Questions & Answers - Going Green

What steps has Hart & Iliff taken to make heating oil more environmentally friendly?

Hart & Iliff has distributed Ultrablend Heating Oil for more than 10 years. Ultrablend contains inhibitors, stabilizers, detergents, dispersants and an EPA-approved microbiocide. These additives keep your fuel system clean so your equipment can run at peak efficiency, thereby saving energy and reducing pollution.

In addition, as discussed in an earlier edition of Comfort Line, Hart & Iliff is a test site for a revolutionary type of biofuel marketed under the name renewable fuel. Renewable fuel is superior to standard biofuels because it is made from waste materials that would normally end up in a landfill, rather than soybeans and other agricultural products. In addition, renewable fuel has much better winter blending properties, since it has a pour point of -65°F, compared to +35°F for biofuel.

Testing is generally going well. However, before these products are widely distributed, changes will need to be made to current heating equipment, since both biofuel and renewable fuel have compatibility problems with some rubber products used in the fuel system.

Does Hart & Iliff install solar energy systems?

Hart & Iliff is committed to solar energy and has been investigating solar systems manufactured by various suppliers in order to find one that has the right combination of high quality and reasonable price. In the near future, we will be introducing a line of solar products that can be used to generate domestic hot water, supplement a hydronic heating system or heat a swimming pool.

What other types of products does Hart & Iliff sell that save energy and are good for the environment?

Many of the heating products we sell come from Europe, where energy prices are much higher and environmental regulations much stricter than in the United States. These European products are very energy efficient and environmentally friendly. For example, the Buderus hydronic heating system uses an indoor/outdoor setback control to modulate the temperature of the water in the boiler, dependent on the outdoor temperature. This control reduces fuel consumption by as much as 35% and, at the same time, improves the comfort level in the home.

The Humidex air exchange system removes smells, musty odors and improves air quality in the home. Humidex also dramatically reduces energy consumption, since it uses an energy effi- cient fan in the place of a compressor driven dehumidifier.

The Roth Double Wall heating oil tanks we’ve been installing for more than a decade are environmentally friendly because their double wall construction makes it virtually impossible for petroleum products to leak into the soil or the groundwater.

Hart & Iliff recently became a distributor for Intellidyne. Intellidyne manufactures energy management products (see related article) that use microprocessor technology to reduce the energy consumption of heating and air conditioning systems by 10%-20%.

For more information about any of these products, call us or log onto our website at www. hartandiliff.com.