Combined Energy Services

Who’s watching your home’s heat when you’re not home? It can only take a few hours without heat for vulnerable water pipes in poorly insulated walls or under a cabinet to freeze and break when the outside temperatures. When pipes freeze and break, an 1/8 inch hole in a water pipe can spew over 150 gallons per day.

An 1/8 inch hole in a water pipe can spew over 150 gallons per day!

Destroyed sheet rock, walls, flooring, carpeting, personal belongings, broken plumbing fixtures in addition to mold growth or electrical fires are what can accompany frozen / broken water piping.

Frozen pipes are a very serious threat and can cause tens of thousands of dollars in home damages.

What is the Home Key Holder Program? CES Home Key Holder Program

The CES Home Key Holder Program can give you peace of mind during those cold winter nights.

CES will hold your home key on file in the case you are not home and your home heating has stopped working. No longer worry about a neighbor being accessible on a cold winter night. We will work with any alarm company; they can call CES 24/7 and we can take care of your home heating loss before your pipes freeze.

Many customers are connected to smart thermostats like the NEST. When you join the CES Home Key Holder Program and have a smart thermostat, when you receive a signal for low heat call CES 24 hours and we will be able to access your home to take care of the problem as soon as possible!

This program is great for second home owners!!

CES works with your smart thermostat

Your home must remain on automatic delivery with CES (propane or fuel oil).
CES must keep a key to your home on file (we won’t hunt neighbors with the key at 3 am in January!)
Stay within acceptable credit terms for fuel deliveries.

A frozen / broken pipe in a vulnerable wall - mold can start growing within two hours.

Don’t set thermostats below 50 degrees
Leave bathroom & kitchen doors open for heat circulation
Insulate pipes in your crawl space or attic
Use heat tape on vulnerable pipes known to freeze (be sure to only use UL approved tape and follow manufacturer’s directions)
Leave cabinet doors open if contain water pipes for sinks, etc…
Seal leaks that allow cold air inside, near where pipes are located
Close air vents under the house or attic
Disconnect garden hoses and install freeze proof outdoor faucets
Shut off your well pump or valve from street if possible if the house will be left unattended for long periods of time in the winter. Check with CES or a heating professional to make sure there isn’t an automatic water feed valve on baseboard or steam heating systems that may need to be left on for proper boiler operation.
Never use a torch to thaw frozen pipes due to fire risk. It’s best to use a hair dryer on a low setting or use towels and pour hot water on it. It might be messy, but it works.

Fuel delivery drivers work hard during the winter months to keep tanks filled, so your assistance with helping them do their job is always appreciated. A few tips to help us get your delivery to you on time…

Keep driveways plowed & sanded. There’s a world of difference between NYC and the mountains, so we can’t recommend enough contracting with a local plow company to maintain your drive on a regular basis. This is important for not only fuel deliveries, but also emergency vehicles and to give your home the ‘lived in look’ so burglars won’t think you’re away. Special trips off our normal delivery route due to un-plowed driveways can result in costly extra charges.
Keep walkways accessible to your propane tank or oil fill pipe.
Mark your underground propane tank or fill pipe with a wooden stake so our drivers can locate it in the deep snow.
If you’re on automatic delivery, give us a call if you notice your tank’s gauge below ¼ or if your consumption changes due to added family members or heat left up all day – give us a call to adjust your delivery schedule.
SAFETY REMINDER: Keep snow away from furnace or appliance vents if near ground level to avoid deadly carbon monoxide from entering your home.