Case Studies: Buildings and General Services
Teigh Southworth
Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services
Montpelier, Vermont
When the Governor's Office expressed an interest in biodiesel, Buildings and General Services (BGS) Commissioner Tom Torti moved to get at least one state building using it for heating fuel. In January of 2004, Project Manager Teigh Southworth began researching biodiesel extensively, and three months later BGS took their first delivery in Brattleboro, through Global E and Fleming Oil.
By mid-May, Teigh received feedback from the maintenance manager, stating that 1,100 gallons had been burned and there was no detectable difference between the straight No.2 heating oil and the B20. As of July 2005, with one complete heating season behind them, all observations indicate that everything is going well. At the State House in Montpelier, they have been running grounds keeping equipment on B20 and the impression pertaining to equipment performance is that the Kubotos have been running cleaner; with less smoke and odor. The equipment is stored in a heated garage, so there haven't been any issues with engine start-up in cold weather.
There is currently no plan to increase the concentration beyond B20, partly because the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources will not support anything higher due to concerns with NOx emissions (Some studies have shown a slight increase in NOx from mobile source emissions). Instead of raising the biodiesel level, the plan is to add more buildings using B20 and, in fact, have just added the state building in Springfield where they expect to use 7,000 gallons of B20 this year.
Teigh would like to see research conducted on burning heavy oil (No. 6 heating oil) with biodiesel added. If there is continued administrative interest in renewable energy it could conceivably be directed towards heating two buildings that use large volumes of oil, resulting in favorable emissions results for the state. The No. 6 oil is notorious for how "dirty" it runs and how hard it is on equipment. Using biodiesel would very likely cut the cost of burner-maintenance with its cleansing properties. Teigh notes that while there were significant initial costs incurred when the state set up a system to burn woodchips for heating, those costs were balanced out over time. He believes that would also be the case with biodiesel.
The only discouraging aspect has been availability of biodiesel. Overall, Teigh sees the growing interest and use of biodiesel as a positive move for the state. He has attended all the conferences and workshops associated with biodiesel in Vermont, and through his persistent research and the experience he's gained from using it in the past year and a half, Teigh thinks that biodiesel is definitely a viable option for Vermont's energy future.