PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — How would you like to save on your oil, electric or natural gas bill this year? Who wouldn’t!

There’s a deal out there right now that sounds almost too good to be true; customers getting some of those services for free.

Here’s what we found out:

Robert Palermo heats his Cheswick, Pa., home with oil.

Recently, he sat down at the computer in his workshop searching for ways to save this winter. What he found was a website called www.neighboroil.com.

Palermo’s initial thought was, “Oh boy, this looks almost too good to be true. But I thought, maybe I’ll give it a try.”

And, he’s was shocked at the discount he received.

KDKA’s Susan Koeppen: “What would you normally be paying for your oil?”

Palermo: “It was around $3.57/58 at that time.”

Koeppen: “And how much did you pay?”

Palermo: “$2.02.”

Koeppen: “That’s a big savings.”

Palermo: “Absolutely.”

Paul Harkins is the CEO of Neighbor Oil and Neighbor Power. It’s where consumers can now get discounts on their electric and natural gas bills, too.

According to Harkins, “Neighbor Oil has been in market now for more than a year and we saw about 15 to 18 percent savings, which is big for oil because it’s a big purchase; and in the short amount of time that we’ve had Neighbor Power up, we’ve seen pretty much the same activity. “

The concept is really simple, just like using a credit card and earning points – or using your Giant Eagle card to earn Fuel Perks, when you shop at Neighbor Oil and Neighbor Power’s participating retailers, you can earn cash credits.

Then, simply cash them in when you pay your energy bill.

The discounts come at a time when consumers will be spending more on energy costs.

The Energy Department says heating oil customers will pay 20 percent more this year. Natural gas customers will pay 15 percent more. Electric customers will pay five percent more.

Palermo is glad he signed up.

Koeppen: “How do you think you made out?”

Palermo: “With $722 in savings on the first try, I think I did real good.”

It’s free to sign up for the service.

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