The Verifier refers to a proprietary fuel gauge technology, used for advanced measurement of

heating oil Heating oil is any petroleum product or other oil used for heating; it is a fuel oil. Most commonly, it refers to low viscosity grades of fuel oil used for furnaces or boilers for home heating and in other buildings. Home heating oil is often ...

in residential and commercial tanks ranging from 1,000 – 20,000 gallons. First developed in 2005, by U.S. Energy Group’s Jerry Pindus, Verifier technology was granted Patent Approval 11/095,914 as “The Verifier Digital Fuel Gauge” from The United States Patent and Trademark Office on September 21, 2007. The Verifier is also

ETL SEMKO ETL SEMKO (formerly Electrical Testing Laboratory) is a division of Intertek Group plc (LSE: ITRK) which is based in London. It specializes in electrical product safety testing, EMC testing, and benchmark performance testing. ETL SEMKO operates ...

certified.

Technology

The Verifier makes use of

ultrasound Ultrasound is sound with frequency, frequencies greater than 20 Hertz, kilohertz. This frequency is the approximate upper audible hearing range, limit of human hearing in healthy young adults. The physical principles of acoustic waves apply ...

technology, a method of using high-intensity acoustic energy which is above the limits of human hearing. Just as it has done for other fields, ultrasound technology offers unprecedented access and accuracy with The Verifier.“Ultrasound Technology Offers Precise Delivery Information,” Real Estate Weekly, July 18, 2007 The old system of measuring oil deliveries and inventory involves either climbing onto the tank and ‘sticking it’ with a ruler or pumping air into a petrometer and converting a pressure reading of the weight of the oil. These systems were developed when oil was inexpensive and when accuracy and convenience were not essential. Verifier technology confirms an oil delivery within 1/10 of an inch, recording the exact date, time and amount of heating oil delivered to the tank and checking the amount of heating oil delivered. An ultrasonic ping is sent from the device to the heating oil, an echo is received back, and the Verifier’s complex, patented algorithm then figures the time between when the ping was sent and the echo received, compensating for oil temperature variations. The system is precise, safe, and clean. The history of ultrasound technology began in 1794, when Italian

Lazzaro Spallanzani Lazzaro Spallanzani (; 12 January 1729 – 11 February 1799) was an Italian Catholic priest (for which he was nicknamed Abbé Spallanzani), biologist and physiologist who made important contributions to the experimental study of bodily function ...

(1729–1799) first noticed the phenomenon in nature. The human application of ultrasound technology developed remarkably in the last 100 years, and was influenced heavily by

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, in which

Sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...

, or sound navigation and ranging, was utilized. Following World War II, applications of ultrasound developed, transforming many industries.

Theft detection

In October 2005, building owner Mike Laub, of The Realty Group, became the first person to use The Verifier to detect a heating oil theft in progress. The Verifier alerted his management company that the wrong quantity of oil had been delivered and later detected the driver trying to “undo the crime” by pouring hundreds of gallons into the building’s tank at 2 AM. Verifier technology is precise enough to double-check delivery truck tickets and meter readings. In July 2007, major newspapers throughout the New York Metro area reported on the alleged theft of $75 million of heating oil by two oil transport companies in Brooklyn. This led to increased interest in The Verifier as a theft deterrent device.

Inventory management

The Verifier is also used to monitor and measure the incremental use of oil, providing daily summaries and alerts for low oil levels. With local and Internet access to all of this information, building managers can follow certain inventory control regulations and avoid stiff fines.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (informally referred to as NYSDEC, DEC, EnCon or NYSENCON) is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protecti ...

(DEC) has recommended “in-tank monitoring systems,” like The Verifier, stating that “electronic systems which automatically measure tank inventories and continuously record changes…supply all of the information needed to perform daily reconciliations.” These inventory records are also encouraged by major oil companies and the

American Petroleum Institute The American Petroleum Institute (API) is the largest U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry. It claims to represent nearly 600 corporations involved in extraction of petroleum, production, oil refinery, refinement, pipeline ...

.Welcome To The API Website
/ref> Moreover, accurate inventory measurement and tracking enables fuel consumption analysis to be performed and charted, by building, hourly, weekly and monthly; by square footage, by unit; and by degree-days. Additionally, consumption comparisons to prior periods, over specified times, and to other buildings in an entire database of portfolios can be performed as well.

Environmental Impact

In recent years, the

U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), founded in 1993, is a private 501(c)(3), membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and operation. USGBC is best known for its development of t ...

and numerous state, local and federal agencies and officials began a strategic campaign to decrease

greenhouse gas Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth. Unlike other gases, greenhouse gases absorb the radiations that a planet emits, resulting in the greenhouse effect. T ...

and carbon emissions from commercial and residential buildings. For example, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, the 950,000 commercial and residential buildings were responsible for 80% of the 58.3 million metric tons of greenhouse gases that the city emitted in 2005, and were responsible for 30% of the energy usage. In response to this statistic, Mayor

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...

announced

PlaNYC PlaNYC was a strategic plan released by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2007 to prepare the city for one million more residents, strengthen the economy, combat climate change, and enhance the quality of life for all New Yorkers. The plan ...

to help New York achieve his stated goal, the cleanest air quality of any major city in America. The Verifier is part of the larger trend toward products that promote building

sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

and a reduction in carbon emissions. The inventory management features help owners and property managers track and utilize their fuel efficiently, detect leaks and heating system malfunctions and promote safe handling of oil.

References

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External links