• Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
  • ENGINEERS
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • CONTRACTORS
  • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
  • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
  • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • WATER TREATMENT
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
  • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
  • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
  • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
  • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
  • CONTINUING EDUCATION
  • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
  • FIRE PROTECTION
  • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
  • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
  • PME COLUMNS
  • PME COLUMNS
  • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
  • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
  • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
  • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
  • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
  • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
  • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
  • CODES
  • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
  • PROJECT PROFILES
  • COLUMNS
  • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • COLUMNS
  • Codes Corner
  • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
  • Guest Editorial
  • MEDIA
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
  • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
  • DIRECTORIES
  • EBOOKS
  • PM BOOKSTORE
  • CE CENTER
  • MARKET RESEARCH
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
  • EMAGAZINE
  • ARCHIVE ISSUES
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!
Green Plumbing and Mechanical

Saving clients energy and money doesn't stop when the install is completed

The boilers worked well the first winter.

By Ray Wohlfarth
Ray Wohlfarth
October 27, 2014

My children were students at a local elementary school affiliated with the church we attend. My company does the heating service for the church and school. For years, a custodian, who we simply called Lou, worked at the school. 

When replacing old boilers with high-efficiency ones, make sure to review the fuel consumption with your clients. Photo credit: Ray Wohlfarth
35
 

He spoke in broken English with a thick accent. I used to refer to him as the Heat Tyrant because he would shut off the boilers as soon as the school warmed above 60° F or the sun peeked from behind a cloud. He did the same for the church and rectory where the priests slept and worked.

“What is wrong with the heat?” my wife or I would overhear being asked when we attended a school function. With four children, there were many school functions. I would respond that the boiler is working fine and the principal would wrap her refrigerated hand around mine and ask, “Does this feel like the heat is working? You know, the temperature could affect the grades of some children.”

Everyone was afraid to ask Lou for more heat because he would go into a tirade about what life was like in the old country. I think the old country was Siberia. Even the priest would make a gesture like he was shivering from the altar, then he would look at me. In turn, the entire congregation would glare at me. Fearing eternal damnation, I decided to talk with Lou about the heat. He shook his head and said, “No need heat. It warm enough. Brains work best when cool.”

When Lou retired, the parish council decided they would replace the old cast-iron boiler with a new, energy-efficient system. My company was tasked with the replacement and we installed three new boilers that were far more efficient than the old cast-iron boiler with the atmospheric burner. The system also had a new microprocessor control that would reset the water temperature according to the outside air temperature.

 

Dollars and cents

The boilers worked well the first winter. There was heat everywhere. The teachers were happy and the grades for my children were better. The priest postponed my condemnation. Yes, life was good until the business manager of the facility called and said that no money was saved with the new boilers. Actually, fuel costs were higher than with the old, inefficient boiler.

Thinking it must have been a cooler winter, I asked for copies of the fuel costs for the last few years and locked myself into my office to run the numbers. After several frustrating hours, the business manager was right. The fuel consumption was higher than the last year with the old boiler.

I checked the gas meter to see if it was replaced. I had a few projects in the past where the fuel costs rose after the meter was replaced. An engineer for the local utility told me that when gas meters age, they sometimes lose some of their accuracy and will not register the proper consumption of fuel. When they are replaced with new meters, the customer may see increased gas consumption.

On another project, we estimated a savings of 25% when replacing the old boilers. After the first heating season, costs were slightly higher than the fuel expenses with the old boilers. When I reviewed the utility bills, the facility had a 30% increase in price-per-cubic-ft. because of an expiring long-term gas contract. When I showed that to the facility manager, he agreed and liked my boilers after that.

After verifying the gas meter was not changed and the cost-per-cubic-ft. did not increase, I had to admit the actual consumption had increased. I racked my brain trying to find out why this happened. I walked the whole system and went into crawl spaces filled with spider webs looking for a piping leak.

Without answers, I told the business manager I would get back to him. I had lunch with a control guru and told him what happened. I explained that this was my church and I really wanted to help them cut costs. He smiled and told me something I never forgot, “An off switch will beat the best controls every time.”

