Charles Bursey

David Copperfield is a popular magician who makes things disappear. At certain moments, when I have been surprised to hear that certain longstanding companies that I’m familiar with have disappeared, I can’t help but think of David Copperfield’s special abilities. But Copperfield seemingly makes things disappear without a trace. When a fuel marketer acquires another fuel marketer, the name of ...

Mistakes happen. All of us make them, in both our personal and professional lives. The trick, after making one, is to keep it in perspective, counsels Columnist Charles Bursey, Sr. At work, we are often required to make decisions or accomplish something important. At times we fail to deliver the results expected. In fact, there are times when we simply ...

I would think by now that all tradesmen have heard the term “biofuel.” In my travels it seems to be becoming part of the everyday discussion about heating oil. For those of you who may be wondering, biofuel is a blend of two products: biodiesel and our standard home heating oil. You will also hear that there are several different ...

This time of year, as temperatures drop, we may be fielding a number of “No Heat” calls. Let’s look at some of the reasons for these calls. Below-zero temperatures can create oil flow issues, in some cases resulting in heating equipment failure. I have had the opportunity to talk with several oil company owners and technicians as to what preventive ...

Some of you might find the headline on this column strange, but I can assure you that by the end you will have a clear understanding of its meaning.  Let’s look at the “lost” part first. It refers to lost employees, and how or why a fuel dealer loses them. There are many reasons, of course, but I often hear ...

Before I begin to elaborate on this subject, let’s review just what Wi-Fi is. According to PC Magazine’s encyclopedia of technology terms, Wi-Fi is “the standard wireless local area network (WLAN) technology for connecting computers and myriad electronic devices to each other and to the Internet…  Every laptop, tablet and smartphone comes with Wi-Fi…” And now some thermostats come with ...

I know the first day of Spring has come and gone, but I’m not sure I believe it because, like many, I still see snow surrounding my house. But that’s life in New England! Many companies are still making deliveries and handling the everyday service issues, while at the same time trying to come up with quotes needed to replace ...

Over the past few years, I have watched new techniques evolve in our profession, along with new equipment that offers higher efficiencies. Think about the controls that help pinpoint service-related issues on most types of heating and cooling equipment. On the A/C side, think of how far this industry has come. An example is mini-splits. Most manufacturers have developed new ...

Loyalty is a word that I have heard used many times during my conversations with owners, technicians, and customers. Loyalty can play an important role in business. There is a return on investment to nurturing it. Let’s look at employee loyalty first. A loyal employee recognizes the needs of the company that he or she is employed by and what ...

Over the past several years, I have been in several discussions regarding fuel oils and most of these discussions have concentrated on number 2 home heating oil and on biofuel. The latter seems to be the hottest topic currently. However, there are several other grades of oil that have been used in the past, ranging from number 1 through number ...