Types of Heating Fuel

Oil

Modern heating oil systems provide a clean, safe, and environmentally friendly means to efficiently heat a home or business. New technology has made heating oil one of the most highly-efficient, low emissions ways to ensure warmth, safety, and comfort. Modern heating oil systems can offer efficiencies from 83% to 95%.

Propane / LP-Gas

Propane (sometimes referred to as liquefied petroleum gas, LP-gas, or LPG) is produced from natural gas processing and crude oil refining. Most propane used in the US is produced domestically. Propane is a highly versatile fuel that can be used to heat a home or business, run appliances, provide hot water and run a generator for electricity. Modern propane boilers and heaters offer efficiencies above 90%.

Biomass

Biomass fuel includes products such as wood pellets and BioBlocks. Wood pellets are made from compressed wood chips and sawdust, often left over from the production of lumber for construction. They can be used in pellet stoves and boilers to provide heat and hot water. BioBlocks are environmentally friendly blocks made from compressed hardwood waste and are designed to replace traditional firewood. Both wood pellets and BioBlocks offer the warm, cozy heat of firewood without the extra steps of cutting, splitting, and stacking.

Fuel BTU Comparison

Please note - not all of these products are availble from A.E. Robinson, some are included for comparison purposes only. For a complete list of the products and services we offer, please contact our Dover-Foxcroft office at (207) 564-8131.

Fuel Type	Approximate BTUs
#2 Fuel Oil	138,500 Btu per gallon
Kerosene	135,000 Btu per gallon
Propane	92,500 Btu per gallon
Wood pellets – 10% moisture	8,000 Btu per pound / 16,000,000 Btu per ton
Softwood	10–15,000,000 Btu per cord
Hardwood	18–24,000,000 Btu per cord
Corn – Shelled	7,800-8,500 Btu per pound / 15-17,000,000 Btu per ton
Corn - Cobs	8,000-8,300 Btu per pound / 16-17,000,000 Btu per ton
Electricity	3412 Btu per kilowatt hour