2-in-1 Heating System Warms Home; Eliminates Need for Water Heater

The selection of a residential heating system is an investment that the homeowner will have to live with for a long time. Contractors also have to be aware of how newer and better technologies are essential to serving their customers’ long-term needs.

“The energy efficiency of conventional furnaces is around 80 percent,” says Harry West, a heating system consultant in Toronto. “Using the latest boiler technology can boost that efficiency close to 90 percent, and get rid of the expensive water heater at the same time.”

“In the past, boilers were designed as a low-cost approach to home heating,” he says. “As a result, boiler construction was very basic and somewhat inefficient. But now there are residential systems that will very efficiently supply heat, hot water, melt snow for walkways and driveways, and even heat a swimming pool.”

A significant improvement came with the adoption of commercial boiler heating system designs in recent years. The Fleetline Aqua-Matic, manufactured by Brant Steel (Brantford, Ontario) adheres to commercial design basics, offers compact size and features that make it easy to install and service.

Connie Newland, a resident of rural Ontario, Canada, decided to replace her old oil-burning forced-air furnace last year. The catalyst for the change, though, was being able to dispose of her old electric-powered, 70-gallon water heater.
“It was simply too expensive. So, we installed an Aqua-Matic system. This system supplies all our domestic water heating as a priority, as well as our space heating during winter months and air conditioning during the hot summer months. The boiler, an integral part of the furnace and smaller than the electric hot water tank, heats the water much faster than electricity, yet it is much cheaper to run.”
According to West, proper loading and low water mass (volume) are important contributors to the efficiency of a combination boiler-water heater.

“Let’s assume that you have an efficient boiler to start with, such as the Aqua-Matic,” West explains. “Now you want to maximize the use of the boiler and make it very cost-effective. If a boiler is well loaded, it runs longer and is more efficient. However, a boiler with a very low load factor will lose efficiency. So, to maximize efficiency you could load the boiler to handle domestic water and in-floor heating during the winter, and then in summertime switch the in-floor heating load over to heat the swimming pool.”

West says that you also want to be sure that you can pour the heat into the boiler and transfer it quickly. Keeping a low mass of water inside the shell-and-tube heat exchanger results in better efficiency than having to maintain the temperature of 70-gallon water heater.

As for the HVAC contractor or architect, there is another issue: Will they adopt this new 2-for-1 home heating technology as a highly practical long-term solution? If not, they may not benefit from what promises to be an important system for the future.

Brant Steel Products Limited
Mark Offenhammer
49 Craig Street
Brantford, Ontario N3R 7H8
Canada
519-756-5700
519-756-1742
fabricate@brantsteel.com
www.brantsteel.com