Oil Pricing

We will always be asked what the price of oil is going to do. We will never know. Oil price used to be linked tightly to simple supply and demand- summer gas prices rose and heating oil prices fell. This is no longer the case. The futures market on Wall Street plays the biggest role in determining oil prices now. When currency depreciates, investors tend to buy oil futures (only on paper) which raises the price for everyone.

We control our price by restricting the overhead we pay. We will give you the best price we can on any given day. Our price fluctuates with everything else. When our cost goes up (or down) so does the price we charge. One day can be different from the next, but we don’t know that ahead of time. You are guaranteed the price quoted to you on the day you order oil. You can easily keep an eye on our prices by liking our Facebook page.

Delivery Area

We target north of Route 372, south of Route 30, and west of Route 222. We deliver to all of Lancaster City, Columbia, and Quarryville. Please call with more questions about a specific region.

How to Order

Call us! (717) 872-0617. We are generally able to deliver within 2-3 business days. During the winter when we are busiest, please allow one week for delivery. If you are a new customer, please read our Policies page so you are familiar with how we work.

Automatic Delivery

We do only a few automatic deliveries. We do not have a computerized system for this yet and therefore are only taking a few automatic customers. Please simply check your tank and call us when you need oil.

New Customers, 50% upfront

To allow us to give everyone the lowest price we can, we actively work to minimize the amount of oil we deliver for which we are never paid. We have learned from experience that customers with no history with us are the most likely to not pay their bills to us and avoid our attempts to recover payment. Therefore we require 50% upfront to minimize delinquent accounts.

How to Pay

We leave the bill on the door after delivery. If you have misplaced your bill, please call for a statement of your account. We accept cash, checks, money orders, and credit cards.

Cash can be paid at the time of delivery.

Checks and money orders can be given to the driver at the time of delivery or mailed to PO Box 325 Willow Street, PA 17584.

Payment with credit cards (Mastercard preferred, Discover and Visa also accepted) should be called in to (717) 872-0617.

Payment is 10 days same as cash after delivery. We do not offer payment plans. If payment is not received and the customer does not respond to reminders, the account may be turned over to a collection agency.

We offer few “bells and whistles,” preferring to keep our business simple so we can offer better prices. We do not have lock-in, prepaid, or prebuy pricing. We do not offer financing or payment plans. We keep it simple, keeping our overhead lower to keep our final price lower.

Delinquent Accounts and Collection Agencies

If you are having problems paying your bill, please call us. Keeping communication open is essential. When we cannot contact customers and work out payment for a late bill, we have to turn the account over to a collection agency. We do not like having to resort to this and will try to work with customers to find a solution satisfactory to all. If an account is turned over to a collection agency, 35% of the bill will be added on to pay for the extra expense to collect. Attempts will be made to contact the customer before the account is turned over to a collection agency.

Minimum Delivery

The minimum delivery is 150 gallons. Smaller orders will have a delivery charge added- $25 for 100 gallons, $40 for less than 100 gallons.

Extra Fees

We try very hard to keep the price as low as possible for everyone. To do that, we need to add some specialized charges. We are not trying to blindside our customers so the fees are laid out here.

Delivery under 150 gallons- $25 delivery fee.

Delivery under 100 gallons- $40 delivery fee.

Evening and weekend delivery- $40 delivery fee.

Returned checks- $35 fee.

If an unpaid bill goes to a collection agency, 35% of the bill will be added to pay for the extra expense of collecting the payment.

Heating Oil and Ultra-low Sulfur Oil- What’s the Difference?

They are both versions of #2 fuel oil. Heating oil has unlimited sulfur content, averaging 2000-3000 parts per million. Ultra-low sulfur oil is limited to a maximum of 15 parts per million. In PA, it is required for on-road diesel fuel use. As of January 1, 2011, it will also be required for off-road diesel use.

Sulfur is the main pollutant in oil. What makes your furnace dirty is semi-burned sulfur from the oil. The sulfur that did burn completely creates an acidic emission that will return to earth somewhere as acid rain.

According to Brookhaven National Laboratories, ultra-low sulfur oil burned in a well-adjusted furnace has a lesser environmental footprint than natural gas burned for home heating. I personally use only ultra-low sulfur oil in my trucks and my furnace. Unfortunately, it does generally cost a bit more, averaging 10 cents a gallon more than standard heating oil. If you wish to use ultra-low sulfur in your furnace, please specify when placing your order.

Bio-Diesel

Biodiesel is produced in our country primarily from waste vegetable oils, animal fats, and soybeans. It is a clean burning oil. Its BTU (British Thermal Unit, a standard measurement of energy) content is similar to petroleum-based diesel oil.

There are some negatives to high percentages of biodiesel of which to be aware. It gels more easily than petroleum; it has more problems with water getting into the oil. Biodiesel tanks need to be diligently kept clean. Additives are available to prevent gelling and disperse possible water problems. However, we have not experienced major problems from these negatives.

Heating oil, low-sulfur oil, and ultra-low sulfur oil can come with infinitely variable amounts of bio-diesel added. 2%, 5%, 10%, and 20% are the most common amounts added. On-road diesel in PA is required to contain at least 2% biodiesel. We will deliver higher percentages for any use on request. Please call with questions or pricing for biodiesel.

Additives

We do add an additive to our heating oil. It is a detergent that helps your furnace stay cleaner. Some companies call this premium oil.

We also carry additives for on-road diesel and biodiesel to remove water and prevent gelling. These are added only on request and are an additional charge.

Servicing Furnaces

We do not service furnaces. We recommend Brian Knisely. He is an owner-operator who services heating and cooling systems independently of Manor Fuels. His phone number is (717) 872-4853.

Start Furnaces

Our drivers will start your furnace while they are at your house delivering oil. We will not come back later to do it. Please do not make it a habit to need this complimentary service.