PERSONALLY SPEAKING

Dear Friends,

T he price of oil, likethe price of mostother commodities,

is determined by a varietyof factors. In the case ofheating oil, these includesupply and demand,geopolitical events, the weather—and price speculation.

Although the financialreform law recently passed by Congressprovides for stricter oversight ofcommodity speculation, the exact rules arestill being worked out by the CommoditiesFutures Trading Commission. Until theserules are in place, speculation will continueto play an outsized role in the price ofheating oil.

But just because we can’t control fuelprices doesn’t mean we don’t have ideas tohelp make your fuel bills easier to manage.For example, our Easy Pay customers

avoid big winter fuel billsbecause their fuel costs arespread out over 12 equalmonthly payments.

Price Assurance is anothersolution. This price protectionoption caps your fuel price, sono matter what happens in thefuel markets, your price willnot rise above the cap price.Customers who purchased thisprotection have been payingabout 60¢ per gallon less than

recent market prices!I know you are concerned about fuel

prices—we all are—but you can count on us for solutions that make the cost ofheating your home a little easier to bear.

Best wishes,

Bill Ermer

contending with higher fuel prices

PSPR

11-1

1917

Bill Ermer

winter 2011spring 2011

service plans make sense

Tough times can mean toughchoices, but there’s a price to payfor cutting back on the wrong things.

Take our service plans, for example. Somepeople may see a service plan as somethingthey can do without—but our plancustomers know better.

Palmer Gas/Ermer Oil gives you a choice of three different plans—our Good Plan,Better Plan and Best Plan—at threedifferent price levels. All three include apreventive maintenance tune-up to keep yoursystem running at optimum efficiency. The

Better Plan also provides up to two-and-a-halfhours of labor. And our Best Plan includesthis same coverage, plus: an additional repairdiscount, TankSure® tank insurance and afree Gas Appliance System safety inspection.

When you consider that replacing somesystem components could easily cost youhundreds of dollars, our service plans makefinancial sense in any economy.

To learn more about our service plans,go to www.PalmerGasCo.com.

“I recently moved to Salem. When Iwoke early on (a recent) Sunday

morning, I found that I didn’t have anyheat. Delivery driver Norm Burrows wassent right over. Norm and I began to huntfor the buried, underground tank.

We spent a good 20 minutes to half anhour trying to locate tanks that wereburied under more than two feet of snow.Norm was up to his thighs in snow—nevercomplaining, just anxious to help me in my hour of need! He couldn’t have been

any nicer, tolerant or more understanding.We shoveled away—Norm filled the

tanks—then addressed the indoorfurnace, hot water heater and gas stove.

I want to commend you on phenomenalcustomer service and let you know howappreciative I was for Norm and his “aboveand beyond the call of duty” assistance.

If Norm is the “norm” for youremployees, you are very lucky indeed.Many, many thanks.”

Carol M., Salem, NH

Here’s a nice letter we receivedfrom one of our customers.Way to go, NormWay to go, Norm

Call today to book your spring furnace and

boiler tune-up!

Like us? Then “like” us—on Facebook, that is. Everyone who “likes” Palmer Gas/Ermer Oil on Facebookbetween April 15 and June 15 will be entered to win anew barbecue grill. Entrants must live in the companyservice area. Only one entry per household, please.Drawing date is June 22, 2011.

“like” us on Facebookand you could WIN!

© Copyright 2011 Warm Thoughts Communications, Inc. Reproduced with permission of Warm Thoughts Communications.

Jan and Stan both installed new heating systems a few years ago. So who wins this round?

The new equipment they chose was similar, but Jan

saved a lot more than Stan. Can you guess why? Whichof these is the main reason Jan saved more than Stan?

A. Stan kept changing the thermostat setting.

B. Stan’s heating system was not installed properly.

C. Stan’s heating system did not have enough Btu’s.

Shortchanged on a big investment

The answer is B. Stan’s system did notwork properly because Stan opted for the lowestbid, and the contractor he chose didn’t have theresources (or didn’t take the time) to ensure acorrect installation.

While Stan saved some money on theinstallation, he never saw much of areduction in his fuel bills. Jan reducedher energy use by about 25%, nettingher $450 in annual savings.†

Stan eventually had the design flawscorrected in his system, and finally

started to see big fuel savings. Stan and Jan both score pointsfor upgrading to an energy-efficient system, but Jan gets extrapoints for choosing a company that had the expertise toinstall the equipment the right way.

Jan wins Round 1.

Who’s in tune with savings?

ROUND 1:ROUND 1:

ROUND 2:ROUND 2:

Would you like to be the Biggest Saver? Call us! We can show you some great ways to cut your fuel costs while improving your comfort.

After making improvements you can fill in your own score to see if you win!

Our gameshow host,

Louis P.Gaston

Temperatures Rising.

Stan used a programmable thermostat to shift the temperature up and down according to his schedule. He saved money and always

came home to a warm house.

