biodiesel home heating

The Research Service has been heating its many buildings successfully with a biodiesel home heating blend since 2000. They started by burning a B5 blend, but in 2001, encouraged by the test results, switched to B20 without experiencing any problems.

Says John Van de Vaarst, Agricultural Research Service deputy area director, who is responsible for facilities management and operations. "I used to refer to biodiesel as an alternative fuel, but now I call it an 'American fuel, made by American farmers.' I think it's an obvious strategy to help clean up the environment and reduce our dependency on foreign oil."

Sponsored by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, N.Y. conducted its own series of tests on the use of home heating for space heating.

That facility's 2001 test report found that biofuel home heating blends at or below B30 can replace fuel oil with no noticeable changes in performance. Burning of the blends also reduced carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide emissions.

REAL-WORLD TESTS biodiesel home heating