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Bio Heating Oil is fuel to heat your home or business, made of standard, #2 heating oil blended with oil refined from vegetable oil, recycled cooking grease, or animal fats. The oil blend is sometimes referred to as biodiesel or bio-oil. The blend may also be called by a name that indicates the percentage of pure biologically derived oil relative to the fossil fuel oil. For example, a blend of 5% Bio-Oil and 95% diesel or heating oil is referred to “B-5.” The main reason for using these blends is because 100% Bio-Oil (“B-100”) will cloud or gel at very cold temperatures. Using a blend of B-20 or less avoids this problem.
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has approved specifications for Bio Heating Oil (D-6751). This standard ensures that the product will not gel at a warmer than expected temperature, and that it will not harm equipment because of poor fuel characteristics. Tests conducted by Brookhaven National Laboratory* and the Massachusetts Oil Heat Council and the National Oil Heat Research Alliance** have confirmed that Bio Heating Oil can be used with few or no modifications to the equipment or operating practices in space heating. Through PP&L's program, consumers will only be sold fuel that is ASTM certified.
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PP&L has added two new dealers who are offering a B-5 product! Through our daily pricing system the PP&L price has been running about the same and at times less than the Rhode Island survey price for regular heating oil. To get our information mailed to you, sign up on our waiting list and we’ll mail you membership information so you may join right away. Once you join our Bio Heat program, you’ll be assigned to a reputable, full service dealer that will deliver Bio Heating Oil just as they would normally deliver regular heating oil. The Bio Heating Oil will be a mixture of 95% regular heating oil and 5% ASTM certified bio-fuel made from soybean oil.
Working with the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, and with funding from the US Department of Energy, People's Power & Light is operating this program in order to demonstrate that Bio Heating Oil is a practical and beneficial heating fuel for the state, and encourage heating oil dealers to offer Bio Heating Oil in Rhode Island.
You can leave the program at any time, and People's Power & Light will be available to answer any questions or concerns you might have during the heating season. The Office of Energy Resources will also verify that consumers are receiving the Bio Heating Oil product, and the fuel is certified by the American Society for Testing and Materials. You’ll also benefit from a post-season inspection of your heating system.
If you wish to participate in the Bio Heating Oil program we require the following terms:
- You must agree to take automatic delivery of the Bio Heating Oil, use only the Bio Heating Oil provided for the entire season (or resign from the program).
- You must maintain good credit with the dealer. The easiest way to do this is to have your deliveries charged to a credit card.
We have every expectation that members participating in the program will use Bio Heating Oil without any problems.
Thanks for helping us build a better energy future! Sign up for Bio Heating Oil today!
This program is available for much of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. If your area is not served, you will be informed and your name kept on our waiting list which will allow us to expand the service territory more quickly.
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References:
* C.R. Krishna et al “Paper No. 02-06: Update on Use of Biodiesel Blends in Boilers,” Brookhaven National Laboratory.
** J.E. Batey, “Combustion Testing of a Biodiesel Fuel Oil Blend in Residential Oil Burning Equipment,” prepared for Massachusetts Oilheat Council and National Oilheat Research Alliance. July 2003.
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