The NORA Budget Committee and the Executive Committee have reviewed the 2026 & 2027 budget and it is now being released for public comment.
At the conclusion of the public comment period, the budget will be forwarded to the Department of Energy.
Anyone interested in commenting on this should forward comments by September 30, 2025, to mdevine@noraweb.org.
For more information about NORA and its programs or services, visit the website, NORAweb.org
Category Archives: NORA
NORA Expands List of Accredited Technical Schools
NORA is proud to announce the expansion of its list of participating technical schools offering the Bronze Technician Training as part of the NORA Technician Education Program. This initiative, which aims to enhance workforce development and strengthen the future of the liquid heating fuels industry, now includes several new institutions committed to excellence in HVAC and energy efficiency training.
NORA Certified Technical Schools certified in 2025
• JP Keefe High School, Van Buren, ME
• Advanced Trade School, Brentwood, NH
• D.F. Richard Energy, Dover, NH
• Palmer Gas & Oil, Atkinson, NH
• Stafford Technical Center, Rutland, VT
• Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, Haverhill, MA
• Bristol Technical Education Center, Bristol, CT
• Norbert E Mitchell, Danbury, CT
• State University of NY (SUNY) at Morrisville, Morrisville, NY
The NORA Education Program is dedicated to promoting technical education and professional growth in the liquid heating fuels industry. By partnering with accredited technical schools, the program provides students and professionals with access to modern training resources, certifications, and hands-on experience with the latest heating technologies.
“We are excited to expand our network of technical schools to better serve students seeking careers in heating technologies,” said Bob O’Brien, Director of Education at NORA. “This growth supports our mission ensuring a well-trained workforce prepared for the evolving needs of the liquid heating fuel sector and its customers.”
With the addition of these new partner schools, NORA continues to prepare the next generation of technicians with tools and knowledge essential to maintaining and upgrading America’s home heating systems—particularly as the industry shifts toward low-carbon liquid fuels.
100% Renewable Home Heating Field Study
NORA, in partnership with Chevron and nine liquid heating fuel wholesale/retail distributors across three States, has embarked in the first of its kind, large scale field study on the use of 100% renewable heating fuels in homes. The field test will have homes running on either 80% renewable diesel blended with 20% biodiesel RD80/BD20), or 50% renewable diesel/50% biodiesel (RD50/BD50). These test site homes will be monitored through both a heating season and an off season to determine the fuels suitability for use in the home heating market.
Indoor Comfort Marketing chatted with some of the key players from NORA, Chevron, Rhoads Energy and Broco Energy about the details and goals of the project.
Click the image below to read the story.
Getting Ready for Spring Training
Michael Devine, President, NORA
A unique opportunity this spring
As I sit down to write this article, Major League Baseball Spring training has just started, and the liquid heating industry is relishing one of its coldest heating seasons in quite some time. While September through November were warm and felt as if Mother Nature was pushing the Summer and Fall seasons out as long as possible, December finally arrived and with it began a “normal” winter heating season. For the first time in many years, liquid heating marketers went into a six to seven-day delivery work week. Service technicians were working consecutive evenings, and the phone was consistently ringing in the offices with worried souls fearful of running out of oil due to the cold Winter evenings ahead.
As we run through the finish line of this heating season, you may have for the first time in a while added capital to deploy. Now, if it was me back in the day, I certainly would be considering a new delivery vehicle and/or service van, but what other items should you consider? How about your customers, what does this “normal” heating season mean to them? While this has been a well-needed Winter for your organization, your customer is coming off a heating season where they spent more money to keep their family warm than they have in many years. They are likely feeling the financial pain associated with the “normal Winter”.
This Spring, you have a unique opportunity: the chance to provide your customers with important information on the value and cost savings of a new and more efficient heating system. Many of today’s new boilers and furnaces are achieving Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratings from the high 80s into the low and mid-90s. The question we are often asked is, “I know we should promote higher efficiency equipment, but how would we go about it?”
Energy efficiency is at the core of all heating and cooling marketing efforts offered to the U.S. consumer and liquid fuel heating has a great story to tell. Liquid heating fuel marketers can offer a high-value solution to customers. For those who may not remember, NORA completed an extensive report in December of 2021 entitled “Report on Equipment Upgrade and Incentive Project,” which can be found on the NORA website at https://shorturl.at/09QF2.
The report noted that NORA has in place a Consumer Equipment Rebate Program that aims to increase consumer heating system efficiency and safety by encouraging the replacement of existing equipment with new, efficient systems. This report describes the results of analyzing energy savings associated with upgrading 6,412 home heating boiler systems under this program. Savings are estimated based on two methods; the first is an analysis of fuel delivery and degree day data before and after the equipment change-out. The second involves characterization of the type of equipment before and after the upgrade. Both methods gave similar results.
