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Let’s be honest — it can be complicated estimating how quickly your home will use its tank of heating oil. Lots of variable factors can affect the amount of fuel you need each day. Some of the most important factors are:
Of course, the largest factor determining your daily heating oil usage is the weather. This can also be the most unpredictable thing to account for, and that’s why so many homeowners in New Haven County and throughout Western and Central Connecticut rely on Valiant Home & Energy’s automatic delivery service.
In this post, we’ll discus show quickly the average home uses heating oil and how our team of home comfort experts track customer’s consumption to prevent run-outs.
Pinpointing an exact number of gallons you’ll use each day requires close monitoring, but a simple temperature-based guideline can get you a reliable estimate. For a typical home (around 2,000 square feet) with standard insulation, consumption tends to follow this pattern depending on the outdoor temperature:
No one wants to run out of heating oil on a frigid New England night. An unexpected tank run-out leads to heating loss and requires an emergency delivery to get things running again.
That said, Valiant has a no-fee option to prevent heating oil run-outs and keep your heating system running reliably — automatic delivery.
With this option, you don’t need to check your tank gauge constantly or reach out to us every time you need more heating oil. We do the planning for you. Here’s how it works. We use your customer history as a baseline for how fast your system will use fuel. Then we factor in the current weather conditions to determine when you’ll need a fill-up.
Our team then schedules your heating oil delivery well in advance, ensuring your place in the route is set before you run low.
The only thing we ask is that you advise us of any changes in your household that might increase the rate at which you consume fuel, like new additions to the house or welcoming a new baby.
Winter is coming up, and this is a good time to take the stress and run-out risks out of the weeks ahead by signing up for our automatic delivery schedule. This is a free service, and you won’t end up paying more money for fuel. We only deliver heating oil when you need it, and you only pay for the fuel going into your tank.
Let Valiant help you make this winter a little easier. Contact us today to become an automatic delivery customer.
Your ductwork puts in serious work throughout the year, whether it’s circulating cooled air all summer or carrying heat from your furnace once temperatures drop. Over time, dust, debris, mold, and other buildup accumulate inside your ducts, creating a range of problems for your home and your HVAC system.
That’s why professional duct cleaning every three to five years is so important. A DIY approach can handle some upkeep, but it’s no substitute for a comprehensive job from a team like Valiant Home & Energy.
Keeping your home’s ducts clean and clear will pay off in several ways:
Between professional cleanings, you can tackle some basic upkeep yourself.
A household vacuum can remove surface-level dust near the opening of a duct, offering a modest boost to airflow and air quality. But a vacuum’s reach is limited. It might clean the first couple of feet of a duct, while everything beyond that stays just as blocked and dirty. That gap is exactly why commercial-grade equipment matters.
You can also check your HVAC filters monthly, replacing or cleaning them as needed to support better indoor air quality and more efficient system performance.
Bringing in a trained team with the right equipment has some considerable advantages:
Valiant offers top-rated duct cleaning as part of a broader lineup of services designed to make your home safer, healthier, and more energy-efficient. We also provide energy assessments, insulation upgrades, energy-efficient windows, duct sealing, and smart thermostat installation.
If you’re a homeowner in Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, or New Haven County, contact Valiant Home & Energy today to schedule your professional duct cleaning.
Connecticut families are more interested than ever in finding the most eco-friendly and efficient fuels to keep their families safe and comfortable throughout the year. Propane serves a wide range of uses in these households, from heating to hot water generation, cooking, drying laundry, providing backup power, and so much more. But there’s a lot of misinformation out there about this energy source. In this blog post, we want to discuss some of the common myths about propane.
One of the most persistent misconceptions about propane is that it’s a risky choice for homeowners. In truth, propane is one of the safest energy sources available when installed and maintained correctly. It’s tightly regulated under strict guidelines from the National Fire Protection Association, or NFPA, burns cleanly, and contains a distinctive, non-toxic odorant so leaks can be detected right away. When our licensed technicians handle your installation, you can trust that your tank and appliances are set up securely from day one.
The opposite is typically true: propane is largely produced right here in the U.S., giving it more price stability than many alternatives. And today’s propane appliances are remarkably efficient. Propane water heaters, for instance, typically heat water faster and more efficiently than electric models, helping you use less energy and spend less overall. Valiant Home & Energy also offers a free budget payment plan that makes managing your costs simple and predictable.
