Broco Energy’s commitment to a lower carbon future is making a difference now

Broco Energy’s commitment to a lower carbon future is making a difference now

Founded: 2007 by Bob and Angela Brown
Headquarters: Haverhill, Massachusetts
Veteran-owned and operated
Provides residential Bioheat^® and commercial and emergency fuels nationwide
Advocatesfor higher biodiesel blends across all divisions
Employs 50 people and manages a fleet of roughly 30 trucks

When Bob Brown and his wife, Angela, started Broco Energy in 2007, they were committed to being “different” — specifically as a lower carbon energy company that would provide lower carbon fuel solutions in the New England area. Heating oil is a primary source of heat in the Northeast, and the Browns always knew it was a reliable source. But they wanted it to be better. And their customers did, too.

"A lot of people in this region really support renewable fuels and they want to use a lower carbon fuel, but they don’t want to go through the extra expense of upgrading equipment to accommodate it,” Bob Brown says. “We needed to find the right partner to roll out a blending process that would work for all of us. We already knew Bioheat^® really is the best, lower carbon fuel for the Northeast.”

That's when the Browns started looking for potential partners with good names and reputations in the industry. Their searches led to Chevron Renewable Energy Group as a top biodiesel producer.

"I knew right away that it was a company we wanted to be close to,” Bob Brown says.

The Broco Energy + Chevron Renewable Energy Group Partnership

In 2017, the Browns purchased a rail terminal in Massachusetts and two years later as part of their newly formed partnership with Chevron Renewable Energy Group, opened the first biodiesel terminal in New England. At first, Broco Energy was blending B20 for its home heating oil  — a level that Bob Brown describes as a “normal standard” for Bioheat^® companies in his region. But the quality of Chevron Renewable Energy Group’s biodiesel quickly allowed Broco Energy to bring up the blended levels to B30 and then to B40. Today they sell B50 to all Broco Energy’s customers.

“Chevron Renewable Energy Group’s biodiesel is by far the most superior I’ve ever seen,” he says. “Their distillation process is the best out there. It allows us to show that we’re selling a premium branded biodiesel. Because not all biodiesel is created equally.”

Broco Energy is so committed to doing its part in the industry-wide initiative to reach lower carbon emission targets by 2050 that the Browns switched 10 of their trucks last year to run strictly on B100, utilizing Optimus Technologies Vector System. Bob Brown says the mechanics report better fuel mileage and the drivers observe that the trucks have less regeneration cycles as a result. “It just smells cleaner too,” says Driver John Pearson. “I’ve seen other biodiesel products and Chevron Renewable Energy Group’s is just a high-quality product. You can literally see through it. Others are just inferior.”

Bob Brown says he plans to implement B100 into the full fleet as well, because it’s important that Broco Energy leads by example.

“We can’t be selling a product and not use it ourselves,” he says. “We are embracing this. We’re not just going to use biodiesel, we’re going to use it at a B100 level."

Customer Satisfaction: The best of both worlds

When Broco Energy first introduced Bioheat^® to its residential customers, customers were most concerned about two things: the quality of the product and whether their heating system would require expensive modifications or upgrades. A little education – and helpful service technicians who assured customers that their systems were actually better off by using Bioheat^® – made for a seamless transition.

“Our techs who work on the oil burners really enjoy the fuel because it’s a lower carbon burn and leaves the heat exchangers almost carbon free,” Bob Brown says. “When you have an existing oil burner that can run and burn biodiesel at absolutely zero cost to the customer, that’s a win-win. They’re getting more life out of their systems just by using cleaner fuel, they’re saving money and they’re doing their part by embracing renewable fuels."

What’s ahead for Broco Energy

With a solid partnership in place with Chevron Renewable Energy Group, the Browns expect to keep dialing up Broco Energy’s blend levels – eventually to offer B100 to all of their residential customers in New England. They have already upgraded the company’s facilities to increase its blending capacity, including extra storage tanks to accommodate 150,000 gallons of B100 and heated storage that will be blended into 200,000 gallons of heating oil storage and 50,000 gallons of diesel storage.

They are also looking forward to new legislation that will help incentivize companies to use biodiesel so it becomes standard nationwide. A local fire captain and U.S. Navy Seabee veteran, Bob Brown says he also appreciates that Chevron Renewable Energy Group offers a “home-grown product” that’s truly scaleablee to reduce carbon emissions.

Learn More About Our Strategic Partnerships

Sign up to receive an email series that outlines how we provide innovation and service to help companies work toward their targets.