Posted on 09/15/2010 11:05:28 AM PDT by Peter from Rutland
With the heating season soon to begin I thought I would re-run this blog post from January of this year. For those of you still using home heating oil to heat your houses, read up. Coming soon to an oil tank near you: bio-oil. I'm really glad we changed over to propane to heat our house and here is why. Starting this year I believe, Massachusetts is changing over from standard home heating oil to something they call "bio-oil". I've done some research on it. Not only will it be more expensive (because of the bio-mass added to it) but here is the real kicker:
From a study done by Easterly Consulting in Fairfax, VA. "Bio-oil characteristics vary somewhat, depending on the production technology and the type of biomass feedstock from which the bio-oil is produced. This means that bio-oil fuel specifications are likely to be fairly important. Bio-oil's energy content is in the range of 72,000 to 80,000 Btu/gallon. Conventional heating oil has an energy content of about 138,500 Btu/gallon, thus bio-oil has about 52% to 58% as much energy as heating oil per gallon. However, it is interesting to note that bio-oil weighs about 40% more per gallon than heating oil."
Did you get that? Are you grinding your teeth yet?
In other words, home heating "bio-oil" has much less Btu/gallon than propane (or natural gas). Propane gives about 91,000 Btu/gallon.
Now not only is my furnace burning more efficiently, it gives off less pollution, I will get more Btu/gallon and my cost is less per gallon!
If you use oil you may want to consider changing over to natural gas or propane. The pay-off just got a lot shorter.
Lord help us! I pray you guys who use that fuel have a mild winter.
I’ll have to call my supplier. I wonder if this is in Ohio yet? We installed a wood burning furnace, but it sure is nice to have the heating oil furnace kick on in the middle of the night when I don’t want to go downstairs and throw another log on. Also, we set our furnace at about 55 degrees when we’re out of town in the winter. I guess it wouldn’t affect us very much, but still it’s a pisser.
My sis has propane. Bills are outrageous. And, don’t worry, they’ll come after propane somehow.
Leave it to the lib whackos to stick it to people once again. But, so far, here in PA we still get the ole #2 oil.
I would be interested in knowing if the bio-oil has the same environmental profile as does oil. Meaning, does it become sluggish and chunky at low temperatures, thus is unable to travel via gravity to your furnance? I have heard of similar problems with bio-oils in other applications. No fun buying a couple of hundred gallons of fuel only to find out it must be heated to remain liquid. It would be really unfortunate for MA residents to wake up freezing with a full fuel tank on the side yard.
You know, I never even thought of that! OMG.
Yes, propane can be expensive. You just have to shop around and get the right supplier. I have had three different ones before I found one I liked and was reasonable. Natural gas is not an option for me nor would I want it (BOOM!).
Veggie oil is good for making bio diesel, but I’m glad I don’t have to run my home on it. Wood keeps my house as warm as I can stand it.
If it’s that much denser and gives less energy does it deposit grud in the burner?
If it gives less energy then you’ll burn more to get a given amount of heat to your home.
Oh boy....I see theses guys have already started.
Are there others?
http://www.greenerwattsnewengland.com/oil.bio.html
I have an outside tank and have to use anti-gel conditioner and a heat strip already in real cold weather...I can just see going to the tank with an ice pick and pail with this stuff.
Maybe I can say I’m a vegetarian and it’s against my religion to use grease-animal fats;)
I believe that it’s “only” 5% biofuel mixed in with real oil. Another problem is that it burns dirty, it gums up the heat exchanger and flue. These friggin’ people give me a rash.
A gallon of ethanol has 60% of the BTUs of a gallon of gasoline, but the price is the same.
Well, it’s you who have money... And they have an “oil” for you to sell.
Why are you worried about a natural-gas BOOM but not a propane BOOM?
Has been proven to be safe....and has been safe for many years.
It's an abundant gas...and cheap.
And to top it off....the United States has LOT's of it.
My family has had NG as a fuel for more than 30 years. I've used it solely for more than 10 as a heat/hot water source. It's no more, or less, dangerous than propane.
Usually when there is a natural gas explosion it’s due to people having had worked on the lines near the house(s).
With propane I don’t have to worry about the incompetence of these workers not doing their job right and my house blowing up. It’s MY responsibility to make sure it’s safe.
Also myth busters shot a 3/4 full propane tank with a bullet. It didn’t explode. I’m not worried about it.
Besides, I’m in a rural location and there won’t be natural gas lines run in my area for decades to come.
“Starting this year I believe, Massachusetts is changing over from standard home heating oil to something they call “bio-oil”
You believe, or is it fact?
Or do you just want to get people all riled up over nothing?
Good to know.
I’m looking to buy a house that will most likely be propane-fueled.
It’s a fact. This was originally written in January of this year.
“Bio-oil does not naturally blend with conventional petroleum fuel.”
http://www.nrbp.org/pdfs/pub34.pdf
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/pdfs/34534.pdf
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