utilities

[supercheesegirl]

We have power and gas at the new place. Go me. Now just have to figure out oil, which is sort of important (but at least the tank should have whatever's left over from the last tenant in there, right?) and the cable/internet, which we can worry about later. Like when we have a TV and computers there to connect to.

Any recommendations for oil companies in the Boston area?

::edit:: Thank you for the fascinating and frightening commentary on oil heat y'all are providing. I have every intention of calling up some company and having them top off the tank now, because I am always cold and would rather have it taken care of now rather than be colder later. I will likely go for the automatic refilling since, you know, always cold, don't want to have to worry about it. Also I'm figuring that no matter what company I go with it's going to be expensive, and I'm betting one's not going to be drastically higher than the next (please don't give me a flurry of comments about that unless you have specific examples, okay?). All that taken into consideration, please tell me/us what company/ies you use and would or would not recommend. I have emailed the landlord to see what he says; I also value your opinions. Thank you, everybody!

Comments

[grass-stained.livejournal.com]

So you have to do water, gas, and oil? Down here we mostly just do water and electric, though there was one apartment complex we looked at that had water, electric, and gas. That was weird.

[nchanter.livejournal.com]

No. In MA water is provided by the LL. Always.

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

She's in Florida. I bet things are different down there.

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

Landlord is paying water, so we don't have to worry about that, but we have to do electric (for lights), gas (for the stove only), and oil (for the heat). It's a little wack, but oil heat seems like kind of a norm up here. New to me.

[mrpet.livejournal.com]

Oil heat is a lot more common in the burbs/countryside. If you bought your place then the cost of the oil left over was built into the price. If you are renting and the previous renters didn't ask you to write a check then, go you!

Each heating season your company will ask you if you want to lock in your rate. Depending on what oil prices are doing it may or may not be a good choice. Also if you have them auto fill your tank and it ever goes dry then they will pay to come out in the middle of the night with a load of oil. If not then you pay for emergancy fills.

There should be a gauge or a site glass that will tell you how full the tank is right now. You may not _have_ to fill it now but it is a lot cheaper now to top off the tank. I have a feeling that oil prices are going to go up when it starts getting colder.

I know what you're talking about!

[allthefishies.livejournal.com]

http://www.newenglandoil.com/massachusetts/zone2.asp?x=0

Check this out, it was helpful when we were negotiating with our company about a rate. We use Munhall Oil in Watertown, and I wouldn't recommend them for prices. Their service has been okay, but they've been out to re-fix things they 'fixed' before. You remember all my heater woes. :-)

Re: I know what you're talking about!

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

Thank you!!

[nchanter.livejournal.com]

Totally the norm up here. Electric heat does nothing and is really expensive in this area. Sometimes you'll get gas heat, which is nice 'cause it's one less utility, and is currently less expensive than oil, but not by much.

[nchanter.livejournal.com]

DO NOT assume there is any oil in the tank

You need to go and check. We did such a silly assumption and our first night at the new place was cold, and Darxus was too damned stubborn to go back to my perfectly functional apartment.

The oil heater will probably have a tag from an oil company that has been used by previous tenants. Also, sometimes LL's have specific oil companies they would *prefer* you use (but can't require you to use) because that company has been doing all the servicing on the unit. I'd ask your LL if he has a suggestion of who to use, or check the furnace. But I would look at the level in the tank ASAP! (While it's hot out now, this is New England, and September could come up real quick!)

With oil companies you can get auto-fill options, so they keep track of when it's running low and come and fill it automatically. You can also get the billing spread out such that you pay like $175 every two months for nine months of the year, and then a 10th month is used to cover any overages of that $175. 'cause it cost us $500+ to fill our tank when it was bone dry, and oil prices are only going up.

I've also heard it's possible to lock in oil prices *now* for the next heating season, but that might only be true of oil co-ops and of LL's that have multiple buildings to fill. Remember, oil is up over $60 a barrel (meaning more than $2 a gallon, I think) right now.

[mrpet.livejournal.com]

Heating oil is actually diesel fuel (kerosene) While the price for a barrel of crude influences the price of HO, the availability of local stockpiles and regional refinery capacity determines the actual price.

[allthefishies.livejournal.com]

Not necessarily. Although kerosene can be used for diesel fuel in a pinch (the first being more refined than the latter) and both can be used for heating oil in a pinch (although due to the difference in viscosity and density it might be all wonky with your tank), all three are separate things. If you're curious, this might fulfill all your curiosities.

My dad, being the car guru that he is, took every day as a teaching opportunity. I could also tell you how a 68 beetle's distributor differs from the one in my little jetta, or the differences between toe in and toe out in tire alignment, but i figure that's not why we're all here. :-)

As a complete aside, we're up around 2.50/gallon. Sucks ass, really, but your apartment is so compact that with plasticking the windows, you shouldn't blow through oil in the winter. You guys should be fine. :-)

[sleepyworm.livejournal.com]

whoa...amy=teh smart!

[allthefishies.livejournal.com]

heh. not really. amy=teh kid who was too polite to tell her dad she wasn't really interested in all the nuances of spark plugs, distributors, tire wear and the viscosity of motor oil. It has come in handy on numerous occasions, though. :-)