Bioheat Fuel Is Part Of The Solution To Global Warming – Not Part Of The Problem
Biodiesel is an essential lifeline for Cubby Oil & Energy , a Massachusetts retail heating oil marketer that is locked into a current struggle with natural gas utilities and environmental activists .
Heating oil was once the predominant heating fuel in Massachusetts , as it was in many Northeast states . Over the last three decades however , the region ’ s utilities ( legal monopolies ) have used their market dominance to capture market share by portraying natural gas as the “ clean ” alternative to “ dirty ” heating oil .
Cubby ’ s journey to cleaner fuel began more than 10 years ago , said Cubby President Charlie Uglietto . “ I initially adopted the inclusion of a proprietary fuel additive that helped mitigate unscheduled service calls . Several years later , I was introduced to the National Biodiesel Board ’ s leadership ; they were visiting New England to experience firsthand how biodiesel was having a positive impact on the heating oil community .”
“ Following that meeting , I was entirely convinced that with biodiesel , which makes up the renewable component of Bioheat ®, my family business , my customers and the industry at large would benefit greatly .”
“ I don ’ t know how anyone could be in this business for a period of time and not realize that as an industry , if we don ’ t transition to a greener fuel , we ’ re just counting the days until we ’ re no longer in business ,” said Uglietto .
“ Either we ’ re going to be legislated out of business or the industry as a whole is just going to become extinct ,” Uglietto added .
It ’ s no secret that the oilheat industry had been plagued with an ongoing public relations challenge and Bioheat ® would be just the strategy to turn it around — as it has at Cubby .
Consumer awareness of Bioheat ® was minimal , so Cubby Oil made some noise . “ We don ’ t sell oil , we sell Bioheat ®.”
“ We started to educate our customers through our newsletters and everything else we could get our hands on about this new fuel that was better for the environment ,” explained Uglietto .
Cubby began delivering a 20 % blend ( B20 ) to all customers in July 2016 and as of July 2018 the fuel they deliver is ultra low sulfur B20 , which burns cleaner than natural gas . It improves combustion efficiency and extends service intervals by keeping heat exchangers virtually free of deposits .
In 2014 , Massachusetts passed a law that added biodiesel to its Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard and made it eligible for Alternative Energy Credits ( AECs ) which are analogous to Renewable Energy Credits ( RECs ). Only biodiesel derived from waste vegetable oils , waste animal fats and grease trap waste qualifies and blends must have a minimum of 10 % biofuel .
Uglietto said the waste-only requirement creates some supply challenges . “ I give the state credit for wanting to commit to using waste as it is a good thing to keep it out of landfills and utilize it in a way that it would alleviate the negative issues associated with the heating oil of the past . They were not concerned about availability . They think the market will fill in as long as dealers like me are asking for it , but time will tell .”
Maintenance issues have not increased with the move to higher blends . He is testing higher blend levels in his own home .
“ We need to have legislators look at us as a fuel that will help them meet their greenhouse gas emissions goals ,” he noted .
Uglietto is deeply committed to changing how customers think . “ We still have gas conversions today , and it blows my mind that people will convert to gas ,” he said . “ We tell them straight up . Fine , you want to pollute the environment ? Go right ahead , but you ’ re not going to do that with Bioheat ®, and certainly not with a B20 blend .”
– Thomas J . Tubmann , Executive Director American Energy Coalition
This is an adaptation of a longer story originally run in the “ Biodiesel Successes Stories ” originally created and published by the National Biodiesel Board and has been edited for messaging clarity .