Oil Heat Cares partners with E&V.

Recently E&V Energy was contacted by an organization called Oil Heat Cares. They work with people who have oil heating equipment that has failed but can’t get any assistance from traditional agencies because they just miss the income requirements for those agencies. The homeowner explained she quit her job to be a stay at home caregiver for her parents. The father who is a WWII war vet has severe dementia. The mother is house bound by a serious illness that requires constant care. Their daughter is helping her parents live in their home with dignity but they barely get by on the father’s military disability. Unfortunately the amount he receives puts him above the income threshold for assistance, but leaves them with little or no money other than for food and medical.

About two months before we were contacted, the boiler in this house failed. Unfortunately the homeowner also gets their hot water from the boiler. At this point the boiler needed to be replaced which would be an expense of around $9000. The homeowner contacted over twenty different agencies that could not help her but kept referring her to another agency. In desperation she contacted a boiler manufacturer who put her in touch with Oil Heat Cares. After a discussion with the homeowner, Oil Heat Cares contacted E&V Energy because of their reputation in the area as a caring company who has been in business over 100 years and for their strength working on oil boilers. They offered us the opportunity to work with them to help this family. With Veterans Day approaching, we welcomed the opportunity to help with the project.E&V sent a home consultant to the customer’s home to evaluate the situation and determine what would be involved in replacing the boiler and an indirect water heater. Our recommendations were accepted by Oil Heat Cares who then started working with E&V Energy’s suppliers and the equipment manufacturers to ask them to participate in the project. We found it very uplifting to see how eager all of these companies were to participate by donating equipment, materials or other assistance. In two days E&V Energy had the new Buderus Boiler and indirect water heater installed and operational. All of this was done at no cost to the homeowner.

At the end of the project I was on site to wrap up the project with the home owner. When I went to leave she gave me the best hug I have had in a very long time. She broke down into tears as she was overwhelmed with having heat and hot water after being without for over two months. She was so appreciative of all of the help and could not believe how many individuals and companies were involved with helping her and her parents. The magnitude of the project and the fact that it was done without costing her anything was just too much for her at that moment. I spoke to her the day after and she told me how wonderful it was to have heat and hot water and how that worry being lifted off of her allowed her to focus once again on the needs of the household.

It was an honor to help a struggling family and very uplifting to see how all of our business partners stepped up as well. It was that much more rewarding to know that we were helping a veteran with a critical need the week before Veteran’s Day. Oil Heat Cares is a great organization and we were proud to work with them on this project.