As you might imagine, we have received a lot of calls lately about the spike in fuel prices. There’s no getting around how painful these price increases are for consumers. They’re hard for us too.
Though many people think we make more money when energy prices go up, we make less. Customers cut back on usage and fall behind on their payments. But we still need to pay our suppliers promptly at higher rates. This is a horrible mess for everyone. The sooner prices go down, the happier we will all be.
But it isn’t just heating oil that’s more expensive now. All energy prices are surging. This includes natural gas prices, which have more than doubled this year and are likely to climb another 25 percent over the summer.
Even electricity hasn’t been spared. Electric production relies heavily on natural gas, so these rates tend to track each other.
With energy prices spiking, we aren’t surprised that some customers consider a natural gas conversion.
We understand the desire to seek a more affordable home comfort solution — and if you decide to convert to natural gas, we can help you. Still, this isn’t a decision you should make lightly.
In our area of New Jersey, converting a home to natural gas generally costs between $6,000 and $13,000. It will take time to recoup those expenses, and no one knows where energy prices will go in the future.
We can tell you that you will sacrifice heating efficiency by converting. Heating oil burns much hotter than natural gas, which allows you to warm your home and water faster with less fuel.
And heating oil is only becoming cleaner-burning and more efficient. The fuel we deliver contains eco-friendly, domestically-produced biodiesel made from recycled material like vegetable oil, animal fats, used cooking grease and algae. This heating oil burns cleaner and leaves minimal deposits in your equipment. This reduces wear and tear and saves you money.
While we all hope that the current price surge will end soon, we’re looking for ways to save you money. One of the best ways you can control your heating oil costs is with our E-Z Pay budget plan.
E-Z Pay shields you from fluctuations in your fuel billing. Instead of getting hit with several large delivery bills right before and after the holidays, you divide your payments evenly over 11 monthly installments. Your winter expenses are cut in half.
This also removes uncertainty from your household budget since you don’t have to worry about how much your next delivery will cost.
And if the actual cost of your heating oil is higher or lower than we anticipated, we’ll adjust your plan accordingly. You will only pay the cost of the fuel you received at the market price on the days it was delivered — not a dime more.
However you decide to fuel your home heating and appliances, Dixon Energy can help. Contact us today to discuss your home comfort options.