However, this little bit of deserved narcissism doesn’t come cheap.  Twenty thousand dollars is an average price for a car these days, and add the options above…we’re talking 35 to 40 thousand dollars depending on the make and model.  All that money spent to drive 15 minutes to work each morning, and back each evening to a waiting garage where the car is hidden until tomorrow morning.

During those  12 to 18 glorious hours at home (when we’re not washing and waxing the new “family member,”) we spend time with family; playing with our children, relaxing with our significant other, working on a favorite hobby, entertaining friends and neighbors and sleeping soundly so we wake up refreshed and ready to do it all over again.  All the while our home heating system is working around the clock—24/7—keeping us warm and comfortable and asking little but for routine, inexpensive maintenance.  After 20 years or so, (we’d never keep a car that long) the system is tired and needs replacement.  Typical replacement cost?  Five to 10 thousand dollars—a real deal considering the years of service and the hours you spend at home.

But give the average consumer with a 25 to 35  thousand dollar automobile a quotation like that, and you would think you poked their eyes out.  “That much?????  I can’t justify that price for just heating my home!  Don’t you have anything cheaper?  It just sits in the cellar and collects dust for cripes sake, no one ever sees it!”  And there you go, the excuses abound.  The new car makes you, while a new heating system breaks you.  Out of sight, out of mind.  Don’t bother with the fact the home heating system is always there; day and night working to keep you and your family warm and toasty.  It’s not flashy, it’s not “cool” it doesn’t make a statement.  It won’t do 0 to 60 in 4.1 seconds.  No, it won’t.

If you spend a moderate amount, for a truly great home heating system, it will reward you with a clean, green, comfortable and efficient home for years to come—even though no one ever sees it, or compliments you on your astute decision.  And by the way, you never have to wash it, wax it, or worry about parking lot dings and dents.  The irony is obvious.  Viking Propane, When you need us, we’re there.

Because of the nature of #2 heating oil and the emissions produced, oil burners require annual tune-ups to work at their rated efficiency.  For example, let’s say your oil heat boiler is rated at 85% efficiency when installed new.  That means out of each gallon of oil consumed, your system generates 113,900 BTUs (British Thermal Units) of heat for your home.  However; after just one heating season, your 85% efficient burner can run as poorly as 70% efficient, meaning you recover just 93,800 BTUs in heat per gallon.  In other words, your “unhealthy” burner is converting 18% of your oil into black, sticky smelly smoke and sending your precious heat right up the chimney.  And like cholesterol in your arteries, that smoke is clogging the “breathing” apparatus in your system making it work harder and giving you less warmth for your family. 

When you call to schedule a tune up with Viking Propane, our expert technicians come to your home, they completely clean the interior of your furnace or boiler, replace the used oil nozzle and change the oil filter and strainer all in a little over an hour.  Afterward, we conduct and record an efficiency test in order to ensure your unit is in tip-top shape—ready for the cold winter ahead.  We will also review everything else on your system and point out anything requiring upgrading to avoid costly future service calls.  Think about it, we are already there, why pay for us to come back again.

As one might imagine, studies show oil users taking advantage of annual tune-up specials, have approximately 80% fewer no-heat calls during the winter than those who refuse to have their systems maintained on a yearly basis.  (And when do those calls generally happen?  Nights and weekends or whenever labor rates are the highest—Murphy always has a “hand to play.”)

So, if you want to save significantly on your oil bills this year and maybe dodge a late-night service call, give Viking Propane a jingle at 483-3446.  We always treat you to fast, reliable, courteous service you can count on.  Viking Propane, When you need us, we’re there for your heating system no matter what the fuel is.

The tried and true practice of collecting three bids for propane pricing, then using the low bid to select a supplier no longer makes much sense.  The three-bid rule only appears to work because it assumes all things equal; the price per gallon is all you pay.  In other words, the premise is, three bidders have quoted you a per gallon price and that is all you need to know.

In reality, however, such assumptions are risky and rarely accurate. While Viking Propane charges no delivery fees whatsoever, many competitors participate in “fee creep” as a matter of course. As a result, the three bids are not consumer-friendly, and while differences may or may not be subtle, they prove bid comparison more complicated than it seems on the surface.

The only clear way to make such a comparison is to calculate the number of deliveries to your home the previous year times all the fees; you may have to ask each company for a “run down.”  That dollar figure must then be added to the total projected gallons for next year at the quoted price.  Finally, the customer must divide that total by the projected number of gallons to be used next season.  That answer yields an “actual” cost per gallon.

Even after your intelligent comparison is complete, the three-bid rule has a way of reducing each propane company to a number.  However, the most relevant factors for customer satisfaction may be the supplier’s level and quality of service, experience, personality, record of success, and BBB rating. For this reason, Viking Propane is disappointed in knowing they may be evaluated only in terms of cost, rather than whether they are the best value for the customer.

Viking Propane tempers such disappointment with a re-doubling of efforts to involve all our customers in a personal energy need assessment and to discuss the flexible aspects of propane, its safety and a review of our pricing programs to yield the final projected cost for the heating season.  Such discussions always build trust and enable honest communication about actual costs and how a customer may best be served. They also tend to remove assumptions and misleading comparisons while helping the customer see the possibility of annual fuel savings.  As always, Viking’s goal is not merely to meet customer expectations, but to exceed them in every way possible.  Please give us a call at 483-3446 to let us know how we may help.