Contrary to popular belief, propane is actually one of the cleanest-burning fuels available, producing low carbon emissions and virtually no particulate matter. It’s also 100% methane-free. Propane is officially recognized as an alternative fuel under the 1990 Clean Air Act and the Energy Policy Act of 1992, and its highly efficient appliances mean less overall energy use. Homeowners from Middlesex County and throughout Central and Western Connecticut are choosing propane as a smart way to shrink their carbon footprint.
Concerns about tank sizing, deliveries, and appliance compatibility keep many homeowners from making the switch, but it’s easier than it seems with Valiant. Our team evaluates your household’s energy needs, recommends the right tank size, and handles installation from start to finish. With our tank leasing option, there’s no large upfront purchase cost, maintenance and safety compliance are handled for you, and you can easily upgrade to a bigger tank as your needs grow.
Some homeowners worry about having to track usage and schedule deliveries themselves, especially heading into the colder months. That’s where Valiant’s technology takes the guesswork out of it completely.
Using the latest tank monitoring technology, we track your propane levels for you and automatically arrange your deliveries. You never need to check a gauge, call us for fuel, or worry about running out unexpectedly. Our local team is always on the road for you!
Ready to see the difference for yourself? Contact Valiant Home & Energy today and let us show you just how simple, safe, and affordable propane can be for your home.
Homes in Fairfield County and across Central and Western Connecticut are asking a lot more of their electrical systems than they used to. Electric vehicles, home offices, smart devices, and comprehensive security systems have all become standard parts of daily life. Combined, they can push a home’s outdated electrical infrastructure to its limits. Keeping up with these demands often means upgrades that go beyond a quick fix, which is why it pays to have a team of local experts on hand who can take on projects of any size. That’s where Valiant Generator & Electric comes in.
Here are some of the common home projects that our electrical experts can help with.
A residential EV charging station from Valiant means never worrying about range or waiting in line at a public charger again. Our fast, reliable Level 1 and Level 2 charging solutions are tailored to your household’s needs. They can be installed anywhere on your property that’s safe and convenient, so your vehicle is always ready to go while you save money and reduce your carbon footprint.
Valiant wires your home’s lighting for safety, efficiency, and style, from secure circuit connections to energy-saving upgrades like LED bulbs and motion-activated fixtures. Our lighting services include indoor ceiling, floor, and table lighting; accent and task lighting for kitchens, offices, and other key spaces; interior and exterior security lighting with motion detectors; landscape lighting; recessed lighting retrofits with all-in-one LED modules; and automated wireless lighting systems.
If your panel’s breakers keep tripping or your home’s power needs have outgrown its capacity, our electricians can repair or replace it with minimal disruption to your routine. We also install whole-home surge protectors, which are now standard for new homes and service upgrades, to shield your wiring and electronics from damaging voltage spikes as the grid comes under increasing strain.
Whether you’ve just moved in or are mid-renovation, Valiant handles electrical projects of every size. That includes:
Snowstorms, heavy rain, heat waves, and other extreme weather can knock out power lines and overwhelm an already-stressed system, leading to blackouts that put your food, medication, and essential equipment at risk. A whole-home Generac generator from Valiant keeps your household protected no matter the forecast.
Every Valiant generator installation includes a full setup with an automatic transfer switch for instant backup power, with panel upgrades performed if needed; a cold-weather kit to guarantee reliable starts even in the depths of winter; remote analytics that alert our team to any system issues; and complete maintenance coverage through our Total Care Plan.
From EV charging to whole-home backup power, Valiant Generator & Electric has the expertise to handle it all. Contact us today to discuss your next home electrical project and get a free, no-obligation quote.
The peace of mind that comes with having a standby generator is priceless. These systems — which are powered by natural gas or propane — connect directly to your home’s electrical panel and have an automatic switchover. So, if a power line goes down in your neighborhood or the grid becomes overwhelmed in our part of Connecticut, you don’t need to do a thing to keep your home powered. Your standby generator switches on as soon as it detects that you’ve lost your grid power.
You can rest easy, knowing your lights, HVAC equipment, refrigerator, security system, home medical equipment and other essential electronics will stay on in a blackout. The generators that Valiant installs can power a whole home for days.
But to enjoy this peace of mind, your generator needs to be installed safely and correctly. That’s why it really pays to have an attentive, experienced team of experts like us. We adhere to the highest levels of safety and care when installing and servicing your generator. Here are some of the key considerations that go into placing a unit at your home.
