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Margaret Taylor’s propane tank was hovering around two per cent on Jan. 20, as temperatures near her home in Arden, Ont., were forecasted to dip below –20 C.
She said she’d been on the phone with the company, Superior Propane, for six or seven days as her propane deliveries were repeatedly rescheduled.
“It was terrifying, the stress of being left without heat in a really cold, isolated area,” Taylor told CBC.Â
Several customers of Superior Propane have written to CBC News from rural Ontario and as far as the Maritimes this month to say they’ve had trouble reaching the company, had deliveries rescheduled, and have been anxious about running out of fuel in frigid temperatures.
The company says the problem is a combination of extreme cold, heavy snowfall and difficult road conditions for their drivers. It’s also recently implemented a new sensor system for scheduling customers’ refills.
“We recognize that some customers in parts of Eastern Ontario and other regions have experienced delayed or rescheduled deliveries during this period of extremely high seasonal demand, and in some cases are running low,” a Superior Propane spokesperson wrote in a statement.
The company said it greatly appreciated its customers’ patience. Superior Propane has 750,000 customers across Canada.
High-tech propane tank sensors
Taylor, who lives with neuropathy, fibromyalgia and diabetes, says she suffered a heart attack recently and was advised by her doctor to avoid stress in the aftermath.
“Physically it takes a really hard toll on both of us, but especially me, if the house gets too cold,” she said, adding that the lack of propane heating can also impact her house’s water pipes. “If there’s no heat and its 29 below, they’re all going to freeze. So we will have no water.”
In the past, her account with Superior Propane had been set up for refills to be scheduled when her tanks dropped to 40 per cent capacity. But when she recently called to inquire about her tank levels and schedule a delivery, she was told her tanks were at 18 per cent. By Jan. 20, they were nearly empty.
Many Superior Propane customers including Taylor have a remote sensor on their propane tank that uses satellite technology to tell the supplier how much propane a customer has left.
On Superior Propane’s website, the company says refills are typically delivered when tank levels are between five and 15 per cent.
The company explained it has introduced the sensors to improve accuracy and personalize delivery schedules of propane, but recognized the system “has not performed as intended in every situation.”
For those without remote sensors, Superior Propane still uses a formula based on a customer’s history of propane usage to schedule deliveries.
Margaret Taylor, left, says her propane tank levels hovered around two per cent before a propane delivery finally arrived on Jan. 20. (Submitted by Margaret Taylor)Frigid cold, dwindling propane
Elsewhere in eastern Ontario, Adam Thompson says he realized his Superior Propane tanks were nearly empty when he woke up on Saturday.
As temperatures were forecasted to approach –30 C, he immediately rushed to shut off the furnace that heats his house, and also his stove and water heater.
“It wasn’t literally out, but it might have been minutes, might have been half an hour from being out, I’m not sure,” said Thompson, who lives in the Township of Rideau Lakes.
Like Thompson, Jay Daiter of McKellar, Ont., found himself making call after call to Superior Propane. At the same time, he was making choices about how to heat his home.
“Do you begin to conserve propane and lengthen the delay in the delivery with the thought process that I’m saving my propane, the delivery truck is going to come any day now?” Daiter said.
“But the trucks aren’t coming any day now.”
A remote sensor attached to a Superior Propane tank in Mckellar, Ont. The company uses satellite technology to track the propane tank levels. (Submitted by Jay Daiter)
Superior’s spokesperson said the company is adding call centre capacity. It is also reallocating drivers across routes, adding shifts and staging equipment “to focus on essential-heat customers first.”
“Demand remains elevated during periods of severe cold, and we prioritize service based on safety and customer need,” the company wrote. “Customers can be assured we are actively monitoring usage patterns and planning deliveries accordingly.
“We are making changes to prevent this in the future.”
As for Taylor in Arden, she said the propane truck finally arrived last Tuesday, but not before she’d informed the company she’s searching for a new propane provider.