From our family to yours,

Viking Propane Company

“When you need us, we’re there.”

Along with Tim the Tool Guy, the Alpha Males at Viking Propane are no different—except, believe it or not, they prefer charcoal to propane. Huh???? Ironic perhaps; but when a propane company says charcoal is better than gas, one better take careful notice. The Big Green Egg is an incredible and unique backyard necessity. Made of super strength fire-brick ceramic, it holds heat and moisture like a “dog on a pant leg” giving you more flavorful meat, fowl and fish. It’s also more or less a natural chimney complete with fire door and damper, so temperature control is exacting—even during extra long cooking or smoking periods (I’ve actually been able to hold 225 degrees F within 5 degrees over eighteen hours—and without adding charcoal)!

Due to stellar design and construction, the Egg’s cooking temperature ranges from 150 degrees F to 700 degrees. That means it can smoke, grille, sear and bake. And the flavor???? Perfectly baked wood-fired pizzas, mouth-watering sirloin tips, succulent spare ribs and delicious smoked havarti—entire meals for your friends to rave about. (Oh oh, just drooled into the keyboard)!

So remember, Father’s day is almost here and Viking carries the whole line of Big Green Eggs, charcoal and all the “Eggcessories.” And, if you buy from us, we deliver the grille free and even assemble it for you. Be careful though, once smoke wafts throughout the neighborhood, you might find yourselves with permanent dinner guests!

With the “winter of our discontent” now past, it’s not too early to plan for your next heating season.  Now that it’s easy to install new tanks, it’s also a perfect time to evaluate energy costs and compare propane suppliers.  Below are considerations when comparing companies.  Since each supplier markets products differently, do your homework and be prepared.

• Know your annual propane usage—Many consumers keep perfect records of propane deliveries.  For those not quite as “organized,” your current supplier can tell you that total.  Make sure you ask for a full year of deliveries (say May through April) to ensure the total is accurate.  Propane is usually discounted based on annual volumes, so you want to “take credit” for every gallon delivered.

• Ask about extra fees and charges—Many suppliers have what seems like a “great price” and are willing to sell you the latest program.  Unfortunately,  hidden fees are not always mentioned up-front.  For example, let’s say you use 800 gallons of propane a year.  You compare prices and Company A beats Company B by 15 cents per gallon.  Wow! That’s a savings of $120 dollars per year!  But wait, let’s add the enrollment fee of $50, an 11 dollar delivery fee for each of the 7 deliveries you get throughout the year  (7 x 11 = $77) , an administrative, or regulatory, or gas-recovery fee (names vary) for $4 each delivery (4 x 7 = $28).  Now add the fee total ($155) to the annual cost of your propane and your “per gallon savings” actually costs you $35!

• Ask about tank rental charges or “minimum annual usage charges.”—As said earlier, propane is usually discounted based upon annual usage.  Users of less than 100 gallons per year may be “assessed” a tank rental charge at the end of the season, or have to pay a penalty of 100 or 150 gallons minus the gallons actually used.

• Ask about contracts if you currently have or would like an underground tank—Many think that they are stuck with a supplier because they use an underground tank owned by that supplier.  They sometimes think their current tank must be dig up for replacement by their new provider—not true.  Most area propane companies swap underground tanks for new ones with no disturbance of the buried tank.  One thing to watch for:  if you signed a contract with your supplier (usually 5 years) you are stuck until the contract period is complete or a penalty is paid.  Some companies, like Viking however, will bury a tank in your yard and not require you enter a contractual agreement.

Once you have gathered information from 2 or 3 suppliers, you are ready to make a decision based upon hard facts and dollar for dollar comparisons.  However; it’s important to remember, price is not the “end all and be all.’’  Good, honest, dependable and expert service from a company you trust beats a small dollar savings every time.

The same goes for service of the boiler or furnace that heats your home. It’s curious as to how some will spend upwards of thirty thousand dollars for a new car which they occupy a half hour each day, but when it comes to their home where they spend 18 or more hours with their families, the heating system is the cheapest they can find. Also, all too often it’s neglected until a problem results. The same goes for preventive maintenance. Annual tune-ups and system checks are left undone and when the system needs work, “Murphy” makes it happen in the middle of a cold, winter night or on a weekend. Unfortunately for those with a “commodity outlook,” believing the lowest price for fuel is the only decision basis for a propane supplier, and that “cold, hard lesson” leaves them with few options other than a big bill with an other than reputable company.

Viking Propane knows we can’t change “progress” but we can continue to offer the best service with the finest technical staff at all hours of the day or night. That peace of mind comes with a satisfaction guarantee, if you are not happy for any reason, give us a call and one of the owners will gladly resolve your problem in a way suitable for all parties involved. Our A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau attests to that fact, and we are not about to change directions now. By the way, Viking Propane also installs and maintains your oil boilers and furnaces too, just as we always have.

So if you are looking for a propane supplier who does it all—delivery, installation and top-notch service—why not give us a call at 483-3446 , you’ll be glad you did.

Viking Propane, “When you need us, we’re there.”