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Bioheat® Fuel benefits

Benefits of Bioheat® and Ultra-Low Sulfur Fuel

A clean-burning, high-efficiency fuel

Heating oil has continually evolved since it became the primary source of heating fuel for homeowners in the 1950s, and one of the most striking changes over the years has been the industry’s effort to significantly reduce – and now to ultimately eliminate – carbon emissions.

As a result, today’s heating oil burns more cleanly, with lower emissions than ever before. Consumers also benefit from better heating efficiency and easier maintenance, since highly refined, renewable Bioheat creates fewer deposits on heat exchangers.

Recently, leaders from the Northeast’s heating oil industry unanimously passed a resolution to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for heating oil by 2050. This means your oilheat will have a carbon footprint of zero. Read more.

What is Bioheat® Fuel?

Bioheat® Fuel is the industry’s official registered name for the fuel that consists of a blend of ultra-low sulfur heating oil with renewable biodiesel that’s made from organic and recycled products. These products can range from soybean oil, used cooking oils, inedible corn oil, canola, tallow, fats and algae.

Bioheat® Fuel is sourced and produced right here in the United States, supporting local farmers, local industries and local economies.

The most refined grade of heating oil available, Bioheat® Fuel is the one of the cleanest burning heating sources for your home or business. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions significantly and no changes to your existing oilheating system are necessary if you want to use Bioheat® Fuel!

More facts about ultra-low sulfur Bioheat® Fuel

  • Ultra-low sulfur heating oil (ULSHO) contains 99% less sulfur than standard heating oil.
  • The changeover to ULSHO has resulted in a reduction in emissions of over 70%, compared with the emissions produced by traditional heating fuel.
  • You benefit from better heating efficiency and easier maintenance, since ULSHO creates fewer deposits on heat exchangers.
  • ULSHO allows for the introduction of super-efficient heating systems, which are already being used with great results outside of the United States.
  • A buildup of sulfur in the heating system can lead to system maintenance issues. The drastic reduction of sulfur means that there will be far fewer system issues, which will lead to lower maintenance costs for Hudson Valley homeowners.

Because there is virtually no sulfur in the heating system, thanks to ULSHO, your oil heating system can burn the fuel more efficiently, leading to lower heating bills.

While regular heating oil has been very clean for decades, ULSHO is even cleaner, producing near-zero particulate emissions.

Biofuel vs. Bioheat® Fuel

Biofuel is a broad term that can include various products including biodiesel, ethanol, renewable hydrocarbon diesel and raw vegetable oil known as RVO or LR100. It’s important to note that raw vegetable oil does not meet industry specifications; it is not biodiesel or Bioheat® Fuel and it is not suitable for home heating oil use.

How Bioheat® Fuel saves consumers money

Bioheat® Fuel burns more cleanly and more efficiently than conventional heating oil. So you’ll be using less fuel to get the same amount of warmth, and your heating system will last longer. You’ll also likely find that you need fewer repairs on your system. All of this amounts to savings!

Positive impact on the economy

The biodiesel industry supports more than 60,000 U.S. jobs, generating billions of dollars in GDP, household income and tax revenues. That impact is projected to grow significantly as biodiesel production increases.

Biodiesel also creates opportunities for business owners. For example, restaurant owners can sell used cooking oil—once a waste product—to biodiesel producers as an additional source of revenue.

Domestically made, Bioheat® Fuel also helps our economy by helping meet our nation’s energy needs without incurring the cost for new land use or drilling, or paying premium prices for imported fuels.

Only the beginning

The National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) continues to research and develop oil heating equipment and Bioheat® Fuel blends that are cleaner and more efficient than before. The overall goal is to transition to even higher levels of Bioheat® Fuel that can be matched to highly efficient, groundbreaking equipment.

That means the quality of heating oil will get even better in the years ahead! Soon, oil-heated homes could be using even cleaner-burning bio-blends.

Knowing more about today’s oilheat in the Hudson Valley will make you feel good about how you heat your home—now and well into the future. That’s why it’s important for you to know that with every passing year, heating oil continues its evolvement into a newer, cleaner and more efficient fuel.