Biodiesel options

Heat leaner and cleaner with biodiesel

Did you know you can heat your home with biodiesel through Green Energy Consumers? Virtually all of our participating heating oil dealers provide a fuel mix that includes some biodiesel – from 2% to 20% – in every delivery they make. Any heating oil system can burn up to 20% biodiesel without any modification of your oil burner.

What Is Biodiesel?

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Biodiesel, sometimes called biofuel or bioheat, is most commonly manufactured from soybeans or recycled restaurant grease, instead of petroleum. When heating your home, it produces less sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons, and air toxics, making it a cleaner heating solution for your home and community.

All home heating oil is now cleaner than ever thanks to laws limiting the sulfur content. This means you have less and less soot build-up in your burner than you did even 3 years ago. Biodiesel burns even more cleanly, so you get more heat from the same amount of oil. Because it produces less soot, using biodiesel may also allow you to stretch out the time between your tune-ups. What used to be a yearly mandate, may now be stretched out to once every 700 to 900 gallons, saving you time and money.

Potential Problems with Biodiesel

Some consumers have experienced problems using biodiesel, especially after their first delivery, or if the mix they received was greater than 20% biodiesel. If you have an older tank, especially one that is not kept full during the summer, you may have accumulated sludge in the bottom of your oil tank. Biodiesel, which is a solvent, can loosen up this sludge and allow clots to flow into the fuel line where they can clog filters or the nozzle. This is often a one-time issue. 100% biodiesel also starts to congeal around 45 degrees, so those with outdoor, above-ground tanks may see problems if the concentration is greater than 20%.

Also, because biodiesel is most often manufactured from soybeans, there’s potential for negative environmental effects of growing feedstock for biodiesel that might outweigh the benefit of reducing the petroleum in heating oil.

Feel free to call or email us if you have questions about biodiesel.

Testimonials

  • Jenny Silverman and Bob Follansbee

    Jenny Silverman and Bob Follansbee

    We have been members of Green Energy Consumers Alliance for more years than we can remember. We appreciate the discount, and get great service from our provider. We are also committed to supporting Green Energy for its leadership role in promoting clean energy, and helping us save the planet

  • Lauren and Patricia

    Lauren T & Patricia S

    When we first purchased a house with oil heat, we did deep research and found Green Energy Consumers. On our first delivery, we recouped our membership fee vs. paying the cost quoted by the local dealer. We love that we have a local dealer for oil and service, but also that we can save money and… Read more

  • Susan

    Susan S

    In 2006, as oil prices began to climb, I decided to try out Green Energy Consumers. Twelve years later, I am still a member! One reason I have remained a Green Energy Consumers member is the quality of the staff. Whenever I’ve had questions, they have responded quickly and professionally. As far… Read more

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