All posts by NORA

01Dec/16

NORA Chairman elect addressed industry conference.

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

27Sep/16

Fuel Savings Analysis 2.0 Now Available

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

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

18May/16

Coming Soon…FSA 2.0. Reserve yours.

One of NORA’s most useful and helpful tools, the Fuel Savings Analysis Calculator is currently in the final stages of a major update. The new and improved FSA Calculator 2.0 will provide a number of never-before-seen features, as well as powerful and streamlined enhancements to the existing platform.

  • Cloud Based. Can Be Accessed on any Internet Enabled Device
  • Responsive Design Auto Scales to Desktop, Laptop, Tablet or Smart Phone
  • Mobile Friendly Interface for Improved Use in the Field
  • Users Set Up Individual Password-Protected Accounts
  • Choose from Four Existing Equipment Presets and Six New Equipment Presets
  • Users Can Modify and Save any Equipment Presets
  • Simple Mode for Consumers and Laymen
  • Advanced Mode for Skilled Technicians
  • New Expanded Location/Temperature Data
  • Consumers See Multiple Upgrade Options at 5, 15 & 20 Year ROI
  • Results and Recommendations Can Be Saved and Shared
  • Mobile Apps for iOS and Android Currently in Developmen

Register here to receive an email update when FSA 2.0 is available.

29Mar/16

NORA Releases Product Development Program Opportunity Notice

[ezcol_1half]The National Oilheat Research Alliance Board of Directors in its budgets for 2015 and 2016, has authorized funds to be spent on the project areas listed below.

Successful research, development and demonstrations grants in the past ranged from $20,000 to $350,000. All projects will be managed by NORA’s Liquid Fuels Research Center (LFRC).

NORA PON No. 2016-001 seeks proposals to support the development,demonstration,and commercialization of Oilheat
technologies and systems in the following categories:
Category A: System Level Controls
Category B: New Appliances
Category C: Other New Ideas[/ezcol_1half]

Under PON No.2016-001, NORA plans to award multiple cost-shared contracts in Categories A through C up to a total of $350,000 for each award.

This funding allocation may be adjusted based upon the quantity and quality of the proposals received.

There is no minimum project funding amount per project award.

Proposals are due June 27, 2016 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time

Open full notice here. 

21Mar/16

NORA revises Gold Technicians’ Certification

Four new books now available…Advanced Hydronics, Advanced Air Flow, Advanced Efficiency and Advanced Venting.

Oilheat service technicians wishing to upgrade their NORA Silver Certification to the prestigious Gold level now have a revised and updated Gold program to follow.

To achieve Gold Certification status, a Silver Certification is a prerequisite and the technician must successfully complete four of eight Gold certification topic modules.

Currently, six of the eight modules are available for credit including four brand new releases by NORA: Advanced Air Flow, Advanced Hydronics, Advanced Efficiency and Advanced Venting. Additionally, NORA will be releasing Advanced Controls and Advanced Steam in the near future. The remaining two, Oil Tank Installation and Maintenance and BPI’s program Building Science Principles Reference Guide are already in place. Continue reading

16Mar/16

NORA consumer outreach exceeding expectations.

An aggressive internet focused consumer outreach program extolling the virtues of heating with Bioheat® (heating oil blended with renewable biodiesel) has performed even better than anticipated.
The National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA), through its Board of Directors and Executive Committee, allocated nearly $1 million to ensure consumers understand the value of oilheating.
This is being accomplished through a digital media outreach plan expected to lead to nearly 100 million impressions and more than 500,000 visits to NORA’s website OilheatAmerica.com. This effort ensures oilheating customers understand the true value of oilheat.
NORA’s digital campaign commenced in mid-January of this year and included Search Engine Marketing* (SEM), Social Media Marketing** and Internet Display Advertising.***

Continue reading

20Nov/15

NYOHA Helps NYC Students Learn the Science of Bioheat® Fuel

The New York Oil Heating Association (NYOHA) is helping a teacher in Bronx, NY, incorporate clean-burning Bioheat® fuel as a teaching tool in an interdisciplinary approach to HVAC training.

Peter Gonzalez is teaching the science of Bioheat® fuel – as well as math, chemistry and English – to 17 Bronx Design and Construction Academy juniors this fall, with NYOHA’s support. In addition to arranging for 150 gallons of pure B100 Bioheat® fuel and equipment to be donated by AMERIgreen Energy and Schildwachter Oil Company, Rocco Lacertosa, NYOHA’s CEO and a member of the school’s HVAC Advisory Board, recently visited the classroom to speak directly to the students. Continue reading