Win heater in ‘Ugliest Boiler’ contest
Montco firm offering new heater in ‘Ugliest Boiler’ contest
CONSHOHOCKEN >> Has your old boiler down in the basement been like a trusted companion all these years, keeping the family warm through plenty of Pennsylvania winters? Maybe too many winters? The folks at D.E. Duffey & Sons, Inc. figure it may be time to upgrade that situation, and they’re here to help you do it.
In celebration of its 120 years in business, the Conshohockenbased home heating oil and HVAC provider is holding an “Ugliest Boiler” Contest, with a prize of a new heating system.
The competition, which is open to heating oil and natural gas homeowners in Montgomery, Chester, and Philadelphia Counties, is running through October 31st, 2018.
To enter, homeowners, who need not be current D.E. Duffey & Sons customers, must submit a photo of their existing boiler or furnace, along with its approximate age, to D.E. Duffey & Sons, 1982 Butler Pike, Conshohocken. Entry forms can be found at http://deduffey.com/ugliestboilercontest/ and may be submitted by mail to DE Duffey or online. The winner will be announced in mid-November.
Company president Dan Duffey, whose grandfather, Daniel Edward Duffey, started the business in 1898, said the contest has already drawn more than 100 submissions.
“The company is 120 years old this year and people tell us com--
panies don’t usually make it that long, and now we’re in the fourth generation and it’s still in the same family, so we’re doing something to give back to the community with this contest,” he explained. “It’s a combination of the company making it from the horse-drawn wagon days to the current days and letting people know what we do. A lot of people think we’re just in oil, but the majority of our business is heating and air conditioning.”
Duffey came on board in 1972, when his dad, Walt
Duffey, was president.
“I started driving a truck, delivering and installing,” he recalled. “In this business you have to know how to do everything.”
Since then, the company has grown to servicing most of Montgomery County, Main Line, parts of Chester and Delaware counties and Northwest Philadelphia.
Duffey will personally help select the winner of the “Ugliest Boiler” Contest, he noted.
“We’ll pick through the worst of them and choose the one we think is in the most need of replacement. It could be an existing customer or just somebody who wants to participate.
The winner will get something that is comparable to what they have. If they have a furnace, they’ll get another furnace. If they have a boiler they’ll get another boiler.
In addition to the contest, the company is celebrating its milestone with an upcoming country club dinner, where longtime employees will be recognized for their service, Duffey allowed.
Most people aren’t aware of the strides the home heating and air conditioning industry has made in the last 15 years alone, Duffey said.
Citing today’s high-efficiency boilers and furnaces, he indicated that homeowners can reduce their annual heating oil consumption by up to 40 percent, depending on the age of the outdated equipment.
“Many homeowners still heat their homes with systems that are more than 30 years old. Even systems that were replaced 20 years ago are now considered obsolete by today’s high-efficiency standards.” Duffey said, adding that a new boiler or furnace pays for itself in energy savings in a few short years, while also significantly reducing carbon emissions. “We are pleased to be doing our small part to build awareness for how we can all save energy, reduce carbon emissions, and put more money back into our customer’s pockets.”