The home heating oil industry has a long and proud history, and Fuel Oil News has been there supporting it since 1935. It is an industry that has faced many challenges during that time. In its 77th year, Fuel Oil News is doing more than just holding
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FUELS www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | NOVEMBER 2015 19 New York—is growing at present, Sweet pointed out. He said he attended a recent meeting in which it was remarked that the new construction market not served by natural gas "is almost all propane. If you build a new house and you're not on natural gas lines, you're going to put propane in," he said. An example of a company that has marketed both fuels for a long time is D.F. Richard Energy in Dover, N.H. The company markets itself as a "full-service oil and propane company." The family-owned enterprise was founded by D.F. (Dan) Richard in 1932 as a fuel oil dealer, and it expanded into propane in the early 1950s. Now owned by Dan Richard's sons, Robert and Raymond Richard, and his daughter, Anita Corain, the company serves 15,000 custom- ers in Dover and environs, extending into southern Maine. Having supplied two fuels for more than six decades the company has developed a balanced, neutral, approach to marketing the two products. "When we market, we market both products," Roland Lapointe, general manager, equip- ment and energy services, said. "We don't single out one or the other. We give pros and cons of both." D.F. Richard Energy also sells oil and propane replace- ment equipment; handles conversions from fuel oil to pro- pane; and in 2012 began operating as a dealer of Dr. Energy Saver services, about which more later. When it comes down to people deciding whether to replace oil-fired equipment because it failed or simply because of age, "we give them options," Lapointe said. Typically, the options are either replacing "like for like"—meaning staying with oil- fired equipment—or converting to propane. In keeping with the company's overall marketing mindset, "we don't try to sway them one way or the other," Lapointe said. The trend over the last three or four years has been to convert to propane, Lapointe said. He estimated that seven customers out of ten, faced with a choice of replacing oil- fired equipment or converting to propane, have opted for the latter. When advising potential customers on what fuel and equipment to choose for their newly constructed houses the company takes a slightly different approach. "On new homes oftentimes we get called in and the consumer asks, 'What do you feel we should do?'" Lapointe said. Because propane is "such a versatile commodity," he noted, "the pros oftentimes outweigh the cons." In some of the larger New Hampshire cities – Portsmouth and Rochester, as well as Dover—there is some availability of natural gas, but the infrastructure is not far-flung, "and I'm thinking that it probably won't be in the foreseeable future," Lapointe said. "It's not going to grow much bigger than it is now." When an oil customer wants to convert to natural gas, Lapointe added, "We refer them to another company. We don't want to jeopardize any of our existing oil customers to take care of a natural gas account." In 2012, D.F. Richard Energy ventured into a new line of business, becoming a dealer for Dr. Energy Saver Home Propane received a new brand identity just last year, courtesy of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC). The new brand identity for propane is anchored by a new tagline: "PROPANE Clean American Energy." PERC says it conducted extensive research to arrive at the new brand identity, surveying residential users (current and prospective customers), landscape contractors, fleet managers, and propane marketers. The previous tagline was "PROPANE Exceptional Energy." The change reflects changes in the marketplace, PERC says on its website, including development of new propane technology in a range of applications beyond home heating and cooking. Further, U.S. propane production has increased significantly, making the fuel truly "American-made," the Council notes. Suggestions for placement of the new logo and tagline include business cards, stationery, invoices, signs, company vehicles, tanks and uniforms, as well as on promotional items such as T-shirts, pens and magnets. It can also be used in print and television advertising, and online on social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn, the Council says. The Council also created a version of the logo for propane autogas for use on vehicles, dispensers, and marketing materials. Displaying the word "Autogas" prominently, the logo helps distinguish propane autogas from propane used in other applications, and serves to build brand recognition in vehicles and fueling stations, the Council says. PERC offers a Propane Marketer Resource Catalog (Propane MaRC), an online collection of materials it developed for use by the propane industry. The online catalog provides downloadable safety, research and development materials, as well as items available for purchase. The Propane MaRC serves as an industry tool to acquire all PERC-produced materials in one place, the Council says on its website. To download copies of the logos and taglines for both Propane and Propane Autogas, and to access the Propane Marketer Resource Catalog (Propane MaRC), including usage guidelines for the logos, go to the website http://www.propanemarc.com/ PERC Puts a New Face on Propane