Different Names Can Be Applied to Home Heating Oil
Some people refer to the home heating oil that powers their furnace or boiler as fuel oil, but that’s a broader term that is not limited to home heating oil. Fuel oil is defined as any petroleum product that can power a home heating system or an engine.
Both fuel oil and hone heating oil are sourced from crude oil during the refining process, which separates crude oil into different “fractions” while removing impurities. The lighter fractions of crude oil eventually become propane, butane, and petrochemicals while slightly heavier fractions are used to produce gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, diesel fuel, and No. 2 home heating oil.
What Are Common Fuel Oil Products?
- Diesel —This is the fuel of choice for most commercial ventures. It can be used to power buses, trucks, forklifts, generators, farm equipment and boats. While there are two categories of diesel–on-road and off-road—there is no chemical difference between them. The only difference is their appearance, intended usage and price.
- Kerosene — A clear fuel that was first used to power oil lamps in the 19th Century, kerosene is made by distilling crude oil at extremely high temperatures. Kerosene is valued because it has a low “gel point.” This means it can continue to work well and flow to the heating system in sustained freezing temperatures. That’s why it is typically used by heating oil consumers with mobile homes or outdoor fuel tanks.
- Heating oil — Petroleum-based home heating oil, also called No. 2 fuel oil, is essentially the same as off-road diesel. However, many homeowners and businesses around the country, including here in New Jersey, are now using a more eco-friendly product when they get a heating oil delivery.
Bioheat® Fuel Vs. Heating Oil
more efficiently, reducing heating system maintenance, improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions. It also has the highest Btu content of any alternative fuel!Bioheat Fuel Generates Fewer Emissions
Bioheat fuel offers a responsible, immediate road to carbon reduction. That’s because Bioheat fuel reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 86%, compared to traditional petroleum heating oil. Bioheat fuel also helps eliminate harmful sulfur oxides and particulate matter.
The endgame is to transition to B100 Bioheat fuel (100% biodiesel/biofuel). We’re seeing important progress in this direction. Shortly after the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) updated its standards to include burners that use B100 Bioheat fuel, the R.W. Beckett Corporation announced that it had begun production of fully warranted burners with B100-compliant components. Beckett is the country’s largest producer of heating oil burners.
Additionally, the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) has demonstrated that a home heated with 100% biodiesel and using solar panels to produce electricity can reach net-zero carbon emissions quickly — and at an economically viable cost.
All of this is exciting news for everyone who appreciates the many benefits of using heating oil to stay safe and warm but wants to do their part to preserve our environment.