Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is a renewable liquid fuel which is an alternative to the traditional heating oil, kerosene.
Lower carbon oil alternative in the pipeline
The use of HVO as a heating fuel could significantly reduce carbon emissions in off-main gas areas, where buildings with lower EPC ratings may require substantial capital outlay and investment into infrastructure upgrades in order to be suitable for alternative technologies. HVO could contribute towards the decarbonisation of the oil supply, by replacing Kerosene with a renewable liquid heating fuel alternative.
As the cost and availability becomes more viable, HVO could be able to reach its market potential as a home heating fuel.
HVO Conversion Kits
We offer HVO conversion kits suitable for our entire oil boiler range manufactured after September 2018. These new kits enable our oil boilers to be safely and efficiently converted to operate on HVO.
All of our oil boilers were tested on HVO to find the correct combination of burner components and settings to match the performance on kerosene. Our HVO kits contain labels for the appliance, burner and oil tank, with updated information regarding HVO. Typically, the kits contain a nozzle, flame sensor and replacement oil valve. Some of our conversion kits contain additional components such as an air damper disc or burner recirculation tube, depending on boiler model and output, in order for each variation of appliance to perform as efficiently as possible.
We recommend ordering these kits based on customer demand. If you’re interested, please enquire in your local merchants.
View our HVO kitsThe oil market as it stands
There are approximately 1.5million UK homes with oil boilers.
The government is hoping to replace oil boilers with heat pumps, but it's not a technology suitable for all property types. HVO could be a lower carbon solution for off-gas grid homes with lower insulation levels or building restrictions.
HVO trials
For properties off the gas grid, HVO trials have been encouraging and have led to further trials.
Using 100% HVO or blending HVO with heat pump or solar would avoid swapping oil out entirely.
FAQ's
What is HVO? (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil)
HVO fuel is synthetically made through the hydrotreatment process from vegetable oils or animal fats which allows it to significantly reduce harmful emissions making it a fossil-free alternative to traditional heating oils.
What are the benefits of HVO?
- It can reduce carbon emissions by up to 88% when compared to traditional heating oil
- Similar appliance performance to those boilers running on Kerosene
- It’s odourless
Why are HVO conversion kits required?
The heating fuels Kerosene and HVO have different characteristics (e.g. viscosity, combustion) and are not interchangeable without adjustments to the burner set up and combustion settings.
To ensure reliable and cleaner combustion using HVO, we have carried out external testing and produced simple kits with all necessary components and step by step instructions for a qualified heating engineer to make the conversion to HVO and identify the boiler and system as having been converted for future services.
How does the price of HVO compare to the price of oil today?
Presently there are only small amounts of HVO oil available therefore the price of HVO is relatively expensive when compared to Kerosene. When the oil suppliers and distributors have confidence that there is a growing and buoyant market for HVO then the production levels might increase and we may see the price start to fall. Even with the higher price of HVO we still see an increasing amount of people start using HVO as they avoid the large expense of converting their house and heating system for use with a heat pump.
When will HVO become more readily available?
With the change of Government in 2024, we’re waiting their response towards exploring the use of renewable liquid fuels for home heating as an alternative to kerosene.
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