Green Drivers Advised On Merits Of Homemade Biofuels

With constraints on spending growing in a number of areas, drivers eager to reduce their reliance on petrol have been alerted to the risks of doing so.

In a recent statement, Defaqto explained that while developing homemade biofuels is permitted under UK legislation - up to 2,500 litres can be produced each year tax-free - drivers need to be aware of the damage that can be done to home insurance policies, as well as to the body.

To exemplify their point, the group gave the case of a man who was injured while attempting to convert cooking oil to biofuel. The Northamptonshire resident was using an electric-powered drill to mix the oil with caustic soda in order to create fuel for his vehicle. However, a spark was created during the process and this in turn ignited the flammable substance and caused an explosion which resulted in burns covering 20 per cent of his body. Furthermore, the garage he was using to conduct the operation was also destroyed.

As such, Defaqto warned that while it is vital to be au fait with all the personal safety hazards of developing biofuels, it is also important to make sure that consumers check the terms of their home insurance policy to establish whether they would be covered for damage done to their property during the process.

Indeed, Defaqto explained that most home insurance policies extended cover only in instances where “reasonable precautions” to prevent home damage have been undertaken. As such, the majority of policies require homeowners to “keep any property insured in a good state of repair and take all reasonable steps to prevent accidents, injury, loss and damage”.

The firm warned that in some instances, insurers may feel that damage done to property during the production of homemade biofuels is in breach of these requirements and because of this, may have grounds to refuse to pay for repairs.

Mike Powell, consultant for general insurance at Defaqto, commented: “If you are intending to manufacture your own biodiesel, you should first check with your home insurer to confirm that cover will be provided against any damage caused to your home. Finding out after an explosion that cover is not provided could leave you in a disastrous financial position, as the costs of repair would be beyond most people’s reach. It is advisable that the manufacturing process is completed as far away from your home as possible.”

For those who have been hit by rising petrol prices in recent months, taking out one of the many cheap loans may prove an effective way to fund the purchase of a more fuel-efficient vehicle. Taking out this type of loan may also be useful for those looking to buy a safer car after a recent report by Sainsbury’s Bank indicated that there were a total of 182,115 accidents on UK road in 2007. Further research from the group indicated that 65 per cent of drivers are guilty of indulging in driving habits which could make them more of a threat to other motorists.