Dear Valued Customer,

Once again, we’re seeing energy prices surge across the board. We know how painful that can be for our customers. It’s painful for us as well.

What’s going on?

Gasoline has risen more than a dollar more per gallon vs. year ago. Natural gas prices have skyrocketed more than 150%. Crude oil prices have climbed above $100 per barrel, a level we haven’t seen in seven years.

The cost of electricity has not been spared either. Higher natural gas prices result in price hikes for wholesale electricity because of heavy reliance on natural gas-fired power plants.

What’s more, wholesale propane prices have hit their highest weekly average levels since February 2014. Read more about the factors that are driving today’s energy market.

What We’re Doing

People sometimes misunderstand how negatively all this impacts us as well. We don’t make more money when prices rise like this- we make less. Think of it this way: it’s like when the cost of coffee, milk or oranges rise. It’s not the local grocery that is profiting. (That’s left to the Wall Street investors). Our customers have a harder time paying their bills. They reduce expenditures. We need to tap into our lines of credit more. Our phones light up with questions. So the sooner energy prices drop, the happier we’ll be.

In the meantime, please talk to us about things we can offer to help you reduce your energy costs, or handle payments more easily. And if you are having trouble with your bills, please call us. We can generally work with you if you reach out before you fall behind.

Trust us to come through for you

We’ve been in business for many years and have deep roots in the community. We have secure access to supply. We are doing everything possible to ensure we can deliver—even if other companies cannot—no matter the cost or difficulty we face.

We thank you for your understanding and we appreciate your loyalty. As we’ve done quite a few times in the past, we will get through these tough times by all working together.

David O’Connell
President, Wilson Oil and Propane

Low Humidity Levels Cause Many Problems

It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity. That’s a common refrain uttered many times during the summertime. The air feels heavy because it contains so much moisture. As you know, this type of air feels stifling. But things get reversed when cold air arrives and our heating system starts up. The heat your furnace or boiler generates takes a lot of the moisture out of your home environment.

When your home becomes too dry, many problems can crop up. Problems can range from dry, irritated skin and increased allergic responses. Dry indoor air, if left unchecked, can also result in physical damage to your home and furniture.

The good news is you can tackle the problem of dry indoor air with a simple solution that ensures healthy moisture levels throughout your home: a whole-house humidifier.

Connected to your heating and air conditioning unit, as well as your plumbing, a central humidifier adds water vapor to your home air via your ducts. You can then control humidity levels using your thermostat, just like the temperature.

Consider the benefits of achieving an optimum level of humidity in your home, considered to be 55%.

Do you want to improve your indoor air quality with a humidifier? Contact the indoor air experts at Wilson Oil and Propane today to learn more and get a FREE estimate.

Read more about keeping your indoor air healthier.

Founded in 1926, Wilson Oil and Propane strives to provide excellent service to our customers every single day. In addition to prompt, professional expert HVAC services, heating oil, and propane delivery, we offer our customers many ways to lower their energy costs and enhance their comfort. Become a customer today.

Excellent Pay and Benefits in HVAC Field

Right now, Wilson Oil and Propane is looking to expand its team of certified and experienced service technicians.

Based in Wallingford, Wilson Oil and Propane is a full-service, family-owned home comfort company that has been serving the residents of southeastern Pennsylvania since 1926. All of the technicians who work for Wilson are certified heating and cooling experts, trained to diagnose and fix virtually any home comfort system problem. They install and service a wide range of products, including boilers, furnaces, duct sealing, generators and air conditioning systems.

Your talents and skills will be deeply appreciated at Wilson Oil and Propane. We offer excellent pay and benefits, which include:

You’ll also find a better work-life balance, and a growth-oriented work culture. We provide flexible work schedules and ample advancement opportunities.

General Duties for Our Service Technicians

These include:

You can view a more detailed job description for our service technicians by going here. If you think you’re qualified, use our Careers page to email us your resume.

A Promising Job Outlook

With home-comfort-equipment technology advancing at an incredible rate, the demand for smart, tech-savvy people isn’t going to slow down. Unlike with many other vocations, there’s little chance of these jobs being sent offshore or automated.

So, if you know anyone looking to continue their career in HVAC—including yourself—please reach out to us to see what Wilson Oil and Propane has to offer.

Excellent Customer Service Every Day

We strive to provide excellent service to our customers every single day. In addition to prompt, professional expert HVAC services, heating oil and propane delivery, Wilson offers our customers many ways to lower fuel costs and enhance comfort.

Read some of our five-star customer reviews.

These days, it’s hard to find a heating-fuel and service company that isn’t part of a national chain or a major corporation. So it’s no surprise when our customers tell us how much they appreciate working with a family-owned company that’s been in the neighborhood for 95 years.

In our business, we believe in the Golden Rule: Treat your customers the way you’d like to be treated. People tell us they value our fair and transparent pricing as well as all of the services we offer that make their lives a little easier.