Valiant Home & Energy installs standby generators in accordance with guidance from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and installation recommendations from Generac, the manufacturer of the systems we offer. These standards help promote safe operation, proper airflow and convenient access for maintenance and emergency personnel.
Key placement guidelines include:
Proper placement is essential for safe, dependable performance and long-term reliability. In addition to following NFPA standards and Generac recommendations, Valiant Home & Energy complies with all applicable state and local codes governing standby generators and other gas-powered equipment.
When homeowners in New Milford, Waterbury or other communities in Central and Western Connecticut come to us for a standby generator installation, we provide the most comprehensive service around. Our team handles everything, including:
Simply put, when you come to Valiant, you get a team of experts in electrical work, propane and a lot of other home comfort services. That’s one company handling absolutely everything you need!
Get in touch with us today for a free consultation on a home standby generator.
Central air conditioning systems are built to last, and with proper maintenance, many homeowners can enjoy reliable cooling for well over a decade. However, as an A/C system ages, it typically becomes less efficient, uses more electricity and requires more frequent repairs. Eventually, the costs and frustrations associated with keeping it running can begin to outweigh the benefits.
For Connecticut homeowners, deciding whether to repair or replace an aging A/C system can be difficult. In this article, we’ll review some of the most important factors to consider when your home cooling equipment starts showing its age.
One of the clearest signs it may be time to replace your air conditioner is the growing cost of repairs. While occasional service calls are normal throughout an A/C system’s lifespan, older equipment tends to break down more often and require more expensive parts and labor.
A good rule of thumb is this: if the cost of a repair approaches 50% of the price of a new system, replacement is usually the smarter investment. Instead of continuing to pour money into an aging unit with an uncertain future, upgrading to a new system can provide improved reliability, better comfort and lower operating costs.
Even if your older air conditioner is still running, it may be costing you more every month than you realize. If your electricity costs seem to climb every summer despite normal A/C usage, your aging equipment may be a major reason why.
Air conditioner efficiency is measured using a SEER rating, or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. Modern cooling systems are far more energy efficient than units installed 10 to 15 years ago. Older systems may have SEER ratings as low as 10, while today’s high-efficiency systems significantly outperform those older models. That means newer equipment can cool your home using considerably less electricity, helping reduce your monthly utility bills while delivering more consistent comfort.
Age alone does not automatically mean you need a replacement, but it should absolutely factor into your decision. Most central air conditioning systems have an expected lifespan of roughly 12 to 15 years.
Once manufacturer warranties expire, replacement parts and labor costs also become your responsibility. If your system is older and experiencing repeated problems, investing in a replacement often makes more financial sense than continuing repairs year after year.
Another important issue homeowners should consider is refrigerant type. Several older refrigerants have been phased out over the years because of their environmental impact, including R-22 and, more recently, R-410A.
If your older cooling system uses discontinued refrigerants, repairs involving refrigerant leaks or component replacements can become increasingly expensive and difficult. Availability continues to decline, which drives up costs and limits long-term repair options.
Replacing this outdated equipment is often more practical and cost-effective.
At Valiant Home & Energy, we help homeowners throughout Hamden, Waterbury, Cheshire and surrounding Western and Central Connecticut communities stay comfortable with dependable, energy-efficient cooling solutions. Our experienced team can evaluate your current system, explain your options and help you determine whether repair or replacement makes the most sense for your home and budget.
We install high-quality central air conditioning systems designed to deliver reliable comfort, improved efficiency and lower energy costs for years to come. If your current A/C is struggling to keep up, now is an excellent time to explore your upgrade options.
Contact Valiant Home & Energy today for a free estimate on a new high-efficiency cooling system.
Homes make all kinds of noises. Some are harmless and familiar—the hum of the refrigerator, the click of the thermostat, the creak in the hallway you’ve learned to ignore. But a buzzing light can get under your skin quickly.
If you’ve noticed an irritating buzz coming from a lamp, ceiling fixture or recessed light, you’re not alone. Homeowners throughout Hartford County and across Central and Western Connecticut often reach out to Valiant Home & Energy with questions about lights that suddenly won’t stay quiet. The good news? Sometimes the fix is simple. Other times, that buzzing can signal an electrical issue that deserves a professional’s attention.
Either way, our expert electrical team is here to help.
