What Did You Use Your Rebate For?

Wonderful Savings in Wappingers Falls

As 2024 drew to a close and temperatures were turning icy-cold in Dutchess County, Don L. of Wappingers Falls realized that he needed to upgrade his home’s heating system.

“My boiler’s oil burner was old and not in good shape,” he recalls. “I was looking for an option that was more efficient.”

Don already had a propane-powered dryer and stove, so he spoke to his fuel provider about getting rid of his oil-fired boiler and installing a more efficient propane model. They got moving on a proposal that worked for Don and had the conversion finished before the new year. The process was quick, with minimal interruption in heat.

Don says the improvements have been phenomenal: “The boiler is cleaner and quieter, and it takes up less room, so I can actually use the room it’s in. Plus, I recently did the math on my energy spending. We’ve already saved a couple hundred dollars compared to last winter!”

Of course, Don didn’t need to wait to enjoy his savings. He received a generous rebate for converting his home heating to propane — plus an energy efficiency tax credit.

An Easy Decision for a Liberty Homeowner

Walter S. had a 42-year-old oil tank for his home heating system in Liberty, NY. One day in 2024, he noticed that the ancient tank had started to leak at the seam. Faced with the prospect of spending thousands to replace the tank that supplied fuel for a 25-year-old furnace, Walter started to look for better options.

“A few years back, I’d purchased a generator that runs on propane,” he recalls, “and I purchased my propane tanks. This made my choice all the simpler — a new oil furnace plus a tank versus a new propane furnace.”

This decision paid off in some significant ways. Walter was able to get rid of his oil tank and free up space in his home. His new propane furnace runs cleaner and quieter and heats the house faster. Plus, there’s no more yearly service to change an oil filter. And on top of all that, he received a $450 rebate for switching from oil to propane!

A Quick System Upgrade in Swan Lake

Anna Marie D. is 95 years old and lives in Swan Lake, NY, in the heart of Sullivan County. Her home’s propane boiler and water heater had done good work for 15 years, but they reached the end of their service lives in November 2024.

With frigid winter weather on the horizon, she needed to get new home comfort equipment into place quickly. With her daughter Janelle, she reached out to her propane provider, who got to work right away securing new equipment.

“The technicians worked all day,” Janelle says, “and they had my mom’s new boiler and water heater up and running in about two days. So, she was ready for winter.”

Their company also made sure they received several hundred dollars in New York propane discounts for their system upgrades.

Anna Marie and Janelle are extremely happy with the high level of performance the new systems are providing. The home is toasty warm, and they can count on plentiful hot water whenever they need it — plus, their fuel consumption is way down with the high-efficiency equipment!

Longer Showers and Extra Savings in Trumansburg

Steve B. of Trumansburg, NY, has come to appreciate propane’s versatility and dependability. When his old oil-fired boiler stopped working about a decade ago, he made the switch to propane, which allowed him to remove his bulky heating oil tank and reduced his heating system maintenance costs.

Not long after, he decided to replace an inefficient electric water heater with a propane unit.

“We had quite a few people in the house, which meant we needed lots of hot water for showers and baths,” Steve says. “With the electric unit, it would take an hour or more to replenish the water in the tank. Our propane water heater refreshes really, really quickly.”

Last year, Steve needed to replace his propane water heater. His propane company was able to get the new equipment in place quickly, and he was thrilled when he got a $200 rebate in the process.

Switching to Propane in Bolton — and Thrilled with the Results!

Last July, Pete R. decided he was done with the ancient oil boiler in his Bolton, NY, home. It was inefficient in its fuel consumption, and there were service issues every year when it came time to start it for the heating season. Working with his home heating fuel provider, Pete decided that switching to propane was the way to go.

“I was looking for a reliable, clean-burning fuel,” he says, “and propane looked like the right choice.”

Because the old oil boiler also heated the home’s water, Pete’s propane company arranged to remove the system and oil tank and install a propane boiler and water heater. They completed the installation in about two and a half days while Pete and his family were away. Pete is extremely happy with their new propane systems.

“There’s been no drop in comfort,” he says, “In fact, it’s much better!”

Plus, he received a few hundred dollars in rebates for converting to propane — the icing on the cake!

Beautiful Work in Oak Beach

Living on a barrier island between Long Island and Fire Island, Dawn Daisley has always seen propane as the way to go for fueling her home. “Propane is great for so many things,” she said. She uses propane for heating her home, for her hot water supply and for cooking.

Before upgrading her propane boiler, Dawn spent about $2,600 on repairs to her old system. Realizing she was in a losing battle with a too-old (and loud!) system, she decided to upgrade to a new, high-efficiency propane boiler. Once the new unit was in, she said she felt an immediate difference, one she describes as “a 200% improvement.”

She also pointed out an unexpected improvement. “I noticed that it’s much cooler in the closet where the propane boiler is kept. It’s ventilating much better and so much more efficient.”

Daisley was especially impressed with the attention to detail in the installation job. “The installer should probably do jewelry on the side,” she said. “He did beautiful work. The old boiler was rattling—I didn’t know if it was going to break,” she said. “This one is as quiet as a kitten purring.”

Daisley is also pleased with some of her new propane boiler’s features, including a wireless tank monitor. “It has WiFi, so when I go away I’ll be able to check on it.”

Daisley said she is looking forward to lower bills and a quieter winter ahead.

Summer Home Conversion in St. James

When Eric Orth bought his second home, it came with a boiler that he described as “an absolute disaster.” “I just wanted to take everything out and start from scratch,” he said. “We replaced the old unit with a new propane system. I got rid of the baseboards to get a cleaner look for the house. It gave some more space too.”

