NEFI ProGuard Plus provides broad range of home warranty products
New England Fuel Institute member companies will soon be able to offer customers warranty protection on home equipment and appliances from the oil tank to the dishwasher.
NEFI is developing a new affinity program of homeowner protection and warranty products with Powderhorn Agency Inc., of Brookfield, CT. Known as NEFI ProGuard Plus, the program helps heating oil dealers do more business with customers and add a new profit center.
NEFI President and CEO Michael Trunzo said NEFI partnered with Powderhorn to provide members with an enhanced affinity program. Powderhorn is a good match because it can combine the tank protection and cleanup program with extended warranties for other household appliances and systems, he said.
“It is a full package of tank protection and home warranty products that NEFI members will be able to sell to customers, and it’s exclusive to NEFI members in New England, so the pricing we develop will be proprietary and better than what is on the street,” Trunzo explained. “We look at this as a way for members to do more for their customers.”
NEFI and Powderhorn are still working out program details and pricing, according to Trunzo. NEFI members can already offer the Tank Protection Program, and the other offerings will become available following next month’s NEFI Visions Conference, he said.
At the heart of the new program is a NEFI-specific version of Powderhorn’s ProGuard Oil Tank Protection Program, which pays up to $1,500 to replace a customer’s oil tank.
The program is tailored to support heating oil dealers, according to Gary Missigman, President of Powderhorn. Customers are required to be on automatic delivery in order to purchase tank protection, and in the event of a tank replacement they are required to continue heating with oil for at least one year.
NEFI ProGuard Plus Tank Protection will protect aboveground tanks with first-party and third-party cleanup up to $50,000, except in Massachusetts, where the third-party limit will be $200,000, per state law. The program includes a $500 claim deductible to be paid before the $1,500 tank replacement award.
The program covers tanks and oil lines and provides a service agreement or warranty to the customer. The warranty is transferable to a new homeowner, and no annual tank testing is required.
For underground tanks, NEFI ProGuard Plus Tank Protection provides first-party and third-party cleanup up to a $100,000, with a $1,500 tank replacement limit and a deductible of $1,000 per claim or $3,000 for a voluntary tank pull or abandonment.
In addition to tanks, NEFI and Powderhorn will offer the ProSept Septic System Protection Plan, which provides repair or replacement up to $25,000; a $2,500 sublimit for peat module replacement; and a $500 deductible. Systems must be inspected and pumped within 90 days of the application, and the system must be pumped at least once every three years.
The NEFI ProGuard Plus Program will also include a menu of standalone warranty products for different systems and appliances in the home including the plumbing, electrical and HVAC system, all kitchen applicancesappliances, and as well as the washer and dryer. These products can help dealers take ownership of their customer’s home servicings and enable them to continue doing business with theira customers even in the event that they convert to natural gas heat.
For more information, please visit The Powderhorn Agency’s booth at upcoming tradeshows, including the Atlantic Region Energy Expo, the NEFI Visions Conference, the Oil & Energy Service Professionals Road Shows, and the Southern Region Energy Conference.
