MOKENA, IL — American Combustion Service, Inc. (ACSI) finished installing a new boiler, a high efficiency burner, an economizer and related energy saving equipment at a local hospital recently.
Since the facility couldn’t shut down for work to be completed, the utilities remained operational while the older unit was safely disconnected and removed. Fortunately, the hospital has three boilers, one primary, one secondary and a backup. Project goals included replacing aging equipment, increasing efficiency and saving money for the long term.
“Our team has a thorough knowledge of current technology and industry trends, which helps us help all of our clients,” states Frank Lacny, president of American Combustion Service, Inc.
A boiler is only as efficient as the burner it is mated to and ACSI installed one of the most efficient burners available. The old burner was 69 to 76 percent efficient, at most. With the new burner at 80 to 85 percent efficient, the commodity savings will be huge.
To capture further savings, the client elected to install an economizer, too. This piece of equipment uses the waste heat from the new boiler stack for two purposes. It exchanges heat from one economizer circuit to heat domestic water for the hospital. A second circuit pre-heats the boiler feedwater, as a standard economizer would do. Even with so little time passing, the hospital has noticed the first economizer circuit is working better than originally anticipated.
“We have been encouraging energy efficiency for years — before the utility companies started offering rebates,” states Lacny. “Being efficient just makes sense.”
To help with efficiency upgrades, utility companies offer incentives of up to $500,000.. It all depends on the utility company and type of service or project. ACSI is familiar with the rules of the various programs and is dedicated to helping its clients in learning about qualifying funding.
With many variables to handle, the hospital project came together nicely and was a complete success.
For more information, please visit ACSI at www.acsigroup.com