Oil and gas boiler delayed thermal response controllers.

Why is a delayed thermal response unit needed?

During warmer months, heating demand reduces. Typically the only heating demand is to provide hot water generation. As a consequence, energy wastage from the boiler is at its highest caused by the boiler plant turning on and off excessively, this is known as “cycling”, this isn’t the only reason a boiler cycles. It is commonly known that up to 80% of commercial boilers are oversized for their application, having operational capacity greater than what is required from the designed building load i.e. they are capable of heating a bigger space than what is there. Heating systems are generally designed to provide a continual and comfortable working environment internally no matter what the outside conditions are. Therefore boilers are oversized to take into account worst case weather scenarios (coldest) and for when boilers are out of operation for maintenance and repairs, again causing oversizing and boilers to cycle on and off.

 As a result of cycling, boiler/burner operation increases causing inefficiencies due to the fact that force draught burners have to purge the combustion space each time it fires, causing the boiler to cool down, effectively “cooling something you just heated up”. The boiler needs to recover this heat loss through additional firing, therefore wasting further energy and causing unnecessary thermal stress on the boiler plant.

Typically a boiler will lose between 1 and 2% heat through radiated losses, the boiler effectively becoming a large radiator heating the boiler house. This is a continuous process, causing the boiler to re-fire unnecessary without contributing heat or energy into the building load. As a result significant energy is wasted. However, by installing a delayed thermal response controller, boiler cycling and unnecessary energy use is removed.

What level of savings can be made?

Delayed thermal response controllers typically reduce energy consumption by between 10% and 25%. Across an entire estates average savings are typically 12% to 15%.

Contact William Martin Energy for further information.