By the team at Asheville Oil Company
Asheville Oil Company and Smoky Mountain Heating & Air are two brand names for one four-generation family business that has served Western North Carolina since 1922. They share the same ownership, the same values, and the same greeting when you call. With our new Smoky Mountain Heating & Air logo, it is a good time for a reminder: it is the same family business, with more ways to serve your home.
Are Asheville Oil Company and Smoky Mountain Heating & Air the Same Company?
Yes. Both brands belong to the same family.
Asheville Oil Company started in 1922, when E. S. Koon founded Koon Oil Company in Asheville. The company stayed in the same family as it grew, through four generations: E. S. Koon, G. N. "Nick" Koon, Karl Koon, and Drew Thorp, who joined in 2013 as Vice President and E. S. Koon's great-grandson.
In 2004, the family acquired Smoky Mountain Petroleum. The HVAC division that came with that acquisition was renamed Smoky Mountain Heating & Air, and the rest of that business, including heating oil, propane, and lubricants, was folded into the Asheville Oil Company name.
The two brands keep separate names and separate identities because they serve different parts of a home's needs. Fuel, propane, kerosene, lubricants, and heavy-duty filters flow through Asheville Oil Company. Heating and cooling equipment, including service and HVAC installation, flows through Smoky Mountain Heating & Air.
Most customers work with one or the other, and that is fine. Some households have needed both at different points over the years, all under the same family roof.
Who Do You Call for Fuel and Propane, and Who Do You Call for Heating and Cooling Equipment?
The clearest way to think about it:
Asheville Oil Company handles what goes through a fill pipe or a tank. Home heating oil, K-1 kerosene, propane, gasoline, diesel, DEF, lubricants, and heavy-duty filters. Call or text us at 828-274-7978 during business hours.
Smoky Mountain Heating & Air handles the equipment that conditions your home in both seasons. Oil and gas furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioners, and ductless mini-splits. Service on existing homes in Asheville and Buncombe County, including installation of Lennox systems. Smoky Mountain primarily installs Lennox as a Lennox Dealer and services all brands. Call 828-274-7277. (Smoky Mountain Heating & Air is a call-only line at this time.)
A few details worth knowing. The two numbers ring to the same place right now, and calling either number will get you access to all Asheville Oil Company and Smoky Mountain Heating & Air services.
When someone picks up, you will hear both brand names. We keep the numbers separate so the right team hears your call from the start, and so each brand can manage its own line clearly as the company grows.
Smoky Mountain Heating & Air does not do new-construction installs and does not run new ductwork. Its work is on existing homes. If you are thinking about replacing or adding to a system you already have, that team is the right call.
When you need your tank filled or a delivery scheduled, that is us at Asheville Oil Company. When the equipment itself needs attention, that is Smoky Mountain Heating & Air. Two names, one family, one phone greeting.
Why Does Being One Locally Owned Family Business Actually Matter?
Asheville Oil Company is the only locally-owned propane company still operating in Asheville. National companies have absorbed most of the independents over the years. When you call us, you reach a local team that is answerable to you and to this community, not to a national call center.
Four generations of the same family have run this business through the Great Depression, wartime fuel rationing, the oil embargoes of the 1970s, and every winter the mountains have sent us since 1922. That history means something practical: we know this region and its rhythms, we have served families here long enough to have delivered to some of your parents and grandparents, and we are not going anywhere.
Locally owned, and staying that way. That is not a tagline. It is a fact.
The shared commitment across both brands is the same one that has run through the whole family history: be genuinely useful, tell people honestly what they are looking at, and treat neighbors like neighbors.
What Is the Family Newsletter We Are Launching in November?
Starting in November, Asheville Oil Company and Smoky Mountain Heating & Air will send a shared monthly family newsletter to customers of both brands. It will carry seasonal guidance from both sides of the business: fuel and propane information from Asheville Oil Company, and comfort and maintenance tips from Smoky Mountain Heating & Air.
Many customers work with one brand and have never heard of the other. The newsletter puts both in one place, once a month, without asking anyone to track two separate relationships. One family, one email.
If you would like to receive it, details on signing up are on the Asheville Oil Company website and the Smoky Mountain Heating & Air website.
If you have questions about fuel or propane service, call or text 828-274-7978. We are glad you have come to the right place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Asheville Oil Company and Smoky Mountain Heating & Air share the same phone number?
Each brand has its own number. Asheville Oil Company is 828-274-7978, which handles both calls and texts. Smoky Mountain Heating & Air is 828-274-7277, a call-only line for now. The great news is that both numbers currently ring to the same place. We keep them separate so the right team hears your call from the start and so each brand can manage its line independently as the company grows. No matter which number you call, our team will get you to the right place to handle your needs.
Can Smoky Mountain Heating & Air service an oil furnace?
Yes. Smoky Mountain Heating & Air services all standard types of residential HVAC equipment, including oil furnaces. If you heat with oil and the equipment needs attention, call 828-274-7277. Asheville Oil Company handles the fuel delivery. Smoky Mountain Heating & Air handles the system itself. The two teams work from the same family of companies.
If I am already an Asheville Oil Company fuel customer, do I need to set up a separate account with Smoky Mountain Heating & Air?
If you have an active Asheville Oil Account, all we need is some basic information about your current system to set up your service account. If you don't know the details, that is ok too!
One of our Smoky Mountain Heating & Air technicians can get the information on our first service call or tune up visit to your home. AOC and SMHA charges will show up on the same statement and payment arrangements, such as credit cards on file, can be used for both brands.
For customers on our budget program, however, service visits and other work outside of the fuel or propane deliveries cannot be included in your budget payments and must be paid for at time of service.
What will the family newsletter include?
The plan is practical, seasonal content from both sides. Fuel and propane guidance from Asheville Oil Company, including tips on heating-season readiness and delivery scheduling. Comfort and maintenance guidance from Smoky Mountain Heating & Air, including seasonal tune-up reminders and equipment tips. Content-forward, not promotional. One newsletter, two ways the family can help.
About the Team
This post was written by the team at Asheville Oil Company, a four-generation, family-owned petroleum distributor serving Western North Carolina since 1922. 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. Smoky Mountain Heating & Air is the company's HVAC division, established in 2004, serving existing homes in Asheville and Buncombe County as a Lennox Dealer, primarily installing Lennox and servicing all brands. Learn more at ashevilleoil.com/about.
