You may have noticed that heating oil prices can sometimes be all over the place in Eastern Pennsylvania, and fuel prices seem to be increasing across all industries lately. That’s due in large part to the global factors that influence crude oil prices, since heating oil stems in part from crude oil.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, supply and demand for oil can be impacted by weather events, natural disasters, and political upheaval in parts of the world that the components of heating oil hail from. This can create a drop is storage and supply, and the ensuing buyer anxiety can increase demand in response. To further compound the situation, demand may rise in the U.S. when winters are expected to be especially cold, or people are spending more time at home. But how does this impact your hometown heating oil providers, and by extension, you – the customer? Read on to learn more.
Despite an increased demand for energy, local heating oil providers don’t see any benefit as prices increase, and they don’t have any influence over the pricing structure, either. Buyers may conflate large wholesale suppliers with the local heating oil professionals, but they are not interchangeable.
In fact, Oehlert Bros. Inc., and many other heating oil experts in Pennsylvania, prefer reasonable prices they can pass along to their customers. Things work out better for everyone when customers can get the most for their money, while feeling comfortable and confident in their energy usage. Price hikes brought on by the big wholesalers, on the other hand, contribute to shortages, scrambles, panic buying and ultimately cause folks to cut back on their energy expenditure out of fear.
At the opposite extreme of the spectrum from hefty price increases, are the questionable “discount” heating oil providers that always seem to be coming and going out of business.
Perhaps you’ve gotten a flyer or seen an ad for some new heating oil discounter. They bait you with a low price, but are they set up to supply heating oil in case of emergency? Probably not. Do they offer equipment service? If they do, it’s through some subcontractor you don’t know. Will they even still be in business in a few months? Maybe, maybe not.
While fly-by-night heating oil “discounters” come and go, Oehlert Bros. remains a heating oil and service provider you can count on to be there for you.
The good news is that Oehlert Bros. has a solid plan for combating price increases. We are fortunate to have invested in growing strong partnerships over the years with our heating oil suppliers. These connections allow us to continue to extend the most affordable rates to our customers and neighbors.
From Knauertown to Norristown, Phoenixville to Pottsgrove, Oehlert Bros. provides reliable, safe and courteous delivery of clean, green B20 Bioheat Plus® heating oil. Get in touch with us to learn more about our services. We’ve been keeping our Pennsylvania neighbors warm for over 70 years, and we’d love for you to join the Oehlert Brothers Family!