Boiler Replacements:
Facts
- Camphill Village has more than 30 heating systems installed in houses and workshops.
- Most heating systems have never been upgraded and are at least 25 years old.
- There is little or no heating control and insulation in boiler rooms is non existent or poor.
- Hotwater demands are continuous throughout the year
- There are no space heating demands during the summer months.
- Heating oil prices are rising steadily.
Objectives
- Replace the oldest boilers with more efficient systems which allows for heating control without having to re-do the rest of the heating system.
- Low maintenance.
- Lowest energy costs.
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Old oil boiler system |
Implementation
After research and discussion the CHV Building & Maintenance group decided to replace our oldest (heating oil) boilers with high efficiency propane condensing boilers with outdoor reset.
Propane tanks would be installed above ground.
Old oil boilers have been replaced in 3 of our houses and a large 500,000btu boiler for Columbine house and Fountain Hall has been replaced successfully with a staged two condensing boiler system (Triangle Tube Prestige Solo250 boilers that modulate between 65,000btu and 245,00btu) with outdoor reset.
Condensing boilers Advantages:
- Modulating gas burner with secondary heat exchanger transfers energy from flue gasses to return water thereby allowing for efficiencies of 92% or around 85% for retrofit systems.
- Very low maintenance due to clean burning of propane.
- Wall-hung and smaller than oil boilers.
- Allows PE-pipes for flue construction.
- Integrated outdoor-reset and hot-water priority controls.
Disadvantages:
- Expensive.
- Needs propane storage installation.
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New wall-hung condensing boiler |
Outdoor reset
This type of control reacts to outside temperatures. When the temperature outside becomes colder the outdoor reset controller increases the temperature of the water being supplied to the heating system. In contrast as the outside temperature rises the temperature of the supply water is lowered. This process produces very constant heat while cutting back on operating costs.
Night setback
When the Night setback time period becomes active (controlled by a time clock) the outdoor reset controller will reduce the calculated water supply temperature with a fixed number of degrees (can be specified as required). This will allow for a reduction in heat output during non-occupancy or night times and will produce additional savings.
Hotwater priority
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Condensing boiler with hotwater cylinder |
Click the links below to learn more about Camphill Village Environmental Initiatives.
• Underground Oil Tank Removal
• New Construction and Renovations
• Boiler Replacements
• Fountain Hall Geo-Thermal System