August Energy Update

Aug 03, 2019


July got a bit on the toasty side. I began writing this letter on July 19th and the temperature outside is 92 and extremely humid. Don’t be lulled into a sense of security by the warm weather. Haven’t you been watching Game of Thrones? Winter is coming. Contract your propane if you haven’t already. Values are still very good. It can’t go below zero but the upside potential can be very high.
If you haven’t had your furnace checked out you may want to call your HVAC company to have that done while the weather is good. HVAC technicians get pretty busy during extremely hot weather and they’re busy all winter after people’s furnaces are turned on for the first time. Beat the rush and have your furnace checked out before the cold weather gets here.
We’re making good headway at most of our branches getting leak tests done. Our technicians have found several leaks inside homes and have come across a few underground propane lines that were repaired by the homeowner or the contractor who cut the line. Please don’t allow a contractor to repair a cut propane line or try to do it yourself. You wouldn’t want our propane technicians repairing your car, so why would you allow someone who is not trained to repair your propane line?
If you have a leak underground the propane can follow the line to the foundation of the house. If there is a crack in the foundation the propane may find its way inside. And you may not be able to smell it because as it moves through the soil the Mercaptan (the stinky stuff they put in propane so you can smell it) may leach out of the propane. There have been cases where this situation has caused fires or explosions. Before you dig, call us a few days in advance. We can mark the propane line so it doesn’t get cut in the first place. Don’t be a statistic.
Since we’re on the subject of safety, now would be a good time to get your trees trimmed back so that our drivers can make it down your driveway without worrying about ripping the mirrors off their trucks this winter. Now is also a great time to identify hazards that our drivers may encounter as they pull the hose to the tank. In the winter these hazards disappear under the snow. Please help us to protect our employees from injury.
I hope you all have a great August. Thank you for your business.

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May 03, 2023
Well, my snowmobiles, snow thrower, winter clothes, salt and shovels are all put away until they’re needed again in about 230 days. I know no one wants to think about next winter but our propane contracts will be mailed out in June. Once again, those who contracted last year came out money ahead as propane prices this past winter exceeded the contract price. I lock my propane price in every year because I know after 32 years in this business that propane prices typically increase during the winter months. You can almost set your watch by it.
May 03, 2023

As I write this the last week of April, we still have a couple of nights of sub-freezing temperatures to deal with, but that doesn’t seem to be slowing down our agronomy locations that are now entering their busiest time of the year. Long days and short nights can be the norm this time of year for our agronomy division and our producer members as they work to get this year’s crop in the ground. This is a great reminder to please pay special attention over the next couple of months to farm machinery pulling in and out of the fields and wide loads coming around the next corner or over the next hill. Whether you are in your car on your way to work, or in the tractor moving to the next field, never assume the other person sees you. Slow down and be extra careful.