Learn more about today’s improved heating oil!
Sometimes, we hear heating oil referred to as “fuel oil.”
Fuel oil is a term encompassing a wide range of petroleum products, including heating oil, diesel fuels, and kerosene.
Heating oil isn’t what it used to be a generation or two ago, when heating oil was seen as “dirty” because of the soot, smoke, and smell. It’s cleaner burning, more environmentally friendly, and more energy efficient than ever before! With reliable heating oil delivery from NOCO, you can enjoy those benefits in your home.
What is ULSHO?
It’s not a top-secret spy agency in a superhero movie. ULSHO stands for ultra-low sulfur heating oil. It represents one of the more dramatic changes in heating oil over recent decades. As of 2018, New York requires all heating oil to have 15 parts per million (PPM) or less sulfur content in order to meet ULSHO standards. Traditional No. 2 heating oil contains an average of 4,000 ppm.
This virtual elimination of sulfur content in heating oil, more than 99%, has resulted in a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. ULSHO lowers sulfur dioxide emissions by 75% and nitrous oxide emissions by 10% from traditional heating oil. Both sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide are greenhouse gases that are major contributors to climate change.
What other changes are coming for heating oil?
The heating oil industry has a goal to become carbon neutral by the year 2050. It is using technological advances to help make that happen.
One of the biggest advances has been the introduction of biodiesels to heating oil. Biodiesels are made from renewable and natural resources such as:
- plant oils such as soybean, rapeseed, canola, sunflower, and inedible corn oil
- recycled restaurant and commercial cooking oils
- animal fats such as beef tallow
- algae
The biodiesel is blended with heating oil to create a blend known as Bioheat®. There are different kinds of Bioheat depending on the percentage of biodiesel added.
Bioheat® Fuel: Up to 5% biodiesel
Bioheat® Plus: Up to 20% biodiesel
Bioheat® SuperPlus: More than 20% biodiesel
Using biodiesels in heating oil offers many advantages.
The first is that less petroleum is being used. It is not only better for the environment, but also for America’s energy independence as we become less dependent on foreign imports of petroleum products.
The second is the reduced emissions on top of the reductions from using ULSHO. In fact, biodiesel blends of around 20% or greater burn cleaner than natural gas!
The third benefit is increased energy efficiency, as the biodiesel blends burn cleaner. You’ll save money on heating costs without sacrificing one smidgen of comfort, something you’ll appreciate when the Polar Vortex pays Western New York a visit!
Finally, biodiesel blends are better for your home’s heating system. The combination of reduced sulfur in the heating oil and the cleaner burning biodiesels mean fewer deposits on the heat registers in your heating system, resulting in less wear on parts. That reduced wear means fewer breakdowns and a potential extension of the life expectancy for your home’s furnace or boiler by years, both of which mean more money staying in your bank account!
Get reliable delivery of today’s cleaner burning, high-efficiency heating oil from NOCO! Become a customer today.
