The First Facility Management Blog

A town in Norfolk, England has placed itself at the cutting edge of green technology by hosting the world’s first trial of a renewable heating oil that can be used in existing boilers. Local schools in the small Georgian town of Reepham are taking part in the groundbreaking 12-month trial, led by the University of East Anglia (UEA).

The aim of the UEA trial is to prove that environmentally friendly renewable heating oil is a viable option. Argent Energy Ltd of Scotland is producing the renewable fuel—a sustainable biodiesel manufactured from used vegetable oil and tallow (another name for animal fat rendered from cows, sheep, and other livestock). The biodiesel is stored in Norfolk and blended with conventional heating oil by Pace Fuelcare of King’s Lynn, which delivers the fuel to the properties. And once you get past the “yuck” factor, the hybrid fuel is reportedly “equal or lower in carbon footprint than natural gas.”

“This is a major initiative in developing lower-carbon heating options for millions of properties, especially in rural areas, which depend on oil fired heating,” said project manager Dr. Bruce Tofield, of UEA’s Low Carbon Innovation Centre.

Lewis Page of the Register writes:

The proponents of tallow-based fuel admit that raising livestock in order to burn their corpses for energy would be a very carbon-intensive way of making biofuel. Rearing cattle or pigs involves the emission of lots of greenhouse gases. But that’s not the idea; rather, the thinking goes, people will raise livestock anyway in order to eat it. Thus it makes sense to use the waste products for energy.

If you can ignore the carbon footprint of making the animals and their fat in the first place—which is 80% of tallow biofuel’s overall footprint*—the stuff becomes quite green, easily beating biofuel made from primary crops such as rapeseed oil or whatever. The gas, transport fuel, and electricity used in rendering, moving, and processing afterwards is comparatively insignificant.

It’s never going to be a solution for everyone, supplies of animal carcasses being finite (normally, anyway: there was apparently a big boom in renewables certificates after the huge stockpiles of tallow from the BSE crisis mass slaughter campaign were cleared for use). The same goes for used cooking oil. But it’s better than simply burning heavy fossil fuel oil, according to the theory.

The project was launched and funded via UEA’s Carbon Connections program and has built on the expertise in biodiesel developed in the university through work with local companies on renewable transport fuels. Reepham has had a fruitful association with UEA’s carbon reduction experts and the town’s “green team” has initiated a number of low-carbon initiatives.

Around 30 properties in the North Norfolk town (including both the primary and the secondary school) and elsewhere in the county are taking part in the trials which started in December.

Lisa Cook, head teacher at Reepham Primary School, said, “The children are enthusiastic about cutting carbon emissions, and we have energy monitors for each class. They are genuinely thrilled to be taking part in such a significant experiment.”

(What they don’t know can’t hurt them, right?)

*Send an e-mail to tfm@groupc.com to request a PDF that explains the technical aspects of this project. Put the words, “Carcass PDF” in the subject line of your e-mail to expedite your request.

Commercial building owners who install geothermal heating and cooling systems are now eligible for federal tax incentives under the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, passed by Congress October 3, 2008 as part of the economic recovery package.

WaterFurnace International Vice President of Sales and Marketing Phil Albertson said, “By passing this important piece of legislation, Congress is encouraging the growth of renewable energy and the small businesses across the country that support it.”

The Energy Improvement and Extension Act offers a credit of 10% of the total investment, with no maximum credit, for commercial system installations of ground loop or ground water geothermal heat pump installations. The tax credit for commercial buildings begins with systems installed after Oct. 3, 2008.

Owners can file for the credit by completing the Renewable Energy Credits subsection on their 2008 tax return forms. No proof of purchase is required. However, in case of an audit, owners are encouraged to keep a detailed invoice of their purchase on file. The contractor who sold and installed the product should list the purchase as a “Geothermal Heat Pump” on the invoice and note that the unit “Exceeds requirements of the Energy Star program currently in effect.”

Tim Shields, chairman of the board of WaterFurnace, said, “We believe this incentive will encourage many more business owners to install geothermal heat pumps. Geothermal heat pumps are made right here in the U.S., and the machines used to put the renewable heat exchangers in the earth are all made right here. Every system installed requires skilled U.S. labor, and more installations mean more jobs. This is truly a homegrown solution to the energy crisis and a very good way to address the financial crisis at the same time. The systems were already growing in popularity, but this stimulus will help us have the impact on the economy and the environment much more quickly.

Geothermal systems tap the free, completely renewable, supply of solar energy stored just a few feel below the Earth’s surface and use that energy to drive heating and cooling system in buildings. In addition to utility, state, and now federal tax incentives that enhance the affordability of geothermal systems, this cost-effective, environmentally friendly technology offers a host of benefits that include:
• Free, renewable supply of solar energy;
• Efficiency ratings up to five times higher than those of ordinary heating and cooling systems;
• Savings on utility bills up to 70%;
• Reduced carbon footprint since the system burns no fossil fuels More even distribution of heating and cooling for improved comfort;
• Improved indoor air quality;
• Quiet operation with no noisy outdoor units to disturb the environment or neighbors;
• Safe operation that requires no open flame or fuel storage tanks;
• Less maintenance; and
• Increased system longevity (an average life span of 24 years vs. 15 for conventional air conditioners and 20 years for fossil fuel furnaces).