Welcome to the Dead River Company blog!

Let’s face it- last winter was tough. Unusually cold temperatures gripped large portions of the country and most of New England had record snowfall amounts.

Last week, we shared a few of our favorite tips on easy and low cost ways to keep your energy costs down and stay warm this winter. For part #2, we want to focus on an important component… your heating system.  Take it from the experts and make sure you consider these important steps to be prepared:

• #1- Make sure your system is ready to rock. Make sure your boiler or furnace has been cleaned or tuned up sometime in the past year. Tune-ups substantially extend the life of your heating system while ensuring that it’s operating safely and efficiently. And it can save up to 5% on fuel costs.

• #2- Sign up for automatic fuel delivery.  If there was only one piece of advice Gerry Tracy, Dead River Company’s General Manager of Field Operations, could give for this winter it would be: sign up for automatic delivery.  In the middle of winter, customers who are not on automatic delivery, have to watch their fuel gauge and then take the time to call for a delivery, as well as wait for a the next time a delivery truck is in the neighborhood. The wait can be frustrating. Take the worry out of winter by knowing you’ll have the fuel you need, when you need it with automatic delivery.

• #3- Or…plan ahead. If you are not on automatic delivery, there are some steps you can take to be better prepared. Mark Anderson, Safety Manager at Dead River Company recommends that you schedule your next delivery when your heating oil or kerosene tank gauge is below the 1/4 mark or when your propane tank gauge reads below 25%. This will give you enough time to receive a delivery on the day the truck is already scheduled to be in your area.

• #4- Put the best team in your corner. Last winter, when other companies were struggling to keep up with demand, Dead River Company took steps to make sure we had the fuel our customers needed. It’s important to make sure you are working with a company you can trust with your family’s comfort and safety.  According to Alan Dorr, Director of Procurement, Dead River Company has security of supply with the most comprehensive infrastructure in the region including six propane rail plants and a deep water oil terminal with the capacity to store millions of gallons of heating oil.

• #5- Be prepared in case of an emergency. You can trust Dead River Company to be there when you need us, day or night. Casey Cramton, Director of Operations, explains that if you are a current Dead River Company customer in need of Emergency Service, you can contact your local Dead River Company office. We guarantee to respond within one hour of your after-hours service call.

That’s the end of this series on how to prepare for winter! We hope you’ve found this information helpful and feel prepared for the winter ahead. We look forward to it and to delivering on our promise of always being there when you need us.