How the discount works

Green Energy Consumers got its start as Boston Oil Consortium (BOC) with 100 members in 1982. By using their group buying power to promise one local oil dealer all of their business, they were able to negotiate a discounted oil price, which ultimately led to the creation of the Heating Oil Service. Now with 9,000 members, we still use the same principle.

• When you enroll, you are paired with a specific oil dealer that works with us. The heating oil dealers in our network have been carefully reviewed and selected for their excellent service and customer support.
• We set each dealer’s retail mark-up, or margin, via a contract. The margin varies by dealer, depending on the dealer’s size and operations. The average margin is 60 cents per gallon.
• After the margin is set, it doesn’t change; only the wholesale cost of oil fluctuates, and our member price changes every day with the wholesale price. It’s the most reliable way to make sure members are always paying the fairest price for heating oil. And our members always save when compared to the state average price for full-service heating oil dealers.

Price gouging protection: Many oil dealers attract new customers with ultra-low oil prices at the beginning of the heating season. They can offer these prices by lowering their profit margin on your initial deliveries to lock you in as a customer. But eventually, most dealers raise their prices—usually during the coldest months of the year when you are unlikely to leave them.

The oil dealers in our network have been and continue to be vetted by our experienced staff.

Each one is guaranteed to charge our members the Green Energy Consumers discounted price of the day, no matter what they are currently charging their regular customers. Plus, as an added layer of support, in the rare occasion that a member has an issue or concern with their oil dealer, Green Energy Consumers can work with that member and the oil dealer to address it.