LP Gas, November 2011
REMOTE TANK MONITORING Continued from page 27 five years I think its a great study says Tom Dudycha marketing manager at Independent Technologies Corp Inc Wesroc We have a lot of clients who have saved a lot of trips by monitoring This study will show that its profitable for the propane marketer because its paid for with reduced trips The technology is especially useful for serving commercial accounts and those with unpredictable usage patterns according to Dudycha And not every customer needs such a device he adds When you put a brand new propane tank in put a monitor on it for a year to see how much usage they have he suggests At the end of that period you can remove it or see if the customer wishes to pay a fee to retain the unit PERCs doing a good thing for the industry A Schmitt Xact battery box and satellite transmitter box as mounted on a test tank with magnetic feet A Robertshaw Centeron cellular remote tank level monitor without its cover to show access to the custom battery pack by helping the dealer make comparisons says Chris Clabaugh CEO and president at TankQ The old strategy of calculating degree days to schedule deliveries just doesnt cut it for accurately measuring how much propane is being consumed Theyre using propane for other services rather than just heating their homes Clabaugh notes Theres a lot of room for mistakes as generators water heaters heat pumps pool heaters and other appliances plus the presence of a wood burner to augment the heat output can all skew the process of trying to estimate when a delivery is necessary It seems like the industry has been very slow to move toward monitoring he observes Id like to see more movement toward using this technology It will stimulate more interest says Pat Mansfield executive vice president at EnerTrac Inc It will give them a frame of reference Who are the players in this market Who should I be talking to Mansfield does note however that the ultimate selling point will continue to be marketers talking to one another and making recommendations based on what works for them Word of mouth is as important as anything else in this industry LPG Like the propane marketer companies they serve the remote tank level monitoring systems use equipment designed to serve a range of needs from small and simple through large and sophisticated 28 LPGas November 2011 www LPGasmagazine com
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