Heating Oil Delivery to Bring Warmth to Your Home

If your oil tank has a gauge, it is typically located on top of the tank. The gauge will look something like this:

Simply read the level on the glass to ascertain how much oil is left in your tank. Keep in mind that gauges on oil tanks are not considered to be 100% accurate. The most accurate way to know how much is in your oil tank is to stick your oil tank.

The most accurate way to know how much oil you have in your tank is to stick your oil tank. This is done by unscrewing and removing the plug as pictured below. Then, read the number of inches on your measuring stick. An upright tank will measure 44 inches when full.

Automatic delivery offers you a no run-out guarantee with the peace of mind that you don’t have to worry about checking your tank or rely on your gauge to be correct. Based on the temperature outside, we determine when your tank level is at or around ¼ tank. A delivery ticket will be automatically generated to fill your tank the next time we are in the area. In cases of extreme cold temperatures, we may generate tickets early to ensure our customers do not run out of fuel.

A cap price protects you against spikes in the market. Customers can sign up for a cap price for 1 or multiple seasons. Capping your rate ensures that you will never pay more than the preset cap price for the term of the program regardless of how high the market rate jumps. However, capping your price also entitles the homeowner to take advantage of market dips. If the market price drops below the capped price, you will benefit from receiving the lower price. The program is designed to allow customers to save money during the peak of the season when product is in high demand.

A cap investment fee allows Shipley to provide a ceiling for how high the price can go but also allows for downward protection when the market drops. There is a cost for Shipley to secure the necessary gallons for the season and a small investment fee for customers who want to protect their rate. Our goal is to be transparent with that cost and separate it from the price per gallon charge.

A budget allows you to make equal monthly payments on your account instead of paying for deliveries and service plans as they are billed to your account. Budgets take into consideration how much product you use, the average price per gallon, service plans, fees, and any balance you might have when you sign up for the budget.

You can use your credit towards your budget payment if you have overpaid on your budget this season or if you ended last season with a credit on your account. In any other situation, your current credit is meant to cover expenses on your account during the budget season and cannot be used towards a budget payment.

Diesel or Kerosene can be added to your oil tank if you are running low and a delivery cannot be made prior to a potential run out. Best case scenario Diesel or Kerosene can be added to the tank prior to running completely out of oil. Adding the alternative product prior to a run out could potentially prevent you from the following:

• Having to bleed the lines and restart furnace
• Stirring up sludge on the bottom of the tank and causing blockages

To prevent run outs or near run outs in the future you can also sign up for automatic deliveries with Shipley, receive priority service and let us monitor the tank(s) for you.

Oil prices can fluctuate daily for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons include:

• Commodities Trading – Heating oil is traded on the commodities market just like other home heating fuels. This means heating oil cost is subject to fluctuations, just like the stock market. Heating oil like any energy product responds to supply and demand fundamentals, such as cold or warm weather or supply issues in foreign countries.
• Changes in the cost of crude oil – Crude oil is a major price component of heating oil, and changes in the price of crude oil affect the price of heating oil.
• Regional operating costs – Prices also are impacted by costs of transporting the product to various locations. In addition, the cost of doing business by dealers can vary substantially depending on the area of the country in which the dealer is located.

When the tank is located indoors, the storage system will include a fill pipe and a vent pipe. The driver connects the hose from the delivery truck to the fill pipe to make the delivery of fuel. As the tank fills, the vent pipe releases air from the tank and creates a whistling sound. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requires inside tanks to have a whistle that alerts the driver when the tank is full. If the whistle is not functioning properly, it is not safe to fill the tank as the driver will have no idea when the tank is reaching its capacity. This could result in overfilling a tank and spilling oil in the customer’s home or yard.

The Regulatory Compliance Fee is a way for us to recoup some of our operating expenses without raising your price per gallon. Although it is called a Regulatory Compliance Fee, there are other factors such as Hazardous Material Handling, Training, and Shipping charges factored into this fee.