Lincoln, RI, August 2005 - Southern New England residents are going to be paying a lot more for home heating oil and even natural gas this coming winter, as the price of oil and gas keep increasing on world markets. Beyond dressing warmly while inside and turning down the heat to use consume less energy, what can savvy homeowners do to ease the financial burden of getting through the winter months?   Home delivery suppliers and contractors will tell you the answer to that question comes down to one word: maintenance - maintenance of your existing heating system as a result of having an annual service agreement.

Everyone who owns a car knows how important it is to maintain it for better performance and a longer life through regular checkups and oil changes. In a similar fashion, people over a certain age are encouraged to visit their doctor at least on an annual basis for a yearly checkup.   So why should it be any different with the mechanical systems that heat or cool your home? The fact is, those systems perform better and longer – saving you money in the process – if they are subjected to the maintenance functions embodied in an annual service agreement.   What do service agreements provide? First and foremost, seasonal maintenance of equipment – from cleaning and tune ups, accomplished prior to winter or summer months’ greatest use. Scheduled system tune ups definitely save you money over emergency repairs. They also serve to extend the life of the equipment that makes up a home heating or cooling system.

Fact: the #1 cause of system failure is dirt, and unless dirt and other accumulated particles and residues are cleaned out on a regular basis, the system will inevitably clog up. In the meantime, its operating efficiency will decline, wasting energy in the process and costing you more money.
Service agreements thereby extend the life of your system equipment and reduce your use of energy. They also allow you peace of mind, knowing that your system is receiving the kind of attention it really needs. And service agreement customers invariably get priority attention when they need it because they’re regular customers – many service providers even guarantee “priority service” to service agreement customers even at the busiest of times in cases of emergency.

Service agreements, of course, are not all exactly alike, so it pays to shop around for the best deal with an established and reliable provider. And look for bonus elements offered, like priority emergency service, discounts on parts and labors for repairs, bonus points earned and satisfaction guaranteed provisions.