a wonderful 2019 for you and your family.  Should you want another small calendar or a full sized calendar that our parent company, Tasse Fuel, gives out at this time of year, please come in to our office from Monday through Friday, 8 AM until 5 PM.

Merger with Tasse Fuel A Big Success
 
It has been over a year now and our merger with Tasse Fuel has been successful and exciting. We have been growing as a company because the cultures of both companies are exactly the same.  Tasses is a family owned fuel business that takes pride in its employees, products, and work just as Crowley Fuel has done for nearly 99 years.
 
Tasse Fuel brought  services to the merger that  Crowley customers now have the benefit of using.  Our plumbing department has been busy with repairs, kitchen and bathroom remodels, and gas hook-ups.  We now offer propane and kerosene for customers who use those fuels.  You will read more about our propane service later in this letter.
 
Web Portal
 
Check out your account on our web portal at  www.crowleyfuel.com
*Order Deliveries at a convenient time for you          *Pay invoices              * Request Service      
*See activity and history of your account. 
 All you will need is your account number and an email address.

Crowley Fuel Customers!  If you haven’t already heard, we now have a web portal available for you to access your account thanks to our merger with Tasse Fuel.

If you can read this email, then you can take advantage of this great new service. It’s as easy as going to the Crowley Fuel website - www.crowleyfuel.com - and clicking on the Crowley & Tasse Web Portal.

If you have not already created an online account, click there, and start setting up to access your account and more. All you will need beyond your basic information is your account number. You can find your account number at the top right of an invoice or right under the ticket number of a delivery ticket. If all else fails, call our office during business hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

Once you have created your account you can:

• Check your service and delivery history
• Check the status of your next delivery (for automatic delivery customers)
• Order a delivery of oil, propane or wood pellets
• Check your account balance and history
• Pay your bill online

If you are not a Crowley Fuel customer, you should be! There are so many advantages, and access to your account is a big one!

Bob

Remembering the Past Heating Season When Planning for the Next Heating Season

Christmas of 2017 into the New Year of 2018 was a holiday season to put in the record books.
​
The extreme and prolonged cold caused some serious problems for Oil and Propane companies across the New England states, the most critical of which was not having enough personnel and trucks to deliver to all of their customers.  Due to the large demand for home heating fuels, the supply became very tight.  Demand was also increased because of service  that needed to be done immediately.

If you are an automatic delivery customer of Crowley Fuel  and Tasse Fuel you can feel confident that “we have your best interest in mind.”  It is because of our commitment, that you didn’t experience any interruption in your comfort.  If you had a service problem, you received prompt and professional service.

I know that most of you would rather forget this heating season and the cold snap that we experienced in December and January, however, there is an important lesson to be learned from having lived through it, if you call for your oil. Although we had a few automatics get close to empty, most of our emergency calls were from will call customers and people with supplemental heating systems, like wood stoves and pellet stoves. These customers either had forgotten to watch their oil tank gauge or had frozen pipes in areas away from the stoves that were satisfying thermostats. (Please see what can be done to avoid these emergency calls and extra expenses below.)

I am happy to say that our company was able to respond in a timely fashion to all of our customers who called us during that cold spell.  Jeff Tasse, the owner of our company, took hundreds of night and weekend calls and our staff worked overtime to get the fuel and service to our customers in their time of need.  It was an excellent team effort by the employees of Tasse Fuel and Crowley Fuel.

If you had a heating related issue that you would like to share, we would appreciate hearing from you.

These are the reasons to become a Tasse/Crowley automatic delivery customer:

• It costs less!  The extra fees for same day delivery or run outs add to your costs, when you are a will call customer.
• You can spread out your payments on one of our budget programs.
• It is less disruptive to our schedule and we can respond to more customers.
• If you have a steep driveway, we will flag it for deliveries before storms when possible.
• Peace of Mind!  We will worry about your next delivery, not you.

We received many calls from people who were not our customers during that time but were unable to help all of them. If you are not a Tasse/Crowley customer you should give some thought to becoming a Tasse Fuel or Crowley Fuel automatic delivery customer and rest assured that you will get the best service available in the area.

​Bob

​It is a wonderful thing to not have to open snail mail, and it is admirable to go green and eliminate paper from your life.  But if you haven’t read your mail lately, you might have missed our news.  As of September 22nd

​Crowley Fuel has merged with Tasse Fuel!
We mailed out a notice to all of our customers announcing and explaining this merger. (link to the letter)  I was surprised to learn from a customer, who received his mail electronically, that he was unaware of the change.

​The fact that this customer did not notice any changes, despite having had a delivery of oil and his annual maintenance work done in October, is a positive sign that we are still the same basic company.

​As with all of our decisions, we made this one with the best interest of our customers in mind.  All of the people, products and services that you have come to expect from Crowley Fuel remain.  Additional products such as propane are now available and plumbing services will be added in the future.

Tasse Fuel is a family owned business in Southbridge that has been in existence for ___ years, holding the same values that Crowley Fuel has. 

We are thrilled with this merger and feel certain that you will as well.  If you have any questions, please contact me at boblaflamme@tasses.com or call our office.
 
Bob