By Sara Poirier Correa
Sentinel Business Reporter
Like many family-owned businesses, New England Total Energy has a story that spans generations. Now in its 76th year, the third generation is keeping the Greenwich-based company relevant in a changing environment, with customer service at the forefront of its business model.
“It’s been a lot of hard work and we are growing every day,” said Yolanda Cortese, president of New England Total Energy. “Service is very important to me, and I like to give good service to our clients.”
Yolanda is the widow of Dimetrio Cortese, the second generation to operate what his father started as Cortese Fuel Co. in 1939. Dimetrio incorporated the business, known as New England Oil Company for many years, in the early 1950s.
“We’re still New England Oil, but over the years things have changed,” Yolanda said.
“Being in this business you have to keep up with the competition,” she added. “You have to give people what
they want.”
Not just an oil delivery company anymore, New England Total Energy strives to live up to its name, additionally offering propane services, HVAC installation and maintenance, electricity programs and home energy audits. The company
services Fairfield and Westchester counties.
“This company was very important to my husband,” Yolanda told the Greenwich Sentinel of what prompted her to continue the business after her husband’s death 33
years ago.
“He really didn’t want the company to go to strangers,” she said, adding that although she had two small children to take care of at the time, “emotionally I was not able to let [the business] go.”
With the help of family, New England Total Energy continued.
“I like to be hands-on and see what’s going on,” Yolanda said, adding, however, that while she is in the office “pretty much every day,” she hopes to retire soon.
Her son Frank now runs the show as operations manager, overseeing the day-to-day business and helping his father’s former company diversify as home heating, cooling and electricity choices have grown.
New England Total Energy uses only HeatForce Premium Heating Oil, which uses “critical additives that stabilizes stored fuel, prevents rusting, and reduces fuel degradation,” according to the company website. It also recently partnered with an electricity provider to offer cheaper alternatives
to customers.
The main difference between New England Total Energy and its competitors, Frank said, is the level of service the company provides—whether it’s going to a home or business to service equipment or making an oil delivery. And even though New England Total Energy has a technician standing by 24 hours a day in case of emergency, Frank said that due to the better quality fuel offered today, there has been a “dramatic decline” in the number of service calls coming in.
“We want to have the whole package as a total energy company,” he said.
“We don’t want our people to spend more money than they have to,” Frank continued of his company’s customers, adding that with oil prices fluctuating in recent years, different types of fuel, such as propane, have become popular.
“When prices were high, people were interested in how do I make my home more efficient,” he said. In the past year, Frank said, oil prices have “dropped tremendously,” allowing customers to save at least $1 per gallon when it comes to heating their home or business.
“We’re making changes every day,” Yolanda said of the business. “We try to keep up with the technology. We dedicate a lot of time and money to train our staff.”
That staff includes 35 employees, with additional part-time drivers hired in the winter to accommodate deliveries. All the technicians are licensed and “nice, friendly and clean cut,” a good representation, Frank said, of what New England Total Energy is all about.
Here are some of the most important energy-saving tips, according to the New England Total Energy website, netotalenergy.com:
• take advantage of heat from the sun by opening curtains during the day and closing them at night;
• adjust the temperature by making it comfortable when you’re home and setting it lower when you aren’t;
• find and seal leaks around doors, windows, recessed lighting and pipes;
• maintain your heating systems with regular cleanings and service calls;
• reduce heat loss from the fireplace by opening and closing the chimney flue when appropriate; and
• lower your water heating costs by changing the water heater setting to warm.
For more about New England Total Energy, visit the website, call 203-869-5869, or check out facebook.com/newenglandtotalenergy.
