The report states, "Consumers who use low-sulfur fuel in their oil heating systems will notice an immediate difference - the heating oil smell is practically gone. It turns out that the ubiquitous oily smell in homes is caused mostly by the sulfur in the oil. Sulfur, which smells like rotting eggs in its purest form, gives oil a sharp odor that is easily recognizable, especially when the oil tank is being filled or the equipment is being serviced.

"Sulfur also clogs up heating equipment, which is why the equipment needs to be cleaned every year; technicians need to literally chisel off layers of sulfur deposits. Studies from the Brook-haven National Laboratory conclude that since equipment using low-sulfur oil remains cleaner, the equipment will work more efficiently, saving money for the consumer.

"Combine the savings with the environmental benefits - SO2 emissions are reduced by 75 to 80 percent, particulate matter emissions are reduced by 80 percent, and NOX emissions are reduced by 10 percent - and the switch to low-sulfur oil sounds like a sure winner."

What It Means For Contractors

Vic Turk, Director of Engineering for R.W. Beckett Corp., Elyria, Ohio, a manufacturer of oil burners, explained the advantages of low-sulfur heating oil.

"The real benefit occurs when corrosion on products is reduced and the buildup of deposits on heat exchangers are reduced," he said. "The service interval can be increased by two to three times by simply going from a fuel oil with a nominal amount of sulfur to a low-sulfur fuel oil.

"If you increase the service interval by two, you are halving the number of cleanouts (vacuuming) you have to do."

Turk said there is a service cost reduction of approximately $200 million each year. He added that at least four million service calls could be eliminated by lengthening the amount of time between service visits.

"This only refers to vacuuming time, which cuts out about a half an hour from the call," he said. "The tech still has his half hour where he can talk with the customer, run a combustion test, etc., but he doesn't have to take all of the jacket materials off of the boiler and take all of the inspection ports off to clean and vacuum."

Don Allen, president of E.T. Lawson Heating Oil and Cooling, Hampton, Va., is one of the leading supporters of the new low-sulfur heating fuel. In fact, Allen only sells low-sulfur heating oil and services products that burn the low-sulfur oil.

"To my knowledge, we were the first company in the U.S. to exclusively market and sell the low-sulfur diesel fuel," he said. "One of the reasons we did this was to eliminate 78 to 82 percent of what is in the heat exchanger. Being in the business, one of the things I disliked the most about oil heat was the vacuum cleaner.

"The advantages of low-sulfur heating oil all relate to operability. This oil is very stable as a heating fuel. The fuel quality doesn't degrade over time. It can be stored over a longer period of time. It is a wonderful product because it is just cleaner."

Allen said that the heating units do not have to be serviced annually if they burn the low-sulfur fuel - service can often be extended out to two years.

"The benefit to the customer is that the product is cleaner, the equipment is cleaner, and there is less degradation to the heat exchanger," noted Allen. "The benefit to the contractor is that there is less stuff involved in performing the tuneups."

There are also marketing opportunities for low-sulfur heating oil. "Low-sulfur fuels are a marketing opportunity for service contractors," said Turk. "The product burns cleaner and is more reliable throughout the year. We are reducing particulate emissions, which is less stuff going up the chimney. This reduces the NOx emissions, which causes ground-level ozone - smog."

For Turk, the benefits of low-sulfur heating oil outweigh the increased cost. "There may be an additional price difference of a penny or two per gallon, but it is offset by less service required."

Publication date: 12/15/2003