My friend went on to advise that I was trying to compare apples to oranges. He suggested that if Lou was operating the new system the way he operated the old one, we would see the savings. I told this to the business manager and he agreed. He then said something that floored me.

“Ray, I knew the costs would be higher because this place was an icebox before and now we have heat. I was simply making an observation. Thanks for looking out for us.”

I offer to review the fuel consumption of all the buildings where we sell boilers. This helps assure the client  he made the proper decision to use our company. It also helps in sales because I can show a potential customer all the savings we have helped our clients achieve. If you choose to do this for your clients, it will separate you from your competitors.

A simple way to do a calculation is to divide the gas usage by the heating degree days in your locale. The heating hours can be found at www.degreedays.net. You enter your location and it will generate a spreadsheet showing the degree days per month.

To calculate a degree day, you take the average temperature for that day by adding the high and low temperatures and dividing it by two. If the average temperature is above 65° F, there will be no degree days for the day. If the average number is below 65°, you subtract that number from 65 and this is the amount of degree days for that day.

For example, if the high temperature was 60° and the low was 40°, the average temperature for that day was 50°. When you subtract 50 from 65, you will have 15 degree days for that day.

 Good luck with your next boiler replacement. 


 HELPFUL LINKS:

  • Contact Us
  • STAY CONNECTED WITH US VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
KEYWORDS: high-efficiency boilers hydronic controls hydronic heat

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Wohlfarth

Ray Wohlfarth is the author of “Lessons Learned in a Boiler Room: A common-sense approach to servicing and installing commercial boilers.” In his spare time, he is president of Fire & Ice in Pittsburgh, Pa. Ray writes a monthly newsletter on commercial boilers. He can be reached at 412/343-4110.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Worker using the Milwaukee Tool SWITCH PACK drain cleaner

    Pipeline profits: Drain cleaning, pipe inspection create opportunities

    Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative...
    Green Plumbing and Mechanical
    By: Nicole Krawcke
  • Uponor employee, Arturo Moreno

    The reinvestment in American manufacturing and training

    Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke and...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster
  • March 2024 Women in Plumbing hero image of woman engineer overlayed by circle of hexagon shapes with numbers from 1 to 10

    Celebrating 10 Influential Women in the Plumbing Industry

    Celebrating Women's History Month and Women in...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
close

1 COMPLIMENTARY ARTICLE(S) LEFT

Loader

Already a Registered User? Sign in now.

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine
  • Manage My Preferences

NIBCO Press Solutions

NIBCO Press Solutions

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Plumbing & Mechanical audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Plumbing & Mechanical or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • J.J. Keller CMV vehicles on road
    Sponsored byJ. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

    The dash cam game-changer for small business safety

Popular Stories

Underfloor heating installation with drain sewer hole in bathroom close up on water floor heating.

Using hydronics to leverage time-of-use electrical rates

Watts Nexa mobile image

Behind the Wall: Where smart plumbing gets smarter

Six tankless water heaters that feed the nutraceutical manufacturer’s operations.

How to deliver large volumes of hot water quickly and intermittently

PMCE Home-X April 29 Free Webinar: From Legacy to Leadership: Preparing Your Home Services Business for the Next Generation

Events

November 13, 2024

Future Proofing MEP: Navigating the 2026 High Efficiency Water Heating Standards

Join our deep dive into DOE’s new standards so you can future-proof your MEP practice.

EARN: 0.1 ASPE CEU; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU*; 1 PDH

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Will business be up or down in 2025?

Do you anticipate business in 2025 to be up or down in comparison to 2024?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

The Water Came To A Stop

The Water Came To A Stop

See More Products

Download the FREE Water Conservation, Quality & Safety eBook: Plumbing Trends Increasing Safe Water Availability

Related Articles

  • boilers are still a great heating source

    Ray Wohlfarth: Why boilers are still a great heating source

    See More
  • Ray Wohlfarth

    Ray Wohlfarth: Troubleshooting hydronics

    See More
  • Ray Wohlfarth

    Ray Wohlfarth: Troubleshooting hydronic systems

    See More
×

Keep your content unclogged with our newsletters!

Stay in the know on the latest plumbing & piping industry trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Supply House Times
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!