Our continued support....
Calls for the government to back a wider rollout of the renewable liquid fuel Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) continue to grow following the announcement that over 100 oil-heated properties across the UK have now converted to the fossil-free kerosene alternative.
The HVO for heating demonstration, which CPS Fuels is proud to be part of, is being led by trade associations OFTEC and UKIFDA, in partnership with fuel distributors and technicians, as part of the Future Ready Fuel campaign. The industry is self-funding the project and is investing over £800,000.
HVO is derived from used cooking oil and has been certified as sustainable by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC). It immediately reduces emissions by 88% and works in existing oil heating systems following a simple £500 conversion.
The transition to the low carbon fuel can be completed as part of a normal service and both organisations say it is seen as a more attractive alternative to heat pumps, which can be expensive and disruptive to install in homes off the gas grid with poor insulation and low energy efficiency.
Here at CPS Fuels we have been actively involved with this exciting pilot programme and have been trialling HVO with a number of our customers. We are the only heating oil distributor in East Anglia doing so and are very proud to be forging a path to a greener future.
We are very aware that many of our heating oil customers want to play their part in going green. However many are concerned about the high costs and efficiency of converting to heat pumps, especially in older detached properties with low levels of insulation. That’s why we’ve chosen to partner OFTEC and UKIFDA to demonstrate the benefits of HVO as a simple, alternative solution for homes, here in East Anglia and alongside others, further afield.
Working with our sister company, Anglia Heating Solutions, we have the only OFTEC registered heating technicians who have the hands on experience to assess, convert, comission and complete the changes needed to your existing heating oil fired equipment. This has been achieved for less than £500 in all the trial properties.
We’re very pleased with the progress we’ve made and the conversion process has been very straightforward. The HVO trial has stipluated regular visits and feedback to OFTEC. Our technicians are reporting very clean burners and our customers are very happy, even saying how they’ve forgotten they’re using a greener fuel as it works in exactly the same way as kerosene.
Using HVO we have been able to deliver a simple, fossil-free solution. Our customers have said they couldn’t be happier with the straightforward conversion process as it means they can continue to use their existing heating system in exactly the same way as before, but know they are making a real difference by significantly reducing their emissions. Focussing on replacing the fuel and not the appliance also removes all the hassle and considerable expense of switching to a completely different system.
Our experienced team is prepared and eager to deliver this fuel more widely across East Anglia and the South East; we will continue to work with our industry partners to secure support from government.
Paul Rose, CEO of OFTEC, and Ken Cronin, CEO of UKIFDA, added:
“The off-grid sector is one of the most difficult to decarbonise due its diverse housing stock. If we’re serious about our commitment to net-zero then consumers need a choice of technologies so they can adopt the right fuel for their home in a competitive market. There is no one size fits all solution."
“Our industry has worked together and taken the initiative to demonstrate how oil homes can successfully adopt HVO. We are ready and waiting to lead the charge for a wider rollout, but we need the policy support of government to make this happen.”
OFTEC and UKIFDA are providing regular updates on the new renewable fuel through the Future Ready Fuel campaign website.
