What Is Automatic Delivery? How Automatic Fuel Delivery Works in Western North Carolina
By the team at Asheville Oil Company
Automatic Delivery is Asheville Oil Company's automatic heating oil and propane delivery program for Western North Carolina homeowners. When you sign up, we schedule your deliveries based on your household's usage history and local weather, so your tank stays full without you tracking it or calling us. There is no call required and there is no delivery fee.
Here is what that means in practice, and how you can decide whether it is the right fit for your home.
How Does Asheville Oil Know When to Send a Delivery?
We use two inputs: your past usage and the weather forecast. Heating oil consumption is fairly predictable once we know the size of your home, the efficiency of your system, and how the winters typically run in your part of Western North Carolina.
When cold weather is on the way, our scheduling accounts for when your tank is likely to reach the point where a delivery makes sense, and we send the truck before you run low. You do not have to watch the gauge. You do not have to guess. The delivery arrives before you need it.
That predictability matters in the Asheville area, where temperatures can swing hard between a mild afternoon and a cold snap overnight. Buncombe County homeowners know that an unexpected cold stretch can drain a tank faster than the calendar suggests. It is a pattern we have watched across WNC for generations. Automatic Delivery accounts for it.
Is Automatic Delivery Available to Everyone?
Automatic Delivery is available to residential customers who own their home and have an approved credit account with us or leave a credit card on file. A credit application is required to enroll. If you prefer to call in your orders and pay at delivery, that option stays open to you as well, outside of our Automatic Delivery program. We are happy to walk you through both and help you decide which fits your household.
What other benefits are available to Automatic Delivery customers?
Automatic Delivery customers receive priority service when our schedule fills up. When the extended cold snaps hit or winter weather is in the forecast, our schedule can fill up fast with call in customers and deliveries can sometimes be scheduled a week or two out due to the volume. However, we prioritize our Automatic Delivery customers so they don’t have to worry about calling in.
Automatic Delivery customers also receive a per gallon discount on heating oil, kerosene, and propane. We can more efficiently route Automatic Delivery customers and pass those savings on. The discount is also an appreciation for the loyalty and commitment Automatic Delivery customers give to our business, and one way we can say “Thank you.”
How Does Automatic Delivery Relate to the Budget Program?
The Budget Program spreads your estimated annual heating oil cost across equal monthly payments, running from July through June. At the end of June, we reconcile your actual deliveries against what you paid in and settle any difference.
Budget Program customers are automatically enrolled in Automatic Delivery. The two programs are designed to work together: Automatic Delivery handles the logistics of getting fuel to your home, and the Budget Program smooths out the cost so there are no large bills arriving during the coldest months. Together they turn heating season into something that runs in the background rather than something to manage week by week.
To be eligible for the Budget Program, you must be enrolled in our Automatic Delivery program for one heating season, so we can accurately set your estimated equal monthly payments. If you are not interested in the payment-smoothing side, you can be on Automatic Delivery without the Budget Program. The automatic delivery piece works the same either way.
What Do I Need to Do Once I Sign Up?
Very little. Once you are enrolled, we handle the scheduling. The most useful thing you can do is let us know if something changes at your home: a new or replaced heating system, a change in how much of the season you spend at the house, or anything that might shift your typical usage pattern. That kind of information helps us keep your delivery schedule accurate throughout the Western North Carolina heating season.
Outside of that, Automatic Delivery is designed to be something you set up and stop thinking about. We can take that worry off your plate.
When Is a Good Time to Get This Set Up?
August and September are a practical time to sort this out. Scheduling is lighter before the heating season opens, and enrolling now means your account is ready and your first automatic delivery is lined up before the cold arrives in the mountains. There is no urgency, but there is calm logic to handling it before you need it.
The first delivery on our Automatic Delivery program will be to fill the tank, so that we can accurately track and schedule deliveries moving forward. Many customers like to call in smaller orders to get their tank close to full before moving onto the program and getting that initial fill.
If you are not sure whether Automatic Delivery is right for your home, or if you want to talk through the Budget Program, call or text us during business hours. We will walk you through it.
We have been serving Western North Carolina since 1922, four generations of family ownership. Getting your heating oil handled without drama is exactly what we are here for.
Frequently Asked Questions About Automatic Heating Oil Delivery
Is there a delivery fee for Automatic Delivery customers? No. There is no delivery fee on heating oil deliveries. That holds whether you are on Automatic Delivery or calling in your orders.
What is the minimum delivery amount? Our minimum is 100 gallons. That applies to all heating oil deliveries, automatic or call-in.
Do I need to be home when the delivery arrives? No. As long as we have safe access to your fill pipe, the delivery can happen while you are away. We leave a ticket showing the amount delivered and the date.
Can I switch from call-in ordering to Automatic Delivery later in the season? Yes. If you start the season with call-in orders and decide you would prefer automatic delivery, call or text us during business hours and we can walk through the credit application and get you set up.
About the Author
This article was written by the team at Asheville Oil Company, a four-generation, family-owned petroleum distributor serving Western North Carolina since 1922 and the authorized ExxonMobil lubricants distributor for the region since 1984. Based at 22 Tribology Drive in Asheville, the company delivers home heating oil, propane, kerosene, gasoline, diesel, and DEF to homes and businesses across Buncombe County and the wider WNC region, and remains the only locally-owned propane company still operating in Asheville. Learn more about the team at ashevilleoil.com/about.
