Washington Gas Rebates Help Property Managers Keep Heating and Hot Water Service Reliable

For more than 50 years, three 10-million BTU boilers provided heating and domestic hot water service at Carleton East, a garden-style apartment complex in Lanham, Maryland. Nearing the end of their life expectancies, the boilers were unreliable and needed frequent repairs. Property managers knew it was time to replace the boilers and contacted their HVAC service provider, EMCOR Services Combustioneer (Combustioneer), to discuss options.

“They could have replaced the existing boilers with the same models,” says Scott Sampson, construction manager at Combustioneer. “But, when you’re looking to replace large, essential systems, it’s best to find a solution that will help decrease operating costs.”

THE UPGRADES

Contractors installed seven new 3-million BTU, high-efficiency condensing boilers to replace the three old units in a phased project that took about six months to complete. “We did our best not to disrupt service for residents and staff,” Sampson says. “We gave everyone at least one week’s notice when we needed to briefly cut service during the day to bring a new boiler online.”

Replacing the existing capacity with a higher number of smaller boilers makes it easier for building engineers to bypass individual units as needed to maintain reliable heating and hot water service and transition between seasons. The higher boiler efficiency during the heating season and improved part-load efficiency throughout non-heating season will provide an estimated annual savings of more than 111,500 therms and $49,000

Combustioneer also replaced a tube and shell heat exchanger with a more efficient plate and frame model for domestic hot water service. The new heat exchanger reduces the energy needed to isolate the boiler water from the domestic water and heat it for use in apartments.

THE BENEFITS

The new boilers not only provide energy savings and increased reliability, but they also came with a $150,000 rebate from Washington Gas. Combustioneer learned about the rebates from one of their vendors when they started pricing equipment.

“Once we could include those potential rebates in our pricing, it sped up the procurement process,” says Jeff Gaddy, president of EMCOR Services Combustioneer. “The customer was already interested in replacing the existing equipment with high-efficiency models to help lower their operating costs. The Washington Gas rebates made the project a home run.”

Sampson adds that the process of applying for rebates was easy. “We had a good line of communication with Washington Gas,” he says. “There’s plenty of help there if you need it.”

Washington Gas invited Sampson and Gaddy to an informational session where they learned about available rebates, web applications, and assessments. “That’s when I really understood the nuances of the program,” Gaddy says. “Learning how to estimate energy conservation and potential rebates is an important part of the procurement process. It gave us confidence.”

“I’m very happy with how the project turned out,” Sampson says.