HEAT in the News

HEAT USA was the subject of a special report on heating oil co-ops in the Philadelphia Inquirer last week.  The report traced HEAT from its humble beginnings in Queens to its current status as the largest co-op of its kind in the country, serving 80,000 people throughout the Northeast.

The report credited “old hippies and trade unionists” with creating co-ops like HEAT USA and winning lower prices for middle class consumers.  HEAT president Andrew Heaney offered some clarification of the co-op’s origins: “I think ‘hippies and trade unionists’ is a kind of wry reference to the fact that many of the first attempts at forming co-ops were made by consumer advocates like Ralph Nader and other left-leaning folks.  The heating oil co-op was actually a market response to the oil shocks of the 1970’s; the real driving force behind heating oil co-ops then were consumers who wanted to take control of their energy costs, which is still true today.”

Recent instability in energy prices and a major economic meltdown has driven more heating oil customers to seek out the stability and support of HEAT USA than ever before, with over 3,500 members signing up in the last two months alone.