Today CPS Fuels have completed the conversion of 5 domestic properties from traditional kerosene oil heating to the renewable fuel, Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), as part of the industry wide trial of liquid renewable fuel for off-grid home heating.
We are really excited to be part the second phase of the fossil fuel replacement demonstration project with UKIFDA, OFTEC and 16 fuel distributors as we collectively convert 200 homes and businesses across the UK from oil heating to the renewable fuel this winter. We are also really please that the recent publication of the government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy now recognises that renewable liquid fuels should have a role in the decarbonisation of off-grid homes.
The demonstration project will see properties immediately benefit from an 88% reduction in carbon emissions. The conversion requires minimal changes to the boiler and storage tank at a cost of around £500 and takes less than an hour to complete.
The fossil-free fuel, sourced from waste cooking oil, fats and greases has been certified as sustainable by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC).
The £800,000 initiative follows a trial last winter across 20 homes, from Cornwall to Scotland, which demonstrated there were no technical limitations to using HVO as a direct ‘drop-in’ replacement for kerosene.
This second phase will broaden the geographic spread and will also, for the first time, allow the industry to test the logistics of what could be a bigger transition to renewable liquid fuels over the coming years for the estimated 1.7 million properties using oil.
CPS Fuels is the only East Anglian distributor committed to this fossil fuel replacement demonstration project and we are working with OFTEC registered heating technicians from Anglia Heating Solutions. The team at Anglia Heating Solutions have carried out all the conversions and will be conducting regular checks on the appliances along with monitoring the performance of the fuel and feeding back the results to the project lead at OFTEC.
More widely the demonstration project includes participants from all sectors of the liquid fuel heating industry and is being led by trade associations UKIFDA, for the fuel distributors, and OFTEC, for the equipment manufacturer and training providers. CPS Fuels are collaborating with the industry and 15 other fuel distributors from outside the region. The fuel distributors taking part represent around 80% of the home heating oil market in the UK.
In a joint statement the CEO’s of the trade associations, Ken Cronin of UKIFDA and Paul Rose of OFTEC, said:
“We know from our research carried out over the last 12 months that oil heated homes want to decarbonise in a manner which causes the least disruption and offers the lowest cost of change. The drop-in fuel being used in our demonstrations, HVO, represents the most practical and cost-effective solution to both of these requirements.”
Decarbonising rural properties is a particular challenge as they tend to be older and poorly insulated which can make it difficult and expensive to retrofit alternative heating technologies such as heat pumps which are typically more suited to modern well-insulated buildings.
Ken Cronin and Paul Rose added:
“The Heat and Buildings Strategy acknowledges the role of renewable liquid fuels off-grid and the challenges of installing heat pumps in older properties. That’s why we’re rapidly expanding our demonstration project to show the real world potential of a wider rollout of renewable liquid fuels.
“To succeed, off-grid decarbonisation will require a flexible approach to ensure households have a choice of low carbon heating technologies suited to the needs of their property. That’s why we are urging the government to extend the incentives for renewable liquid fuels, beyond aviation and road transport, to include off-grid home heating.”
OFTEC and UKIFDA are providing regular updates on the new fuel through the information website www.futurereadyfuel.info and we will continue to keep you updated in our news section.
