The need and desire for cleaner, greener heating solutions is greater today than it's ever been before. With concerns about global warming and the impact of the heating industry on the ride, consumers and commercial representatives alike are in need of new alternatives that are more environmentally conscious. Luckily, there is a solution on the horizon of the heating market in the form of two innovative new fuels: biodiesel and renewable diesel. These fuels, when used in heating applications, are formulated to be friendlier to the environment than traditional fuel types.
The new green fuels that are just starting to emerge in the heating industry provide an opportunity for consumers to make a positive impact on the environment. In this post, we'll explain the benefits of heating with today's green fuels and how making the switch will ultimately make an impact on the future.
The main driving force behind the development of today's green heating fuels is a growing concern about global warming. Global warming is caused in large part by the release of greenhouse gases like CO2 into the atmosphere. Hydrocarbon heating fuels like natural gas, propane, and oil produce CO2 as a byproduct when used in heating, which has been identified by the scientific community as a contributing factor to global warming.
In response, the concept of renewable fuel sources has continued to develop, and these fuels are growing more prominent in the heating market. These fuels come from plant (and animal) stocks which use CO2. This renewable trade-off is based on the idea that during a plant's lifetime, the CO2 it absorbs is saved from escaping into the atmosphere, as the plant releases oxygen instead.
The factors that make these innovative fuels "green" are the source of the materials they're derived from and the emissions they give off. When the greenhouse gas content between these two factors are weighed against each other, the net emissions released by green fuels are significantly less than that of more traditional heating fuel types. There are two major types of green fuels available today: biodiesel and renewable diesel.
In sum, the impact of heating with these emerging green fuels is a huge step forward for the heating industry. While these fuels are still in the early stages of penetrating the heating market, renewable diesel in particular is currently being used to great effect in transportation on the West Coast. As they become more common in the heating industry, green fuels will allow customers to help the environment while also heating their spaces comfortably. In the current outlook, green fuels are projected to be just as reliable as other competitive fuels that are much less friendly toward the environment.