R J McDonald Inc.

R J McDonald is a Barre, Massachusetts energy and service company — the family traces its fuel business to a 1957 acquisition of Haven Coal & Oil and says it's been under McDonald family ownership, now a third generation, for 69 years. Alongside heating oil and propane delivery, it installs and services HVAC equipment: Mitsubishi ductless systems, furnaces, boilers, air conditioners, and propane generators. Its Massachusetts HVAC license is active. The 22 reviews on file, running 2022 through mid-2026, lean heavily positive and describe specific jobs: a new fuel oil tank, furnace, and electric water heater installed with "no accident and no damage," the old tank cut into quarters to remove it, in an August 2022 review; a furnace cleaning that left the unit "so quiet now," also 2022; an underground propane tank installation praised as "responsive, thorough, and professional," from August 2025. Two 2026 Nextdoor posts in Barre and Hardwick name the company as the local pick for oil and propane. The record isn't spotless, though. A November 2025 review said the woman answering the phone needed retraining. A 2024 review described a month just to get an appointment, longer still to finish the job, and mail and papers going missing at the office. And a 2022 review recounted a weekend an air conditioner wasn't fixed on the first visit, a follow-up call went unreturned, and a callback from the office was described as rude — the reviewer said the company doesn't dispatch AC repairs on weekends. Most of the friction here traces to the office and phone side rather than the installed work itself, so if you're calling for anything time-sensitive — especially AC on a weekend — it's worth confirming response windows up front. This is a solid pick for oil and propane delivery and HVAC installs from a long-running local outfit; just set expectations on scheduling and after-hours coverage before you need them.