There sadly persists this outdated belief that somehow heating oil is “dirty,” so we shouldn’t use it. And that belief couldn’t be further from the truth. The heating oil used today in southern Maine homes and businesses is not the same as the heating oil that was used even as recently as a generation or two ago.
The changes in heating oil—led firstly by the creation of ULSHO—have made heating oil a much more sustainable fuel source. The heating oil industry has set a goal to make heating oil completely carbon neutral by 2050—so even further improvement is yet to come!
ULSHO’s not some secret agency in a spy movie. It’s what makes today’s heating oil better for you—and the environment!
ULSHO stands for ultra-low sulfur heating oil. To meet ULSHO standards, heating oil must contain 15 parts-per-million (ppm) of sulfur or less, a reduction of 99% versus traditional levels.
That virtual elimination of sulfur in heating oil has resulted in a reduction in greenhouse emissions of more than 70% compared with the emissions produced by traditional #2 heating oil.
ULSHO isn’t just cleaner burning, it’s also great for your home’s oil heating system. Sulfur buildup is a common cause of heating equipment breakdowns, so less sulfur in your heating oil is a very good thing. It reduces the need for service calls and prolongs the life of your home’s oil heating system, all while improving its efficiency and performance.
You get all these benefits without having to replace of modify your home’s furnace or boiler, too.
Thanks to ULSHO, super-efficient oil heating systems are being developed that will dramatically lower energy costs while keeping your home warm, safe, and comfortable. But ULSHO is just the beginning when it comes to making heating oil more sustainable. The use of biodiesels in heating oil, known as Bioheat®, is being further developed.
Bioheat looks to be a game-changer for heating oil. If it becomes widely used by 2030, it could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 million tons. That is the equivalent of taking 320,000 cars off the road!
Enjoy reliable delivery of cleaner-burning heating oil for your home or business in Greater Portland and beyond! Become a PitStop Fuels customer today and experience the difference we can make.