SPOA_Spr_2010:SPOA_Template.qxd
5/5/2010
5:08 PM
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Superior Radiant Products help lower utility costs at Voyageur Elementary School with “Even Heat” Infrared that increases comfort Rod Grimm, manager of operations for Quesnel School District, knew he was on to something when a oneroom infrared heating retrofit at a high school turned the school’s leastfavorite basement classroom into its most sought-after space. It wasn’t the teacher that was suddenly so popular—it was the heat! What was once a dank, cold classroom had become toasty warm and welcoming. Following this and a couple of other small retrofits in other Quesnel schools, Grimm was eager to apply infrared heaters to an entire facility. When funds became available to upgrade the aging heating system at Voyageur Elementary, Grimm again turned to Superior Radiant Products (SRP) for the solution. Low clearances and two-stage burners were the key factors that led Grimm to choose SRP for the Voyageur retrofit. With a classroom ceiling height of nine feet, Voyageur Elementary School needed an infrared heater with a clearance of 32 inches. Also, the availability of twostage tube heaters made SRP an appealing choice. SRP’s two-stage, or Hi-Low output capability, allows a quicker recovery at high fire and an economical, steady operation at low fire. This was especially important, since Voyageur would also be adding a new ventilation system that would increase the school’s heating load. TIME FOR CHANGE The 35-year-old Voyageur Elementary School was due for some comfort and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) upgrades. The existing heating
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Ops Talk • Spring 2010
system relied on a variety of equipment, including a 12-zone system utilizing an old gas-fired furnace— long overdue for replacement. With the exception of just a few high-efficiency furnaces, which had been added over the years, most of the school relied on old, inefficient equipment. Teacher complaints about the heating were commonplace. Fresh, make-up air was imparted the old fashioned way—by the opening and closing of exterior doors. Needless to say, Voyageur had some catching up to do to bring it up to 21st-century standards. The question was, could it be done without major increases to utility costs? A total of seven existing furnaces were removed from Voyageur Elementary School, including four high-efficiency furnaces, the multizone furnace (used for classroom, office and library heating), one large downflow furnace that heated the gym, and one high-efficiency furnace for the kindergarten spaces. Much of the existing ductwork was left in place, providing the framework for heat recovery ventilation in the classrooms, gym, office and staff areas. With the exception of the office and staff room locations, there was no post heat in any of the heat recovery units. A total of 18 natural gas-fired SRP infrared tube heaters were installed to replace the existing furnaces. These heaters, all of which were twostage, would become the sole source of heat for their associated spaces. The only exception to this was the post heat, which was applied to the
