Maine Energy Marketers Association have announced that all oil dealers in Maine and New England are required to deliver a new, cleaner home heating oil that will reduce emissions and burn more efficiently.
MEMA reports the new blend has 99% less sulphur in it than standard heating oil, with the new standard capping the amount of sulfur in residential heating oil at 15 parts per million, compared to 5,000 ppm under the previous blend.
The changeover is expected to reduce emissions by more than 70% compared to emissions produced by traditional heating fuel. MEMA said emissions from this cleaner heating oil are the equivalent of natural gas, according to research conducted in 2015 at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
“Heating oil is getting even cleaner in Maine,” announced MEMA President Jamie Py said in a news release. “This new standard drastically reduces emissions and improves homeowners’ heating efficiency without them having to purchase a new heating system. Mainers will save money and help the environment by simply doing nothing.”
According to MEMA the new fuel requires no modification to existing heating systems. They have also noted that super-efficient heating systems previously unavailable are now an option for consumers as a result. MEMA added that the fuel also can be blended with renewable biodiesel and used with existing equipment and fuel storage tanks.
“Cleaner burning fuel means less build-up and gunk on heat exchangers, leading to longer equipment life, especially for boilers and furnaces,” MEMA stated. “This means the heat stays in your home and less goes up the chimney. Additionally, taking sulfur out of heating oil causes no problems for heating equipment or storage tanks.”
