Home Energy and Heating Blog

It's finally cold! Continue posting prices!

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 03:57:00 +0000

This is our first post this year! If you forgot who we are well take a look below. Thanks!

What Is Fuelstart.com?

Fuelstart.com is a simple, easy to use search engine for home heating fuels. Our goal is to provide home owners with a simple way to find, compare and contact heating fuel companies.

Why We Do It

Every winter the search for home heating fuels begins. Whether its oil, propane, wood, pellets or bio fuels its always a chore to find the best prices. For many home owners the only option is to wade through the yellow pages in hopes of finding a company that will deliver to their area and provide the services they need. Giancarlo Vivenzio and Ryan Finlay, the founders of Fuelstart.com, went through this process and found that an address and a phone number wasn't enough information to make a decision. So like all home owners they had to call several companies to gather more information.

That's when they decided there had to be a better way. Home owners don't want to waste time calling around trying to find a company that best fits their needs. The goal of Fuelstart.com is to give home fuel companies a low cost means of posting all of their business information on a site dedicated to home heating. This in turn gives their customers quicker access to prices, delivery schedules, contact information, etc without having to do the leg work themselves.

Suggestions Welcome

We are always looking for new ways to improve our site. Please send any comments or suggestions using our contact form.

3 New Website Layouts Coming Soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:06:00 +0000

In the next couple of days we will releasing new website designs for heating fuel companies. Unlike the past web-pages we offered these will be full blown sites! This new offering will give heating companies a complete online presence to showcase their services, prices, schedule etc.... Below are the 3 templates heating companies can choose from. Please contact us if you would like more details.

Nymex Prices and Polls Added Back to the Home Page

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:44:00 +0000

Back by popular demand we added the Nymex prices & Fuelstart Polls back to the home page. Please take a look and tell us what you think. http://fuelstart.com

Fuelstart.com New Homepage Design!

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:22:00 +0000

As heating season slowly approaches we have decided to simplify the Fuelstart.com homepage. No need to worry the nymex prices and polls will be relocated under the "Home Energy Resources" page. All other content will be easily found from the navigation header at the top of each page. Please be on the lookout for this change and give us your feedback!

Home Heating Google Ads worth it?

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:36:00 +0000

Are Google Adwords, Yahoo, and Bing advertising right for home heating companies? Here at Fuelstart we too are guilty of using Google Adwords to get the word out about our company and services. We all know Google is the Cadillac of online advertising, but I'm amazed how much certain keywords cost.

For example keywords such as

Heating oil prices ma

Best heating oil prices

Connecticut Oil

Massachusetts Oil

all will cost you a minimum of 50cents a click. These clicks add up fast! Depending on what you set your daily budget for and how far your demographic reach is. You could easily rack up 50 clicks and end up quickly spending $25 bucks. This might sound like short money, but do this consistently throughout the year and it will cost you well over $9000.

By no means I'm telling you not to use these advertising services. Heck we use them. The point I'm trying to make is just advertise on Fuelstart.com. No no just kidding. The real point is make sure you keep an eye on your daily budget and be sure your targeting the right area demographic. This will save your company lots of wasted clicks and more importantly save you Money!

BTW: We offer cheap highly targeted online advertising services. Click here for more details.

Best Places to Buy Wood Pellets Online

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:22:00 +0000

When I first thought about writing this blog post I thought it would be easy to come up with a top 5 list "Best Places to Buy Wood Pellets Online". After doing a little bit of research I soon discovered there really isn't many places you can order and pay for wood pellets online without picking up a phone. I was actually surprised with the lack of Ecommerce ordering offered by wood pellet resellers. Why aren't more companies embracing the ease of use of systems like Google Checkout and Paypal? They offer low fee's and for the most part pretty straight forward to use. Ecommerce sites are a dime a dozen these days. Which makes it even more puzzling. Why aren't more companies expanding their businesses by switching their current websites to handle online transactions? With that said my high hopes of having a list of 5 was sadly shrunk to only 2.

2.) CJ's Pellet Depot offers the high quality wood pellets by delivery or pickup to the Greater Springfield, MA and Greater Hartford, CT areas

And #1 drum roll please............

