Heating systems are critical to most municipalities, but also represent a large component of your utility expenses. Today's commercial size systems have advanced significantly in design and efficiency.

Today's HVAC systems use 30% to 50% less energy to produce the same amount of heat as earlier, less sophisticated equipment. Even if your heating system is only 10 years old, you may save a significant amount on energy costs by replacing it with a newer, more efficient model. Below are some of the applications and system types available to you.

Biomass Boilers for Heat & Steam
These revolutionary solid fuel heating systems are designed and manufactured to assure the most efficient combustion of solid fuels, while maintaining low emissions.

There are a number of important advantages to biomass boiler heating systems:

• They save up to 50 percent on heating costs versus heating with gas or oil.
• Today's modern systems help to reduce global warming extremely low emissions.
• You can support economic development by buying readily available wood chips and pellets provided and processed by local companies.
  
  

Gas- and Oil-Fired Boilers
Today's gas-fired boilers bring the field-proven performance of boilers and water heaters to even higher levels of efficiency and reliability. Gas furnaces and boilers can be fueled by either natural gas or propane. Propane is usually more expensive as a fuel, but is available throughout the United States. Natural gas supplies depend on having a natural gas distribution system in your area, and areas at the end of the pipeline (such as the Northeast) tend to pay higher prices for natural gas.

There are a number of important advantages to gas-fired boiler systems:

• The latest energy-efficient technology offers significant savings over older technology.
• Today's modern systems help to reduce global warming extremely low emissions.
• Additional realized savings can be put to work for your school or community.
  
  

Air-source Heat Pumps
Meanwhile, performance of air-source heat pumps--in particular, the ductless mini-split heat pumps that have been popularized by such companies as Mitsubishi, Sanyo, and Daikin — have been improving dramatically in recent years, especially at low temperatures.

In the past, air-source heat pumps only made sense in warmer climates, because the efficiency would drop dramatically at lower temperatures; at about 40°F, these systems would usually switch over to electric-resistance heating. New mini-split heat pumps, by comparison, especially "inverter" models, can function pretty well down to about 0°F. And they cost a whole lot less than GSHPs.

Cooling systems are very energy intensive and are almost always fueled by electricity. Another big handicap right out of the gate is they are typically needed during peak time, and thus peak use charges. Cooling energy use is second only to lighting energy use in commercial buildings. For example, cooling in municipal and commercial buildings accounts for 14% of California's peak electrical demand. Both energy consumption and peak demand are increasing and here are some of the energy-efficient technologies available that can effectively reduce your capital outlay on energy costs:

High-Efficiency Packaged Rooftop A/C Units
These state-of-the art units provide industry-leading operating efficiencies, ease of maintenance, installability, and reliability — as well as consistently high levels of indoor air quality and comfort. The systems are almost always electrically powered (though other innovative alternative coolings systems are available --- see below), and usually come pre-wired and pre-charged with an environmentally sound refrigerant such as Puron® (R-410A) at the factory.

Packaged A/C systems include cooling equipment, air-handling fans, and optional gas or electric heating equipment. Rooftop units (RTUs) are available in sizes ranging from 1 ton to more than 100 tons of air-conditioning capacity (1 ton of cooling capacity will remove 12,000 BTU of heat per hour).

A professional energy audit by a professional company such as Johnson Controls, will help determine the best equipment for your needs. With that information, MLC can then help you secure the most cost-effective municipal lease financing to complete your project.

Industrial/Commercial Chillers
What is an Industrial Chiller? — Industrial chillers are classified as a refrigeration system that cools a process fluid or dehumidifies air in commercial and industrial facilities. A chiller will use either a vapor compression or absorption cycle to cool. Chilled water has a variety of applications in municipal and commercial facilities, from space cooling to various process uses.

Types of Industrial Chillers — A chiller is rated between one to 1000 tons of cooling energy. There are three different types of chillers:(1) air, (2) water, and (3) evaporative condensed chiller. There are four subcategories in each of the above categories for industrial chillers: (1) reciprocating, (2) centrifugal, (3) screw driven (4) and absorption chillers. The first three types are mechanical chillers which are powered by electric motors, steam, or gas turbines. An absorption chiller is powered by a heat source such as steam and uses no moving parts.

