Case Studies: Reducing Oil Consumption
Case Study 1: Family of 4 (My household): 2 adults,
2
kids under 6. A 3,000 square foot log home.
Prior
consumption rates:
- Heating oil: 1,300 gallons/year
- Gas for car: 900 gallons/year (note: we drive around 27,000
miles/year--mostly for business)
- Diesel for truck: 700 gallons/year (15,000 miles--entirely
business)
- Total petroleum consumed: 2,900 gallons
Approximate
2006
consumption rates:
- Heating oil: 300 gallons used
- Firewood (estimated 600 gallons saved)
- started burning firewood midwinter (December 12, 2005 to
be
exact)
- replaced about 400 gallons of heating oil by wood in the
winter/spring
- replaced about 200 gallons of heating oil by wood in the
fall/winter
- Maintaining cooler house temperatures (estimated 120
gallons
saved)
- Fire would often go out at night during cold (-20 F or
colder) spells; house temperatures would decline as low as
55 F
- Seldom kept the house warmer than 68 (used to be kept at
70), average was probably 67.
- Biodiesel (80 gallons saved)
- Although our burner would not burn straight biodiesel,
it
would burn B80 (a blend of 20% heating oil and 80%
biodiesel)
- Coal (200 gallons saved)
- About 2 tons of coal burned
- Combination of coal and wood worked the best
- Gas for car: about 780 gallons used
- 10% reduction in miles driven by combining chores,
reducing
non-business driving, etc (estimated 90 gallons saved)
- Scooter purchased & driven 1,200 miles (estimated 30
gallons saved)
- 105 mpg vs 30 for the car
- Diesel for truck: about 620 gallons used
- 80 gallons of biodiesel used
2006 totals 1,700 gallons of petroleum products used, a reductionof
1,200 gallons or 41%!
Discussion & future plans:
We have made large inroads on our fuel consumption. We have
continued our efforts into 2007, burning more coal and less heating
oil; purchased a new car (a Civic Hybrid) which gets nearly 50 mpg
instead of 30 and increased use of the scooter. We have also
upgraded the biodiesel production facility and intend to burn more
biodiesel in the truck and house.
Case study 2: An 8 plex of eight 2-bedroom apartments (about
6,500
square feet total)
Prior
consumption rates:
- 5,200 gallons of heating oil
Approximate 2006 consumption:
- About 1,200 gallons
- In early April 2006 totally converted to coal heat
- Current oil consumption = 0 gallons/year
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