Confidence in Uncertain Times

Dear Friends,

No one can predict exactly what this fall will serve up, but it is hard to imagine we won’t face a resurgence of COVID-19 in our area, with all its challenges.

I want you to know that as long as you are with Dixon Energy, you can have confidence that we will be there for you when it matters most. We’ve been doing this for more than 100 years. Coming through for customers is in our family’s DNA.

We are working hard to anticipate and prepare for potential disruptions. We have an unbelievable team here, who make me proud every day. They have been extraordinarily flexible and committed, and I could go on for hours with stories of how they put the needs of our customers first.

We will all need to be flexible and patient with each other as we adapt to the new challenges we face. I appreciate the trust you’ve placed in our family to keep you warm — more than words can convey. We won’t let you down.

Be well.

Warmly,
Jennifer Pierson, President

P.S. Here’s a link to our survey. If you could take a minute to let us know how we are doing for you, we’d really appreciate it.

When one of our technicians enters your home, we want both of you to feel as comfortable as possible. That’s why we’ve instituted the following precautions:

  • Our techs have been issued masks, gloves and sanitary wipes and they’ve been trained on CDC-recommended safety precautions.
  • They have been instructed to stay home if they feel sick or anyone in their household has a fever, or is showing any other signs of illness.
  • Our goal is to provide contactless service. We ask you to keep at least 6 to 8 feet away.
  • You can arrange to leave a key if you do not want to be at home when we come. If you have a separate entrance to your basement, we can use that.
  • We will call ahead of our appointment so you know we are coming, and to confirm no one in your house is ill.

Browse our site to read more about our response to the public health crisis.

Last year, we welcomed Annette Galdi, of Dover, who was astonished to find out that our prices were much lower than what her large heating oil company was charging.

“I thought oil prices were basically the same,” she told us. “I never knew there could be such a big difference. But I was being charged about a dollar more per gallon by my old company. I am so happy I am a Dixon customer now. Everyone is so nice, helpful and knowledgeable. And I’m really impressed that they have been in business for more than 100 years.”

Home is our haven, an escape from the turbulent outside world. That’s why we’ve filled these pages with information that we hope will make you as safe and comfortable as possible — all the time.

More Dangerous Than Poppies

The wicked witch attempted to use poppies to send Dorothy into a permanent sleep. Carbon monoxide (CO) can do that for real.

CO is created when any kind of fuel is burned, but it’s vented safely to the outside. That’s why it’s important to have all fuel-burning devices serviced regularly by a professional. This will ensure that your equipment is operating properly.

Because CO is a toxic, invisible and odorless gas, you should already have CO detectors installed around your home, especially near all bedrooms. Remember to test the detectors about once a month.

A faulty burner or furnace can cause a CO leak. Other causes of CO leaks can include:

  • unvented appliances running for long periods of time.
  • back drafts caused by pressure imbalances near the heating system.
  • a vehicle left idling in an attached garage.
  • a gasoline-powered generator left running in a basement or attached garage.
  • a blocked flue.

CO poisoning symptoms include fatigue, dizziness and nausea. If you suspect a CO leak, get fresh air right away by opening doors and windows and leave the house before calling for help.

Watch your pets

Signs of CO poisoning can show up in pets before they appear in humans. If a pet seems sick or is unusually slow to wake up, take it outside, check your carbon monoxide detectors and open the windows in your home. Also, get your pet to the veterinarian right away.

5 Ways to Feel Right at Home with Propane

There are many ways you can take advantage of propane’s efficiency and versatility to make your home more comfortable. Here are five ideas.

