Fuel supplier Certa, which is part of DCC plc, is expanding its operations to make a new lower carbon home heating biofuel, which can be used as a cleaner alternative to regular home heating oil, available to 100,000 households across counties Dublin, Kildare and Louth.
The expansion of Certa’s supply and delivery service follows exceptional demand for the new biofuel, known as EcoMax, which enables households who currently use liquid fuel boilers to lower their home heating carbon emissions by up to 20%.
EcoMax comprises a blend of 20% HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil), a fossil-free fuel made from waste plant matter, and 80% kerosene. Householders can use it instead of regular home heating oil directly without any need to replace or modify their boilers.
Certa first made their new hybrid biofuel available to customers in south and west Dublin and in north county Kildare last winter. Householders in these areas were supplied from the Certa depot in Tallaght which acted as a local distribution hub.
Certa’s decision to fully expand the supply and distribution of EcoMax into counties Dublin, Kildare and Louth is part of its strategy to deliver cleaner and progressive energy solutions to domestic customers nationwide.
Certa currently supplies over 265 million litres of home heating fuel to customers across Ireland each year. The average household consumes between 1,000 and 2,000 litres of home heating fuel per annum.
714,000 Irish householders currently use liquid fuel boilers to heat their homes, including 45,841 households in Dublin, 30,564 households in Kildare, and 20,801 households in Louth. Kerosene is the most common fuel used in home heating systems in Ireland where the residential sector currently accounts for 10% of national emissions.
Counties Dublin, Kildare and Louth are the first counties in Ireland to benefit from Certa’s expansion strategy. The supply and delivery of Certa’s lower carbon home heating biofuel is due to be extended across its national network of 26 home heating depots during 2026.
Orla Stevens, Managing Director, Certa Ireland said:
‘Certa is delighted to expand its operations across counties Dublin, Kildare and Louth and to make it easier for tens of thousands of households in these counties to transition to this new hybrid home heating solution and to reduce their carbon footprint.
“Certa is especially proud to be the first fuel supplier in Ireland to give Irish householders the choice of switching to a new lower-carbon fuel for their home heating and to empower them to make positive and impactful environmental changes in their own homes with zero disruption to the household”.
Certa’s strategy to expand its lower carbon offering into the home heating market follows its success in introducing HVO to 25 of its forecourts to date. These forecourt sites have already enabled thousands of diesel drivers to make the switch to HVO as a renewable biofuel and to reduce their carbon emissions by up 90%.
Certa customers across counties Dublin, Kildare and Louth are already familiar with HVO which is available alongside other fuels at the Certa forecourts in Liffey Valley, Finglas (Clearwater), Dundrum, Clarehall, Tallaght and Greenogue in county Dublin; Maynooth in county Kildare, and Dundalk in county Louth.
