What Does the Term “Biofuel” Mean?

If you own a home in Western MA that uses heating oil rather than natural gas or propane to generate heat, you have probably heard the term “biofuel,” or its commercially branded name, Bioheat®.

But what exactly is it?

Here are some Biohheat facts to help you get to know this cleaner, greener alternative to common #2 heating oil.

• Bioheat® fuel is a blend of ULSHO heating oil with biodegradable organic materials (biodiesel) to form a super fuel for home heating systems. The biodiesel used in Bioheat is a byproduct of food production and includes such feedstock as soy, canola, and other vegetable oils. The combination of the ULSHO fuel and clean, renewable biodiesel makes Bioheat an efficient and eco-friendly home heating option.
• Since Bioheat is a blend of fuels, it is named by the percentage of biodiesel it contains. For example, B5 is five percent biodiesel; the rest is ULSHO heating oil. The highest percentage blend of Bioheat currently available on the market is B20 (20 percent biodiesel per gallon); the Bioheat we sell at FSi is a X percent blend).
• The per-gallon price of Bioheat is slightly more than the price of traditional heating oil, but it will save you money in the long run because it burns cleaner than regular heating oil, which means your heating system will last longer and require fewer repairs.
• Bioheat is also better for the environment: by burning cleaner than regular heating oil, Bioheat reduces carbon emissions and smog particulates. Bioheat will also help your heating equipment last longer, which means that fewer furnaces and boilers will find their way into the landfill.
• In most cases, you won’t need to make any changes to your furnace, boiler or storage tank to use Bioheat. If you want to confirm that your system will work with Bioheat, contact us.
• Currently in Massachusetts, Biofuel is playing a key role in helping the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA). For example, Bioheat® upgrades have been implemented in many parks facilities as part of the Greenovate Boston initiative, which aims to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 and by 80 percent by 2050.

FSi offers Biofuel delivery to customers anywhere in our Western Massachusetts service area. Contact us today to make the switch and join the FSi family of customers!