Green Building
More Heat, Less Energy, Better Indoor Air Quality
BY KEN WILLIAMS
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
CAMBRIDGE ENGINEERING
The basic goals for a Green Building include reducing energy use, improving indoor air quality and providing comfortable working conditions. Developers and contractors are now emphasizing the benefits of going green by using the term “high performance” buildings because they have lower operating costs and the building’s occupants are more productive. Selecting a cost effective, high performance heating/ventilating system is a crucial part of achieving these goals.
Direct gas-fired Blow-Thru™ Space Heaters provide the highest energy efficiency and improve indoor air quality by heating the building with 100%, non-recirculated fresh air. They are the perfect“green” choice for heating large buildings that require ventilation. Typical applications include warehouses, manufacturing facilities, assembly plants, car dealership service areas, aircraft hangars, boat storage and indoor sports facilities. Building studies document 40% to 70% energy savings versus all other types of indirect and direct gas-fired heating systems used in these applications.
The nice thing about using Blow-Thru™ Heaters is that contractors and building owners are still dealing with a proven heating technology. It is easy to install and cost effective for both green and nongreen building projects. In fact the total equipment and installation cost for this technology is typically the same or less than other large warehouse heating systems that are less energy efficient. Over a billion square feet has been heated in recent years with high performance, energy efficient Blow-Thru™ Space Heaters.
More Heat, When and Where You Need It
Sure, a green building design will reduce the overall heat load. Night set back and intermittent operation help save energy by not providing heat when it is not needed. However an energy efficient green building does not mean sacrificing the ability to provide enough space heat when and where you do need it. Studies show making this mistake will ultimately result in more energy use and lower employee productivity. Examples include cold dock door areas, heat stratification for high bay areas, ineffective spot heating with infrared heaters, down time due to high maintenance boilers or an undersized air turnover system that can’t heat the building on a cold day.
These problems can be solved with high temperature rise, Blow-Thru™ Space Heaters. They have the highest dual temperature rise/outlet temperature ratings of 160°F. These crucial maximum ratings result in smaller but more powerful heating units and the highest BTU/CFM ratings for high performance. This technology is also more energy efficient because the high temperature rise capability allows it to heat just the right amount of fresh outside air required to address the building’s combined air infiltration, makeup air and space heating needs. That means more heat, when and where you need it.
Use Less Energy to Heat/Ventilate a Building
The goal for high-level green building
projects is to achieve at least 35% energy
savings versus a conventional building
using an indirect gas-fired heating system.
Properly applied direct gas-fired Blow-
Thru™ Heaters can generate 40% to 70
% energy savings for heating warehouses
and other large commercial or industrial
buildings as shown in TABLE 1.
Examples of indirect gas-fired heating equipment include: unit heaters, air turnover units, boiler systems and infrared (radiant) heaters. All of these heating systems require some method of heat transfer, such as a heat exchanger or radiant tubes, which lowers overall combustion efficiency. A flue is also required to vent products of combustion (and heat) outside the building, which further reduces energy efficiency. Direct gas-fired, Blow- Thru™ Space Heaters have a 100% combustion efficiency because there are no flue or heat exchanger losses. 100% of available heat is delivered to the heated/ ventilated space.
The actual total amount of energy used to heat a building is a function of many variables. Obviously the heater’s combustion efficiency is one important factor but of equal importance is how the heating equipment is installed and used. For most commercial/industrial buildings, it must provide both space heat and temper the building’s air infiltration and/or outside make-up air used to ventilate the facility. For example, an infrared (radiant) heater is considered an energy efficient way to spot heat people in a small workspace. Published efficiencies range from 80% to 92% with perhaps 85% being the most typical. However, mounting heights above 20 feet, dirty reflectors, air stratification, not dealing with negative air pressure problems and cranking up the thermostat to compensate for cold drafts could reduce the actual energy efficiency for an infrared heater to less than 60%. Cambridge Engineering has conducted hundreds of building studies that document the true energy savings that can be achieved with high performance, Blow-Thru™ Space Heaters. The three Comparative Case Studies in TABLE 2 show 41% to 68% energy savings that exceed the goal for green building projects.
Better Indoor Air Quality
A primary goal of green buildings is to prevent indoor air quality (IAQ) problems. Lack of adequate ventilation in a warehouse, auto service bay area or manufacturing facility can cause IAQ problems by not purging fumes and odors from the space. On the other hand, utilizing exhaust fans to remove fumes and odors without providing a corresponding supply of tempered make-up air adds to the infiltration load on the building. During the winter, this creates cold areas throughout the facility related to air infiltration at dock doors and other areas. This is a common occurrence in buildings heated with infrared (radiant) units, unit heaters and air turnover systems. This means cold, uncomfortable employees and higher energy costs.
The solution for a green building, or any other project with these IAQ problems, is the use of direct fired, Blow- Thru™ Space Heaters that will efficiently heat just the right amount of fresh outside air required to address the building’s combined air infiltration, make-up air and space heating needs. Blow-Thru™ heaters are certified to the latest revision of ANSI Standard Z83.4/CSA3.7 for nonrecirculating direct gas-fired heaters. They can be used in green buildings and other projects in the both the U.S. and Canada.
For more information on high performance heating equipment, direct gas-fired heating and Blow-Thru™ Space Heaters for green building applications, contact us today.
