www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | JANUARY 2016 21
BUSINESS OPERATIONS
l F O N
and maintain appliances and equipment
that run on propane. "This is an ongoing
program that we've had for several years,"
Walker said, "and it consists primarily of
training, trade shows, public relations and
advertising."
Last, but hardly least, is a"retire oil
heat" campaign. While Fuel Oil News
readers would largely have an issue with
that campaign, especially given today's
clean-burning bioheat/ultra-low sulfur
fuels and efficient oil-heat appliances,
there are multi-fuel dealers in the industry
(some with "oil" in their company name)
who are already marketing against their
oil product. Walker said the campaign
was designed "to prepare fuel dealers—
especially those folks who deal in propane
and oil heat—to help hold onto accounts
even when, say, an older oil heat system no
longer makes sense."
In places where laws or regulations are
discouraging oil heat use, Walker said,
"propane in many cases is an excellent
replacement and it's a way for a dealer
who sells oil and propane to hold onto
that account."
In helping a person with aging oil heat
equipment convert to propane, "there's
another benefit," Walker said. "When
you move from oil heat into propane you
expand the number of possible applications
in the home."
Walker said that changing an account
from oil heat to propane opens the possi-
bility of getting the customer cooking with
propane—"so there's another burner tip."
Walker said, "Get him to use propane to
fuel the fireplace—another burner tip."
Further, there is the potential for propane
usage in standby generators and outdoor
living equipment, Walker noted. Each addi-
tional burner tip helps to grow demand per
household, Walker said.
In areas where electric rates are climb-
ing, fuel dealers may be hearing from
people who are heating with electricity
and are looking for an alternative, Walker
added.
"This program is designed to give those
dealers all the information they need to
help those electricity customers move into
propane."
The Council has a number of incentive
programs including one for builders "when
they build houses with a particular number
of propane appliances," Walker added.
The Council has programs in agri-
culture as well, where farm customers
can get incentives for adopting propane
technology.
In the meantime, the Council contin-
ues to support demand growth in every
market propane serves through ongo-
ing outreach efforts and through state
programs, including safe appliance instal-
lation rebates.
