Biodiesel: Paving The Way Of The Future
Environmental consciousness is fast increasing and achieving all new heights. Many people have become aware of the issues the world faces including climate change and global warming. Although political efforts are being made to slowly move away from the use of traditional fossil fuels to lower overall carbon emissions, you’ll find out why this isn’t necessary. In this article, we cover the many benefits that biodiesel fuel is capable of providing.
At Townsend Energy, we’re proud to lead the change in the oil industry by taking concerted steps in using innovative technologies to lower carbon emissions, such as by using a combination of ultra-low sulfur heating oil (ULSHO) and biodiesel.
Industry-wide, we’ve adopted the goal of achieving 100 percent renewable liquid fuel by 2050 as per the Providence Resolution. However, Rome itself certainly wasn’t built in a single day, and this herculean task is guaranteed to take time as well. Notwithstanding this fact, we’re are CURRENTLY delivering a 20 percent blend of this more environmentally friendly fuel to our clients right NOW! Moreover, we intend to start delivering a 50 percent blend of this fuel very soon.
Since 2014, we’ve been delivering a 20 percent blend of BioPure™ heating oil, and this has been the equivalent of lowering environmental carbon by 7,844,581 pounds.
What Is Biodiesel?
Biodiesel is a fuel that’s comprised of a combination of animal and plant oils.
Biodiesel is a plant or animal-based fuel that is largely comprised of esters from long-chain fatty acids. It is usually made by chemical reactions among lipids such as those found in vegetable oil, soybean oil, or animal fat that’s been paired with alcohol to create ethyl, methyl, or propyl ester.1
It’s possible to use biodiesel as a concentrated solution or it can be blended in differing proportions with petroleum. When Bioheat® heating oil is used, there is no need for homeowners to significantly modify their existing furnaces. Thus, you can enjoy the benefits of biodiesel at no additional cost.
Using Biodiesel for Heat
Bioheat® heating oil is a mixture of Ultra-Low Sulfur Heating Oil (ULSHO) and biodiesel. Bioheat® heating oil fuel is safe to use in your existing, oil-fired heating system and with no modifications or upgrades to said system. This makes it incredibly easy for property owners to start lowering their carbon footprint right away, and without waiting on additional technological advancements.
In addition to being cleaner-burning, this mixture of ULSHO and biodiesel is significantly more efficient. As such, it won’t be necessary to perform the same level of furnace or boiler cleaning that you would when using traditional fuels.
However, it’s important to remember that yearly tune-ups for your home heating system are still advised for keeping this equipment functioning at optimal levels.
Is Using Biodiesel Safe?
There shouldn’t be any concerns about the safety of biodiesel. This liquid fuel is entirely non-combustible and it provides outstanding heating results. It won’t lead to fires or other hazards in the home which means that consumers can feel confident when making this switch.
Local Farmers Benefit From The Use Of Biodiesel
Local businesses gain support from the production and use of biodiesel as well. The ingredients are sourced locally which is unlike many fossil fuels that are purchased from other countries. Farmers within the United States will reap the rewards of having higher demands for the goods they produce. This also leads to the creation of more jobs given that biodiesel fuel delivery is frequently provided by small, family-operated companies that employ community locals.
In certain areas, full support is being given by local governments for the usage of biodiesel for heating the home. These entities are currently providing significant tax credits, rebates, and other incentives for people to make this switch. Some may even offer fuel assistance programs to help those in need. You can get additional information by contacting a local heating fuel company like Townsend Energy.
Understanding The Providence Resolution
The heating oil industry in the Northeast is a leader in green energy. The historic Providence Resolution is an agreement among stakeholders to reach net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050. This was passed in 2019 at the Heat and Energizing America Trade Show held in Rhode Island. The industry is taking a step-by-step approach towards achieving its goal. The first milestone entails reaching a 15 percent decrease in carbon dioxide emissions by 2023 and it is definitely moving closer to this modest accomplishment. Next, the industry will attempt to achieve a decrease of 40 percent by 2030. Three decades from the beginning of this resolution, the hope is that net-zero status will be reached. Associations throughout the industry are striving to reach the overarching goal and its individual objectives in a timely fashion.
Another important thing to note is that the resolution was unanimously passed with affirmatives from over 200 industry leaders at the convention. Not one objection was made. This shows how unified the industry is in its efforts to create greener business practices and a cleaner, healthier environment all-around.
In fact, even before the convention in 2019, many heating oil delivery services had already begun providing biodiesel blends and many other eco-friendly fuel products. This resolve was only heightened by the Providence Resolution which additionally promoted a greater sense of urgency among top industry players. Rather than merely adhering to the mandates of the government, they actually set a higher standard for themselves and embraced their positions as critical players in climate change.
This is a major development when considering just how important the Northeast region is in this respect. It accounts for approximately 80 percent of the market for heating oil with about five million residential and commercial consumers as customers.
Biodiesel: A More Sustainable And Cleaner Fuel Choice
There is currently considerable political pressure to “electrify” and “decarbonize” homes by pushing for the conversion to electric heat pump heating systems, or mandating that these be installed in all newly built buildings. This pressure comes from a desire to see carbon emissions decline. Further, it’s vital to understand that consumers will need to retain their current heating equipment as heat pumps aren’t capable of producing sufficient heat whenever temperatures fall below 40 degrees.
However, despite what many special interest groups and politicians would have you believe, electrification isn’t a feasible choice in our region.
Why Electrification Isn’t The Best Choice
- The Cost Of Conversion – The primary problem for many households is the costs of converting their current oil-fired heating systems. These costs range from $10,500 to $21,250 for a mid-sized house in Northeastern Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire, and Maine. These costs account for the installation of new heating systems and upgrading electrical services.2
- Greater Demand On The Power Grid – Another challenge for mass conversion of heating systems that are oil-fired to electric heat pumps is that it will place a tremendous demand on the power grid and require major capacity increases for nearby utilities. The necessitates infrastructure investments of billions of dollars that must be paid by utility companies.
- Rolling Blackouts – The winter of 2021 showed Texans just how increased demands for power can lead to potentially disastrous rolling blackouts that leave people unable to obtain indoor heating right when its needed the most. There were actually 111 people who died during the 2021 winter storm in Texas.3 Although not every death can be attributed to loss of heat in the home, there were enough for it to be a real concern. Having this type of burden in Northeastern Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire, and Maine electrical grid could result in a significantly higher rate of death if every home was electrified.
We’ve been able to overcome all of these drawbacks and more while still reducing carbon emissions through our BioPure™ heating oil. Best of all, in the near future, our BioPure™ fuel will be a biodiesel blend that produces fewer carbon emissions than electricity or gas!4
Why Choose Townsend Energy’s BioPure™ Heating Oil For Your Home?
Townsend Energy is offering consumers throughout Northeastern Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire, and Maine a cleaner, greener solution with BioPure™ heating oil. This ULSHO is blended with pure biodiesel.
You don’t need to make any costly modifications to your current furnace when switching to BioPure™ heating oil and can experience all of the benefits of using a cleaner-burning fuel.
Give us a call today and let’s discuss how BioPure™ heating oil can get you started in living greener and healthier.
Contact us now at (800) 722-4101 to find out more!
1. Wikipedia: Biodiesel ↩
2. Comparative Energy Use of Residential Gas Furnaces and Electric Heat Pumps
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3. Texas Tribune: At Least 111 People Died In Texas During Winter Storm, Most From Hypothermia
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4. Project Carbon Freedom ↩