Since then he has added a wall-mounted tankless water heater and propane stove. Orth has been pleased with both the performance of his tankless system as well as the size. “It’s cleaner; it’s more efficient,” he said. “It doesn’t take up a lot of room. This is a small cabin so I need all the room I can get. Not having a giant water heater is pretty helpful. It’s nice to be on demand. I’m not wasting money keeping a water tank hot when I don’t need it. It comes on when I need it.” He’s also a fan of the propane stove’s even heating.

“This is not my fulltime residence,” he said. “It’s a lot easier to winterize with fewer components. I see cost savings, propane is clean burning and it’s fuel efficient. Propane is awesome—thumbs up.”

Happy Guests in Ithaca, Thanks to Propane

Looking for the cleanest possible option for their business, the highly rated Thomas Farm Bed & Breakfast, Rich and Nancy Belisle decided to double down on propane. “We wanted to minimize the greenhouse gases, and from all of our research, propane was the way to go,” said Rich.

The process has been gradual: they started with a gas insert for their stove almost two years ago. Last October, they had a propane-powered generator installed. This summer, they added a propane water heater.

“It’s a small bed-and-breakfast — we have five rooms. But if all five rooms are using their showers at the same time, the last thing you want is people to run out of hot water.” The couple looked to propane to guarantee that this wouldn’t be an issue.

“To both of us, it was a no-brainer,” Rich said, about the decision he and his wife made to convert to propane. “We’ve reduced our footprint, and it provides the comfort we need to offer our guests.”

Time for a Change in Kingston

When Matt Colangelo decided it was time for a change from heating oil, he looked to propane.

“My oil furnace was old and very loud when the oil burned,” he said. “I was able to purchase a high-efficiency propane furnace. This is more economical, and I like the idea of the propane being an eco-friendly option.

“The whole switch took just a couple of hours. The new propane furnace is a lot quieter.”

Matt saw an immediate drop in his bill. “I’m saving a fortune using my energy-efficient system. I’m definitely paying less than I expected.

“Converting was one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time,” he said. “Propane has improved my home and my property value.”

A Fresh Start in Greenville with a New Fuel

With an aging oil tank and a desire to modernize their house, Mike and Katherine Schlenker decided to make the switch to propane.

“I thought propane would be more efficient and cleaner,” Mike said, “and I like that the tank isn’t in the basement.” (Their underground propane tank holds 500 gallons, and is away from the house.)

“We also put in an on-demand water heater — tankless — and that’s nice,” Mike said. “It never runs out.” The propane unit is wall-mounted. “It looks like a piece of art,” he said. “Plus, we’ve freed up a lot of room in the basement.”

John Dymon, Leonardsville, NY

“We had fuel oil before, and we were looking for a new boiler. One of the local propane companies came out and gave us a quote and told us about the rebate for converting.

“We have an 1886 farmhouse that we bought a few years ago. When we first moved in, the cast-iron radiators were a steam system that was converted to hot water, and we had two boilers: a fuel oil boiler and a coal boiler that was still hooked up but condemned.

“The new propane boiler is more energy efficient. It runs at a much lower water temperature, but it heats the whole house just fine.”

Courtney Pollet, Kent, NY

“I bought my home in January of 2018. That November, the oil furnace blew out. So, we decided to switch to a propane furnace. It was cold, and my baby wasn’t even a year old yet. But three days later, we had a propane furnace and heat. Everyone at the propane company was super helpful!

I would recommend anyone in a situation like this to apply for a rebate. I’m definitely happy with using propane instead of oil. I know it’s a more energy-efficient way, and the heat is a lot different. It warms up our house a lot better. It’s saved us money. It doesn’t have that oil smell. I really appreciate everything NYPGA did to make this possible!”

Genesee Country Village & Museum:

This organization reaped an instant reward by replacing a worn-out oil furnace with a new, high-efficiency propane furnace and also added a new propane water heater for extra savings.

“We have 60-something houses on our property with oil furnaces that are probably from about 40 years ago,” said Royce Flickner, facilities manager. “A lot of them are rotting out, so we’re trying to switch these over to more efficient propane furnaces. When you have a large organization, you can imagine how big the heating bills can be.

“Our propane supplier told us about the rebate, so we applied for it, and we’re looking forward to doing more improvements when the rebates go back into place again.”

Keith Hollis, a carpenter at the museum added, “Our CEO recognized that we’re going to get money back on this and long-term we’ll be saving money.”

Rob M., of Barton, New York

Rob M., of Barton, New York, had an oil furnace for years before he switched to propane. We checked in with him to see how things have gone since then.

“For starters, I’m saving on fuel, because I have a much more efficient furnace now,” says Rob. “And propane is much cheaper than kerosene.” Rob had an outdoor oil tank and needed to fill it with a kerosene mix so the fuel wouldn’t gel in the extreme cold.

“I’m just delighted. I got that ugly oil tank out of the backyard and I don’t have the fuel smell anymore. It’s just great, I love it.”

Rob also took advantage of the available rebates through NYPGA. “I feel like I won the lottery. After I submitted all of the required paperwork, I had a rebate check in the mail in a few days. I’m so happy now, that I’m thinking about replacing my 20-year-old water heater next.”

Rosemary R., of Waterville, New York

Rosemary R., of Waterville, New York, is another convert to propane, and doesn’t make any bones about it. “I would like to say that I am absolutely thrilled with being able to use propane,” she says. “We had fuel oil, and besides the cost, the entire unit didn’t work efficiently. But now I feel really happy.”

A few years after converting, Rosemary also ended up replacing her water heater with a new propane unit. “Our water heater had vented through the chimney, but we had problems with the lining. Our propane company was able to put in a unit that directly vented outside, which was the most efficient and practical way to go, and it’s worked out great too.”