Energy-Efficient Boilers Revitalize Apartment Complex

from commARCH - February 2018

Tile Roof Crowns Mansion Renovation

With failing boilers and increasing tenant complaints for more heat, a 32-unit apartment complex in Kingsford, MI, required major upgrades to its heating system. High-effi ciency boilers from Weil-McLain, Burr Ridge, IL, (weil-mclain.com) provided the remedy along with signifi cant fuel savings.

“Residents of the building were contacting us occasionally about cool conditions or uneven heat from room to room,” said Anne Young, area director for the firm that manages the complex. “We were servicing the boilers at least three to four times every winter to maintain the proper heating conditions, but it was becoming difficult to keep up.” Young turned to Mark Spencer, president and owner of Universal Plumbing, based in Kingsford, for a solution.

According to Spencer, the aging units were piped as a hot-loop system on outdoor reset and would run continuously to maintain 180-deg. water temperatures 24 hr./day. Spencer recommended the installation of four Weil-McLain Eco 155 MBH wall-mounted boilers. The units have durable stainless-steel fire tube heat exchangers and a 95% AFUE efficiency rating.

One Eco unit was installed in each building with every unit configured with its own thermostats and pumps for each apartment and common area. The units also were set up to run on modulation with outdoor reset. The complex

Four Weil-McLain Eco 155 MBH wall-mounted boilers heat a Michigan apartment complex. The units have a stainless-steel fi re tube heat exchanger and 95% AFUE effi ciency rating.

has realized several benefits from the installation of the boilers. Ongoing boiler maintenance is no longer required—just annual servicing of the units. Fuel costs for the complex have been reduced by more than 40%. CA

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