The evolution of Bioheat® fuel has put oil-heated homes in Michigan on a super-efficient and ultra-clean path. This blend of renewable biodiesel with ultra-low-sulfur heating oil has already led to a cleaner, more efficient fuel and will eventually take us to a carbon-neutral future.
You’ll probably be reading a lot about biodiesel in the years to come. Biodiesel is a fuel that’s been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard program. Biodiesel is nontoxic, biodegradable, and renewable. Biodiesel is produced from a variety of feedstocks, including agricultural by-products and coproducts, such as used cooking oil, animal fats, inedible corn oil, soybean oil, and canola oil. These products are refined into high-quality liquid fuels that meet rigorous standards set by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM).
Ultra-low sulfur heating oil has been the standard for years now. Here are fast facts:
Bioheat fuel is not just helping to reduce carbon emissions right now. It will continue to reduce more emissions each year as it eventually evolves into B100, an all-biodiesel home heating fuel.
It’s estimated that widespread regional use of Bioheat fuel already lowers the amount of carbon dioxide emissions going into the atmosphere every year. Those emissions will shrink even further as the ratio of biodiesel blends gets higher in the years ahead.
Five years ago, hundreds of heating oil industry leaders set forth their clean energy goals in the Providence Resolution, a landmark commitment to voluntarily reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The resolution called for a 15% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2023, a 40% reduction by 2030, and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
To figure out if the industry had hit its first goal, Dr. Tom Butcher of the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) conducted a study, and his findings were nothing short of phenomenal.
The latest data showed that the industry had far surpassed its first GHG goal. Instead of achieving just 15% by 2023, the industry achieved a nearly 26% reduction in GHG emissions!*
This progress toward the end goal of net-zero emissions will continue due to a number of reasons, including:
Bottom line: heating oil will continue its role as a leader in carbon reduction, providing a bright future for customers who rely on this increasingly green and low-carbon fuel for their home heating.
There is still work ahead, but Michigan heating oil companies and the rest of the oilheat industry welcome the challenge. This is an industry made up of industrious Americans who care about their neighbors, their communities, and the environment. We all look forward to the end goal: net-zero carbon emissions by 2050—or sooner!
*Source: Oil & Energy Online