1.) WoodPellets.com Their mission is to make it very easy to find, buy, and use wood pellets and other bio-fuels to heat your home. They ship the best fuels in the industry to you through the most efficient transportation methods available – right to your home.

If I missed any wood pellet resellers that has an online ordering system please feel free to comment and direct us to the site. Thanks!

Another Basement Full of Heating Oil

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:56:00 +0000

I feel like I read about these types of accidents all the time. Homeowners wake up! Remove the old pipes if you no longer use Oil! Click the link below to read about the this incident.

Crude Awakening: Wrong Delivery Fills Man's Basement with Heating Oil

What's the deal with the cost of Propane?

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:40:00 +0000

Recently we received an email from a fellow Fuelstart community member upset about the fluctuating price of propane. Below is a portion of that email.

"I had a 325 gallon propane tank filled 2 days ago (1/6/2010) from my local propane dealer with a price of $2.6247 per gallon (140 gallons). I was quoted the day for the delivery at 2.53 per gallon ( increase of almost 10% in 1 day). My neighbor had his propane tank filled today and was charged $5.13 per gallon (200 gallons equals over $1000)from his local propane dealer. I think all of the states should pass a regulation to make all the fuel oil and propane delivery companies post their price per gallon on their website or on website such as yours or the state agency websites.

Also should show the price the dealer is paying for fuel from their source (end of pipeline, etc) and the transportation, and the tariffs, and retail price based on volume the consumer uses. I think that this is the only way to give the consumer reassurance that he is being treated fairly. I also thought maybe you could suggest other places I might be to send this request for action."

I agree with this user. That is why started we Fuelstart in the first place! We have contacted several propane dealers and they are reluctant to post their prices here or even there on own website. I guess one of the main reasons is that they have different prices based on the usage of the propane. Such as cooking or heating purposes. As far as recommendations go I would let your local propane dealer's know that you would like to see the price posted here or on their own companies website. The bottom line is they have the right to charge what ever they want for the products they sell. It's up to the consumer to make sure they are being tried fairly. Hopefully in time they will start posting prices as most heating oil companies have already adopted and embraced this practice.

Older blog post Why is Propane so Expensive?

Cheapest Oil UK and Ireland

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:18:00 +0000

During the past couple of weeks I've been exchanging emails with the founder of http://www.cheapestoil.co.uk/ (UK and Northern Ireland) and http://www.cheapestoil.ie/ (Republic of Ireland).They like us are a fuel price comparsion website. According to their founder in Northern Ireland, where they are based, about 72% of people heat their homes with oil. They have dealt with similar struggles getting some Oil dealers to adopt the concept of using the internet to promote their respective companies. We have been sharing ideas and hope to bring new features that can help both homeowners and fuel dealers.

Across the big pond they are currently in the grip of the worst cold snap in 30 years. The price of heating oil has risen from £350 ($560) to over £410 ($656) for a standard supply of 900 litres (which is about 237 U.S. gallons) and there are delays caused by snow and ice in getting deliveries. Naturally, people are going berserk, accusing oil distributors of profiteering and the message of stock market prices going up isn’t being heard.

Here in America Oil has went up, but nothing like we saw a couple of years ago. Nevertheless we both agree that our websites serve as a great tool for homeowners and fuel dealers. We that said I'm glad we both share the same thoughts and will continue build our websites to better serve the community.

HOW TO MAKE WOOD PELLETS

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:51:00 +0000

USING THE FLAT DIE PELLET MACHINE

Here's the help you need to make pellets. You want answers, you want to know how to make pellets, the first time, every time. Then let's help you. We answer calls and e-mails every day from people just like you who want to learn how to make pellets the right way. We receive calls from people who want to make their own pellets and are looking to buy equipment, but need to know where to start. Our instruction guide is the answer.

We know that not having the right information, or any information at all, makes it hard. We've been there and back! We started our forum, "Talking Pellets", so that people could ask questions and share experiences with others in the US and Canada. Soon after, people from the UK, Australia and New Zealand joined in, and our membership grew to over 2000! Why? It's simple, the more you learn, the easier it becomes, and www.makeyourownpellets.com is the place to learn!

