All posts by John Huber

21Feb/17

DOE Releases New Biodiesel Handling and Use Guide

February 21, 2017UncategorizedJohn Huber

The Department of Energy has released its latest edition of its Biodiesel Handling and Use Guide. This guide is for those who blend, distribute and use biodiesel and biodiesel blends. It provides information on the proper and safe use of biodiesel blends in heating systems and engines. It is intended to help fleets, individual users, blenders, distributors, and those involved handling biodiesel understand the procedures for handling and using biodiesel fuels.

26Jan/17

Massachusetts Energy Marketers Assoc. releases training schedule

January 26, 2017UncategorizedJohn Huber

The Massachusetts Energy Marketers Association (MEMA), through its affiliation with NORA, is offering many technical and business owner/professional staff training programs in 2017.

Because NORA subsidizes these courses they are offered to retailers, their employees and technicians at a modest fee, or free of charge. Continue reading →

20Jan/17

NORA adds two new online Video Courses

January 20, 2017Education, NORAJohn Huber

NORA has added two new online video courses at its education website, Learning.NORAweb.org.

The courses come to NORA through two of the leading manufacturers of heating System components; Taco, Cranston, RI and Honeywell, Golden Valley, MN.

The Taco course is titled: How and Why to Use Outdoor Reset
The Honeywell course is titled: Universal Oil Burner Primary Control R7284U

The courses each carry 2 continuing education credits (CEUs) that can be used for NORA Oilheat Technician Certification Program re-certification.

09Jan/17

NORA ads 4 new online video courses

January 9, 2017UncategorizedJohn Huber

The National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) has added four new online video courses to its online training center at Learning.NORAweb.org. Each course offers two continuing education units (CEU credits) that can be applied to renew or upgrade a NORA’s Oilheat Technician Certification.

Continue reading →

01Dec/16

NORA Chairman elect addressed industry conference.

December 1, 2016UncategorizedJohn Huber

The incoming Chairman of the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA), Tom Santa, Santa Energy, Bridgeport, CT, spoke to the Metropolitan Energy Conference about “Heating Oil-The Renewable Industry” at the group’s luncheon on November 1 in Bridgeport, CT.

Santa began by stating the oilheating industry, responsible for keeping millions of Americans warm and safe each year, is entering a renaissance with a fuel that is cleaner, less expensive and more reliable than ever. Continue reading →

28Oct/16

Oilheat Technicians Manual now available at no cost.

October 28, 2016Education, NORAJohn Huber

Oilheat technicians and students can now access NORA’s entire Oilheat Technicians Manual without payment as part of NORA’s education and training mandate.

The manual, originally released in 2008, is the textbook for the NORA Silver Certification program and contains more than 360 pages of detailed descriptions, procedures and trouble shooting on all topics relating to oilheating. The seventeen chapters are clearly illustrated with hundreds of color illustrations, photos, diagrams and charts.

The Oilheat Technicians Manual can be downloaded, chapter-by-chapter in .pdf format or opened and browsed in a visually appealing, searchable “page flip” format here.

NORA has decided to make the manual available at no cost to students and technicians as part of its mission to, as NORA’s president John Huber says, “get as much good information into as many hands as possible; as easily as possible.”

The manual has already sold more than 12,000 copies in its printed form and is the required textbook for many technical schools’ oilheating curriculum.

The manual can also be purchased in its printed and bound version at NORAstore.org.

27Sep/16

Fuel Savings Analysis 2.0 Now Available

September 27, 2016NORA, Research, technologyJohn Huber

The National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) has released the new version of its Fuel Savings Analysis Calculator, which uses test data on oil-fired boilers to demonstrate the value of equipment upgrades with consumer-friendly metrics.

The FSA calculator can help Oilheat salespeople overcome the limitations of the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) metric. AFUE is a measure of how efficient an appliance is in converting the energy in its fuel to heat over the course of a typical year, and the Federal Trade Commission requires all new furnaces or boilers to display their AFUE for the benefit of consumers.

Continue reading →

15Sep/16

NORA Technical Workshshop

September 15, 2016NORA, Research, technologyJohn Huber

A varied assembly of 50 industry professionals met in Newport, RI to hear about the latest in oilheat technology advances. The workshop, hosted by the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) and crafted by NORA’s Director of Research, Dr. Thomas Butcher, featured 21 presenters covering topics under four major categories: Advanced Burner Concepts, Ultra Low Sulfur Heating Oil and Premium Fuels, Biofuels and Advanced Equipment. Continue reading →

04Aug/16

NORA releases financial statements for 2014-2015

August 4, 2016NORAFinancialJohn Huber

The National OIlheat Research Alliance has released it complete financial statements for the years 2014 and 2015. Click here.

02Jun/16

New Liquid Fuel Research & Training Center Opened

June 2, 2016NORAEducation, Reserch, TrainingJohn Huber

The National Oilheat Research Alliance and two Oilheating associations recently celebrated the opening of a new research and training facility designed specifically for Oilheating fuels and renewabls, such as and Bioheat® fuel.

Continue reading →