Everything you need to know about efficient, eco-friendly heating oil

With every passing year, the harmful effects of climate change become more and more apparent. All the concerning news about the health of our planet can feel overwhelming. What can families in Suffolk County do to help the environment?

At Burt’s Reliable, we are as concerned as you are and want to do everything possible to lower the greenhouse gas emissions in our corner of New York. That’s why our heating oil delivery customers receive Bioheat fuel, one of the greenest and most sustainable home fuels on the market today. But what is Bioheat fuel? Here’s a primer on this effective, eco-friendly product.

What Bioheat fuel is

Bioheat fuel is a heating oil product composed of ultra-low sulfur heating fuel and biofuel. Biofuel functions the same as petroleum-based diesel, but it’s produced using organic and recycled feedstocks. These can include:

• used cooking oil
• animal fats
• inedible corn oil
• soybean oil
• algae

Bioheat fuel can be used in all oil-fired home heating systems without modifications. It is a more environmentally friendly fuel than either traditional heating oil or natural gas.

Bioheat fuel is great for the environment — and your home budget

Because it incorporates biofuel as a gallon-for-gallon replacement for petroleum, Bioheat fuel significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, including:

• carbon dioxide
• mercury
• particulate matter
• sulfur and nitrogen oxides

At Burt’s Reliable, we proudly deliver a B20 Bioheat blend, meaning that the heating oil you receive from us contains 20 percent biofuel. At this percentage blend, Bioheat fuel’s greenhouse gas performance is better than that of natural gas.

Right now, there’s a lot of talk about electrification — or converting all the state’s home heating to electric heat pumps. This will be a disruptive process and will cost homeowners tens of thousands of dollars to install new electric heating equipment and rewire homes to accommodate it. And today’s heat pumps struggle to keep homes warm in the coldest months of the year.

By contrast, Bioheat fuel is already in use throughout New York and doesn’t require expensive equipment conversions. Advances in higher biofuel blends are putting us on track to reach net-zero emissions by 2050!

And there’s no loss of heating capacity with Bioheat fuel. It has the highest Btu content of any alternative fuel. Even better, it burns so efficiently and cleanly that it leaves fewer deposits in your heating system, reducing wear and tear and extending its lifespan!

New York rewards the use of Bioheat fuel

If you receive B20 Bioheat fuel from Burt’s Reliable, you’re eligible for a significant tax incentive.

New York State’s Clean Fuel Credit gives Empire State residents a $.01 per gallon income tax credit for every percentage point of biofuel in their heating oil blend. Our B20 blend entitles you to a $0.20/gallon tax credit for each gallon purchased.

Our average customer saves $150 per year!

Do you want to start receiving B20 Bioheat fuel at your Long Island home? The team at Burt’s Reliable can make that happen. Contact us to become a customer today.