Components of an Industrial Chiller — The mechanical compression cycle has four basic components through which the refrigerant passes: (1) the evaporator (2) the compressor (3) the condenser (4) the expansion valve. The evaporator in the chiller will operate at a lower pressure and lower temperature than the condenser. More in-depth technology and equipment info can be found on the Cooling Technology, Inc. website.

Pair up a Chiller and an Thermal Energy Storage (TES) System — The chiller and the TES share the cooling load during the on-peak daytime hours, and then work together to store ice during off-peak nighttime rates. This partial storage strategy can significantly reduced your energy costs. Read more about TES's in our Energy Storage section.

Today's chillers represent very cost-effective and energy-efficient additions to your current HVAC system, and MLC has secured lease funding for a number of these in recent municipal energy performance contracts. Contact us today to learn more.

Radiant Cooling Systems
Radiant cooling is a comfortable, quiet, energy-efficient alternative to traditional air conditioning in commercial buildings. Radiant cooling is designed to be a passive system that uses off-peak electric power at night, which reduces the need for energy-intensive HVAC air conditioning during the day. This offers the ability to downsize chillers and eliminate individual air-conditioning units.

Radiant cooling takes advantage of the energy storage capacity of concrete floors for cooling a commercial structure. In a radiant cooling system, energy moves towards the cooled surface, lowering the air temperature.

Radiant cooling eliminates the drafts and temperature fluctuations common in traditional HVAC systems, and is especially effective in high-glazing areas where solar gain is a concern. It also avoids problems with mold and allergens spread by forced-air systems, making it an ideal choice for hospital and healthcare environments.

Key benefits include: * Energy savings average from 17% in cold, humid climates to 42% in warm, dry climates * Particularly effective for building designs incorporating large glass surfaces that carry high direct solar loads * Allows you to establish a centralized location for the control system and mechanical equipment, simplifying installation, operation and maintenance * Systems can be designed to transfer heat away from one area of a building to another when needed.

These tips can help you select the right equipment for your facility.

• NEVER OVERSIZE! Avoid over sizing equipment at all costs. Over sizing equipment increases the capital cost at the time of the installation and the costs of operation of the equipment. Request that your HVAC professional conduct an Air Conditioning Contractors of America's (ACCA) Manual N Commercial Load Calculation to ensure proper sizing.

• Before considering a lease-purchase of a new generation heating or cooling system, request the ACCA Manual N for municipal and commercial facilities to evaluate your facility's heating and cooling loads. By following these guidelines you will receive a system that is sized appropriately for your facility.

• When selecting a new cooling system, have your HVAC professional provide you a quote and specifications for standard-efficiency and high-efficiency units including life cycle costs. If the life cycle cost is less on the high-efficiency unit, purchase it.

• Investigate geothermal heating and cooling, too. Geothermal pumps, also called ground source heat pumps, extract heat from the ground and transfer it to your facility in the winter, while extracting heat from your facility in the summer and transferring it to the ground. In other words, the ground acts as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer. Read More -->

• Install programmable thermostats and other control and monitoring technologies to achieve significant savings. Reducing heating and cooling during off-peak hours.

• Whenever possible, select heating and cooling units that are ENERGY STAR qualified.

• Consider energy recovery ventilation systems to reclaim waste energy from the exhaust air stream and use it to condition incoming fresh air.

• In humid climates, consult your HVAC professional about supplemental dehumidification. By controlling humidity at your facility, you can increase comfort and allow for further downsizing of equipment.

• Consider specifying economizers. Often available at a low incremental cost, these units draw in fresh air from the outside when the temperature outside is lower than the temperature inside.

• Combining new equipment and technology with efforts to reduce heating and cooling loads can lead to even more savings. These include lighter roof surfaces, and planting deciduous trees to reduce solar heat gain.