Banner

Why Ultra Low Sulfur Heating Oil Is Important

Written on: February 6, 2023

Better for your home, better for the planet!

low sulfur oil Hudson Valley, NY The heating oil Kimlin Energy delivers to your Hudson Valley home or business is not the heating oil of our parents’ or grandparents’ times.

Today’s heating burns cleaner, making it more environmentally friendly and also better for your home’s heating system. With Kimlin Energy’s dependable heating oil delivery, you can enjoy the benefits of heating oil in your home without worry.

What makes today’s heating oil different? We’ll start with the basics on heating oil.

Heating oil and diesel fuels bear strong resemblance on the chemical level, yet they have profoundly distinct applications. Both are derived from crude oil through the distillation process and have a low viscosity. 

The federal excise tax does not apply to No. 2 heating oil, so, like off-road diesel fuel, it is dyed red to distinguish it from the taxed on-road diesel fuel. People use No. 2 heating oil home heating, thus exempting it from the excise tax that applies to fuels used in on-road vehicles. To distinguish it from diesel fuels, No. 2 heating oil is usually called home heating oil or fuel oil instead of diesel fuel.

No. 2 heating oil has a winterized variety known as winter blend. This winter blend consists of a mixture of No. 2 heating oil and No. 1 heating oil, designed to be less viscous, less prone to gelling in extremely cold temperatures, and easier on your furnace or boiler. Winter blend is also sometimes referred to as kerosene mix.

What is ULSHO? What makes it better than regular heating oil?

The introduction of ULSHO has revolutionized the quality and performance of today’s heating oil, making it incomparably better than before.

Since 2018, the only type of home heating oil that can be delivered in New York is ULSHO, which stands for ultra-low sulfur heating oil. ULSHO standards require that heating oil contains 15 parts-per-million (ppm) or fewer of sulfur, a reduction of 99% from the amount present 30 years ago. 

By removing virtually all sulfur from heating oil, we’ve seen an outstanding 70% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions when compared to traditional heating oil.

Not only will ULSHO reduce emissions, but it is also advantageous to your oil-fired heating system as it lowers sulfur accumulation. Sulfur is the most common source of breakdowns in furnace and boiler systems. ULSHO not only helps reduce breakdowns in your heating system but can also extend its life expectancy while improving its performance and efficiency.

ULSHO allows you to enjoy its advantages without having to switch or modify your heating system.

ULSHO is just the beginning when it comes to advancements in heating oil as our industry continues to strive to achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2050. Fuel blends made from ULSHO and biodiesels are taking cleaner burning and efficiency to the next level. The biodiesels are made from natural resources such as plant oils, algae, animal fats, and recycled restaurant cooking oils.

You can count on Kimlin Energy for reliable heating oil delivery. Become a customer today!