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Dear Friends,
I’m sure all of you followed the debacle of power outages in Texas and elsewhere in the wake of the deep freeze that hit in February. More than anything, it exposed how fragile the nation’s electric grid is.
No one has to tell people in our area about that. It seems as if three or four times per year, some storm knocks out our power, leaving tens of thousands of families without energy for days or weeks.
I bring this up in the context of efforts to rush full steam ahead on an “electrify everything” path in order to reduce carbon emissions. Please don’t get me wrong. I believe that we must take aggressive steps to address climate change. Our company has invested significantly to do exactly that. We’ve converted our fuel from traditional heating oil to Bioheat® fuel, with a 20% renewable component. It dramatically decreases emissions, without massive cost to taxpayers or homeowners. In fact, our cleaner-burning B20 Bioheat Plus® fuel generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions than natural gas!
The problem is that however well intended the “all electric” movement is, it is relying on breakthroughs that do not yet exist — to an electric grid that is already unreliable. Just look at the rolling blackouts in California last summer. Now consider what happens when the electric grid is taxed by huge new demand owing to conversions of cars, buildings, homes, etc.
Alternatively, we, and others in the liquid fuels industry, continue to offer solutions that immediately reduce every customer’s carbon footprint dramatically without regressive taxes, additional equipment cost to consumers or overloading the electric grid. We need thoughtful policy that balances the need to address our climate without putting all our eggs into one fragile basket.
Warmly,
David O’Connell
Many initiatives to reduce our country’s carbon footprint involve spending hundreds of billions of dollars on incentives and systemic changes. It also involves forcing you to convert to an electric heating system that you may not want.
But here at Wilson Oil and Propane, we reduced our carbon footprint dramatically when we started delivering only Bioheat® fuel, and it didn’t cost our customers a dollar more. Read more about Bioheat fuel on the inside pages.
On the propane front, we’re proud to provide a fuel that produces next to zero greenhouse gas emissions or air pollutants, making it a cleaner-burning energy source. It can reliably heat homes and water, fuel multiple indoor and outdoor appliances and even power vehicles.
In fact, we run the majority of our vehicle fleet on propane autogas. In doing so, we have already displaced tens of thousands of gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel, which produce far more emissions than propane autogas. Please visit the Propane section of our website to read more.
Did you know that right now, Bioheat® fuel is the only home energy source that can make an immediate impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions for our climate?
The heating oil industry’s embrace of renewable Bioheat fuel is transforming home heating and helping to create a better future.
In fact, the heating oil industry has made a commitment to the climate change movement. In September 2019, the industry resolved to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15% by 2023, 40% by 2030 and to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
What’s most exciting is that these ambitious objectives are achievable. Last year, two independent studies on the feasibility of accomplishing these emissions-reduction goals validated the industry’s plan to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 with renewable Bioheat fuel. See article below.
Just two heating oil retailers in the Northeast displaced nearly 1.5 million gallons of heating oil with approved Bioheat fuel in the first half of 2020.* Doing this resulted in an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, compared to traditional heating oil.
That’s because Bioheat fuel burns more cleanly and more efficiently than conventional heating oil. You will use less heat to get the same amount of warmth, and your heating system will last longer. You’ll also likely find that you need fewer repairs on your system. All of this amounts to savings!
Bioheat fuel is readily available now and it requires no modifications to your existing system. The continued growth of Bioheat fuel puts us well on our way along the road to a low carbon future!
*Source: Diversified Energy Specialists APS Program Research, December 2020.
Biodiesel (also known as biofuel) is a gallon-for-gallon substitute for petroleum-based fuels, which have a higher carbon intensity. By 2030, it’s estimated that biodiesel will displace 529 million gallons of heating oil.
Biodiesel is a nontoxic, biodegradable renewable liquid fuel. The biofuel that’s blended with heating oil to create Bioheat fuel is generally produced by agricultural byproducts, including used cooking oil (also known as yellow grease), animal fats, inedible corn oil, soybean oil and canola oil.
This puts excess oil and fats to good use. Food is never sacrificed for fuel in the production of Bioheat fuel. Bioheat fuel is also sourced and produced right here in the United States, supporting local farmers, local industries and local economies.
Source: Biodiesel.org
It’s alarming that many state legislators continue to push for the increased use of electricity over the use of other fuels. In the case of homes, that would mean policies to replace propane, natural gas and oil-fired heating systems with electric heat pumps.
But heat pump conversions are expensive and do not work very efficiently when the weather gets cold. Plus, electricity is not a clean fuel. Electricity production generates the second largest share of greenhouse gas emissions. More than 63% of our electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, mostly coal and natural gas.*
Besides the increased impact on the environment, it is feared that an all-out “electrify everything” policy would increase the average residential household cost and put a severe strain on our aging electric grid. See article below.
*Source: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php
The electric infrastructure in this country has failed us time and again, causing massive disruption, frustration and discomfort. We’ve all followed the tragic, widespread energy disaster that occurred this past winter in Texas. And we’ve all experienced a number of uncomfortable power outages in our own area over the years.
A large part of our grid was built more than 50 years ago. But today, it’s reaching capacity and old equipment is failing.
Considering that the U.S. Department of Energy has called the electric grid in our country the largest machine on the planet, upgrading our electric infrastructure will be a massive — and ultra-expensive — undertaking.
Until our electricity supply is less environmentally destructive and not prone to numerous blackouts, it is simply not the best choice for heating. That’s especially true when advancements in heating oil are already proving to be incredibly effective and affordable.
The last thing we need right now is for the electric grid to be strained by an enormous new demand — by electric cars, all-electric homes and commercial building and more.
Welcome to David Polidore, who joined us in February as our new regional sales representative.
David worked two decades in the financial services sector before moving into the sales end of the home comfort industry a few years ago.
“Wilson is a perfect fit for me,” David says. “This is a family-owned company that is very progressive. I already knew about Wilson’s reputation in the community because whenever I ran across one of the company’s customers, I always heard good things about Wilson’s commitment to service.”
Away from work, David and his wife are parents to six children, who range in age from 15 to 33. Favorite hobbies include gardening and beekeeping, which David describes as “very therapeutic.”
After a long hibernation, your central air conditioning system will need some tender loving care. We can take care of that for you with our seasonal A/C tune-up service. A properly maintained central air conditioning system will have fewer breakdowns than one that has been neglected. Annual maintenance also keeps your air conditioning equipment running at peak efficiency, which means your home stays nice and cool while you use less energy.
Contact us today to schedule a time for your air conditioning tune-up service and enjoy cool comfort this summer, no matter how hot the weather gets.
To choose the right cooling system for you, we need to know how big your home is and how many people live there. We also need to factor in other variables, such as the type of insulation you have.
With this information, we determine a load calculation, which tells us how much heat your home gains during warm weather.
The right system will deliver the right amount of cool air at the right time to balance out heat gain — and will do it in the most efficient way. You’ll be able to feel comfortable without paying a fortune.
With the help of our team of cooling experts, we’ll give you what you pay for — and much more!
Please browse our website to learn more and then contact us to request a FREE, no-obligation estimate on a new system.
Save up to $1,800 on select Daikin heating and cooling systems. Call us or visit the Specials page on our website for more details.
Save $200 on a REME HALO® air purifier. Studies show this product kills 99.9% of the COVID-19 virus! Contact us today.
