Going Green

Solar helps homeowners lower their electricity bills with solar power. Going solar locks in a fixed electric rate and reduces the cost of the electricity you buy each month. Most solar customers pay about 25% less than they were paying their old electric company for traditional power.
A locked-in rate means protection from unpredictable electricity bills and utility rate increases. Our customers always know what their energy costs will be, so they can focus on the more important parts of life. When you sign up through the Co-op, you receive a $500.00 check card upon completion and activation.

You want to reduce your carbon footprint. You own your own home. Your monthly electric bills are increasing, fluctuating, or higher than you’d like. Your roof is in relatively good condition and has east, west, or south faces without excessive shade.

While in use, solar panels create absolutely no waste or emissions. Unlike fossil fuel power plants, they produce clean, renewable energy from a fuel source that requires no locating, excavation, transportation, or combustion. It’s a simpler, cleaner, and an all-around better energy solution.

Biodiesel is a cleaner burning, domestic and renewable fuel that can be refined from vegetable oil, animal fats or waste grease. The biodiesel we use currently in our B20 blend is supplied to us by Greenleaf Biofuels. Biodiesel meets all ASTM requirements and is the only EPA approved alternative fuel to meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act.

• It’s less toxic than table salt.
• It biodegrades as fast as sugar.
• It blends easily with petroleum products.
• It also provides an opportunity to recycle waste cooking products.

• It’s renewable.
• It burns cleaner in your furnace, initially causing more frequent filter changes but within a year requiring less cleaning, less often.
• All our biodiesel is filtered to 1 micron increasing the quality and reliability of the fuel and is sampled regularly.
• It reduces exhaust emissions including toxins by up to 78% (16% in a B20 blend).
• It substantially reduces unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter, thus reducing the localized formation of smog.
• It dramatically reduces polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nPAH), which have been identified as potential cancer causing compounds.
• It essentially eliminates emissions of sulfur oxides and sulfates (20% reduction in a B20 blend), thus reduces major components of acid rain.
• It reduces global warming gas emissions.

Using bioheat supports our domestic economy, reduces our dependence on foreign oil and enhances our national security. A typical household using B20 bioheat reduces CO2 emissions by 15% and particulate pollution by 20% — emitting 3,200 lbs. less CO2 annually.  Environmentally, using bioheat significantly decreases emissions of greenhouse gases and particulate matter that contribute to lung disease and cancer. Bioheat can be part of the solution to a global problem and an anchor for the future.

The cost of bioheat is running about the same as the cost of the co-op pricing for No.2 home heating oil. The industry is confident that demand as well as a heightened sense of responsibility and environmental stewardship, the cost of bioheat continues to become more competitive. With all energy costs rising, a B20 blend reflects the increase of petrodiesel also. Contact the Citizen’s Oil Co-op to find out what current prices are or refer to our pricing page on this site.