Take On Life

Hi everyone,

While the mercury was hitting 104 degrees in Greater Danbury on Tuesday afternoon, I was hitting the buttons on my home telephone.

But not to summon the Good Humor man.

Or even, the giant Kool-Aid pitcher with the painted-on grin.

I was on the telephone with Hoffman Energy. And then, Standard Oil. And finally, the Norbert E. Mitchell Co.

Forget about the furnace outside my house. I was trying to feed the furnace inside my house with the lowest-priced heating oil from the highest-quality purveyor of petroleum.

What’s wrong with this picture? It’s July, after all.

Sure, the sun has lost its GPS and thinks Connecticut is Death Valley these days.

But the last time I checked, it’s summer. It’s supposed to be hot.

Winter — six letters masquerading as a four-letter word — is still five months away. But for many people in Greater Danbury, including myself, those heating oil budget plans start Aug. 1, a little over three weeks away.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have been a customer of Hoffman, Standard and Sippin Energy over the years.

Every summer is exactly the same. I call three or four local heating oil companies to compare fixed rates, price caps and service plans.

It’s a worthwhile assignment. I’ll spend a few minutes on the phone to save a few hundred dollars every time.

This isn’t personal, I tell the customer service representatives. It’s financial, especially with tuition bills headed for my mailbox over the next four years.

The three companies I called this time — Hoffman, Standard and Mitchell — are all customer-oriented, professional and driven to excellence. As a matter of firsthand experience, I would also include Sippin in that mix.

Last year, I went with Hoffman Energy. This year, I went with….

To read my final decision, check out my “Take on Life” column Friday.

Only in the print edition of The News-Times.