How Do I Choose A Heating Oil Supplier?

When it comes to choosing a heating oil supplier, many people start and end their search with finding the lowest price provider. We get it – owning and running a home in Sullivan County these days isn’t cheap.

But like anything in life, you get what you pay for – and if a deal for heating oil sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Rather than simply shopping for the cheapest fuel and ending up in a no-heat emergency when your supplier can’t deliver during an extended cold snap, we urge you to consider looking for the best value in fueling. To do that, you’ll need to know what questions to ask to separate the quality choices from the fly-by-nights.

Questions to ask your heating oil supplier:

Here are four questions you should ask when shopping for a new heating oil supplier.

• What do customers think of them? When choosing a fuel provider, you need to do your homework. Your personal network of friends and colleagues are a great place to start; online reviews are great, too.
• What payment options do they offer? Heating bills can mount quickly come January or February here in the Catskill Region, and the result can be an unwelcomed surprise in your mailbox. Look for suppliers who offer a heating oil budget plan that allows you to spread out your fuel payments (with no financing fees) over the course of a year. This will take stress off your household bill paying by making your heating costs fixed rather than variable.
• What value-adding services do they offer? Reliable heating oil deliveries are great, but what happens if your equipment fails, or isn’t performing the way it should? Look for suppliers that offer expert heating equipment maintenance and emergency heating repairs by licensed, bonded technicians to complement their heating oil deliveries. On the heating oil delivery front, look for companies that offer services that make your life easier, such as automatic delivery, online bill paying, and other convenient services.
• What do they do to guarantee reliably fuel delivery? Most fuel companies guarantee heating oil deliveries, but how do they back it up? Top heating oil suppliers will have an extensive stock of heating oil on-hand to get their customers through periods of high demand, plus strong relationships with wholesalers to bridge any supply gaps along the way. They’ll also have a well-maintained fleet that can stay on the road in any weather, driven by trained experts who can deliver fuel safely in challenging conditions.

Looking for a quality heating oil supplier in Sullivan County, NY? Look no further than Black Bear! Contact us today to learn more, or to become a Black Bear heating oil customer!