The average fuel savings was found to be 20%. For the 6,412 boiler upgrades done as of the beginning of 2021, the total savings after one year was 1,090,040 gallons, $3,488,128 and 15,833 tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These savings were extended to 5, 10 and 25 years (see table below).

Due to the interest and success of the 2021 study, NORA wanted to compile additional updated data. We expanded on the 2021 study and in December 2024, published a follow-up you can find at https://shorturl.at/QRbzw.
In the 2024 updated study, NORA reported that it had extended the analysis of the impact of the NORA Rebate Program from January 2022 to June 2024 using the same methodology. This new report provides an update on the total impact of the NORA Rebate Program from the start of 2021 through June 2024. In the analysis of the more recent rebate data, an additional 3,388 boiler and 973 furnace upgrades were included. This means the Rebate Program has upgraded a total of 9,888 boiler replacements and 3,074 furnaces.
In estimating the total impact of the NORA Rebate Program to date, we took a typical baseline home annual oil consumption of 850 gallons. A 10% average savings for furnaces was assumed. For the set of boilers studied in the 2021 report, a 20% average fuel savings was found. For the set included in the 2022–2024 data, which had a different boiler population set, the average savings was found to be 14%. In addition to the reduced fuel savings associated with the NORA Rebate Program, the reduction in GHG emissions can be estimated using a heating oil emission factor of 209 lbs. CO2e/MMBtu and a fuel heating value of 139,000 Btu/gal.
Based on the two studies, an average of 17% improved efficiency and savings were recognized within both boiler sets. Using an average of 850 gallons purchased by the consumer per year, this equates to approximately 144.50 gallons saved annually. With a baseline cost of $3.61 per gallon, the yearly savings would be $521.45—which is quite impressive.
Couple these savings with a consumer $600-dollar IRS tax credit provided by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and a NORA $500 (average) Consumer Equipment Rebate for new equipment, the year-one savings on a new heating system would come in around $1,621.45—a very good return on investment for the consumer.
Please keep in mind that the higher the efficiency of the system, the greater the savings to the consumer. Therefore, the highest value for the consumer might be in the higher efficiency equipment, not the purchase price of the heating system.
Put the nature of this heating season to good use and offer financial solutions for the higher heating bills your customers endured and help them realize actual savings now, and into the future, through the installation of high-efficiency liquid heating equipment. Your professional recommendations might secure this customer and property for another 25 years of service to your organization—and that’s a winning return on investment in any league.
BPI Training & Testing at NORA
NORA is pleased to announce that its Technical Training Center in Plainview, NY has been authorized to conduct Building Performance Institute’s BPI testing for Building Science Principles, Building Analyst Technician and Building Analyst Professional certifications.
BPI is a nationally recognized standards and certification entity for home performance contractors. BPI focuses on a “house as a system approach,” as it emphasizes the interdependence of buildings and their systems and how they relate to energy consumption. As a result, providing pathways for energy conservation measures.
Individuals that have been trained, tested, and certified to BPI’s nationally recognized standards use the house-as-a-system approach to improve the performance of existing homes – an approach proven to reduce homeowner annual utility bills by as much as 20% or more.
According to NORA’s Director of Education, Bob O’Brien, “BPI certifications are widely valued in the building energy space. Qualified examiners are in great demand by homeowners and state and utility efficiency incentive programs as we embrace a holistic whole-building approach to efficiency, reductions in fuel use and carbon reduction.”
To help prepare candidates for the BPI testing, NORA is also offering comprehensive training classes based upon BPI criteria at the Plainview location.
NORA’s BPI approved testing center is one of only three on Long Island, NY, which covers four counties and a population of more than 8 million.
NORA BPI training and resting will be offered in several cycles during the year.
