There is no longer any doubt that Bioheat® fuel represents a smart solution for the delivery of a better, clean-burning fuel for your home and the environment. Making the transition to Bioheat fuel in the future is a win-win situation for Michigan homeowners who have oil-heated homes. That’s because Bioheat fuel is already reducing emissions around the country because it is low-carbon heating —and it doesn’t require any expensive system upgrades in your home.
With curiosity growing about this remarkable, renewable fuel of the future for heating oil delivery, we’ve provided answers to the most common questions we’re hearing from people in Michigan.
Bioheat fuel is a blend of ultra-low sulfur heating oil with renewable biodiesel that’s made from organic and recycled products. These products can range from soybean oil, used cooking oils and inedible corn oil to canola, tallow, fats and algae.
These renewable products are defined as feedstocks for producing biodiesel. Blends of biodiesel in heating oil are designated in percentages. For example, a 5% blend of biodiesel is defined as B5. B10 refers to a 10% blend, while B20 is a 20% blend.
Yes. New research at Michigan State University (MSU) has shown that switchgrass, a biofuel crop, can mitigate the effects of climate change when grown on agricultural land of little value. For farmers, it may also provide economic returns in these otherwise unproductive spaces. Read more about the value of switchgrass as a biofuel crop.
No. Biofuel is a broad term that can include various products including not only biodiesel, but ethanol, renewable hydrocarbon diesel, and raw vegetable oil known as RVO or LR100. It’s important to note that raw vegetable oil does not meet industry specifications; it is not biodiesel or Bioheat fuel and it is not suitable for home heating oil use.
Yes. Bioheat fuel burns more cleanly and more efficiently than conventional heating oil. So, you’ll be using less heat to get the same amount of warmth, and your heating system will last longer. You’ll also likely find that you need fewer repairs on your system. You may also be able to extend the time between system maintenance service. All of this amounts to savings on your household heating expenses.
Yes. Bioheat fuel is domestically made and helps our economy by helping meet our nation’s energy needs without incurring the cost for new land use or drilling, or paying premium prices for imported fuels.
The U.S. biodiesel and renewable diesel industry now supports about 65,000 U.S. jobs and more than $17 billion in economic activity each year.
Nationwide, some three billion gallons of biofuel were consumed last year, and biofuel use is expected to exceed six billion gallons by 2030. This will eliminate over 35 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas emissions annually. Expect those numbers to get even more impressive as biodiesel takes us farther along the road to clean energy.
No. Most major heating system manufacturers accept Bioheat fuel as covered under their warranties for use, and you won’t need to make any changes to your furnace, boiler or oil storage tank to use it. Performance standards for Bioheat fuel have been approved by ASTM International, an organization that sets industry standards for fuels and lubricants.