Article from December 2020
Fuel Oil News Is 85 Years Old
2020 Draws to a Close
Looking back over the events of 2020, presenting a traditional“ year-in-review,” might seem like an exercise in masochism. Let’ s see, there was the coronavirus pandemic, then there was the coronavirus pandemic and then— oh yeah, there was the coronavirus pandemic. Fuel marketers made adjustments to their operations to try to limit spread of the coronavirus, and will continue to do so: carefully questioning customers before sending service techs into homes; sanitizing vehicles; and, in some cases, sending office personnel home, to work remotely. But there were notable and promising and even momentous developments unrelated to the you-know-what. Let’ s remember a few:
The National Oilheat Research Alliance and the European Heating Oil Association, known as Eurofuel, hosted a virtual conference on liquid heating fuels.
NORA and the New York State Energy Coalition launched a new marketing campaign,“ I’ m a Net-Zero Hero,” running throughout the five boroughs of New York City and Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island. The campaign features consumers as“ Net-Zero Heroes” because they use Bioheat fuel to reduce their carbon footprint.
The Isaac Training & Education Center in Rochester, N. Y., a mechanical trades training and education center, opened a new, state-of-the art Oil Heating Lab.
The Oil Heating Lab contains eight furnaces and two boilers, equipment made by seven different manufacturers and three burner manufacturers to offer a comprehensive learning environment to reflect the wide array of equipment technicians will encounter in the field.
The center also includes 20,000-square feet of multi-functional technical lab modules, and 10,000 square feet of fully interactive classrooms. ITEC features both residential and commercial mechanical modules. The modules include air conditioning, minisplit heat pumps, oil heating, hydronics, plumbing, electrical and carpentry.
Washington, D. C.’ s Department of Public Works increased the number of heavy-duty fleet vehicles capable of running on renewable pure biodiesel( B100) by installing Optimus Technologies’ Vector System on 17 new refuse trucks. Enabling the trucks to operate on B100 reduces the vehicles’ greenhouse gas emissions, said Optimus Technologies and Renewable Energy Group, which is supplying the B100.
Fuel Oil News wasn’ t the only enterprise in the industry to turn 85: R. E. Michel Company, distributor of air conditioning, heating, propane and refrigeration equipment, parts and supplies, also marked its 85th year in business. Robert E. Michel and his wife Mary Ellen went into business as a supplier of oil burner parts and supplies in 1935. The company has grown to over 1,950 employees working at over 300 locations from coast to coast in the United States.
R. W. Beckett Corp., North Ridgeville, Ohio, announced that it certified all AF and AFG burners produced after September 8, 2020, to use biodiesel blends of up to 20 %( B20).
Taco Comfort Solutions, based in Cranston, R. I., celebrated its 100-year history. It was founded by Elwood White in 1920 as the Thermal Appliance Company.
The U. S. Department of Agriculture announced competitive grants for some $ 14 million for implementation activities related to higher blends of biodiesel. Higher biofuel blends are fuels containing ethanol greater than 10 % by volume and / or fuels containing biodiesel blends greater than 5 % by volume, also known as B5.
Energy Marketers of America became the new name of the Petroleum Marketers Association of America. The name change is“ reflective of the group’ s growing portfolio of affordable, efficient, and environmentally friendly liquid fuels and other alternative energy sources that are helping to reduce emissions while propelling Americans forward,” the association said.
The New England Fuel Institute changed its name to the National Energy & Fuels Institute. The new name formalizes the organization’ s mission and longtime leadership role as an advocate for liquid heating fuel providers in Washington, D. C., and, now, throughout the country.
“ NEFI has served these mostly small Main Street family businesses since it was founded in 1942, and that will never change,” said President and CEO Sean Cota.“ What has changed is the essential role they play in the clean-energy economy; and their need for a single, unified national voice at the national level to promote their interests.”
NEFI is the first direct-member national trade association to exclusively represent the liquid heating fuels industry, which serves approximately six million homes and businesses nationwide.
With management consulting firm Kearney, NEFI announced a plan for the heating oil industry to eliminate fossil energy use by 2050.
The plan outlines how the trade association aims to carry out a pledge made last year when more than 300 heating oil industry professionals committed to achieve 15 % carbon reductions by 2023, 40 % reductions by 2030 and net-zero by 2050.
“ To reach these ambitious goals, the industry now plans to deliver a blend of 20 % biofuel by 2023, 50 % by 2030, and 100 % renewable fuel by 2050, thereby completely eliminating fossil energy from its primary product,” NEFI said.“ This will in effect transform the very nature of heating oil, making it a renewable fuel.”
NEFI officials and Kearney consultants introduced the plan in September during“ Industry Summit II: Implementing the Road to Net-Zero,” part of the Institute’ s virtual Heating & Energizing America Trade Show. l FON
18 RETIREMENT / JUNE 2026 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www. fueloilnews. com