In December 2021, we officially joined the HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) trial in the UK and we wondered whether this fuel would keep us warm? As the winter progressed, we were able to tweak our central heating to run as a bivalent system where the air source heat pump would heat the house when the weather was milder and the HVO boiler would kick in when temperatures dropped and the heat pump was less efficient.
When we solved some of the heat pump teething issues (getting the air source heat pump to relinquish its control over the boiler was the most challenging), the system ran flawlessly and we were very pleased with the outcome.
In our latest video, we discuss our experiences using HVO over the course of the winter and whether we think it’s a viable, environmentally-friendly option for rural properties that are currently relying on burning kerosene to heat their homes.
As discussed in the video, despite HVO being an excellent, low carbon alternative to kerosene, the UK government seems reluctant to remove the duties and levies imposed on this fuel, which is currently making it unaffordable for homes to switch to.
If your property is currently heated by kerosene in the UK, and you’d like to potentially switch to HVO to cut your heating CO2 emissions by 88% you could write to your MP – to save you some time, we have provided a template that you can use and you can download it here.
If you’d like more information about HVO, please visit the Future Ready Fuel website.