Okay, you need the help. Order the instruction guide now and you'll make pellets just like we do, just the way we do. You'll automatically receive your copy .pdf file. We'll teach you about binders, temperature, moisture content, maintenance, power and torque and a whole lot more. We don't just show you how to run the machine, we help you understand the concepts you need to know to be able to go out and make pellets every time you want to. There is no secret recipe to making pellets, and after reading our instruction guide, you'll understand that. As a matter of fact, if you can't make pellets after purchasing our guide, email us, we want to help you!

How do we know so much? Because we make pellets, we don't just sell the equipment. We understand the tips and tricks to make hard, dense premium quality pellets. That's why we use "Pellet Binder", because it's easier and better to make pellets using it. We don't just sell it, we use it! Make pellets from woods like Oak, Mahogany, Pine, and Maple. Use biomasses, like leaves, cardboard, grass, and paper, and a whole lot more. Like what you ask? Well, we help people make pellets from Cedar, Fir, hay, straw, horse bedding, (yes, manure), pine needles, DDG (dried distillers grain), coffee grounds, garbage, corncobs, and corn stocks. We also give demonstrations in New York, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, Maine, and Canada. We don't have "Dealers" like other companies, who don't have a clue about what they're selling, let alone how to use it. Our will people make their own pellets themselves, and you're welcome to join them.
We are writing the book on making your own pellets, and we saved a copy for you!
Stop guessing what to do... get the guide! Just $35

Guest post provided by www.makeyourownpellets.com

Buy Wood Pellets on EBAY???

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:16:00 +0000

I've always been a huge fan of eBay, but I never thought of buying my wood pellets through the online auction giant. The more I thought about it made me realize its really no different than buying from other online retailers. I performed a few simple searches and to my surprise there are a number of people that sell wood pellets via eBay. Below are the highlights of my search.

MICHIGAN WOOD PELLETS PREMIUM 100% HARDWOOD ONE TON

JUST A COUPLE OF HILLBILLIES SELLING WOOD PELLETS

NEW ENGLAND WOOD PELLETS PREMIUM GRADE FUEL ONE TON

WE'RE SELLING PELLETS WITH STYLE---WE LOAD LIMOS TOO!!

PREMIUM WOOD PELLETS (LOW ASH, EXCELLENT BTU'S)

BEST FREIGHT RATE NORTHEAST, MIDWEST, SOUTHERN STATES.

NEW ENGLAND WOOD PELLETS TRACTOR TRAILER LOAD 24 TONS

SAVE CHEAPEST PRICE QUANTITY DISCOUNTS TRUCK LOAD SALES

How Much Oil is in my Tank?

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:23:00 +0000

Ever wonder how much oil you have left in the tank? I found this chart that tells you how many gallons you have per gauge level. This will come in handy when you find a good deal on oil and your not sure how much you actually need!

TO ORDER OIL ~ 275 Gallon Tank
Full      7/8      3/4       5/8       1/2       3/8*       1/4**      1/8

275     240     206      172       137     103*            69**       34

        *Order 150 gallons **Order 200 gallons

For bigger tanks refer to the heating oil measurement chart.

Home Heating Oil Companies Using YouTube

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:56:00 +0000

I'm starting to see more and more Oil companies turn to Youtube to advertise their business. I think this is great and I'm happy to see them using the internet as a marketing tool. The best thing about Youtube is that it is free! Anyone can share videos or commercials about their business and or services they offer.

This is an example of a Home heating Oil company taking advantage of using the internet to gain new business.

Clickfil the future of home heating oil delivery?

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:28:00 +0000

During the summer I remember reading about Clickfil.com when they first started delivering home heating oil in the Boston area. I wondered if people would finally buy into an online virtual oil delivery service. Looking back 2 years ago when we first launched Fuelstart.com I can recall the up hill battle we encountered. The biggest obstacle we had to tackle was trying to get home heating oil companies to support the movement of having an online presence. It certainly wasn't easy, but now I'm proud to say we have over 200 companies signed up and supporting us.

