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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www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | AUGUST 2016 41 format according to the device. This is fairly common today in web devel- opment, where websites are designed to restructure their display output to effectively show the same content in a user-friendly manner on the range of devices that might be accessing it. Bruno noted that as long as that worked successfully there was no real motivation to conduct app develop- ment for the initial launch, though iOS and Android apps are currently in development that should streamline the calculator somewhat. While converting from software to cloud-based might seem simple that was not the case. "The biggest challenge was getting the calculations to work outside of the software environment," said Bruno. "Software does calculations very well. You put in the numbers; the soft- ware does a calculation and produces a result. In a cloud platform they're taking place on a Web server platform which is accessed remotely. That added some complications but we accom- plished what needed to be done." WHAT IT PROVIDES THE OIL DEALER, CUSTOMER AND NORA What does this technology mean for the dealer? As with the previous calculator it can be used as a sales tool. It provides a visually effective method of showing the homeowner just how many gallons— and there- fore dollars—can be saved through an upgrade compared to their older heating appliances. "The other calculator was very suc- cessful at doing that but it was a bit clunky," said Bruno. "With the new calculator as you log in it offers a basic interface or a detailed interface. That allows the salesperson who might not have any prior knowledge of the equipment to present a scenario to the homeowner using the basic interface. With the advanced inter- face, a technician can go spec a job and then give that information to the salesperson. Before it was very tech-oriented—toward a person with a lot of knowledge about the equipment and the associated verbiage and vernacular of the technology." The previous FSA calculator offered three scenario presets to choose from, which is greatly expanded in the upgraded version. FSA 2.0 provides for existing equip- ment presets and six new equipment presets. In addition users can modify and save additional equipment presets. It also brings degree days into the pic- ture as the dealer sets a base location linked to expanded weather data that then allows for a more nuanced fuel usage/fuel savings calculation for the customer. Even more sophistication is avail- able in the future. For example, while the generalized upgrade scenarios provide a notable degree of predictive accuracy, the goal is to get the manufac- turers on board so that specific models of equipment can be brought into the calculation. For the customer, FSA 2.0 not only encourages an upgrade but shows the customer specifically the range of return on investment opportuni- ties with various upgrade paths. It can provide calculations based on five-, 10- and 20-year periods. In many cases, the homeowner will see the significant sav- ings opportunities that are realized in the short term. The long-term savings can be even more dramatic. FSA 2.0 can demonstrate how making a deci- sion to upgrade today pays off much like compounding interest does when undertaken at an earlier date. Another advantage is that the new calculator allows the sales rep- resentative or technician to show the customer a more complete view of savings. AFUE only goes part of the way, and doesn't necessarily encom- pass such complementary factors as modern controls and better insulation. As a result, many energy audits were overlooking what were in some cases significant additional savings oppor- tunities with an upgrade. For NORA, FSA 2.0, in conjunc- tion with NORA's new rebate program, helps the alliance serve its core mandate to encourage a more effi- cient installed base of oil heat equipment. The more effective this tool is for the salesperson in getting the homeowner to upgrade, the more money that homeowner will save and the more readily environmental goals will be achieved. And, of course, the easier that story can be presented to Congress. For more information on FSA 2.0 launch, visit: www. NORAweb.org/FSA. l F O N The current beta FSA 2.0 Web-based inter- face. While pulled from a PC display, these screens will resize to fit the device that is being used to access the site.