In 2004 the owners of The Saskatoon Towers decided it was time to upgrade their mid-efficient hot water boiler system to something that was more energy efficient, more environmentally friendly, with the aim of lowering their overall operating costs. The existing system consisted of two copper fin tube boilers that were heating convector baseboard, fan coils and one copper fin tube boiler that was strictly dedicated to domestic hot water.
Realizing that they had to make some changes to their hot water boiler system they contacted National Refrigeration Heating Ltd. to see what options were available. National Refrigeration Heating Ltd. recommended Viessmann Manufacturing company to perform a retrofit proposal. Viessmann’s first task was to determine the buildings real heat loss requirements and compare the boiler sizing. The company performed a survey to determine the actual radiation capacity ( heat output ) of the distribution system through utility bills and a Combustion analysis was also performed. The challenge was to come up with a heating design that was efficient, but also effective in our climate, and had a good return on investment.
Viessmann proposed a hybrid system, where the condensing boiler was designed to take care of the heating load until it got below -25 degrees Celsius (at this point most boilers do not condense), and a second non condensing boiler to assist with the heating load the after that. Viessmann proposed a Vertomat VSB-57 with a Wieshaupt fully modulating gas burner and a Rondomat RMT-630 with a fully modulating Riello natural gas burner. At this point it was decided to add a mixing valve in order to maintain the building set point while making DHW. Make up air was also added on to the heating system with a heat exchanger . The CPEP program predicted that upgrading their system would save them around $39,500.00 and the equipment would be paid off in 3.4 years. The owners were very impressed but cautious and requested an independent third party to monitor the savings. They brought in Engineer Kevin Thurston from Integrated Designs to collect all the data from the heating season and monitor the actual savings ( see attached report ) . Key West Engineering was brought on board to do the mechanical engineering.
The Saskatoon Towers was able to decrease their gas consumption by 44% or 33,446 in only 4 months (see independent analysis on back page for more detailed information). The total annual 12 month saving was much greater than that. This project allowed the owners to obtain their goals for energy efficiency, and lower their operating costs. There are plans for future building heating system upgrades based on the success of this project. This project also took the advantage of the Sask Energy boiler grant program.
For more information contact us on this and other projects call Doug or Nahanni at Dynamic Agencies phone 343-1901 or email us at doug.dynamicage@sasktel.net or nahanni.dynamicage@sasktel.net
January 24, 2006
Realstar Property Management
609 8th Street SW
Calgary, AB T2P 2A6
Attention: Mr. Scott Bigford, Vice President, Operations
Re: Saskatoon Towers- Boiler Post-Retrofit Analysis Report
The following report is intended to provide a snapshot of the energy savings for the first few months of operation with the new boilers. The table below shows a drastic reduction in all aspects of natural gas energy consumption. The overall savings, compared to the same timeframe as last year and at today’s natural gas costs per cubic meter, are $33,466. Although there was a 15% reduction in heating degree days in 2005, natural gas consumption decreased by 44%. Some of this reduction can be attributed to fewer HDDs but overall it can be attributed to the successful boiler retrofit. A similar type system is proposed for Victoria Place and should be considered a wise investment.
Should you have any questions regarding this report, please contact Kevin Thurston @ 373-0718 or by email at kthurston@i-designs.ca
Sincerely,
Kevin Thurston, C.E.M., B.E.P.
Project Manager
Integrated Designs Incorporated