Don't tell Peter & Shirley !!

4:24pm Thursday 13th December 2007

I have some information that Peter & Shirley shouldn't see......

I'm almost scared too say it, but I'm a....

...commuter !!

I travel about 75 miles per day commuting to/from work.

And, horror of horrors, in a single occupant vehicle !

I'm not proud of this, but I'm afraid public transport solutions would add at least another 2 hours onto already a 2 hour a day commuting time and car sharing doesn't fit in with a condensed working week (4 long days a week instead of five) - even if I could find a car share partner.

I try my best to keep my vehicular carbon footprint down. I drive a diesel vehicle to get a greater mileage per gallon figure and I drive responsibly to avoid needless over-revving and higher fuel consumption. I keep my tyres at the correct pressure and I don't drive with my windows open (less aerodynamic drag).

One option I've been looking into to help save the planet, and to be honest, my bank balance....is biodiesel.

I'd be interested in anyone's views or experiences on biodiesel use and/or production.

The Government relaxed tax laws in July to now allow people to produce and use up to 2500 litres of biodiesel per year without having to pay tax. This makes the prospect of running my car on biodiesel quite an attractive option.

By way of a little explanation, for diesel cars there are essentially two types of 'alternative' fuels that are based around the use of straight vegetable oil (SVO) or waste vegetable oil (WVO). These are 'biofuel' and 'biodiesel'. The distinction is simple, but important. Biofuel is ordinary diesel with a blend (typically 5%) of vegetable oil in it. In some places, you can actually buy this on garage forecourts. Biodiesel is a complete replacement for ordinary diesel - based upon cleaned and treated WVO or SVO.

I'm currently looking into the option of making my own biodiesel as it is a direct fuel replacement and requires no modifications to my car - some modifications may be necessary when using biofuel.

Some info may be found here

As I stated earlier, I'd be interested in anyone's relevant experiences.

Peter, Shirley.....sorry, but I am trying !! I notice that some work is being done on making alternative fuel from remnants of the cider making process. Do you have any more details ? Does alternative fuel sourcing fall under the umbrella of the Bulmer Foundation ?

Rob signing off.