The “ Zero-Carbon Home ” demonstration project by NORA is showing how using a balance of 100 % biodiesel for heat and hot water coupled with roof-top solar collectors can reduce its carbon emissions to zero .

The home has an historical annual electric power use of 7,199 kilowatt hours , including the central air conditioning system . The annual production capacity of the solar panels installed is a nominal 7,914 kilowatt hours .

From July 25 to Aug . 24 , the home consumed 1,000.7 kWH of electricity to run the cooling and all other loads . However , the solar panels produced 1,128.3 kWH , exporting 127.6 kWH back to the grid .

The solar array more than paid for the house ’ s cooling during an extremely hot period . The total bill from the power company was $ 20 .

The home uses its liquid fuel system , running on B100 , for domestic hot water production . During the same time period , the fuel use was ¼ gallon per day .

The demonstration project is at the Port Jefferson , NY , home of NORA ’ s director of research , Dr . Thomas Butcher .

NORA has been a leader in the transition to low-carbon liquid fuels in the home heating sector for decades through testing and promoting the use of the advanced biofuel biodiesel combined with traditional heating oil . NORA ’ s liquid fuels research laboratory in Plainview , NY , is among the U . S .’ s leading facilities conducting this type of research .

Public policy in many of the Northeastern states calls for drastic reductions in carbon emissions and traditional heating oil cannot satisfy those requirements , so NORA intends to show that the combination of 100 % biodiesel partnered with solar panels can bring the home to zero carbon emissions .

This strategy is an alternative to the “ all electric ” policy of replacing all combustion heating and other home appliances with power-grid run electric furnaces , boilers and appliances .

The all-electric plan will place enormous strain on the utilities and the grid while also placing massive financial burdens on homeowners as they are required to replace their current heating systems with heat pumps , NORA says . NORA says its zero-carbon home can achieve carbon reduction mostly using existing heating systems and commercially available solar panel systems .

NORA would like to extend the Zero-Carbon Home project to other U . S . states . If you have an interest in working with NORA , contact info @ noraweb . org .

The first step in decarbonizing a home heating system is transitioning to a low-carbon biofuel . The biofuel widely available to the heating market in the Northeast is biodiesel ( ASTM D6751 ). Relative to petroleum No . 2 fuel , 100 % biodiesel ( B100 ) provides a carbon reduction of 75 % to 90 % with the higher 90 %

NORA is setting out to prove that homeowners can reduce a home ’ s carbon emissions to zero using a renewable , low-carbon , liquid fuel and solar panels . Photo courtesy of NORA .

24 JANUARY 2023 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www . fueloilnews . com