Technical Newsletter
| Modulating boiler significantly reduces natural gas consumption |
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Dura-Lite Heat Transfer Products Ltd. replaced its old, inefficient boiler, and the energy data show a reduction in natural gas use of nearly 50 percent in early 2009 compared with the same period in 2008. “Our forecast was 21.6 percent, so we are extremely pleased with the results,” says Kelly Sissons, the company’s president. The retrofit, supported by NRCan’s ecoENERGY Retrofit Incentive for Industry, cost about $72,000 and had a net simple payback of just less than five years. Calgary-based Dura-Lite Heat Transfer Products Ltd., a CIPEC Leader in the Transportation Equipment Manufacturing sector, manufactures after-market charge air coolers, mainly for the turbo-diesel-powered bus and truck markets. “The 4645-m2 facility consumed about 6500 GJ of natural gas annually before the retrofit, and the boiler used 95 percent of that,” says Dele Ajele, the company’s engineering manager. This high energy consumption and the fact that the five-year-old, non-condensing boiler was operating at 72 percent efficiency were key drivers in the replacement decision. “We also needed a modulating boiler that fired according to demand,” says Ajele. Sissons adds that the previous boiler also presented significant maintenance issues. Before the retrofit, the water that condensed from the air passing through the facility’s heat exchangers created corrosion or “scales,” which clogged filters in the heating and cooling system. The filters needed monthly cleaning, and the scales also reduced the efficiency of the building’s heating and cooling system. Given these issues, the 900 000 British thermal units per hour (Btu/h) boiler was replaced with a modulating 2.0 million Btu/h boiler. The new condensing boiler has resulted in a dramatic drop in natural gas use equating to about $12,000 savings, annually. Digitally controlled, the new boiler fires in stages and on demand, minimizing any waste in energy. Furthermore, it is low-maintenance with no scaling issues. Sissons notes that because of its compact design, the placement of the boiler is more flexible and is now more conveniently located in the mechanical room. ecoENERGY Retrofit Incentive for Industry
ecoENERGY Retrofit Incentive for Industry provides a financial incentive of up to 25 percent of project costs to a maximum of $50,000 to help companies implement retrofit projects that generate annual energy savings and pay for themselves through reduced expenditures on utilities, such as energy, water and waste. Program update ecoENERGY Retrofit Incentive for Industry was launched on April 1, 2007, and was originally scheduled to run until March 31, 2011. The program has been extended to March 31, 2012, subject to the availability of funds. Effective March 6, 2009, it may be possible to allow more time (up to a maximum of 18 months – originally limited to 12 months) for project implementation. It will be the applicant’s responsibility to provide relevant information to demonstrate to NRCan that completing the project within the usual 12-month timeframe is not reasonable. NOTE: The final decision will be at the discretion of NRCan representatives. For more information, visit oee.nrcan.gc.ca/industrial/financial-assistance/retrofit/index.cfm. |