OFTEC B30K Bio Heating Oil

OFTEC has announced the successful completion of a four-year trial of a new, lower carbon, home heating, liquid bio-fuel in Killinchy, County Down.

OFTEC hopes the new B30K home heating bio-fuel will now be supported by the Northern Ireland Executive as part of Phase 2 of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) – a grant to encourage householders to switch to renewable fuels. To date, B30K has been excluded from the identically named but separately administered scheme in Great Britain. However, OilFiredUp understands that B30K is likely to be included within Northern Ireland’s RHI scheme.

The bio-fuel used in the Co. Down trial, was mixed and stored by DCC plc’s Emo Oil subsidiary in Belfast and is a kerosene-based fuel which contains 30% Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME). FAME can be sourced from animal fat or vegetable oil from plants and is 100% renewable.

The trade organisation and the heating oil distributor celebrated the success of the four year trial of the new bio-fuel at a NI Housing Executive bungalow in Killinchy that is home to Mrs Lauren McCormick and her family.  With adequate taxpayer funding, OFTEC believes the bio-fuel has the potential to reduce the overall carbon footprint of Northern Ireland. The province has the highest level of heating oil penetration in the UK, with over 60% of all families in the province currently dependent upon heating oil for domestic space and water heating.

Following the conclusion of the trial, OFTEC s reiterated its call on Northern Ireland’s Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister, Arlene Foster MLA to include the new home heating oil in the province’s domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), the details of which are expected to be announced over the next few weeks. By including the fuel, OFTEC claims the new home heating oil will be an affordable and environmentally friendly option for householders in Northern Ireland. Calculations from SAP 2012 show that carbon emissions from B30K are 21% lower than 100% kerosene, 60% lower than coal and 111% lower than electricity.

David Blevings, OFTEC’s Manager in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland says, “We are delighted with the success in Killinchy and the potential overall of this new bio-fuel which has been developed by the home heating oil industry to help reduce our CO₂ footprint. Inclusion of bioliquids like B30K in the domestic RHI would be a great step forward for Northern Ireland.”