Recent AIP Instructors Recognized
NORA is pleased to recognize the trainers who completed the second NORA Accredited Instructor Program (AIP), Nick Povio, Binsky Home Heating; John Ringel, Energy Kinetics; Marc Gilbert, Central Main Community College, Michael Elmer, PPATEC; Ed Wagner, J&K Sales; Joel Nawkson, FSI Oil & Propane; Raymond Conte, NH School of Mechanical Trades and Taylor Donlon,, Donlon Brothers at NORA’s Research & Education center in Plainview, NY, under the tutelage of professional education trainer Brenda Huber. The NORA Accredited Instructor program was developed to ensure service professionals trained in NORA schools, unions, and by companies in the liquid heating fuels industry have been provided with an education that positions them, their customers, and their companies for success. The service professionals in the liquid heating fuels industry are the first and most important contacts with customers. They are responsible not only for ensuring the heating system is operating at maximum efficiency, safety and reliability, but also with how customers perceive their liquid fuel heating, their adoption of renewable fuels and how comfortable they are with staying with their liquid fuel heating system. The program began with a prepared presentation by each of the participants. These were critiqued by the instructor as well as others in the class to establish a baseline. From there, the instructor took the participants through the teaching process to elevate their lessons from simply conveying facts to creating a meaningful total-learning experience for the students. The NORA Accredited Instructor program’s emphasis is to present the curriculum in such a way that students “own” the information and not just hear it. |
L to R: Ed Wagner, J&K Sales; Michael Elmer, PPATEC; Chris Grenier, J&K Sales; Joel Nawkson, FSI Oil & Propane; Bob O’Brien, NORA; Brenda Huber, Instructor; Nick Povio, Binsky Home Services, Taylor Donlon, Donlon Brothers; Marc Gilbert, Central Main Community College and John Ringel, Energy Kinetics, Inc.

Hear what they have to say about NORA’s AIP
NORA to Contribute to Exploring Biodiesel Seminar
XBX|Exploring Biodiesel series of seminars will continue August 21 at the New England Aquarium, Boston, MA.
This session, Navigating the Future, will center around the core questions that middle distillate supply chain participants must address to ensure a successful transition to low-carbon renewable biofuels, including:
- Is the production of bio-based diesel fuels scalable to meet demand in existing and emerging markets while still being economically viable?
- Is our infrastructure robust and reliable?
- Are we effectively communicating our decarbonization story to the public?
- What is the cost of inaction?
NORA, whose mission is to remove carbon emissions from home heating, will be represented on two panel discussions.
Nora’s president, Michael Devine, will be part of a panel discussion titled “Operational Integration, Getting Ready to Roll” about preparing customer-facing representatives to effectively communicate the benefits of low-carbon liquid fuels to end users and what, if any, operational transitions might be needed.
Dr. Jenny Frank, NORA Research Associate, will contribute to the panel discussion “Monetizing the Transition” which will examine the financial aspects of adopting advanced renewable fuels.
Registration and more detailed information for August 21 in Boston can be found here.
Additionally, XBX|Navigating the Future will host another seminar on October 15 in Lancaster, PA.
More about XBX at exploringbiofuels.com
NORA 2024 Technology Workshop
NORA’s Workshop will highlight the research work being done by NORA as well as an international perspective through the participation of Eurofuel.
Established in 2000, NORA mission focuses on Energy Efficiency, Environmental Responsibility, Safety, Research & Development and Professional Education, with particular emphasis on transitioning liquid heating fuels and appliances to a low-carbon source of heat and hot water.
The key purpose of this workshop is to develop a shared vision of the focus of NORA’s activities for the coming year.
The 2024 Technology Workshop will offer presentations and attendee participation in a workshop setting in the following areas:
- Priorities of the Liquid Heating Fuels industry in Europe
- Building Codes Updates
- DOE Efficiency Standards
- Biodiesel: Field & Lab Results and Standards Updates
- Renewable Diesel/HVO: Its application in heating, NORA Testing, European Experience and a Proposed Fuel Test
- Net-Zero Carbon Buildings
- NORA R&D Priorities
Dr. Thomas Butcher, NORA’s Director of Research offered this about the upcoming workshop, “With NORA’s mandate to advance efficiency and environmental responsibility, this workshop provides the opportunity to collaborate with the industry’s leaders and European partners to create a pathway for continued carbon reduction and more efficient building heating. Working with the Southern New England Energy Conference (SNEEC) will provide a stimulating environment for our workshop, and we encourage all SNEEC attendees and other interested parties to attend.”
Registration for the NORA Technical Workshop is included in the Southern New England Energy Conference registration.
NORA Releases 2024-2025 Budget for Comment
The proposed 2024 and 2024 biennial budget for the National Oilheat Research Alliance has been under development for several months. The NORA Finance Committee and the Executive Committee have reviewed the 2024 & 2025 budget and it is now being released for public comment.
At the conclusion of the public comment period, the budget will be forwarded to the Department of Energy.
Anyone interested in commenting on this should forward comments, by September 1, 2021, to mdevine@noraweb.org.
. For more information about NORA and its programs or services, call 703-340-1660 or visit the web site, NORAwe