2 0 1 7 N O R A A N N U A L R E P O R T | 2 01
Certification. NORA funds designated
for Vermont have helped Vermonters
get certified or stay certified through
continuing education programs.
In 2017, NORA help fund 43 technical
training programs in Vermont. In
total, 776 oilheat technicians, tank installers,
and inspectors benefited from
these classroom and hands on training
sessions.
NORA funds were also used on a
joint project with Vermont Realtors®
and Home Inspectors, whose members
receive continuing education
credits for a seminar on oilheat tank
safety and Vermont’s Aboveground
Storage Tank Regulations.
VIRGINIA
Virginia Petroleum Marketers
launched the Upgrade & Save Virginia
rebate program in 2016. The program
offers rebates of $500 for efficiency
upgrades of oilheat furnaces, boilers
or water heaters, $500 towards
the cost of a new chimney liner when
required by the municipality for installation
of new oilheat furnace, boiler or
water heater, and $300 for the installation
of a new aboveground storage
tank. Properties are limited to no more
than two appliances and two tanks per
location.
As of August 31, 2018, VPCGA has
remitted $292,600 to 702 homeowners
since its inception. That represents
313 boiler or furnace upgrades and
395 storage tank replacements. The
rebate program has been successful in
substantially reducing fuel consumption:
on average, boiler efficiency
increased from an AFUE of 70.44% to
85.29% and furnaces from 70.47% to
84.69%. These changes represent a
reduction of approximately 51,657 gallons
of heating oil per year.
In 2017, VPCGA expanded its consumer
outreach with an aggressive
radio campaign, encompassing a three
week radio flight on 44 stations, blanketing
Norfolk-Virginia Beach, Richmond,
Roanoke-Lynchburg and Winchester.
The campaign also included
WTOP-FM, a news station out of Washington
D.C. Nearly 1,000 pro-oilheat
commercials were placed during this
campaign.
Virginia also offered A Real Estate
Agent’s Guide to Selling Oil Heated
Homes and A Homeowner’s Guide to
Oilheat.
To enhance the professionalism of
oilheat representatives, Virginia offered
a training program for customer
service representatives, office staff,
and drivers/technicians, Customer
Service, The Cornerstone to Oilheat’s
Future. This program reinforced the
participants understanding of today’s
oilheat, NORA and Bioheat® fuel; the
representative’s importance to their
companies and the industry; helped
them identify customer concerns; and
offered recommendations to the appropriate
response to those issues.
Virginia also conducted 6 HM-126
HazMat General Awareness live training
sessions (3 locations with 2 sessions in
each location), Live Basic Electricity for
Oilheat Technicians and Reading Electrical
Schematics classes in Richmond
and Norfolk, and NORA Gold Hydronics
training classes in Richmond Virginia.
WASHINGTON
In Washington, there were two major
initiatives. The first was to continue
consumer education to ensure oilheat
consumers understand the benefits
of oilheat. Additionally, there are concerns
with leaking tanks. Washington
did additional research on tank issues
to better understand that issue and
respond.
WISONSIN
The Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers
and Convenience Association (WPMCA)
continued its campaign to promote
the benefits of heating oil and highlight
oilheat’s advancements in becoming
an energy efficient fuel. The Love
My Oilheat Wisconsin program has gotten
significant traction since its original
launch just a few years ago.
Program components include:
• A consumer-facing website promoting
the benefits of heating oil in
Wisconsin
• A social media campaign centered
on the Love My Oilheat Wisconsin
Facebook page, which counts nearly
6,000 followers
• Pay per click and search engine optimization
to drive more customers
to the website
• Efficiency Matters in Wisconsin newsletters,
providing dealers with tools
to promote a pro-oil and pro-efficiency
message
• Funding for equipment rebates to
encourage and support the installation
of new, higher-efficiency heating
oil equipment