Biodiesel Home Heating

Is it possible to use biodiesel for home heating? The experts agree. Yes, you can. What is clear at this point, is that our fossil fuel dependent way of life, is going to end, sooner rather than later. Many people are thinking that the time to prepare for it, is now.

More and more people are taking a new look at biodiesel, this organic fuel manufactured from vegetable oils, primarily soybean oil (in the US) but it can also be made from many others as well, including waste restaurant oil.

The beauty of biodiesel home heating is that for the most part, no modifications of your furnace is needed. Most home furnaces can use B20, a fuel made of 80 percent traditional heating oil and 20 percent biodiesel, without any adjustments; some people are getting their furnaces adapted to be able to burn biodiesel, a fuel made entirely of vegetable and/or animal oils. The biodiesel burns much cleaner than heating oil, but has its own problems (for one thing, biodiesel tends to cause rubber gaskets or seals to erode...but to be fair, so will #2), this can be easily fixed however, so be sure to check with your furnace supplier or manufacturer before you opt for biodiesel.

If you choose to use biodiesel, and your furnace will handle it, you have a couple of options. Biodiesel is becoming more available around the country; check on the Internet to find a supplier near you. It is rapidly as cost effective as heating oil #2.

Also, waste oil - that is, used vegetable oil discarded by restaurants - can be filtered and used in some furnaces. Several furnaces on the market are designed to burn waste oil. If you have access to waste vegetable oil, another option is to buy a Biodiesel Kits and make your own. Still another option is to build a biodiesel processor .

Commercially manufactured biodiesel has an additive that keeps it liquid at low temperatures, which recycled vegetable oil doesn't contain, so do your research - and check again with your furnace service - before you attempt burning used vegetable oil.

GREAT POTENTIAL

The potential for reducing our reliance on imported crude oil, with the increased use of biodiesel home heating is substantial. Officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Md., estimate that if everyone in the Northeast used a B5 (5% biodiesel) blend in their oil furnaces, 50 million gallons of regular heating oil could be saved annually.

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 biodiesel home heating for space heating.

That facility's 2001 test report found that biodiesel 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

Since 2001, the Warwick, R.I., school district also has been conducting biodiesel home heating fuel tests. During the first heating season, the district burned three different percentages of biodiesel (B10, B15 and B20), as well as a No. 2 fuel-oil control in a fourth school.

"It worked very, very well for us," says Bob Cerio, energy manager for the district. "We had three different types of burners, three different types of boilers, and three different sizes; so we had an opportunity to test a wide spectrum. With the smaller boilers, we were able to get similar test data to what people would be experiencing in their home."

After a successful first season, Cerio switched to a biodiesel home heating B20 blend for the 2002-2003 heating season without any problems. The school district continues to use B20 and is no longer experimenting with any lower-percentage blends.

Cerio also tested boiler efficiency and measured emissions. He says although there has been no change in efficiency, emission reductions have been measured in sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. "We've also discovered that our boilers are running much cleaner, so that saves us quite a lot of work cleaning them."

He is enthusiastic about the use of biodiesel home heating fuel. "It's a very easy match for home heating, particularly if you have an indoor storage tank," he says. "Other than that, there really isn't anything that has to be done in order to use it."

Another biodiesel home heating field trial involving about 100 homes is underway, sponsored by the DOE, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the National Oil heat Research Alliance. It is being conducted by Abbott & Mills, a fuel-oil dealer in Newburgh, N.Y.

Now into the fourth heating season, B20 tests are progressing well, according to Ralph Mills, the company's general manager. "So far, we have no news to report, which is good news," he says. "We've had no service problems associated with the fuel at all. The conclusion we've come to at this point is that a biodiesel home heating blend of B20 is a viable replacement for traditional fuel oil." Abbott & Mills also is in its second year of testing B100 to heat its offices. "So far, no problems," Mills says.

If your looking to save energy in more conventional ways, an excellent website with hundreds of practical tips and techniques can be found at http://www.makeyourhomeenergyefficient.com/ It's worth the trip.

The new world we are facing has lots of challenges in terms of how to heat our homes, especially in colder winter climates. Luckily there are technologies like biodiesel available today which can help us move away from our addiction/dependence on petroleum based fuels.

You can also check:

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Want to Build Your Own Processor?

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