“We have several large industrial users that run on 100 percent biodiesel.” Steve Sack.
Steve Sack, owner of Sack Energy in West Hartford, Connecticut, is known for telling it straight and was one of the first in the state to transition to a cleaner, greener fuel called biodiesel.
“It was a tough sale in the beginning to get people to sign off on this product and try something new,” Sack said while taping the podcast Mission Possible, Delivering Greener Fuel Today. “People do not like change. Nobody likes change. I hate change. Change is horrible. I do not want anything to change. But things have to change. If you do not change, your business will die.”
During the episode of Mission Possible, produced by the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association (CEMA), Sack discussed how the industry is steadily moving toward cleaner and greener fuel options. Several of his commercial customers are already using nearly 100 percent biodiesel as their main energy source.
“We have several large industrial users that run on 100 percent biodiesel. They have facilities that can handle B99 during the winter without freezing. It is stored in a heated tank inside the building. So, there is a specific type of user that can take advantage of it compared to a homeowner. One of our customers is an engineer who maintains the boiler himself. When using traditional heating oil, they had to disassemble the boiler and clean every tube each year, and the plant would shut down for weeks. With pure bio, they only need to clean it every six years, and it takes a tenth of the time,” Sack explained.
Chris Herb, President and CEO of CEMA, noted that the benefits are not only environmental but operational as well.
“Often biodiesel is called a clean fuel because of its emissions factors, but there is a maintenance side of cleanliness that does not get as much attention. Your commercial customer shows what that looks like in real time, and it is another major benefit of biodiesel,” Herb said.
The conversation also touched on advocacy. Both Sack and Herb stressed the importance of speaking out on behalf of the industry at the Connecticut State Capitol and in Washington, D.C.
“We rely on people like Steve and our members to testify at the Capitol. I hope people watching understand they should not feel intimidated. When we talk about energy, you know more than anyone else in the room. Your involvement changes outcomes. When we do not bring that expertise to Hartford or Washington, that is when we get beat. Steve has been a consistent voice who shows up and testifies,” Herb said.
The full episode featuring Sack and guest co-host Herb is available on YouTube. Mission Possible is produced by CEMA and is now in its second season with regular host Shelly Sindland, CEMA’s communications chief. Click on the photo below to see the episode with Steve and Chris.