Clickfil is on the other side of the spectrum. They are targeting savvy homeowners looking to save money on their heating oil expenses. They claim to save homeowners 30 cents per every gallon of oil. They do this by solely selling home heating oil and not having the overhead other companies might carry. Being 100% percent virtual helps them eliminate reams of paper that might otherwise be used for contracts. On top of that each truck is equipped with a GPS technology to help guide them along the quickest and most cost effective routes. Saving and reducing time needed to make deliveries.

The Fuelstart team has not yet tried their service because we are outside the service area. They currently service the following areas in Massachusetts: Arlington, Lexington, Medford, Winchester and Woburn. If you happen to be in the service area you might want to give them a try. It could save you some extra cash this heating season.

Home Heating Safety

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:01:00 +0000

*New* Energy Video Friday!

Using a space heater is becoming increasing common for families trying to save a money on their heating costs. Space heaters have come a long way in recent years, but still pose a safety concern. This video show us why it's so important to use extra caution when using them.

*each friday a new video will be showcased

5% Off Pellet or Coal Stove + Free Fuel!

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:04:00 +0000

Mason's Corner~Westport, MA

I came across this company (Mason's Corner) while I was searching around on the net. It looks they have a pretty good deal going if your in the market for a new wood pellet or coal stove. Below is what is posted on their website.

November Special
5% off and free fuel !

"Join us for our 2nd Annual Thanksgiving food drive! Purchase any in stock wood, pellet, or coal stove November 1-23 and receive 5% off and 5 bags of pellets, coal or Envi blocks with you non perishable food donation."

5% off and free fuel is good, but you could also qualify for $1,500 tax credit if you purchase a 75%-efficient biomass stove. See details below.

Save energy costs and contribute to a greener Earth by heating all or part of your home with biomass fuels. U.S. homeowners who purchase a 75%-efficient biomass (wood or pellet) burning stove, fireplace or insert and place it into service in their home during 2009 or 2010, can receive a U.S. federal tax credit for 30% of their cost, up to $1,500

Connecticut Heating Oil Prices

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:44:00 +0000

Connecticut prices have been consistently up to date over that last couple of months. Energy finders and companies are posting prices daily making it easy for homeowners to order fuel. Please remember to tell your fuel provider about Fuelstart.com and our free services

Insulation Saves You Money

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:33:00 +0000

Energy Tip Tuesday!
Adding insulation is the fastest and easiest way to help you save on your energy bills and help reduce energy waste. If you're wondering if you should add more insulation to your home the EERE details the most common use cases.

Should I Insulate My Home?

Insulate your home when:

You have an older home and haven't added insulation. Only 20% of homes built before 1980 are well insulated.
You are uncomfortably cold in the winter or hot in the summer—adding insulation creates a more uniform temperature and increases comfort.
You build a new home, addition, or install new siding or roofing.
You pay high energy bills.
You are bothered by noise from outside—insulation muffles sound.

Where to Insulate
Adding insulation in the areas shown above may be the best way to improve your home's energy efficiency. Insulate either the attic floor or under the roof. Check with a contractor about crawl space or basement insulation.

Source: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/insulation_sealing.html

FuelCharts.com Hits 400!

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:57:00 +0000

That's right we now have 400 homeowners using Fuelcharts to track their energy usage. This is great accomplishment for us seeing how we launched only a few short months ago mainly by word of mouth marketing.

Many thanks to everyone that has signed up! As we continue to grow we promise to keep adding new features to help homeowners better understand their fuel energy consumption.

Tracking your energy usage

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:52:00 +0000

One problem home owners with multiple heating sources have is tracking how much they are spending on all of their different fuel types. Lets say for example you have a home that is heated with oil, you have a pellet stove in the basement and a propane fire place in your living room. You may also use space heaters to supplement your heat in small areas. Well thats a lot of different types of energy to track. Fuelcharts allows you to easily track that information.

You can

Record usage of each fuel type as often as you want (daily, weekly, monthly, etc)

For example you can track how many bags of pellets you go through a week
Or track each oil delivery to compare against previous months and years usage

Compare fuel types against each other

You can see what percentage of your energy usage is coming from pellets, oil, electricity, etc.
This way you can see where you are spending the most money.

View graphs that map out your energy usage and compare against previous months/years.

Maybe you installed new windows or did an energy audit. With Fuelcharts you can track your progress on reducing your energy usage.

