Jesse Sulham, 24, of Wolcott, Vt., shovels a sidewalk in Stowe, Vt., on Tuesday March 14, 2023. Sulham described the snow as wet and heavy; and he said the shoveling "'gave me reason to be in a good mood." Sulham was shoveling the day a winter storm snarled highways, led to hundreds of school closings, canceled flights and caused thousands of power outages in parts of the Northeast on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring)
Jesse Sulham, 24, of Wolcott, Vt., shovels a sidewalk in Stowe, Vt., on Tuesday March 14, 2023. Credit: Wilson Ring/AP

After every winter storm, homeowners have a long checklist: clear the driveway, dig out the walkway, free up the mailbox, among other duties. But there is one task that can easily be overlooked and can make the difference between staying warm and facing a dangerous interruption in heating supply: clearing a safe path through the snow to your heating fuel tank.

Whether your home uses heating oil or propane, delivery drivers need clear, stable access to the fill pipe or tank. The lack of a clear path creates real safety risks for drivers carrying heavy hoses and equipment. It is a situation that can delay or prevent a fuel delivery when your household needs it the most.

Many oil and propane dealers have instructed their employees to not attempt to fill a tank if they cannot safely access it via a clear path. These sensible instructions are in place to prevent injury. If a driver gets injured and is out of work, they will not be able to service your home, or your neighbors’ homes, or anyone else in town. Their fellow employees who are possibly already working overtime will have to work even more hours to pick up the slack. But that can be prevented! 

Clearing a path to your oil or propane tank should be done right after it snows, just as you would clear your driveway and sidewalk. That’s when it’s easiest to move the snow. If you wait too long, everything will freeze,  and efforts with a shovel or even a snowblower will be futile. Furthermore, customers may not know the exact day that the heating fuel truck will arrive. So, that’s why it’s important to clear that path to the tank right away. Get it done and forget about it.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey shows that more than 219,000 homes in New Hampshire are heated by heating oil, and more than 106,000 are heated by propane. Together, that’s nearly 60% of New Hampshire homes.

That is a LOT of homes to serve, and the home heating industry is grateful to do it. Homeowners can show some support for these hard-working men and women by clearing a path to their tank after it snows. Do this to maximize safety and ensure that your delivery can be made, and not delayed!

Joseph Sculley is the executive director of Energy Markerters Association of New Hampshire based in Concord.