WVO Designs

Saving Money with Waste Oil

Turning waste oil into fuel is feasible and will save money.   If you can secure a source of waste oil, you can sell it or burn it in place of buying fuel.   I had a oil pickup today and it cost me 30 bucks…which seemed like a lot for me to shell out for fuel.  Then I went through the calculations with my 6yr old, 60 x $4 is $240….That’s a savings of $210 in fuel costs.  Is paying $240 or $30 better?  $30!   Ahhh, money well spent.  

I mainly calculate my WVO costs in time, the time it takes me to collect the oil and time it take for processing into fuel.  I spend about 3hrs of collecting per month, and 2 for processsing, so I’m at about $40+/hr labor rate for making my own fuel.  Another benefit is that my car smells like french fries, and sometimes steak or chicken.   And last but not least,  I see gas stations solely as bathrooms.    

There is an up front cost to WVO, like car conversion parts and more importantly oil moving and cleaning equipment.  Saving $210 a month will pay for a centrifuge and pump within 1 year.  I’ve been running WVO for almost 5yrs now, so you do the math.   WVO isn’t something to try out, get into for a while then get out.  You have to be committed and determined to really make it pay.  And if you stick with it, the savings, feel good benefits and independence is well worth the initial investment or occasional spot of grease on your shoes.

Here’s a look at my WVO processing operation:

-Jason Jelonek