Fuelcharts can also be used to send email reminders. How many times have you forgotten to check the level on your oil or propane tank? How many times have you forgotten to pay the electric bill? I don't know about you but checking my oil tank is usually the last thing on my mind.

You can setup reminders based on

The last time you purchased oil, pellets, propane, etc
Or setup a reminder on a recurring time interval (weekly, monthly, yearly)

Give Fuelcharts a try, its free and easy to use.

Massachusetts Oil Prices up to date

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:14:00 +0000

Brrr... It's cold here in Massachusetts today. Luckily for me I just filled up my oil tank last week in preparation for the cold weather that is rolling in. I only paid $2.19 a gallon from my local oil dealer. Who by the way posts their prices on Fuelstart.com. I topped my tank with 202 gallons @ total a price of $432. Not bad considering what we were up against last year. Even know the prices have jumped a little since last week it is still a good time to fill up your tank. Before you know it snow will be on the ground and winter will be in full swing.

Massachusetts prices have been consistently up to date over that last couple of months. Energy finders and companies are posting prices daily making it easy for homeowners to order fuel. Please remember to tell your fuel provider about Fuelstart.com and our free services

picture by carloviv.com

Cash and Carry Wood Pellets $249 a ton!

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:15:00 +0000

*Hot Deal Wednesday!

Pelletsdirect.com has "Burn" Hardwood Pellets on sale for $249.00 a ton. The sale starts on October 9th and ends on the 10th. The price is based on you picking up the wood pellets.Check out their pricing page for more details.

Their Uxbridge Retail Location is open M-F 8am-5pm

Saturdays 8-12 noon

73 Ironstone Rd

Uxbridge, MA 01569

Wood Pellets Quality Testing

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:58:00 +0000

Our friends over @ woodpellets.com started preforming quality testing on all the wood pellets they sell. They do this by running each wood pellet brand through a battery of tests to assure they are selling quality wood pellets to their customers. They test the following attributes and parameters.

* Ash content

* Heating value

* Pellet fines content

* Diameter

* Durability

* Ash fusion temperature

* Chlorine levels

* Length

All tests are performed independently and at random from the plants production stream. Shown below are the most recent results. To find out more information on woodpellets.com and the testing preformed please visit their website.

Brand Description	% Ash Content	% Moisture	Heating Value (BTU)
CleanFire Premium Softwood	0.5	3.54	8200
CleanFire Softwood	0.5	3.54	8200
Clean Fire Premium Wood Pellets	0.48	10.6	7300
CleanFire Hardwood Premium Wood Pellets	0.55	4.17	7882
Eagle Valley Premium Wood Pellets	0.3	5	8300
Granules LG Wood Premium Pellets	0.39	6.8	7928
Michigan Premium Wood Pellet Fuel	0.86	3.78	7845
Pureflame Premium Wood Pellets	0.61	6.37	8042
Palmetto Premium Pellets	0.61	6.37	8042
Rocky Mountain Super Premium Pellets	0.3	5.38	7951
Westwood Premium Pellets	0.31	4.4	7937
Cleanfire Hardwood Premium Pellets	0.22	2.87	7988

Oil Prices Teetering Around $70

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:18:00 +0000

Over that last few months oil has hoovered back in forth between $65 and $75 dollars a barrel. As we inch closer to winter all reports I've read makes me believe it will remain this way.

Home heating oil prices continue fluctuate as the price per barrel moves up and down. The good news is that they still remain relativity low considering what we all went through last year. I think most homeowners can definitely handle paying between $2.00 - $2.40 a gallon this winter. Of course this all might change next week, since history shows us that nothing is a sure bet with oil.

picture by carloviv.com

Energy Saving Tip

noreply@blogger.com (Fuelstart Team) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:16:00 +0000

*Heat Saving Tip Tuesday*

This week's tip is something we all can do and should be practiced during the winter months.

Bundle Up! This may be common sense, but it's important to wear extra layers to reduce the need to turn up the thermostat. The most important thing to do is to cover up your feet. If your feet are cold your whole body will be cold. Investing in a nice pair of slippers to wear will really pay off. If your still cold try a sweater or even blanket before feeling the need to adjust the heat up.

picture by carloviv.com