A buzzing light doesn’t always mean something serious is wrong, but it’s worth investigating. The cause often depends on the type of bulb or fixture involved.
If replacing or adjusting the bulb doesn’t stop the noise, the issue may go deeper than the fixture itself. Loose wiring connections, outdated dimmer switches, overloaded circuits or aging components can all cause buzzing. Those are not problems to ignore.
That’s where Valiant Home & Energy comes in.
Our highly trained and experienced electrical professionals handle all types of residential power needs with precision and care. Whether you need a simple fixture replacement or something more extensive to get rid of that buzzing, you can feel confident entrusting your home to our expert team. Safety, reliability and craftsmanship are always our top priorities.
Of course, our electricians do much more than solve lighting problems. Valiant helps homeowners design and install lighting that balances safety, efficiency and style throughout the home.
Our lighting services include:
From replacing a troublesome fixture to transforming the look and functionality of your entire home, Valiant Home & Energy is your trusted electrical partner in Central and Western Connecticut.
Reach out today and let our electrical experts take care of the rest.
Our mission is to help families in West Hartford and throughout Central and Western Connecticut have more comfortable, efficient and safe homes that consume less energy. To make this happen, we employ a wide range of experts in various home energy and equipment fields. We want Valiant Home & Energy to be the only number you need for your home comfort.
One aspect that has an outsized impact on your home environment is your ductwork. These passages distribute warm air from your furnace and cooled air from your A/C, but they unfortunately can be circulating other things, too. If your ducts haven’t been cleaned in a while, they likely have dust, debris and potentially mold and other unpleasant things.
This can be a big problem for your household. Clogged and dirty ductwork can make your house less clean and your loved ones less healthy. These airborne pollutants exacerbate asthma and allergy symptoms, plus make seasonal illnesses more likely. Clogged ductwork also restricts airflow to and from your HVAC equipment. That means your systems will need to cycle more often, using more energy. It also means that they’re more likely to have service issues because of accumulated debris and increased wear.
Here are five of the top symptoms that your ductwork needs cleaning right away.
Changing your HVAC air filter on a regular maintenance schedule is good practice, but if you find yourself constantly swapping filters, your ductwork is likely the culprit. Heavily clogged ducts force debris back through the system at an accelerated rate, overwhelming filters far ahead of schedule. Restoring clean airflow is essential to a healthy indoor environment.
Walk through your home and pay attention to the airflow coming from each vent. If certain rooms feel noticeably weaker than others, a blockage somewhere in the duct system is the most probable cause. Make note of which rooms seem affected and share that information with our technician. It helps narrow down the problem quickly.
Most households need to dust flat surfaces every few weeks. If you’re dusting far more frequently than that — only to find surfaces coated again within a day or two — your ducts are almost certainly redistributing dust throughout the home every time the system runs.
Your ductwork should operate quietly, with the exception of the motor pushing air through it. Rattling, banging or other unusual sounds warrant a prompt call to a professional, as ignoring them can lead to more costly damage down the road.
Odors deserve equal attention. Musty or mildewy smells coming from your vents often point to moisture accumulation, mold or mildew growth somewhere in the duct system, a serious concern for indoor air quality. An unpleasant, more pungent odor could indicate something worse: a pest that found its way into your ductwork and didn’t find its way back out. Either situation calls for professional inspection without delay.
A steady, unexplained rise in your energy costs is often a sign that your HVAC system is working harder than it should to maintain your set temperature. Dust and debris buildup in the ductwork restricts airflow, forcing the system to run longer and consume more energy. If your bills are creeping up and you can’t attribute it to unusual usage, your ducts may be overdue for cleaning.
Come to the team at Valiant Home & Energy for your duct cleaning and repair needs. Our experts can get your ductwork in pristine conditioning, so your home stays cleaning, your HVAC systems run more effectively, and you use less energy. We offer lots of other solutions to support your forced air systems, including:
Our team is standing by to assist you. Contact us today to request duct cleaning or any other home comfort service.
If you’re concerned about the rising frequency of power outages in New Britain and other Western Connecticut communities, you’re not alone. Intense weather events like the heavy snowfall we experienced this winter can easily damage power lines. The same is true of hard storms and high winds. Even when power lines stay up, though, grid power is far from reliable. Our grid is struggling with surging demand from cooling systems in the summer, electric heat in the colder months and a year-round high demand from electric vehicles and power-draining data centers.
