Meet Key's Energy Service Team!

Oct 01, 2024


Justin Dolittle, LP Technician
Grant Brown, LP Technician


With the colder days of fall and winter approaching, our Energy Service Team never knows what’s going to come our way throughout the months, weeks, or even minutes. We’ve been preparing all year for these busy, colder seasons and are ready to serve you, ensuring you stay safe and warm. We're an experienced and efficient team of energy professionals, prepared to provide you with a variety of solutions!
 
Qualified Service Technicians
As Energy Service Technicians, we’re people you can trust. We hold ourselves to a very high standard, making sure we’re qualified to meet your needs. Each member of our team has had proper training and is fully certified. From the date of hire, we strive to be knowledgeable and effective, keeping up with continuing education in the industry. It’s our goal to ensure you’re comfortable choosing Key Cooperative as your provider.
 
Effective Equipment
Our team has the newest tools to help us serve you safely and efficiently. Our service trucks are fully stocked, enabling us to perform tasks at a moment's notice. Our crane truck is very versatile, allowing us to perform new tank installs faster and more safely than other methods. This not only helps us as technicians but benefits our customers by saving them money and getting the job done in a timely manner. The crane truck is also used for propane tank leveling, refined fuel tank deliveries and setting tanks where trucks can’t drive. It has a reach of about 25 feet so we can place tanks over fences or down retaining walls, giving us a variety of options for propane or refined fuel tank placements. 
 
Reliable Solutions
The energy service industry has grown over the years and there are more options than ever, on the market. Today, instead of having just one option, the are many options and it can become overwhelming. Price likely factors into your decision, however we can promise you that we’ve seen it all and as far as products go, the cheapest option isn't always the answer!

A former technician and instructor within the industry always told us, “It’s not a problem until it’s a problem.” By attending industry training and trade shows, we choose to go with reliable vendors and companies that will have our back in case a problem arises. We assure you that from the minute our energy team (who take emergency calls 24/7) receive a call and dispatch it to us, we do our best to keep you at ease. 
 
Invested Employees
One of the best aspects of our job is that we do something different every day – that means we also get to meet and build relationships with a lot of people! One minute we might be supplying gas to a grain dryer and the next we might be setting up a gas system at someone’s dream home. We take great pride in telling our families about the different types of jobs we've done over the years!
 
Variety of Services Available
Those not familiar with co-ops are often surprised as to what a full-service cooperative has to offer. Most don’t realize that we work on a variety of things, including setting up refined fuels for construction sites and farm operations. We provide propane for residential homes and commercial applications - including the world’s largest chicken facility!  We keep lubricants such as oil and grease in stock to keep farm machinery running and most kids in Key’s communities ride to school on a bus that’s driven by our refined fuels.

Although it’s not new to our services at Key, some may not be aware that we install radiant tube heaters and forced air heaters. This provides reliable heating options for your new shop or garage which means our certified technicians will be available to troubleshoot both heater or gas issues if they occur (the most interesting heater installation we've done was for a tortoise rescue in central Iowa - yes, even tortoises need heat to live a comfortable life!)

Our common services include:
  • Propane Tank Installs – Installation includes setting the tank, trenching LP lines from the tank to your house, setting up new regulators and making sure the pressures are set properly, and running a pressure test to confirm there are no leaks in the system.
  • Refined Fuel Tank Installs – Installation includes setting the tank and installing the fuel pump, hose and nozzle. There are also options for setting up a tank monitor to show fuel consumption and determine when deliveries should be made.
  • Propane Regulator Upgrades - As per the manufacturing notes, regulators should be replaced every 20 years. If a regulator is outside of this suggested time of use, its parts may wear out and stop working. We provide options to upgrade your regulators before their dates expire. This helps keep your system running safely.
  • Propane Generator Hook-Ups - Generators have become very popular over the last few years. Installation includes regulator and all outside piping. Line sizing is an important part of this process because these units can require a large supply of propane to run. If not properly installed, they may not run to their full capacity.
  • Shop/Garage Heater Installs - We offer two types of heaters, radiant tube heaters and forced air heaters. Our process includes heat loss analysis (to figure out what type of heater best suits your needs), purchase and complete installation (including gas pipe to run the unit). This piping can be either standard black pipe or corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST). After installation is complete, a system leak check is done to confirm there are no leaks.
  • Agricultural Propane Services – Harvest season is here! We offer assistance with looking over gas dryers on bin sites and maintenance on vaporizers to keep farmers running safely during this busy season.
We take pride in what we do and treat every job as if it were on our own property. We take pride in our projects and strive to ensure our customers feel safe when the job is complete. Contact your Key Cooperative location or our the Key Energy Team (800-469-1040) to get your fall and winter service work scheduled! 
 
Meet Key’s Energy Service Team!
  • Tyler Oberender, Propane Operations & Service Leader
  • Justin Dolittle, LP Technician
  • Grant Brown, LP Technician
  • Doug Terlouw, Energy Operations
  • Nate Van Kooten, LP Technician

Pictured (left to right): Nate Van Kooten, Doug Terlouw, Tyler Oberender, Justin Dolittle & Grant Brown.

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