“Bio-diesel fuel used in oil tank.” Direct quote from an RMLS listing. Not one I had come across before. My first skeptical reaction was that it was Realtor-speak for “Time bomb in basement.” That is not the case. SeQuential Biofuels brings us the following from their website:
Low biodiesel blends such as b20 are the equivalent to petroleum diesel in standard home heating oil furnaces and commercial boilers. With attention to the appropriate precautions, pure biodiesel (b100) can be used in heating oil furnaces and boilers as well. SeQuential distributors can deliver pure biodiesel or biodiesel blends in bulk containers (55-gallon drums or 275 gallons totes) or can deliver biodiesel fuel directly into your bulk heating oil tank.
Does anybody have any direct personal experience with biodiesel as a heat source?
I use b20 at my place. It doesn’t require any modification to the burner, so any burner that will burn “regular” heating oil will burn b20. There are some b99 modification out there you can read up about on the Internet that sound quite interesting. I don’t know much about who supplied b99 in the area. b20 is pretty common.
My experience, b20 runs a bit more that regular, but it does smell a whole lot nicer when it burns.
Any idea on the cost difference of using bio-diesel for home heating fuel? Other considerations?
JP,
My experience is b20 costs about %5 more than regular heating oil. The usual caveats apply, keep the furnace up to date with maintenance, etc, etc.
No direct experience, but I have wondered why everyone is in such an all-fire hurry to dig up those oil tanks. I would actually consider the presence of an oil tank to be a plus as it would mean that one could heat the house with veggie oil if need be. You need to do a bit of processing of the veggie oil, but it’s well within the means of most people. Alternatively, I’ve heard there are kits to adapt your furnace to burn pure veggie oil (no special processing needed, just filter the oil as you put it into the tank).
What most people don’t realize at this point is that now that we’ve converted most houses over to using natural gas for heat, we’ve also reached peak natural gas production in North America (production will start falling – it’s like the Peak Oil thing, but in this case Peak Natural Gas). We’ll need to start importing natural gas soon and that will be pricey and will require dangerous LNG terminals that no one will want in their backyard.
Does biodiesel wear harder on the equipment or require more servicing than the regular stuff?
Perfect timing from KGW’s 10PM news:
Willie Nelson and Biodiesel in Oregon.
BIODIESEL BLENDS work seamlessly in home heating oil systems. Lower blends, up to B20 BLEND (20% BIODIESEL, 80% petrol-diesel), doesn’t require a conversion, although as Ralph pointed out, it is a good idea to have your yearly service before switching over.
By using BIODIESEL, you reduce your emissions of air toxics and greenhouse gases, support American (and Oregon) farmers and help increase energy independence!
It is possible to use higher blends of BIODIESEL, up to B99 BIODIESEL (99% BIODIESEL) with a conversion.
If you are interested in using any blend of BIODIESEL in your home heating oil furnace and have questions, I’d recommend getting in touch with Portland Green Heat at 503.515.7389. They are very knowledgeable about all blends of BIODIESEL in home heating oil furnaces.
If you are interested in getting BIODIESEL home heating oil prices, I’d recommend getting in touch with Star Oilco at 503.283.1265.
If you have any general questions on BIODIESEL, you can reach SeQuential at 503.978.3210.
-Sasha
SeQuential Biofuels
While Biodiesel is a good source of alternative clean fuel it is being sold as additives at a higher price. So when the use of diesel oil is phaseout homeowners will have to deal with higher bills or set aside large percentage of the monthly budget for the biodisel as the alternative source of high expenditures.
http://www.costaricaconsultants.com
While Biodiesel is a good source of alternative clean fuel it is being sold as additives at a higher price. So when the use of diesel oil is phaseout homeowners will have to deal with higher bills or set aside large percentage of the monthly budget for the biodisel as the alternative source of high expenditures.
http://www.costaricaconsultants.com
though biodiesel, as an additive, might be costlier right now, but in the long run, its price will become more competitve as the demand for it grows.