People in homes and businesses with oil heating systems are in a unique position – as a Seattle bioheat provider we know your many options. By not exchanging oil furnaces for new electric or gas model furnaces, they help revolutionize heating fuel, create jobs, and reduce harmful emissions related to indoor heating.
The reason for all of this progress is bioheat oil, a mix of biodiesel and oil. It’s safe for use in your furnace and makes it possible for you to have a greener heating system without tearing out your old furnace. Learn more about why you should convert to this heating fuel below.
Biodiesel Is Highly Sustainable
Biodiesel fuel may be composed of a variety of ingredients, from plant-based oils to animal fats. Many restaurants recycle their spent cooking oils to add to biodiesel mixes. Unlike ethanol, where corn is grown exclusively for the product, biodiesel uses byproducts of soybean and other grains to create the oil.
Diverse materials including algae and mustard seed can be used to make biodiesel, so there’s no shortage of resources to create the oil.
An added bonus is that the process used to create biodiesel generates the byproduct of glycerin, which is used by manufacturers to produce soap, e-cigarette liquid, artificial sweeteners, and health care products.
Bioheat fuels are made by mixing up to 20 percent biodiesel oil with ultra-low-sulfur heating oil. This process creates a safe, clean-burning heating fuel that works in your existing oil furnace with minor or no modifications necessary to start warming your building.
Research shows that using bioheat rather than standard heating oil lowers emissions of the following:
- Sulfur dioxide
- Nitrous oxides
- Carbon monoxide
- Carbon dioxide
When a fuel is sustainable to produce and produces clean energy, it makes sense to rethink the value of systems and appliances that use that fuel.
Bioheat Use Is Growing
In the northeastern U.S., where most oil furnaces run, bio-heating is catching on. People like the idea of a more sustainable solution to provide warm, comfortable indoor air.
Property owners aren’t the only ones to realize the great benefits of bioheat. For example, lawmakers in New York City recently passed a law mandating an incremental shift to 20 percent biodiesel in all heating oil sold within the city limits. The law passed with nearly unanimous support. The city has already cut harmful emissions by 19 percent using biodiesel in city work vehicles, so lawmakers know the results they’ll see by transitioning the city’s 1.4 million oil furnaces to cleaner bioheat.
The first change in New York City’s heating oil products is the requirement that all heating oil sold must be at least 5 percent bioheat blends.
It’s estimated that the reduction in harmful emissions from this step alone is the equivalent of removing 45,000 cars from the Big Apple’s streets.
Bioheat Lets You Save on Upgrade Costs
If you’ve been eyeing a new energy-efficient electric or gas furnace thinking it’s a better choice for the environment, you may want to wait on that purchase. Replacing your oil furnace will create waste, and it will also impact your wallet or savings funds for a long time to come.
It will take you years of lower heating bills to recoup the investment in a brand new whole-house heating system, no matter which type of fuel you use. Without heat pumps, central oil and central electric furnaces cost roughly the same to run throughout winter. However, as more bioheat fuels are produced in the future, central oil heat may become significantly less expensive than electric heat.
One upgrade every homeowner should make is increasing his or her home’s insulation. Cracks and air leaks should be sealed. If you begin running biodiesel rather than changing out your oil furnace, you can use the huge cost savings to properly insulate your home. This step is often all you need to increase the comfort of your living spaces while keeping heating costs low.
Bioheat is a Natural Cleaner
One thing most biodiesel users notice after using the product is that it is an efficient de-sludger. It cleans out vehicles and oil heaters and may push through a lot of gunk the first few times it’s used. You’ll want to check your furnace’s fuel filter frequently for the first few weeks of using the bioheat
The good news: The green biofuel continues to keep your oil furnace clean as long as you use it. Once the initial sludge is purged from your system, your oil furnace will require less frequent filter changes and cleaning as it continues to produce clean heat for you.
Bioheat oil will gel if frozen, so your heating oil needs to be stored where the temperature remains above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. You should also have rubber seals in your oil heating system checked regularly and replaced when worn.
Some users of bioheat have noted that older rubber gaskets break down when using bioheat, but most users are not reporting this issue.
If you’re ready to try this heating fuel source, you’ve got the team at Glendale Heating and Air Conditioning ready to bring bioheat products right to your property. Call us today to start burning clean, safe oil in your heating system.