Boiler plant upgrades don’t necessarily mean building an entirely new plant and installing new boilers. In the past several years significant advancements have been made in controls and burners, allowing for far greater efficiency and turndown capacity. For many facility managers, upgrading controls breathes new life into aging boiler plant systems.
A recent report from the US Department of Energy states boiler efficiency can be increased in three ways: replacing with new boilers, replacing burners or installing a combustion control system. The same report stated, “While installation of a new boiler or replacement of the burner can lead to the greatest efficiency gains, the higher costs associated with these measures typically leads to longer payback periods than installing a combustion control system.”
Older mechanical sensors and linkage are simply outdated technology and are far less efficient than today’s controls. In addition, retrofitting existing boilers and infrastructure is usually a viable and lower-cost option, compared to complete boiler system replacement. Best of all, the immediate energy savings leads to a fast return on investment – often less than a year.
Greenland regularly performs upgrades to steam and hot water systems (more than $35 million on projects to date) and our team is adept at analyzing existing systems and designing and constructing a solution that leads to the best match of efficiency and return on investment.
Property owners and facility managers appreciate our design-build expertise and detailed experience, turning to us as trusted advisors. Contact Greenland today to discuss your current boiler plant controls and upgrading vs installing a new system.
