If you are worried about home heating oil prices during our long, cold Maine winters, you are not alone. Fuel prices can be high and with the market as volatile as it has been these past years, you really can’t predict what you’re going to get.
If your home uses home heating oil, you have probably had the experience of facing a big fuel payment right in the middle of the holiday season—when you have enough to worry about! There’s nothing worse than being hit with a “surprise” like that, especially when festive spending is at its peak. Fortunately, there is a better way!
Heating oil prices, as you probably know, are about as unpredictable as the weather itself. These days, oil prices rise and fall with the markets, creating a situation that is uncertain at best. From your standpoint, it might seem frustrating. At worst, it may be downright impossible to manage.
For this reason, we put together a variety of payment programs that are designed to help take the stress out of paying for your home heating oil. Life is unpredictable, fuel prices are unpredictable – but you don’t have to stress about it any longer, no matter how low those temperatures go during winter.
We offer several different payment programs to meet your needs. Some give you the option of pre-paying for your fuel and locking in a low price for the year. Others spread your payments evenly over the year, giving you the benefit of predictability.
When you know exactly what you will be paying for home heating oil, you will be better able to manage your money. It might even help you sleep better at night, knowing you won’t have to worry about trying to heat your home as affordably as you can!
Click on the tabs below to learn more about each of our programs. No matter which program you choose, you can rest easy knowing we will always keep our promise of service, quality and value—guaranteed—no matter what blows in on those cold winter nights in Maine.
With the Advantage Plan, every Murray-Heutz customer who chooses Automatic Delivery will get a discount of 5 cents per gallon for every heating oil delivery plus the guarantee you’ll never have a heating oil run-out. You can save even more if you enroll in Auto Pay and have your payments automatically deducted from your checking account! You can choose either an additional 5-cent-per-gallon discount or a one-time account credit of $50!
Purchase your fuel before the winter season starts. Your fuel price is capped, but it is not locked in.
PROS:
Traditionally, this is the best way to save on fuel. Your fuel price can’t go above the cap price, but it can drop if the market price falls. And because fuel prices tend to fluctuate, it protects you both ways.
CONS:
Our suppliers charge a fee for the two-way protection.
BEST FOR:
Customers who like to save, prefer to keep things simple and who have the money to pay up front.
Spread your annual fuel bill over 12 months.
PROS:
This plan will cut your winter fuel payments in half, and it makes your fuel bill much more predictable. This is especially useful during the holidays. You don’t pay for more fuel than you actually receive. There is no finance charge if monthly Smart Pay payments are made on time. You may also spread out your service plan cost under this program.
CONS:
You pay for some fuel before the first delivery, but by the end of cycle we are waiting for payment on fuel that we’ve already delivered, so everything balances out.
BEST FOR:
Customers who prefer predictability and would like to avoid big winter bills.
Spread out your annual fuel bill over 12 months. Your oil price is capped, but it is not locked in.
PROS:
Offers similar benefits to Monthly Smart Pay Payment Plan with Fixed Price EXCEPT you are not locked in if prices do fall.
CONS:
Our suppliers charge a fee for the two-way protection.
BEST FOR:
Customers who prefer to avoid big winter bills because of cold weather and price volatility.
Pay your fuel bills automatically via your bank (ACH) or credit card (MasterCard, Visa, Discover).
PROS:
Less hassle, avoiding missed payments (that can put deliveries on credit hold), earn points on cards, can be used along with the monthly Smart Pay payment plan or for payment after deliveries have been made.
CONS:
If your credit card expires, you will have to tell us.
BEST FOR:
Customers who do not like writing checks and want to avoid any problems if a statement is misplaced.
Get your statement by email rather than by regular mail.
PROS:
Less paper clutter for you to have to stay on top of; and it can be easier to organize and keep track of payments via your in-box.
CONS:
Some customers prefer paper statements.
BEST FOR:
Customers who prefer to handle more things electronically.
Have questions? We would love to help. Contact our office today to speak to one of our associates about your options.
