Since 1864, Brockton High School has provided
a ‘proud tradition
of excellence’ in education to the children of Brockton,
Massachusetts, a working class city south of Boston. Through
many permutations, the high school has grown to accommodate the
growth of the community it serves. Most recently, in 1970,
construction was completed on the current Brockton High School,
housing approximately 4200 students.
Commercial heating technology has come a long
way in the thirty plus years since the school was built. With the growing cost
of energy, combined with shrinking public education resources,
officials at Brockton High School determined it was time to replace
the school’s old inefficient heating system.
In 2005, they contacted Bay State Gas and were informed
that a new high-efficiency heating system installation could qualify
for the Partners In Energy program that provides engineering assessments
and rebates to Bay State Gas/Northern Utilities commercial and
industrial customers.
As part of the program, Bay State brought
in RISE Engineering, a subcontractor to the Partners In Energy
program. RISE
conducted a complete energy assessment of the facility, the cost
being completely paid for by Bay State Gas.
The engineers came back with a comprehensive
solution that included two AERCO Benchmark High Efficiency Gas
Fired Hot Water Boilers. The heating system and the installation
costs were eligible for a Bay State Gas, Partners In Energy
Program rebate.
These boilers were recommended because they
are designed to be one of the most efficient commercial boilers
available. This
has been achieved by incorporating three important factors into
the design:
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The Benchmark has condensing capabilities, extracting
as much heat as possible from the products of combustion. |
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The Benchmark has fully modulating
firing capabilities, firing from a minimum of 100,000 Btu/H
input to a maximum of 2,000,000 Btu/H input. This enables
it to match the heat input to the load requirements precisely. Hence,
losses from cycling are minimal. |
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Its electronic control system
maintains header temperature to +/- 2°F, eliminating
wasteful temperature overshooting and droops. |
“The bottom line”, said Mike Harn, Commercial & Industrial
Sales Representative, “is that these systems met Brockton
High School’s needs while saving them a considerable amount
on the installation. In fact, the Benchmark boilers each
qualified for a $50,000 rebate from Partners In Energy. Plus,
the engineers estimate that the increased efficiency gains will
realize an annual savings of nearly $40,000.” In real
savings, these boilers will pay for themselves in short order.
These savings will help Brockton High School
control its energy budget and provide even, controlled, and comfortable
heat to the over 4000 students and faculty members who call Brockton
High School their ‘school
home’ each and every day.
Created
by Ferrante & Associates,
Inc.
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