Winter’s freezing temperatures can drain your heating oil faster than you realize. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, heating oil consumption can spike by 20% to 50% during severe cold spells, depending on home size and insulation. Life is busy, and checking your oil tank often falls off the to-do list. Before you know it, your tank is empty, leaving you scrambling for an emergency delivery.
Running out of heating oil isn’t just inconvenient—it’s stressful. Frozen pipes can burst in temperatures below 20°F (source: American Red Cross), causing significant damage and costly repairs. But here’s the good news: Hillside has the perfect solution to keep your home warm and worry-free.
✅ Automatic Oil Delivery—Never Run Out Again
Hillside’s Automatic Oil Delivery Program removes the guesswork from heating oil management. With our program, you’ll never have to worry about monitoring your tank levels or running out of oil when needed.
Here’s How We Make It Easy:
- Proactive Tracking: Using advanced systems, we monitor your oil usage, tank size, and local weather patterns to predict your needs and schedule timely deliveries. For new accounts, we estimate based on homes like yours, while existing accounts benefit from precise data based on your actual usage.
- No Extra Fees: Many companies charge for this convenience, but we believe peace of mind shouldn’t come with a price tag. Our program is entirely free.
With decades of experience and precision tracking, Hillside ensures your home stays warm, and your tank never runs low. You’ll never have to scramble for emergency deliveries again.
Why You Can’t Rely on Memory
Human memory is incredible yet fallible, especially when life gets hectic. Memory expert Dr. William Hirst says, “Human memory is not like a computer. It’s extremely fallible.”
Forgetting to check your oil tank can happen easily, especially when distractions and routine tasks compete for your attention.
How Memory Works
- Short-term memory acts as a temporary storage system, handling limited information for a brief period. According to George A. Miller’s 1956 study, short-term memory can retain approximately 7 ± 2 items simultaneously. This capacity is further reduced when distracted, stressed, or multitasking. As a result, even important tasks, like checking your oil tank or locking the door, can slip through the cracks.
- Long-term memory stores knowledge, habits, and experiences for extended periods. However, Hermann Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve demonstrates that memory retention declines sharply in the first 24 hours without reinforcement. Over time, details fade or become distorted unless regularly revisited, making reminders and repetition critical for retaining routine information.
Why Memory Fails
Our memory system, while incredible, is far from flawless. Several common types of memory failures explain why forgetting happens:
- Memory Decay: Memories weaken over time when not actively recalled or used. Without consistent reinforcement, even crucial information can fade.
- Storage Failure: Routine tasks often fail to get encoded into long-term memory because they are considered repetitive or low-priority.
- Recall Failure: Even when information is stored, it’s not always accessible, especially without strong cues to trigger retrieval. For example, you might know you need to check your oil tank, but the memory doesn’t surface at the right moment.
Routine Tasks and the Memory Trap
Routine tasks, like monitoring your oil tank or setting out the trash, are particularly susceptible to memory lapses because our brains tend to deprioritize them. Two phenomena explain this:
- Proactive Interference: When old information interferes with new information. For example, sticking to outdated habits might prevent you from forming a new routine, like regularly checking your oil during winter.
Retroactive Interference: When new information overwrites older memories. For instance, a busy day filled with new tasks can cause you to forget something you planned yesterday.
Why Forgetting to Order Oil Is Risky
The consequences of running out of heating oil in winter go beyond inconvenience:
- Frozen Pipes: Temperatures below 32°F can freeze standing water in pipes, leading to bursting and costly repairs. (Source: American Red Cross.)
- No Heat: Prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can compromise your family’s comfort and safety.
- Emergency Costs: Same-day or after-hours oil deliveries often come with steep fees.
So…Why Do People Forget to Order Heating Oil?
Here are some common reasons people forget to order heating oil:
- Life Gets Busy: Work, family, and other responsibilities can push this task off the list.
- Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Heating oil tanks are often tucked away, making them easy to forget.
- Underestimating Usage: Cold temperatures can deplete your oil faster than expected, catching you off guard.
- Overconfidence in Memory: Telling yourself you’ll order “later” often leads to forgetting.
- Irregular Schedules: Without a routine for checking oil levels, it’s easy to overlook.
- Seasonal Gaps: Monitoring oil levels during milder weather can feel less urgent, leading to trouble when winter arrives.
- Manual Processes: Without automatic delivery, remembering to order becomes another task.
We Will Never Let Your Tank Run Low or Out.
At Hillside, we understand these challenges. Our Automatic Oil Delivery Program takes the guesswork out of keeping your tank full. We monitor your usage, weather patterns, and tank size to ensure you never run out—even during the coldest months.
Don’t Wait—Enroll Today!
Don’t risk running out of heating oil this winter! Sign up for Hillside’s FREE Automatic Delivery Program and let us handle your fuel needs so you can focus on what matters most.
Here’s How to Get Started:
- New Customers: Complete an Account Application today.
- Existing Customers: Call 302-738-4144 or 410-398-2146 to enroll now.
Have questions? Our team is ready to help Monday–Friday, 9 AM–5 PM. Take the stress out of heating your home and enjoy worry-free comfort all winter!
- (Source: Atkinson & Shiffrin, The Multi-Store Model of Memory, 1968.)
- (Source: Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve.)
- (Source: Tulving, E., Elements of Episodic Memory, 1983.)
- (Source: McGeoch, J. A., The Psychology of Human Learning, 1942.)
- (Source: Keppel & Underwood, Proactive Inhibition in Short-Term Retention of Single Items, 1962.)