  1. Install a propane fireplace or log set. Vented propane hearths give you all the benefits of wood fireplaces without the chimney, mess or cleanup—at a fraction of the installation cost.
  2. Warm up to a propane space heater. Do you have rooms that are drafty and cold? Do you do a lot of work in your garage? Vented propane gas space heaters are easy to install, efficient and safe. They also burn cleaner than electric and oil space heaters.
  3. Upgrade to a new propane furnace. Propane gas furnaces are best in their class in terms of efficiency, with ratings from 90% to 98% efficient. A propane furnace can provide affordable warmth and comfort for any size floor plan.
  4. Go tankless. Swap out your old electric tank water heater for an innovative tankless propane unit. You’ll cut down on your water heating bills and enjoy a virtually endless supply of hot water.
  5. Upgrade your old electric stove to a propane range/cooktop. This will give you much better temperature control and heat distribution than electric models. Why not discover all the benefits of a propane cooktop for yourself?

Propane — the more appliances you have, the more you’ll love it! For more upgrade ideas, contact us and we’ll be glad to give you expert advice.

The Yellow Brick Road to Savings

Technological breakthroughs have brought in a new era of higher efficiency and big savings for anyone who uses oilheat.

The combination of increasingly efficient oil heating systems and continuous improvements with ultra‑low-sulfur Bioheat® fuel is the onetwo punch that will help homeowners in the years ahead.

  • Some new oilheat systems have efficiency ratings in the 90%+ range, providing more warmth with less fuel.
  • Many new oil boilers now incorporate energy-saving controls that can reduce fuel usage by as much as 10% and provide a more even heat.
  • High-efficiency oil furnaces feature variablespeed motors that use as much as 80% less electricity.
  • The oil boilers and oil furnaces of today are about the same size as a three-drawer filing cabinet. Installing a new heating system can not only free up space, but will save you a lot of money on fuel.

Heating Season To-Do List

  • Keep the area around heating appliances as clean and clutter free as possible. Keep combustible materials (newspapers, bedding, clothing, rugs) at least three feet away from heat sources.
  • Change or clean the filter in your furnace a few times during the heating season; a dirty filter compromises efficiency and can even result in a shutdown.
  • Keep registers, baseboards or radiators clean and unobstructed to ensure maximum heat flow.
  • Get to know which circuit breaker (or fuse) controls your heating system. You should also know the location of your system’s power switches. This will be helpful if you lose your heat and need to troubleshoot.

Recently, Mindy S., of Montville, NJ called to say she was fed up with her current heating oil company and wanted to become our customer.

“They didn’t do my annual cleaning as promised and I could never get anyone to speak with on the phone,” she told us. “When I finally got someone and said I was leaving them, they told me I was breaking my contract with them and it would cost several hundred dollars to be released from it.”

We do business a different way at Dixon Energy, where our relationship with our customers is based on our performance: We never lock customers into a contract.

With Dixon Energy, you not only get value, you get values. Because we’re locally owned and operated, we stay connected with the community in a way national companies can’t. You aren’t just an account number in a database. You’re our neighbor.

Power outages can happen at any time. Winter weather with ice and snow, hurricanes and thunderstorms in the summer, regional blackouts — they can all leave our homes in the dark for hours, days or even weeks.

That’s why so many customers ask us to install Generac standby generators to keep their homes safe, secure and comfortable when the power goes out.

Dixon is an authorized Generac dealer, and our skilled and certified technicians will not only install your generator, but they will also provide maintenance and repair.

Don’t get stuck in the dark! Contact Dixon Energy to get started on installing a wholehouse backup generator.

Q: I need a new oil boiler. What do you recommend?

A: We’ve helped many customers save a lot of money on fuel by installing the Energy Kinetics System 2000 boiler.

Brookhaven National Laboratory, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, has rated the System 2000 the most efficient oil boiler in the world.

I really like the fact that the System 2000 has the lowest overall standby heat loss (the heat lost up the chimney when a boiler turns off ) and the best annual efficiency performance of all heating systems tested to date. We can usually install this system for you in a day or two.

Call us today if you would like a free estimate on a replacement system. We can also tell you about low-cost financing options and current rebate opportunities.

Ken Carr
Service Manager