It’s little wonder that so many Connecticut households have invested in the energy security of a propane-powered standby generator. These systems can provide dependable backup power for your whole home, switching on automatically when your grid power fails. And with Valiant Home & Energy handling every aspect of your generator installation, propane delivery and system upkeep, you can be confident it will operate reliably for many years to come.
In this article, we’ll discuss the steps you should take to maintain your standby generator.
Here’s a rundown of several simple steps you can take as a generator owner to support the performance of your backup power system:
It’s also essential that you follow your generator’s manufacturer-mandated service schedule. This will keep your system’s operations dependable, ensure it lasts for its longest lifespan and keep your factory warranty in place. Some of the standard maintenance steps from licensed pros include cleaning, lubricating and inspecting system components, replacing worn or damaged parts, testing your wiring and gas connections and ensuring the automatic transfer switch is working well.
Generally speaking, you should have your generator serviced annually. However, if it’s running more often than normal or your user manual instructs an alternative schedule, you may need to arrange more frequent maintenance.
Valiant Home & Energy is pretty much the only company in Western Connecticut that handles every aspect of your propane generator, from sales, permitting and installation to electrical work, propane delivery and long-term maintenance.
And you can rest easy for years to come with Valiant’s Total Care service plan. Enjoy 24/7 support with a 20% discount on repairs, plus your generator maintenance is included. Plans include comprehensive inspections and flexible tune-up options—annual, twice-yearly or quarterly, to ensure reliable performance and long-term peace of mind.
With Valiant’s team by your side, you can feel confident that your generator will operate at peak performance when you need it most. Contact our team today to enroll in Total Care.
Think about your daily routine. Just about every hour of your day relies on your home’s plumbing in some capacity. From taking your morning shower to cleaning up dishes after dinner and brushing your teeth before bed, you depend on a complex network of fixtures and pipes. Naturally, with so many moving parts, there are plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong and cause your household serious problems. But how do you know when an issue can wait until normal business hours, and when you need immediate professional help? In this article, we’ll cover what constitutes a plumbing emergency that you need to address right now.
Burst, frozen or severely leaking pipes are more than just an inconvenience —they are an immediate threat to your property. During the freezing winter months, exposed pipes that lack proper insulation can accumulate ice and rupture. This can lead to rapid flooding, extensive water damage, mold growth and costly structural repairs. If you experience a burst pipe and notice water accumulating in your home, this is a clear emergency that requires quick action from a professional to protect your home.
(By the way, Valiant Home & Energy sells and installs smart home shut-off valves, which stop the flow of water to your home when they detect a leak.)
Your water heater works hard every single day. A traditional storage-tank water heater typically lasts about 10 to 15 years, but when it fails unexpectedly, your daily routine comes to a grinding halt. Losing hot water means no warm showers, among other inconveniences. While routine maintenance can prevent many of these sudden breakdowns, a complete loss of hot water or a severely leaking tank is an urgent issue. A professional needs to assess whether your equipment can be repaired or if an emergency replacement is required to get your hot water flowing again.
If you notice a foul odor emanating from your drains, water fixtures, or appliances, you might be dealing with a sewage backup. Whether you are connected to a municipal sewer line or a private septic system, raw sewage backing up into your home is both unpleasant and a severe health hazard. Blockages can be caused by built-up grease, severe pipe obstructions or tree root intrusion in your sewer lines. Specialized solutions, such as high-pressure hydro jetting, are often required to clear the blockage safely and effectively.
While occasional minor leaks happen, unexplained or growing pools of standing water should never be ignored. Pooling water in your bathroom, kitchen or basement can quickly escalate, leading to fetid air, pervasive mold and even electrocution risks. If you spot pooling water and cannot immediately identify and stop the source, it is imperative to call an expert to locate the hidden leak and repair it before further damage occurs.
Plumbing emergencies don’t stick to regular business hours, and neither do we. Valiant Home & Energy is proud to serve homeowners in Waterbury and throughout Western Connecticut. Our fully certified plumbing pros are on call 24/7 to repair or replace your plumbing systems when you need us most. For ultimate peace of mind, consider enrolling in our Total Care Plan for your home’s plumbing. This affordable coverage provides priority service, routine inspections and a 20% discount on all covered repairs — even on nights, weekends, and holidays.
Don’t let a plumbing disaster disrupt your life. You have a local team of plumbing experts ready to help in Western Connecticut. Contact Valiant to get your plumbing emergency solved quickly.