February 2016 Bulletin

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IMPORTANT – MONTHLY BUDGET CUSTOMERS

First and foremost, thank you for relying on Rand-Handy to provide your home heating needs. We place great value on our customer relationships and we appreciate your continued patronage. We also want you to know that the warmer than normal winter we have seen so far in conjunction with decline in oil prices over the last several months has led us to look at the monthly budget amount you are paying. When we started the Budget Payment Plan for this season, we based the amount on a price per gallon of approximately 25% higher than it is today. Because of this, most of you will see a decrease in your monthly amount, and that change will be reflected in this months (February) statement. For those of you who have auto payments sent directly from your bank, please remember to update that if your budget amount has changed. If your monthly budget is automatically billed to your credit card, no action is necessary on your part. If you have any questions about any of this, please call us at 781-834-8831. Thank you again for all of the confidence you place in us to care for you and your family.

FROM THE EDITOR

The Natural Gas industry has been trying to “Explode” its presence in Massachusetts for years now. Is it really worth it? With oil prices at their lowest in years, does it really make sense? They are telling you all the reasons why it makes sense for you to switch. What they are not telling you is more important to us as a company and as residents of this state, and it should be to you too:

  • They don’t say how they spend rate payers’ (their customers) money to run huge ad campaigns in an effort to shut down the oil dealers’ small businesses who employ thousands of hard working people in Massachusetts.
  • They don’t say that while they are spending close to a million dollars a year in advertising, there are an estimated 30,000 natural gas leaks all across the state that they are aware of and are not repairing. Many of these known leaks are serious and put local residents and businesses in danger, and nothing is being done about it. My feeling is that this industry could better spend their money upgrading the aging infrastructure of natural gas lines where you and I live and make us all a little safer. Go out for a walk on a calm, cool night, and I bet you can smell a few leaks.
  • They don’t say that all of these gas leaks put off a methane gas which is a greenhouse gas and is more harmful to the environment and ozone layer than anything an oil heated system could produce. This gas is known to kill trees and vegetation by the hundreds of thousands and one large city near Boston currently has a lawsuit against the gas industry making those claims.
  • They don’t talk about gas explosions and the deaths that they cause every year. You can read more about that on naturalgaswatch.org.
  • And why is nobody talking about the Natural Gas leak in Southern California that is spilling incredible amounts of Methane into the environment every day and has forced evacuation of nearly 2500 homes? Some say this is already the worst environmental disaster since the oil spill in the Gulf in 2010, and it won’t be stopped until March…at best.

For more information, you can visit The American Energy Coalition website. Or visit The Massachusetts Energy Marketers Association (Formerly Mass. Oilheat Council) representing oilheat and its dealers throughout the commonwealth and beyond.

Think About It

Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.

A Note from our Service Department

When is the last time you changed the batteries in your automatic, setback thermostat? This is a cause of several “No-Heat” calls from our customers. You should do this twice a year. A good schedule to follow is the same as your smoke  detectors in the house. When you change the clocks for  daylight savings, it’s time to change the batteries. So if you  have not done it in a while, now is the time.

WORRIED ABOUT FROZEN PIPES? HERE ARE SOME TIPS THAT MIGHT HELP

  • On the really cold nights, keep the thermostats up. If you normally turn down the temperature 8-10 degrees when you go to bed, that’s a period of time where the boiler won’t come on and circulate water through the pipes. A pipe in a cold area with any kind of draft can freeze quickly. (I know, easy for the oil guy to say, right?) Well, the amount of money you may spend keeping the heat up is a lot less than a repair bill for a frozen pipe.
  • Open cabinets under the sink in the kitchen and bathroom, especially when they are mounted on an outside wall. This allows air to circulate in the area where the hot and cold pipes are located.
  • Going away? Have someone check the house when you are gone. Or better yet, install a temperature sensor that will alert you when the temperature in the house drops too low. Call us for more information on this equipment.
  • If you have a room above the garage, or even pipes in the garage, don’t leave the garage doors open any longer than necessary.
  • For those of you who use a wood or gas stove for supplemental heat, remember that if the thermostat for your heating system is in this room, and the room is warm, the thermostat won’t tell the boiler to come on. This means that if  you have any pipes on that heating zone in a cold or drafty area, they will not have any water circulation through them. This makes them at risk for freezing.
  • If you have a pipe that is already frozen, do your best to get air moving in the area of the frozen pipe. Even a fan blowing air in that direction will work with a
    little bit of time. Best to turn off the water and take the pressure off of that pipe. When pipes freeze, the ice can expand and split the pipe. When it thaws it will  likely leak and if it is under pressure, it can make for quite a mess. If this is a heating pipe, give us a call and we will be right over to help.

Q:What did the fish say when it swam into the wall?

A: Damn! (Dam)

FEBRUARY DATES TO REMEMBER

Feb. 2nd—Groundhog Day (will he see his shadow?)
Feb. 10th—Ash Wednesday
Feb. 14th—Valentines Day. Don’t forget that special someone in your life.
Feb. 15th—Presidents Day/Washington’s Birthday. Our office will be closed, but our emergency service is always available, 24 hours a day.
Feb. 21st—Maple Syrup begins to run.
Feb. 26th—Red Wing Blackbirds return.

JANUARY OIL DRAWING WINNERS

1st Prize: Hal H., Duxbury

2nd Prize: Dorothy M., Marshfield

3rd Prize: Judy K., Marshfield

Please note that you can now enter the oil drawing online. Please complete the form below to be entered in next month’s drawing.

CONGRATULATIONS to OUR Winners!

Posted in Bulletins/Newsletters.