IP Meeting Proves Promise for Commercial Boiler Advancements

December 4, 2009—Since the last exploration of commercial boilers in 2001, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of gas programs with deeper savings targets. This has resulted in the growing need for a formal initiative. At the 2009 CEE Industry Partners meeting in New Orleans, staff and committee members met with four leading boiler companies in order to share findings and discuss the possibility of working together. The four companies, Lochinvar, Mestek, Inc., Raypak, and Veissmann, all provided very positive feedback to the information and ideas that CEE presented, and they expressed excitement in continuing to work with CEE to help to shape an initiative.

As a result, the CEE Natural Gas Committee is now developing a "Guidance Specification" that will provide guidance on selecting the appropriate boiler for a given system, as well as suggestions for upgrading or optimizing a system to achiever greater energy savings. This, coupled with support from leading boiler manufacturers, could mean great things for CEE Gas members!

Background

The CEE Natural Gas team began work toward advancing the efficiency of condensing boilers in commercial heating applications by commissioning a study in 2001. The study evaluated potential savings of energy efficient commercial boilers. The resulting report, A Market Assessment for Condensing Boilers in Commercial Heating Applications, included case studies and a recommended product "feature set" along with installation considerations. The findings in the report suggested that the technology was best suited for school and federal building use in New England and Canadian markets, and that until there was a significant shift in the market, a national effort would not be feasible.