APPA

www.appa.org/facilitiesmanager MAY/JUNE 2019 19 and maintain their electrical and combustion efficiency. ey selected a solution to achieve the best of both worlds: 22-ppm NOx on two 900-HP burners with natural gas and No. 2 oil, with new combustion controls on both burners/boilers. • A small private college in central Massachusetts was provided a new 600-HP burner to replace an old boiler that was previ- ously fired by a burner from a company that went out of busi- ness a few years ago. e college also selected new combus- tion controls. Before this, they had been shut down for a few years and faced an unreliable boiler plant. ey chose fuels that were readily available and may consider other options as they continue to invest in infrastructure. VA MEDICAL CENTER CASE STUDY e boiler system at the VA Medical Center in Erie, Pennsyl- vania, had been in place for three decades and required a com- plete replacement. In order to achieve the most impact with this important project, the center built an entirely new boiler plant from the ground up. e engineering team at the VA determined that the existing system had met its life span, and they wanted to replace it with the latest technology. Any short-term replacement would have simply been a bandage. ey realized, however, that a project of this magnitude would take time to do properly. e team selected a project management firm to handle the entire project, based on their central-plant expertise and track record at other healthcare facilities. Based on the campus steam load, the team determined that the replacement equipment would consist of two 400-HP boilers and one 200-HP boiler. Installation of the new boiler system took four months. From the ground up (including the new construc- tion), the work on the project took 14 months to complete. e center's new plant will deliver at least a 60 percent reduc- tion in electricity consumption, which will be accomplished using a variable-frequency drive. is technology can run with the fan speed at a lower rate; for example, changing the power from 60 Hz to 30 Hz speed can cut the horsepower eightfold. erefore, a 400-HP system would be cut to 60 HP. According to the project management firm, "Most systems can go from 60 Hz to 40 Hz easily. We chose a system that can efficiently go all the way from 60 Hz to 15 Hz for additional savings." Fuel reduction provides cost savings over the life of the new system. Newer boiler systems can offer a savings of 2 to 5 percent. is means that one 400-HP boiler with a fuel cost of $500,000 annually can save between $10,000 and $25,000 a year. e new Erie VA plant, with its two 400-HP boilers and one 200- HP boiler, will save the hospital between $25,000 and $62,500 in fuel costs annually. IS IT TIME FOR AN UPGRADE AT YOUR FACILITY? A boiler-upgrade project like the one undertaken at the VA Erie Medical Center is clearly something that takes significant time and money to complete. But the center's management determined that the expense and effort would pay off in the long run. Could it be time for you to look at a similar project for your facility? Here are some points to consider when making your decision. Sustainability In large facilities, sustainability is sometimes neglected when considering boiler systems. Facilities like college campuses often rely on older boilers and choose the bandage approach of patch- ing and maintaining them out of necessity—but this method is not sustainable. Upgrading to a new boiler is the best option for long-term, sustainable improvement. Sustainability also refers to the environmental impact of a system. With ever-changing state requirements, it is important to choose a system with enough flexibility to face these new demands as well as future ones. Fuel Efficiency To adequately meet the heating- and energy-load demands of healthcare facilities, old boilers burn an inordinate amount of fuel. New boilers bring added efficiency and substantial fuel savings. ere is also much being done in the realm of alternative fuels for boiler systems. Biofuels and liquid wood are two segments of the alternative fuel market that are making great strides. Operation and Maintenance New boilers are streamlined to operate more smoothly and ef- ficiently than old boilers, which can be challenging to operate and maintain. e older boilers often take much longer to heat up, and they are often kept running to meet heating needs. New boil- ers are designed to heat up quickly and can be adjusted to handle variable loads in order to ensure less energy consumption. When considering an upgrade or replacement, no matter what the reason may be, all factors of the operation need to be ad- dressed in preparation for a system shutdown. A project of this magnitude, from the initial bid process to completion, will re- quire a minimum of several months (for an upgrade) up to a year or more (for a complete boiler replacement). e impact of this change, and thus the importance of the decisions made during the process, are the reasons why so many campuses are carefully reviewing their future energy options. David Bohn is president and CEO at Preferred Utilities Manu- facturing Corporation, Danbury, CT. He can be reached at info@ preferred-mfg.com.

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