WHAT IS A BUDGET PLAN?

A budget plan is a way to eliminate high fuel bills during the winter months by allowing you to spread your payments over a period of time. Since your payments are based on an estimate of your expected annual heating costs (determined by multiplying your annual heating oil usage by the projected oil prices for the upcoming season) and a specified time period, you will make a known dollar amount payment for fuel each month. As an example:

• Assume that last year, your household used 500 gallons of heating oil in the months of December, January and February. Also assume that this year the expected price of oil will be $2.91/gallon. This means your expected heating costs for this year will be $1,455.
• Using a traditional, non-budgeted payment plan, you would need to pay $485 per month to cover your fuel costs for the 3 months of December, January and February.
• However, using a budget program, your monthly payment would be smaller while the number of months you are paying will be longer. Assuming a 10 month budget plan in the above example (meaning you have 10 months to pay your expected fuel costs), you would pay $145.50 each month for 10 months.

Please call us today if you have any questions on budget plans or if you would like to set up your plan for the upcoming heating season. We want to make this winter more bearable for you!


Additional Resources To Help You Pay For Your Heating Oil

For people who meet certain eligibility requirements, additional help may be available to help you get the oil you need.

• Pennsylvania Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)