For over 50 years heating oil has been a popular choice for homes off the gas grid. To tackle climate change and achieve the UK’s net zero target, we need to transition away from fossil fuels. We believe renewable liquid fuels are the ideal alternative. But we need your support to make this happen. Support our campaign for heating choice.
…the stars of the new Future Ready Fuel campaign video!
Follow the off-grid neighbours as they begin their journey towards greener heating at home.
While Mo follows government advice and installs a heat pump, Sue does some research and switches to the renewable liquid fuel Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) instead…
The good news is you don’t need to buy an expensive new heating system. Dramatic reductions in your household emissions can be achieved simply by changing the type of fuel you use.
The liquid fuel heating industry has demonstrated an alternative to kerosene called Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) that cuts emissions by up to 88%.
The renewable liquid fuel works well in all existing oil heating systems following a simple, cost-effective conversion process.
In June 2019, as part of its work to tackle climate change, the UK government made achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 a legally binding target. The Republic of Ireland has a similar target, and many other countries are now actively following a similar path.
Achieving this goal is vital if we are to prevent irreversible damage to our planet. Until now, progress has been made mainly through big projects like wind turbines, which don’t impact directly on our daily lives.
That’s now changing and we can expect many aspects of how we live will be affected, including how we heat our homes which accounts for about 14% of the UK’s carbon emissions.
The previous government set out proposals to ban the installation of new fossil fuel boilers in the home from 2035. The new Labour government has yet to outline its plans but, during the election campaign, they pledged to scrap this deadline. We are continuing to work with the new government and MPs to secure support for enabling oil heated homes to transition onto a renewable liquid fuel which we believe is a practical and affordable solution for many homes off the gas grid.
We believe renewable liquid fuels offer a cost effective and simple solution for reducing carbon emissions in the 1.7m oil heated homes in the UK and 686,000 in the Republic of Ireland. We have demonstrated the viability of the fuel HVO in around 150 homes across the UK over the past two years. It has been an overwhelming success. We are now working to secure policy support from the government so more people can make the switch. But we need your help.
For over ten years the liquid fuel heating industry has been working on a low carbon alternative to heating oil. In HVO, which stands for Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, we have found the perfect replacement.
So what makes HVO so special? It works just like heating oil but is much better for the environment:
reduces your carbon emissions by almost 90% compared to existing heating oil
that can be conveniently done when your boiler is serviced or upgraded
usual cost of conversion is around £500 (exact cost depends on your particular system)
made from fossil free, certified sustainable waste materials and doesn’t contribute to deforestation
runs just as efficiently as heating oil in your existing system and it’s odourless too
Our industry is committed to providing off-gas grid households with more cost-effective choices for how they heat their home in the future. Our work is going well and we think renewable liquid fuels such as HVO should be one of the options available, but this needs to be supported by government.
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The government is being urged to set out a clear road map for decarbonising rural households in its upcoming Warm Homes Plan, as a new survey of off-gas grid consumers reveals increasing concerns over the cost of transitioning to low carbon heating.
When we talk about switching properties off the gas grid to low carbon heating technologies, the focus is often on homes. However, there are an estimated 268,000 what we call ‘non-domestic’ buildings in England alone which will also be affected. These aren’t just businesses, but include local community buildings from village halls, churches, shops and pubs.
OFTEC and UKIFDA have been analysing the last information dump and the findings show that many rural oil heated homes will need an alternative due to the cost and disruption of installation, and high running costs.
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