If you have recently moved into a new house, then it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the local energy services and contractors. This is so that if anything goes wrong with your home’s energy supply or appliances, you know who to contact and ask for help.

If you don’t know who to contact, then the consequences of losing energy in your home could be disastrous. If you don’t have a smartphone, you wouldn’t be able to search online for a contractor and wouldn’t be able to get immediate help.

Here is how you can find the top residential energy services:

Online Searches

Online searches are by far the most effective way of learning about residential energy services and local contractors. It’s especially important to conduct online searches into local energy providers if your home is heated using oil. The reason for this is that oil heater services will be able to deliver oil straight to your door for you before you run out. Leaving it until your home runs out of oil before you start looking for a local oil provider is an extremely bad idea, especially if it’s very cold where you live. Whether you’re looking for an oil provider, electrician, or plumber, major search engines are the best place to look. Thanks to SEO marketing, the most popular local businesses will appear at the top of the search listings when you make an online search.

Ask Realtor

If you have just bought a new house, then it might be a good idea to ask the realtor that arranged your home’s purchase for you to recommend local energy providers. When you move into a new house, you are usually given an information pack by the realtor, which includes information about who the local energy service providers are, and how you can power your home’s energy (if it uses oil or solar, or another uncommon method that you might not be familiar with). If you are a tenant, then your landlord should be able to tell you.

Local Referrals

Instead of asking your realtor or landlord, you could ask your neighbors or anybody that lives locally to you. Local referrals are usually sound because it’s highly likely that your neighbor’s homes run on the same energy and use the same provider as yours unless their homes are newer (or older) than yours. When asking for local referrals, make sure that you review each recommendation that’s made to you, especially if it’s for local contractors. It’s not uncommon for people to recommend their friends and family when making suggestions to strangers. Always read a contractor’s reviews before hiring them, too.

Radio

Listening to local radio is another effective way of learning about local energy providers or contractors. Local radio is better if you live in a more rural area or a small town because contractors are more likely to have advertisement slots there. If you live in a large city then it’s a better idea to use the internet to conduct searches. If you aren’t a fan of the radio and don’t really want to listen to it, then turn to the internet. You could also call the radio station and ask them for a recommendation, which they will probably be able to make for you.

Flyers

As you are walking around your area, you may see flyers or posters put up advertising technicians, contractors, and energy providers. If you do then it’s worth checking these people out. The reason for this is that by virtue of putting signs up in your area, they are probably local. It’s usually better to hire a local tradesperson, because they typically offer a better service, mainly due to the fact that they have to guard their reputation locally and won’t want to be known as cowboy builders or lazy technicians.

Social Media

One last thing to consider is social media. Social media can be a great place to look for energy providers and tradespeople because most use it for marketing. Social media gives business owners access to millions of daily users, so it’s no surprise really that most businesses use it to market their businesses. If you are going to use social media, then pick a platform like Facebook or Instagram, where you can search keywords and find local businesses. Avoid platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, because they aren’t usually used for marketing purposes, at least by energy-related businesses.

If you are new to an area, then you need to find out about the local energy providers and contractors. If your home’s electricity is cut, you need to know who to call. This post’s guidance will help you to find a contractor for your needs.