Cash in (on) your chips: waste vegetable oil can heat your home

At a time when sustainable living is at the forefront of global concerns, converting waste vegetable oil (WVO) into fuel for your home heating systems (and potentially air conditioning) presents an innovative and eco-friendly solution.

So what are the benefits of using waste vegetable oil? There are three primary impacts:

• Environmental: Using waste vegetable oil reduces reliance on fossil fuels and decreases carbon emissions.
• Financial: Waste vegetable oil is often free or inexpensive, leading to significant savings on fuel costs.
• Waste Reduction: Repurposing used cooking oil helps to reduce waste and environmental pollution.

To begin the process, you must first collect the WVO and convert it into a usable form. In order to run a property, or vehicle for that matter, the WVO must be collected, filtered and converted into a fuel that can be used in a diesel engine-powered, water-cooled electrical generator. Once it has been converted, the fuel can then be treated and stored in the same way as you would store conventional central heating oil.

However, to take advantage of the new fuel and turn it into energy, you’ll need to install a slightly modified diesel generator optimised to run on this new fuel. This generator converts the WVO into electrical energy, which can then be used to – for example – efficiently generate electricity to recharge an electric vehicle.

Where systems allow, the waste thermal energy produced during the process can be harnessed to power the central heating system.

So what are the modifications? The generator must include a provision to divert the hot water from the generator cooling system to an additional heat exchanger, in order to extract heat from the exhaust pipe. It’s an innovative setup that ensures the absorption of energy from the waste thermal energy is maximised. The hot water and extracted heat are then linked to the conventional household heating system via another heat exchanger.

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Using waste vegetable oil for air conditioning

This can be done, but the technology you'll need to do it is difficult to come by. The technical challenge is that the electrical power required for the air conditioning system uses the same electrical power you would need for recharging your EV.

One possible solution is to use a low grade, thermal system that produces the same effect as conventional air conditioning. Although these systems are not currently commercially available, the technology required is straightforward and within the capability of small-scale manufacturing. This approach involves using the waste heat generated by the diesel generator to drive an absorption-type chiller, offering an efficient and sustainable way to cool the home without drawing on the EV’s recharging power.

The use of WVO as a fuel source for your car and home heating presents both a sustainable and cost-effective approach. It’s an alternative energy source that can significantly reduce the environmental impact of running a warm home and an electric vehicle, as well as lessening the load on the electrical infrastructure and contributing to a greener future.

Any time we are able to find a way to turn waste products into energy without introducing unnecessary pollutants, we can be sure it’s a solution worth exploring.

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At The Green Landlady, we’re focused on property development with the minimum possible negative impact on the environment. To find out how they can open the door to cost-effective energy-efficient living, to transform and protect your property or property investment plans – speak to The Green Landlady today.