Category Archives: NORA

21Dec/18

NORA Extended into 2029

NORA

The National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA)  is pleased to announce that President Trump, on December 20, 2018, signed a ten-year extension for NORA allowing NORA activities to run uninterrupted for the first time ever.

Huber
John Huber

 As a component of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (popularly known as the “Farm Bill”), NORA is authorized to extend its activities until February 6, 2029. This was a great victory for the industry, as all previous extensions were limited to five years. NORA president John Huber praised the efforts within the industry as well from other partners.

”NORA offers special thanks to the organizations and individuals in the heating oil industry that worked so hard and effectively to see this through. The Petroleum Marketers Association of America’s (PMMA) family of associations was particularly effective. We had strong support in the Senate from Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Patrick Leahy (VT), and Susan Collins (ME) who shepherded this through.

Continue reading →
24Oct/18

Technical Workshop and the Oilheat Vision

Education, NORA, Research, technology

The National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) recently hosted its Third Annual Technology Workshop in conjunction with the Southern New England Energy Conference on September 24th and 25th at the Newport Marriott, Newport, Rhode Island.   

NORA’s Workshop highlighted the research work being done at the NORA lab, NORA sponsored projects, innovations underway in Europe and technology advances of companies in the industry.

With a theme of “finding the path forward” for the oilheat industry, the workshop showcased 15 speakers from the U.S. and Europe followed by a panel discussing where the industry sees immediate and long-term threats and which technologies and initiatives can address them.

You can see each of the speakers and their presentations here

15Oct/18

Outgoing NORA Chairman Leaves Research Legacy

NORA, Research, technology

Tom Santa, Santa Energy, Bridgeport, CT, has been the Chairman of the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) since 2017 with his term expiring at the end 2018. For decades, Santa has been a strong advocate of oilheating research. He was an active participant in many Brookhaven Technology Conferences, with a particular interest in bringing a rigorous understanding of the need for good data to assess fuel quality.

When Santa took over as Chairman, NORA’s Research Laboratory in Plainview, NY was still in its infancy. With very little equipment in place, and with the well regarded Dr. Tom Butcher at the helm, Santa focused on ensuring the industry developed new technologies and a better understanding of the industries’ problems and potential solutions. An active, scientifically sound and well respected lab was vital to achieve this. In addition to Dr. Butcher, a strong team needed to be put in place, preferably young talent. Dr. Butcher was encouraged to develop and work with recent graduates and promising students from nearby Stony Brook University. Continue reading →

24Jul/18

NORA Technical Workshop Final Agenda

Education, NORA, Research, technology

Once again, the oilheating industry will gather in Newport, RI for a day of technical presentations and discussions as NORA hosts its 3rd Annual Technical Workshop on September 24th and 25th at the Newport Marriott, Newport, RI.

As it was last year, the Workshop will be held in conjunction with the Southern New England Energy Conference which is sponsored by the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association, the Oilheat Institute of Rhode Island and the Massachusetts Energy Marketers Association.

The Workshop will highlight the research work being done at the NORA lab, NORA’s sponsored projects, innovations underway in Europe and technology advances from companies within the oilheating industry.

The workshop will offer presentations in the following areas:
  • NORA Goals
  • New Technologies for Liquid Fuels 
  • Achieving Higher Efficiency
  • Biofuels
  • New Ideas for Industry 
  • Panel Discussion on Future

Download the workshop agenda

Registration for the NORA Technical Workshop is included the the Southern New England Energy Conference registration.
 
10Oct/17

NORA hosts Technical Workshop

NORA, Research, technology, Uncategorized,
 

The National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) held its second Oilheat Technical Workshop on September 18th -19th in Newport, RI. The workshop was held in partnership with the Southern New England Energy Conference. John Huber, NORA President, kicked-off the program describing the workshop’s goals as providing information on the progress of NORA R&D programs and to explore new ideas in an open forum.
  Continue reading →

25Jul/17

Learning just got easier @NORAweb

Education, NORA

[ezcol_1half]Oilheat technician training is a priority of the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA). The requirement for training is actually written in the Federal law authorizing NORA. Now it is easier than ever to participate in the NORA Certified Technician program, keep track of your certifications and training, and access online courses.

Continue reading →

20Jul/17

2017 NORA Technical Workshop Call for Presentations

NORA, Research, technology
The National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) will hold a Technical Workshop in coordination with the Southern New England Energy Conference (SNEEC) at Gurney’s Newport, Newport, RI, September, 18-19, 2017.
 
NORA is inviting proposals for presentations at this workshop which will be an open exchange among technical leaders of the oilheat industry.
 
General topic areas to be included are:
  • The direction of renewable heating and cooling in New England
  • Update on NORA-sponsored R&D projects
  • Technical aspects of biodiesel use and new biofuels
  • Advancing oilheat energy efficiency
  • Future directions in controls and diagnostics
  • An open forum on NORA research directions
Those interested should contact or send an abstract to Dr.Tom Butcher, Technical Director, NORA at tbutcher@noraweb.org or 571.234.7756.
20Jul/17

NORA Releases 2018-2019 Budget for Comment

NORA, Uncategorized

The proposed 2018 and 2019 biennial Budget for the National Oilheat Research Alliance has been under development for several months.

The NORA Finance Committee, the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors have reviewed the 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, 2017, to JHuber@NORAweb.org.
 

The 2018 and 2010 budget continues the 2014 changes in the NORA statute and emphasizes research and development, and adds and energy efficiency component. Additionally, the budget continues to emphasize the close working relationships with the state associations.Download the Proposed 21018-2019 NORA budget here.