Snows Fuel Company18 Main Street, Lower Level , Orleans, Massachusetts, United States

When searching for heating oil, propane, and HVAC companies in the Cape Cod area, Snows is your trusted provider. As a local heating fuel company, were there for you when you need us!  Snows has been owned and operated by members of the Snow family for five generations. The family business consists of Snows Fuel Company, your trusted heating fuel company in Cape Cod, MA, and Snows Home & Garden, a retail store and garden center, both located on Main Street in Orleans, MA. In 2011, Snows opened a satellite home and garden retail store on Route 39 in Harwich, MA.  Our team of expert technicians and office staff are knowledgeable about all of our products and services, and we will happily work within your preferences and budget when it comes to your energy options. 

Our goal is simple: to take care of your home or business and the people who live or work in it. Thats the way the Snow family has done business for over 100 years; thats the way we want it to be for the next hundred.  Snows has been serving the full-service energy needs of Cape Cod for more than a century. Family-owned and operated, Snows Fuel Company delivers quality heating oil and propane fuels; provides heating services, air conditioning services, and generator services; and even offers plumbing and water treatment services for your Lower Cape area home or business.

Our History

The ancestors of the Snow family were one of the seven families to settle Eastham and its off-shoot, Orleans. Since 1644, the Snow family has served the town both in government and business, a tradition that continues today. In the 1870s, Captain Aaron Snow transported coal, grain, and other items along the eastern coast aboard the merchant ship Nettie M. Rogers. He first conducted business from a shed and wharf he owned on Town Cove. There, friends and neighbors gathered to buy the conveniences he brought back for them. Over a century later, members of the Snow family continue Aarons tradition of accommodating customers.  Captain Aarons son and daughter-in-law, William and Annie Snow, established the first official Snows Store on Main Street in 1887. They dedicated part of their home (which stood in front of the current store) to the business and sold coal, wood, nails, hand tools, household items, gardening tools, and other supplies. Often, customers would find a sign on the stores door from the proprietor: If you need anything, call out the back—Ill be in the garden.  The arrival of the railroad opened the Cape to even greater economic development. A turntable and sidings were erected near the store. The town boys, including Wills son, Harry, helped turn the train on the turntable for the return trip to Boston. William and Annies son, Harry, literally grew up in the store and, upon completing studies at Worcester Academy, returned to the Cape to learn the business. World War I, however, took the young businessman away from the store. Harry enlisted in the Army Signal Corps then transferred to the Army Air Corps. Letters home were filled with details about training and sightseeing—and a continuous preoccupation with the business. Harry wrote this note, postmarked November 11, 1918:

Harrys curiosity and keen intelligence made him a natural businessman. His warm and accommodating personality drove the business forward. He truly loved being with his customers and would stop whatever he was doing to find an item someone wanted—whether it was up in the attic or down in the basement. Upon Williams death in 1930, Annie and her son, Harry, ran the store in partnership. In 1940, the store celebrated its 54th anniversary with summer sales and the opening of a new Basement Store. Harry considered the expansion a feather in his cap. Not only was it the first basement store below Hyannis, but it provided another venue to showcase products, mount sales events, and mix with more people across the counter.  To accommodate a growing trade, the store was enlarged in 1906 and then again in 1922. The latter addition included a large center section, complete with second-floor apartments and a good-sized attic, along with a new wing—an exact replica of the original. During the years this building stood on Main Street, it gained a reputation for furnishing just about everything one might need to build, maintain, or decorate a house and care for the property around it. Local folklore maintained that, when in need of something, you could generally “find it at Snows.”  The 1950s were a significant decade for the growing store. Harry and wife Adelines three sons, William, Robert, and Stanley, joined the family business.  After graduating from Boston University, Bill returned to work full-time in the store in 1951. Five years later, after serving in the Air Force during the Korean War, Bob also returned. Like his brother Bob, Stan served in the Air Force during the war before coming back to Orleans in 1957.  The brothers united to conduct business in the small community, a business that depended on agreement and harmony among equals. To foster success, they concentrated on different areas. Bill focused on details in the office, Bob built up the domestic heating and service business, and Stan supervised the growing store. In turn, Harrys sons married. Anne Snow, Bills wife, worked in the stores office for more than 25 years. Stans wife, Bonnie, and Bobs wife, Elisabeth, also became intricately linked to the store and its success.  Regrettably, the old store could not withstand the companys continued growth. The building that had been enlarged many times from its modest beginnings was strained to its limits.  In 1970, Harry turned the first spade full of earth to start construction of a new, more modernized store behind the existing one. In April 1971, the old store closed and, without skipping a beat, the new store opened on the same day. As his sons entered another decade of store keeping, Harry Snow lived quietly in retirement until his death in 1977, a few months shy of his 90th birthday.  Business flourished under the leadership of the fourth generation. In 1983, the family dedicated a new addition. Four years later, the store celebrated its 100th anniversary. Like their fathers, Sidney H. and Susan Snow (Bills children) and James M. Snow (Stans son) literally grew up in the store and did everything from stocking merchandise to bagging birdseed. While their other siblings Penny, Julie, and Alan also worked at the store, Sid, James, and Susan chose to carry on the family business with the same commitment and dedication as the previous generations.  Sid currently serves as the President of the store, Jim has assumed the position of Vice President, and Susan is the Garden Center Manager. After years of research and planning, Sid and James proposed the stores most significant expansion to date. In November 2000, the family opened the doors to a 12,000 square foot addition and a 3,000 square foot greenhouse. The tradition of accommodating customers now continues into the 21st century.

Automatic Bioheat® Fuel Delivery

Automatic heating oil delivery will help take the hassle out of scheduling your heating oil deliveries throughout the year. This is a popular program among our customers as it is available at no extra cost.  For our seasonal customers, please consider signing up for one of our oil service plans that include automatic delivery. Not only will automatic deliveries provide an added layer of safety for your home throughout the year, but it will give you peace of mind throughout the winter. Contact our office to learn more and to sign up for this added convenience.

Will-Call Bioheat Fuel Delivery

You may opt for will-call Bioheat fuel oil delivery and call Snows directly to arrange each delivery. If you contact us within regular business hours, we will respond to your inquiry for fuel delivery within 24 hours. Please keep in mind that there is an extra charge for Sunday delivery. If you choose will-call, always check the tank gauge before calling. The best time to fill a tank is when the gauge is at one-quarter (¼) full.

Propane Delivery on Cape Cod

Whether you use a small amount of propane for cooking or use it to heat your entire home, Snows can accommodate your needs with reliable propane delivery service. For propane delivery prices, contact our office and we will be happy to let you know our daily price and schedule your delivery.  Customers who use more than 100 gallons per year may enroll in our Scheduled Delivery Program. Benefits include regular deliveries of fuel, security of uninterrupted heat, and eligibility for contract pricing.  You may opt for will-call status and call Snows to arrange each delivery. If contacted within regular business hours, we will respond to your call for fuel delivery within 24 hours. Please note that Sunday delivery is not available and there is a service charge for unnecessary deliveries. So, if you choose will-call, always check the tank gauge before calling.