Dear Friends,
As we begin a new decade, I want to remind our customers that since 1938, keeping our customers’ homes warm and comfortable has always been our top priority and while the calendar may change, our commitment to you and your family will endure for decades to come.
Westmore will continue to lead our industry in delivering the cleanest home heating fuel in Fairfield and Westchester counties. Westmore has been delivering B20 Bioheat® (20% biodiesel & 80% ultra-low-sulfur fuel) since 2010. B20 Bioheat® and ultra-low-sulfur fuel offers an ideal combination, resulting in fewer emissions than electricity and with a cleaner record than natural gas.
Produced in the United States, Bioheat® is on its way to carbon-neutral status, and it’s the most refined grade of heating oil available. In addition, Bioheat® customers enjoy a reduction of system maintenance issues, because Bioheat® blended with ultra-low-sulfur heating oil eliminates the source of most equipment issues. Better yet, our New York customers can apply for a 20-cent per gallon tax credit each year.
As more scientific advances come, Westmore will continue to provide our customers with the most environmentally friendly product available.
As always, we want to remind you to reach out to us if you need anything, and of course, always in case of a heating emergency. With technicians on call 24 hours a day, we are ready to serve you!
Warmly,
Richard C. Bologna
Q: What temperature do you recommend for my thermostat in the winter?
A: It’s important to keep your thermostat at a reasonable temperature, even if you’re away. It should never dip below 60˚. Otherwise, if there’s a sudden cold snap, your burner won’t be able to heat your home fast enough to prevent your pipes from freezing.
Q: What other tips should I keep in mind?
A: When you go away for the weekend, have a trusted friend or family member check your house. Make sure they have your Westmore account number so they can let us know if there’s an issue.
After a snowfall, please be sure to clear and clean a path to the tank’s fill pipe.
Keep in mind that burning wood will not lead to savings on your heat; you’ll save more with heating oil because of its higher BTU content.
A properly tuned burner will produce less than a tablespoon of soot a year, so be diligent about getting your annual maintenance done.
If you haven’t signed up for e-billing yet, we urge you to do so — there’s no reason to wait. This convenient feature is quick and easy. And in keeping with our efforts to be environmentally responsible, it’s a great way to save paper. Still have questions? Give us a call! To enroll, go to our e-billing page.
We want you to feel good knowing that we always have your best interests at heart. With that in mind, here are some tips for staying safe and keeping comfortable. We hope this information gives you more time to relax — and less time to worry!
If a big storm is on the horizon, there’s always the chance that you may lose power (hopefully for not too long)! Here are a few tips to help you prepare.
If your home is without power for an extended period of time, unplug appliances and turn off circuit breakers. This will prevent surges when the electricity returns.
Once you have power back, make sure there is no standing water in your basement. If your system requires service to get it started again, for safety reasons it cannot be worked on if water is pooling around it.
If floodwater reached your heating system, get an inspection done before trying to restart. The valves and controls are vulnerable to water damage — even if it cannot be seen. Corrosion begins inside the valves, and damage may not be apparent, even if the outside is clean and dry.
If the area around your heating system has remained dry, check that the system’s power switch and circuit breakers are back on before you try restarting.
The next time your heat turns on, listen for the various sounds your system makes and observe how long it generally stays on. By doing this, you’ll be more aware if something unusual starts to happen — like strange noises and short cycling (when your system only runs for a short time and then turns off).
This allows you to relay critical information to your service technician if you need a repair. Based on the details you provide, your technician will have a good understanding about what’s wrong by the time he starts working on your system. This can help him solve the problem faster.
It’s also helpful to know which circuit breaker controls your system, where the system’s power switches are, and if applicable, where the air filter is located. If you’re unsure about any of this, speak with your service technician and he’ll be glad to help.
Over the years, we’ve seen some costly and even dangerous consequences when untrained individuals have fiddled around with a complicated heating system.
These types of repairs present unique challenges that often require extensive training and expensive diagnostic equipment to assess and fix.
The bottom line: If you need a heating system repair, don’t attempt to do it yourself. Arrange for service. Certified technicians have the training, experience and tools to find and fix your problem quickly, correctly and safely so you can focus on the things that matter in your life — like spending time with your family.
The last thing you want right now is to lose sleep over concerns that your old heating system sounds like it will conk out at any minute and leave you in the cold.
When you purchase a new high-efficiency heating system, you’ll immediately eliminate those worries. And you’ll save a lot of money too. At a minimum, a new system should help you save up to 20% on your annual energy costs. If you significantly improve system efficiency by upgrading from a really old system to a high-efficiency unit, your savings could be even higher.
You’ll feel the difference in comfort too. And you’ll save on repairs, because you’ll minimize the potential of a breakdown, which is a common problem with older systems.
Keep your heating system operating safely and efficiently this season. Here are a few tips to make it happen.
Wrapping up her first full year as a Westmore customer, Olive Hurley Doyle has been completely satisfied with her Westmore experience.
“I worked with Sean Lytle,” says Olive, a Stamford, Connecticut resident. “He was very nice and easy to deal with. He made it seamless. I was able to set up my boiler service very promptly, which was great.”
Olive was also happy with the process of making an appointment. “My previous company could never commit to a time that was good, or it would be too far out,” she says. “With Westmore, I was able to arrange it really quickly. They came on time, were efficient, and left my boiler sparkling clean. My experience has been great. I’m a very happy customer.”
We welcomed Ralph Capozzi to the Westmore family in September.
As service manager, Ralph’s on-the-job priorities include “setting the culture of the office and getting the customers the service that they need,” as he handles dispatch, service-order memos, contracts and job pricing. Ralph also manages Westmore’s staff of service technicians as well as a three-person inside support staff.
Ralph appreciates the friendly, familial environment at Westmore. Prior to taking on this role, Ralph was a director of facilities for a large apartment rental company. Ralph says, “acclimating to the oil business has been enjoyable as everybody’s been very helpful.”
In his spare time, Ralph is a high school referee for football and lacrosse.
About three years ago, Steve Vespia, of Rye Brook, New York was still using the original heating system that had been installed in his home — by Westmore — back in 1985. His in-ground swimming pool also had a ready-to-be-replaced heater.
“One of the guys at Westmore gave me the info about the System 2000,” he says. “He told me it would take care of my pool too.”
The more Steve thought about it, the more it made sense.
“I’m so happy I moved forward with it,” he told us. “It’s like night and day. Sometimes I’ve got to check, is it really running? I’m getting heat, so I know it’s running! The old one was so loud I could hear it from upstairs!”
The System 2000 also has a smaller footprint — Steve says he and his wife couldn’t believe the difference. “It takes care of my pool, and now I don’t have another thing sitting outside,” he says.
The Vespias are bona fide lifelong Westmore customers.
Steve says, “My parents used them, my wife’s parents used them, and Westmore has always treated us right. If I have an issue, bing! They’re right here. They’re a great bunch of people.”