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November 7, 2019

There's an app for that: Tech-enabled heating oil company enters Portland

heatable truck Courtesy / Heatable David Simmons, of Heatable, demonstrates the app that allows customers in a growing number of Maine communities to order heating oil.
By Staff

With the approach of winter, heating oil trucks are once again plying the roads of Maine — a familiar seasonal sight. The bright orange trucks of Heatable, an oil delivery company based in South Berwick, may stand out a little.

But the company, which began making stops in the greater Portland area Wednesday, is also unusual for another reason.

Heatable handles ordering, payments and other functions via a smartphone app, allowing customers to purchase the amount of heating fuel they want with a few taps or swipes. And there are no service packages, automatic refueling options or plans that lock customers into a price for the season.

Instead, the company is focused on customers “who prefer to manage their own heating oil orders and take care of their own equipment maintenance,” according to a news release Wednesday.

Heatable is owned by Dead River Co., the 110-year old heating oil and propane company that covers much of the state. The spin-off launched in 2018, serving only a few portions of York County and seacoast New Hampshire.

Since September, Heatable has been rolling out service to 22 additional communities, including 14 Maine towns and cities from Wells to Falmouth.

Heatable said favorable online reviews convinced the company to expand.

“When the positive reviews started rolling in, we knew we had something that was really resonating with customers,” Heatable Crew Leader David Simmons said in the release. “We had people contacting us repeatedly, asking when we were coming to their town. It was hard to say no.”

According to Simmons, the heating oil industry is behind the curve when it comes to innovations like the app.

“This industry has been incredibly slow to adopt technology and in most cases, customers still have to search the web for oil pricing, and then pick up the phone and call between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. for a delivery,” he said. “Our mission is to change that and make it easier for customers who want to manage their own heating oil orders and expenses to get pricing, place orders and track deliveries.”

Technology also helps Heatable keep its pricing down, according to the company, which calls itself a “discount” distributor. On Thursday, prices for its heating oil were $2.34 per gallon in the Portland area and $2.35 in Biddeford-Saco.

“Our low price is what makes us competitive in the market, but it’s the simplicity and ease of the app, as well as our quick and reliable delivery that has made us so successful,” Simmons said.

Despite the e-commerce innovation, Heatable customers may still find a paper receipt at their front door. The receipt is required by state law.

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