Rest assured, you can count on us for dependable deliveries and emergency service no matter how bad the weather gets. Please let us know what we can do to help throughout the heating season.

Although propane is odorless in its natural form, a chemical compound is added to give it a strong, unpleasant smell that is similar to the odor of rotten eggs or a skunk’s spray.

But there are situations that may prevent you from detecting that telltale odor in the event of a leak. Commonly known as “odor loss,” this can be caused by:

That’s why we recommend installing a propane gas detector (or detectors, depending on the size of your home). Follow your manufacturer’s instructions for placement and maintenance. You should also react immediately to even the faintest propane odor (or your gas detector’s alarm) by leaving your home and calling for assistance.

Your safety is our number one priority

Our online portal gives you the freedom to check your account, make payments and do so much more on the go!

Conducting business with us online gives our customer service team more time to answer questions, troubleshoot equipment problems, and, most important, dispatch a technician when a customer has a heating emergency.

That’s why we encourage you to download the Wilson Oil & Propane mobile app— available for iOS and Android devices. It provides access to your account 24 hours a day, so you can pay bills, get information, and schedule service when it’s convenient for you. Find out how simple it can be. Just search for us on the App Store or Google Play.

Paul Nazzarro heads the Nazzaro Group, which focuses on the successful commercialization of biodiesel and Bioheat fuel in the U.S. He also represents the National Biodiesel Board, helping to develop and implement training and communication programs.

Q: Does Bioheat fuel really burn more cleanly than natural gas?

A: Yes. Unless produced through renewable processing, natural gas simply cannot adjust its carbon score downward, which makes Bioheat fuel the common-sense choice for 21st-century home comfort. Studies show that Bioheat fuel blends of 2% or more produce lower greenhouse gas emissions than natural gas when evaluated over a 20-year period.*

Q: Why does Bioheat fuel generate fewer emissions?

A: Bioheat fuel is a blend of biodiesel and traditional petroleum-based heating oil. Biodiesel, which is made from vegetable oils or animal fats, is considered a biogenic fuel that reduces carbon 100% compared to burning fossil fuels like natural gas. Fossil fuels like natural gas take carbon stored in the ground and put 100% of that carbon into the atmosphere. In comparison, the combustion of biofuels and other biogenic energy sources actually recycle carbon dioxide emissions through renewable plant materials and other biomass feedstocks. That’s why you’ll be hearing a lot about net-zero carbon emissions in the years ahead.

Common Furnace Problems: Strange Smells

Your furnace is going to be one of your best friends this winter. Why not? It will be working hard to keep you and your family warm and safe in the cold months ahead—usually without complaints. But at some point, your furnace may let you know that it’s not happy and needs help. Sometimes that message will come in the form of strange odors.

Odd smells from your furnace usually indicate a problem, some serious, some not. In our experience, here are three of the most common furnace odors you may encounter,

Dusty, burning smell

We often hear about this when customers turn on their furnace for the first time as the heating season kicks in. This smell usually means your furnace is just burning off the dust and dirt that has built up on it during the off-season.

The smell should stop in a few hours. If the smell continues, try replacing your air filter, which may be dirty. The filter should always be changed or cleaned (depending on its type) at the beginning of the season. Check it regularly during the heating season. Make sure you shut off your furnace before replacing the filter.

If changing the filter doesn’t work, it’s time to call for service.

Electrical or metallic smells

Electrical smells ((similar to the smell of burning wire) typically mean something in your furnace is overheating. Your furnace will usually shut itself down as a safety measure. A similar odor is a mechanical smell, often traced to metal parts that are burning due to wear and tear. If you detect any smells like this, shut your furnace down and alert us to the problem right away.

Rotten egg smell

In most cases, a rotten egg smell indicates that you have a gas leak; if you do, follow these procedures outlined by the Propane Education and Research Council:

No flames or sparks

Immediately put out all smoking materials and other open flames. Do not operate lights, appliances, telephones, or cell phones. Flames or sparks from these sources can trigger an explosion or a fire.

Leave the area immediately

Get everyone out of the building or area where you suspect gas is leaking.

Shut off the gas

Turn off the main gas supply valve on your propane tank, if it is safe to do so. To close the valve, turn it to the right (clockwise).

Report the leak

From a neighbor’s home or other building away from the gas leak, call your propane retailer right away. If you can’t reach your propane retailer, call 911 or your local fire department. Do not return to the building or area until your propane retailer, emergency responder, or a qualified service technician determines that it is safe to do so.

Get your system checked before reuse

Before you attempt to use any of your propane appliances, your propane retailer or a qualified service technician must check your entire system to ensure that it is leak-free.

Read more safety tips.

If you’re having furnace trouble, Wilson Oil and Propane can help. Our expert technicians will get your equipment repaired quickly and do the job right so you can enjoy reliable heating service all season long.

If your heating equipment needs to be replaced, we can help you there too, with a high-efficiency heating system installation.