Appliances
Install High-efficiency Boilers
What Is It?
Boilers heat buildings by distributing either hot water or steam (as opposed to furnaces, which circulate hot air through ducts). Hot water can move through baseboard radiators, radiant floor systems, or coils for heating the air, while steam is circulated through pipes to steam radiators. Steam boilers generally require higher temperatures and are therefore less efficient, but there are high-efficiency versions of all types on the market. A boiler’s efficiency is determined by the amount of energy used compared to the amount of energy wasted, a measurement known as annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). An AFUE of 90% means that 90% of the energy in the fuel becomes heat for the home and the other 10% escapes up the chimney and elsewhere (US Dept. of Energy).
A high-efficiency boiler heats water with minimal wasted energy. Mass Save, a collaborative of Massachusetts' natural gas and electric utilities and energy efficiency service providers, has established minimum efficiency standards of 82% AFUE for gas-fired hot water boilers; 80% for gas-fired steam boilers; 82% for oil-fired steam boilers; and 84% for oil-fired hot-water boilers (Mass Save). To maximize efficiency, it is important to perform the manufacturer’s recommended check-ups for any installed high-efficiency boiler. Prior to installation, it is also important to ensure that a facility is properly updated and energy efficient (e.g., has sealed and weatherproofed windows and doors, is fully insulated, etc.) to allow for the least expensive and smallest boiler. In Massachusetts, where the winters are very cold, it usually makes sense to invest in the highest-efficiency models that match a building’s size.
Benefits
High-efficiency boilers have both energy-related and economic advantages. By reducing the amount of energy used for heating, a high-efficiency boiler can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions — primarily carbon dioxide, the major emission from boilers — but also potentially methane and nitrous oxide (Technology Needs Assessment). The Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) estimates that a high efficiency system could provide more than a 26% energy savings increase (CEE), while ENERGY STAR estimates an average annual savings of 14% on utility bill cost (ENERGYSTAR).
Drawbacks
High-efficiency boilers likely have a higher premium cost because they require corrosion-resistant materials, greater insulation, and more sophisticated controls (CEE).
Financing Options, Incentives, and Rebates
- Mass Save: Commercial & Industrial Natural Gas Equipment Rebates
- Applies to commercial customers in MA
- Rebate application available here
- Upstream HVAC Program
- Reading Municipal Light Department: Commercial Energy Initiative Rebate Program
- Ipswitch, MA HVAC incentives
- More general programs and national search engines
- U.S. Department of Energy GreenBuy Award Program – 2017
- Property Assessed Clean Energy program (PACENow)
- Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE)
- Mass Save: Facility Assessments
NEWS
- "Reducing Maintenance Costs With Energy Efficiency," Remi Network, January 18, 2017
- "Canterbury Towers In Worcester Reaches New Heights In Energy Savings," Worcester Telegram, January 15, 2017
Resources
- US Dept. of Energy: Furnaces And Boilers
- US EPA: Available and Emerging Technologies for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers (2010)
- Mass Save: Consumer’s Guide to Purchasing a New Heating System
- ENERGY STAR: Chapter on Heating and Cooling from their Buildings Upgrades Manual
Project Examples
- Baystate Health Medical Facility (105,000 ft2; Springfield, MA) installed new efficient HydroTherm boilers, saving an expected $66,570 on heating per year.
A Sample of Providers
- ENERGY STAR: Most Efficient 2017 Boilers
- Boston Standard Company (Boston area)
- CPS Heating & Cooling (Boston area)
