Townsend Energy delivers heating oil and propane and installs and repairs heating and cooling systems, across a stated service area that takes in Danvers, Beverly, Andover and Cambridge. A 2026 customer said that when their oil ran out during a Sunday storm despite automatic delivery, a gentleman named Scott provided assistance, a tank truck backed down the driveway within 45 minutes, and the driver came in, primed and fired the burner, and made sure the hot water heater was working.
The company's website lists 24/7 emergency service and says it has been in business 95 years. On Google it holds 4.7 stars from 497 ratings, and its BBB grade is A+.
In a 2025 review, a customer who came home at 9 p.m. to no heat and water gushing from the heating system said Rick arrived around 10 p.m., after a 15-hour shift, and stayed on the problems until 2 a.m. A 2026 customer said Brian troubleshot a heating failure the night before a storm, explained it, fixed it and stayed until the heat came back on. A 2025 customer who found a small leak in their oil tank at 8 a.m. said a service person was on site within an hour, a crew came by 11 a.m. to capture the oil, and new tanks were installed two days later. A recent customer who had a heat pump and mini splits installed said communication was clear and everything was installed perfectly. A recent customer said Mike and one other worker installed a new water heater, and Mike took care of the upgrades their setup needed.
A 2026 customer of 15 years wrote that the company failed to keep their oil tank full, leaving them home and very cold at 2 a.m. in 24-degree weather, with delivery offered only the next morning. A 2025 customer whose supplier had been bought by Townsend said they got no notice of the change, ran out of oil twice that winter on automatic delivery, were scheduled for a system service four months out, and had deliveries stopped after one failed payment. A 2023 customer who had just moved in said oil was not delivered when promised although they were dangerously low, and the tank reached empty. A 2024 reviewer said a requested Friday delivery never came, they were then told their account was past due when it was not, and delivery workers stepped all over garden beds. A 2022 customer said oil they had not asked for was delivered while the tank was over half full, the smell of spilled fuel was overwhelming, and the bill came to $632.
A 2025 customer of 15 years said Townsend charged twice the market rate for oil and more than double for propane and politely refused to lower it, calling the technicians extremely polite but the service very expensive. A 2024 customer called their propane bills price gouging. A 2023 customer said two debit cards were charged for the same $775 delivery, no manager was available over the weekend, and no one called back on Monday. A recent customer said a plumber replaced three water lines after a toilet line broke, in under an hour, for a $447 bill, and the company had no answer when asked for an itemized bill. An r/Somerville commenter who has used Townsend over the years wrote that a mailed notice said their contract fee would double. A 2026 customer said a tune-up caused a new problem and the company did not charge for the fix, though they had to be pretty assertive to get there. A 2025 customer said several people at Townsend did not follow through on promises to send a contract and refill their propane until Scott got them on the delivery schedule. A 2026 reviewer complained of horribly slow response times and dispatchers who were never pleasant. A 2025 reviewer called it a disorganized company where transparency and follow-through were lacking.
