How To Find Vegetable Oil Fuel Stations

Maybe you've already got or are thinking about getting a primary or supplementary biofuel fuel oil furnace in your home.  If you heat your home with heating oil, your current furnace can probably burn biofuel without enhancement? Or maybe you've got the chance to buy a conversion with a secondary fuel tank that feeds your vegetable fuel into the gas line after a regular diesel cold start.  Or you're thinking about buying a conversion kit for your vehicle.  Or you already own a biofuel capable rig, truck, or bus.  The question is how to fuel these alternative energy cost-savers?

Some of the same places that sell kerosene fuel and propane also sell biodiesel and biomass fuels.  But how to tell?  And do they carry B20?  B20 is he commonest blend of 20 percent biofuel and diesel which can run in most diesel engine without any modification.

For the quick low-down, visit the U.S. Department of Energy's sites and pages accessible via  afdc. energy. gov and use the locator to find stations in your state.  It's a quick and easy site that tells you who, what, when, where, and the salient fact for most:  B20 or above.

The government's full-blown alternative energy site also located there under "fuels" is the best place to start for an education about the gamut of alternative fuels and taxes, etc., as well as for locating stations that sell a specific fuel.  The locator map here is excellent as it allows you to see an overview of which states are ranked where in terms of how many alternative fueling stations there are.

The same government site offers the curious user other valuable information on all the fuel types available, e.g. biodiesel/vegetable, electricity, ethanol, hydrogen, methanol, natural gas, propane, ultra-low sulfur diesel, emerging fuels, fuel properties, blends, prices, incentives, laws.  You can even find out about running an alternative vehicle fleet.  And you can make queries or just search their database.

How to know which nearby station to go to?  The site altfuelprices.com gives you what it says, the prices, most recent or when provided by the retailer or purveyor.  A handy interactive click tree auto-changes the sweet, time color-coded map.

Yes, the resources are here today to find alternative fueling stations.  But check changes in government regulations that sometimes force vendors to deliver fossil fuels again.  So, always check your locator map or call ahead to make sure your vendor carries the alternative fuel you want.