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Before and After - Comparing Energy Bills After Using Used Engine Oil to Heat New Facility


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LEOLA, PA – Before McCormick Motors installed their Clean Burn used-oil recycling furnace in 1998, they paid to have 11,000 gallons of used motor oil removed from their facility each year. Today, with four furnaces in place, they remove just a 55 gallon drum of used-oil yearly. And, more impressively, they abandoned their old boiler system and have had flat energy bills for the past ten years while using energy from the recycled oil to heat their 40,000-square foot service center and showroom.

“We recycle almost 10,000 gallons of used-oils each year with our Clean Burn units,” according to Gordon Moore, vice president of McCormick Motors in Nappanee, Indiana. “The energy savings are significant. However, the most important aspect is that we’ve eliminated our liability for transporting the used-oils to a disposal site and we’re doing something positive for the environment.”

In 2006, Robinson Tire was spending $4,000 yearly in gas heating costs. Since adding their Clean Burn furnace, they reduced gas usage by 87 percent. The Lafayette, Indiana seven-bay auto center has just added a second Clean Burn furnace and expects even greater energy savings in the future.

Over in Lima, Ohio, the president of Magnam Truck and Auto estimates his company saves more than $1,200 monthly on gas bills thanks to their Clean Burn furnace. “One of the first things we did when we purchased our 13,000-square foot reconditioning and clean-up building was buy our Clean Burn furnace,” says Craig Burkholder, president of Magnam Truck and Auto. “We create more than 2,300 gallons of used-oils each year with the sports utility vehicles and trucks we sell and service. For the past two years the Clean Burn unit has turned our waste fuels into energy. We’re looking to buy more of these units in the near future!”

Another “before and after success story” for recycling used-oils with Clean Burn units comes from Kilbarger Construction in Logan, Ohio. Mechanic Mike Smith reports that the two Clean Burn furnaces purchased in December of 2007 recycled 6,000 gallons of used oils in just three months, saving the company more than $28,000 in diesel fuel. “These units will more than pay for themselves within the first year,” says Smith. “Our company deals with a large amount of heavy equipment, drilling rigs and trucks. They produce an exceptional amount of used-oil during their maintenance. Now we’re transforming that used-oil into free heat for our 13,000-square foot shop operations.”

Clean Burn manufactures three types of used-oil furnaces for different sized operations including the Compact Used-Oil Furnace (Model CB-1400), Low Profile Used-Oil Furnaces (Models CB-1750 and CB-2500) and the Large Volume Used-Oil Furnaces (Models CB-3500 and CB-5000). The company also produces Used-Oil Coil Tube Boilers (CB-200-CTM, CB-350-CTB and CB-500-CTB) that recycles used-oils into hot water technology for use in car washes, baseboard and in-floor heating, and ice melt applications. The company’s Used-Oil Recycling Center works in tandem with Clean Burn used-oil furnaces and is a self-contained, on-site recycling and heating system that allows businesses to store and burn used-oil conveniently and efficiently.

There are 80,000 Clean Burn functional furnaces and boilers located throughout the world that burn approximately 120 million gallons of used-oils each year on-site, at the point of generation. This volume of used-oil would otherwise be transported on highway systems and pose a considerable risk to spills and/or contamination to the environment.

Clean Burn holds numerous industry certifications and works with the U.S. government, the Environmental Protection Agency and various associations to help coordinate the establishment of standards and regulations related to heat recovery and recycling efforts involving used motor oils. For more information on Clean Burn, visit www.cleanburn.com or call 1-800-331-0183.