Frequently Asked Questions about Bioheating Oil |
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Bioheating oil (also called bioheat) typically contains between 20% and 50% biodiesel (sometimes less), blended with regular heating oil. Biodiesel is a clean-burning, renewable fuel made from vegetable oil instead of petroleum. Since biodiesel is made from home-grown, American products like soybean oil and recycled restaurant grease, using biodiesel strengthens our domestic economy and increases our energy independence.
The energy content of biodiesel is similar to the energy content of heating oil so a blend of biodiesel and heating oil will burn the same and give off the same heat as regular heating oil. For those of you into details, according to a study done at Brookhaven National Labs, biodiesel has a heating value of about 133,000 BTUs/gallon, compared to 138,600 BTUs/gallon for #2 heating oil. So a B20 blend would contain 137,480 BTUs/gallon. Biodiesel burns more completely than regular heating oil, which means your furnace will operate more efficiently.
No, bioheating oil can be used in any conventional oil burner.
Bioheating oil has been used to heat 10,000 homes in central Pennsylvania for the last year. These users did not experience any increase in maintenance while using bioheating oil. Heating oil distributors all over the northeast, including Massachusetts and New York are beginning to offer bioheating oil to their customers.
You do not have to have an empty tank to get bioheating oil. Since our bioheating oil is a blend of regular heating oil already, it will just mix with whatever is already in your tank.
A 2003 study conducted by the Energy Research Center, Inc. evaluated a blend of 20% biodiesel/80% low sulfur heating oil in a range of conventional oil powered boilers and furnaces at the New England Fuel Institute training center. They found that
Nitrogen Oxide emissions were reduced by about 20%
Sulfur Oxide emissions were reduced by 83%
Combustion stability with the biodiesel blend was very good as indicated by low levels of carbon monoxide that are similar to the conventional fuel oil
Smoke numbers are lower with the biodiesel blend than with regular home heating oil when the same burner air setting is used
Fuel oil and combustion odors are improved by using the biodiesel /low sulfur oil blend compared to regular home heating oil
Our suppliers for bioheating oil have a number of pricing, payment and delivery options. Service contracts are available through H. C. Rineer (ChesterCo) and Hanly Oil (DelCo, parts of ChesterCo and PhilCo).
Click here for details or to enroll for bioheating oil.
1218 Chestnut Street Suite 1003
Philadelphia, PA 19107
phone 215-413-2122 fax 215-413-2140
www.theenergy.coop ecapstaff@theenergy.coop
Copyright © 2002-2005 The Energy Cooperative. All rights reserved. Revised: 06/02/08.
