Editor’s note: Matt Cota is the executive director of Vermont Fuel Dealers Association.
[V]ermonters aren’t using dirty oil. They can’t. It’s against the law.
On July 1, 2014, the Clean and Green Oilheat Initiative went into effect. Vermont’s home energy providers are now required by law to sell oil heat with near-zero emissions. This clean fuel is also increasingly blended upstream with renewable biodiesel. Gov. Shumlin signed the bill into law and announced the implementation of the Clean and Green Oilheat Initiative this summer. Watch the press conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kye3cxcoTbA
The state mandate for clean oil heat matches the federal requirement for clean diesel that was implemented in 2005. Over the past decade, car owners who want more miles per gallon and less pollution are increasingly choosing diesel powered vehicles. Experts predict that the number of diesel car sales will double next year because of this clean and efficient alternative.
Most of Vermont’s oil heat providers are already selling renewable fuel, thanks to federal energy policy which requires biodiesel blending further upstream.
The same economic and environmental benefits of clean diesel are now available for oil heat consumers. According to testing done by Brookhaven National Labs, low sulfur oil heat eliminates scale build-up in heat exchangers. This has the benefit of both increasing the efficiency of heating equipment and eliminating particulate emissions, including SO2, SOx, and NOx. As a result, low sulfur oil heat can immediately save as much as 12 cents per gallon, thanks to increased efficiency and longevity in existing systems. In the near future, even greater savings will be realized as consumers upgrade to ultra-efficient heating systems. These new compact, wall-hung, modulating oil fired condensing boilers have efficiencies over 95 percent.
Vermont law also requires our oil heat supply to contain renewable fuel blends once surrounding states implement similar requirements. However, most of Vermont’s oil heat providers are already selling renewable fuel, thanks to federal energy policy which requires biodiesel blending further upstream. This biodiesel blended oil heat, known as BioHeat®, works seamlessly with existing heating equipment and tanks. As demonstrated in testimony before the Vermont Public Service Board, low sulfur heating oil blended with biodiesel is cleaner than natural gas.
More than half of Vermonters will choose oil heat this winter to keep them safe and warm. They can be comforted knowing that they’ll be saving money and the environment — thanks to Vermont’s new clean oil heat standards.
You can learn more about Vermont’s transition to a clean and green heating fuel at www.vermontfuel.com.