Jan didn’t have a programmable thermostat. Whenshe got home, she turned the thermostat up high tospeed up the heating process.

But setting her thermostat higher really didn’t heather house any quicker. But it did keep her systemworking longer than necessary, especially on themany days when Jan forgot to reset her thermostatto an energy-saver mode.

Since Jan’s thermostat habits ended up wastingmore energy than Stan’s did, Stan isthe winner of Round 3.

ROUND 3:ROUND 3:ROUND 4:ROUND 4:

Jan never realized that she could have saved a lot of money if only she had switched her electric water

heater over to a propane water heater. She didn’t knowthat electricity is the most inefficient—and expensive—wayto heat water.

Jan’s electric water heater could only“recover” 40 gallons of hot water eachhour. And that meant her family oftenran out of hot water, especially in themorning when everyone wanted totake a shower.

A few years ago, Stan was tired oflooking at his high electric bills. He alsobecame frustrated whenever he ran out of hot water.

But those problems immediately disappeared once he had a high-efficiency propane water heater installed. It heatednearly two times more water per hour than his old electricwater heater and did it for less money.

In fact, over its lifetime, Stan’s propane water heater will save hima lot of money on water heating costs. That makes Stan thewinner of Round 4.

But who is the Biggest Saver? Look below!

Money down the drain.

Jan Stan You†

Savings on fuel bills $450† $50 ___

Savings due to maintenance $180 $0 ___

Savings from thermostat $0 $90 ___

Savings from water heater $0 $150 ___

Total $630 $290 ___

Jan and Stan are competingto see who is saving the mostmoney on energy bills. Playalong to see if you can guesswho’s saving the most and why.Then compare that to your ownchoices. Who knows? Afteradding up all the scores, maybeYOU will be the biggest saver!

an made sure her heating system was serviced every spring. Stan figures he saved money because he didn’t bother with

annual maintenance and didn’t have to pay for this service.Who wins out over the long term?

Jan wins Round 2. Because she had her system checked andserviced every year, it worked the way it should and didn’t waste alot of fuel. And Jan spent less money on heating her home.In effect, her tune-up paid for itself.

Meanwhile, Stan’s system was not keeping his home comfortable—and his fuel bills had increased dramatically.

Stan’s system was badly in need of maintenance!

Over time, dirt and debris build up inside a system, lowering efficiency.Not only was Stan’s home uncomfortable, he was also spending a lot ofmoney on his fuel bills. He also risked a costly repair and the loss of hismanufacturer’s equipment warranty, which can be voided if a propermaintenance schedule is not followed.

J

†Savings will vary for each household, depending on square footage of home, ageand condition of equipment, energy rates, insulation quality and other factors.

Integrity, Trust & Value Since 1932

603-898-7986www.PalmerGasCo.com

Oil • PropaneHeating Equipment Sales and Service

13 Hall Farm Road, Atkinson, NH 03811

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making fuel costseasier to manage

First it was price speculation. Nowit’s unrest in the Middle East.Fuel prices are affected by so many

factors over which we have little or nocontrol. That’s why we offer our customerssolutions to make volatility in the fuel markets easier to deal with.

One solution is Easy Pay, which is our most popular program.We estimate your annual fuel costs and divide the total into12 equal monthly payments. There’s no fee to enroll in EasyPay, and the program covers heating oil, propane and kerosene.

You can add Price Assurance to Easy Pay and, for an additionalfee, your price is guaranteed not to go above a ceiling or capprice, no matter how high the daily price of heating oil rises.With Price Assurance you also benefit if market prices fall.Customers who chose this option to protect their fuel price thiswinter have saved as much as 60¢ per gallon.

No one knows where prices will go from here, but PalmerGas/Ermer Oil wants you to have choices. Check your mailboxfor a letter, which we’ll be sending out soon, that details yourprice protection options for the 2011–12 heating season.

practical efficient alternative to central air

Have you heard about Fujitsu ductless mini-split airconditioning systems? They’re a quiet compactalternative to central air in homes where installing

ductwork is impractical. A ductless system is more convenient

than window air conditioners and more efficient than manyconventional cooling systems.

The Fujitsu system consists of a slim indoor unit, which connectsto an outdoor compressor through refrigerant lines fed throughsmall openings in your wall. Cool air flows through these flexiblelines, reaching all areas of your home, so you can enjoy central airwithout ductwork, which is bulky and expensive to install.

There’s still time to have a ductless system installed before theweather heats up. Call us today or return the enclosed reply card.

Be here on May 5—Cinco de Mayo—asPalmer Gas / Ermer Oil celebrates ourannual Customer Appreciation Day.

There will be a tent, food, games and raffles, as well as grill and patio demonstrations. We’llhave outdoor fireplaces and fire pits on display,as well as the “Big Green Egg,” the originalAmerican-designed ceramic cooker and smoker.

Don’t miss the fun. Come join us May 5, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

�

save the date!

Save 20%on hearth and

heating products!

Offer expires on May 31, 2011.

Save 20%

Customer Appreciation Day