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Retrofit for Conservation
Lose the tank, save the energy T
BY JOSEPH SANCHEZ Special to The Wholesaler
ankless water heaters or hot water on demand water heaters provide hot water only
as it is needed, reducing the standby energy losses associated with typical storage water heaters. As one might expect, and as the U.S. Department of Energy has indicated, this energy sav- ings will help a facility or dwelling save money. Among the most popular benefits
of tankless water heaters are the con- stant supply of hot water that reduces consumption and lowers water bills, and the significant energy savings that puts money back in the end user’s pocket while qualifying the purchaser for Federal tax credits under Section 25C of the Federal In- ternal Revenue Code for the tax years of 2009 and 2010. For homes that use 41 gallons or
less of hot water daily, tankless water heaters can be 24% to 34% more en- ergy efficient than conventional stor- age tank water heaters. They can be 8% to14% more energy efficient for homes that use a lot of hot water — classified at around 86 gallons per day by the U.S. Department of Energy. The average efficiency of the avail-
able tankless water heaters on the mar- ket is between 82% and 93%. And in fact, the Navien condensing tankless water heater is 98% efficient, one of the highest rated in the industry. Navien America Inc., based in
Irvine, Calif., achieves this tremen- dous efficiency thanks to its stainless- steel primary and secondary condensing heat exchangers, which are able to recover the thermal energy in the condensation that would other- wise be lost. The use of stainless steel primary and condensing (sec- ondary) heat exchangers allows up to 20 times more resistance to erosion
and condensate corrosion than the typical copper heat exchanger. Navien units are able to provide in- stantaneous hot water because of the built-in hot water recirculation pump and buffer tank, which puts hot water at the faucet the moment it is turned on. This neat feature saves water and reduces water bills since a home- owner won’t be waiting for the hot water to arrive to faucet. Navien units also include dual-redundant micro- processors to ensure uninterrupted operation. A fingertip Intelligent Re- mote Control System is supplied with every unit, allowing the owner to eas- ily make any needed adjustment to the water heater from the inside com- fort of their home. Navien’s contractor-friendly design
•THE WHOLESALER® —APRIL 2011
ing the muscle and efficiency of a Navien solution. Built in the 1800s, the 8,000-
square-foot mansion is occupied by the University President and sits on 10 acres of land. Such amenities in- clude over a half-dozen bathrooms, eight bedrooms, servant quarters and executive kitchen. The President’s Mansion is a tool
used to entertain dignitaries, donors and other very important people. Dur- ing these events, hot water or the lack of it was a constant issue — especially during graduation, sporting events and meetings. If more than three people showered at the same time, the hot water supply would run out. The existing hot water heating sys-
tem consisted of two 100-gallon natu- ral gas tank water heaters that were only 60% efficient when new, and lacked sufficient hot water even when the house was only partially occupied.
Built in the 1800s, the 8,000-square-foot University of Illinois President’s Mansion is occupied by the University President and sits on 10 acres of land. During formal events, hot water, or the lack of it, was a constant issue — especially during graduation, sporting events and meetings. If more than three people showered at the same time, the hot water supply would run out.
allows the use of PVC venting up to 100 feet, reducing the costs of instal- lation dramatically by eliminating the need for stainless steel venting. An- other benefit of PVC venting is that it allows the end-user to install the unit right next to the old tank water heater — eliminating the need to move the unit to an outside wall. And each of these units comes with peace of mind in the form of a 15-year warranty, one of the best in the industry. Metropolitan Industries is the au-
thorized representative of Navien tan- kless water heaters for the entire state of Illinois, Northern Indiana and half of Missouri. Two recent installations by them demonstrate both the com- mercial and residential application capabilities that incorporate energy- savings for the end-user.
Metropolitan Industries replaced the old tank water heaters with three Navien NR240A natural gas tankless water heaters, each rated 98% efficient with a Btu rating of 199,000, drastically reducing the cost of heating the mansion’s water.
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President’s Mansion - University of Illinois The University of Illinois Presi-
dent’s Mansion in Champaign, Ill. was an interesting application requir-
Given the existing system was a
tank system, heating the water when the mansion was vacant was an ex- pensive issue as well. Tank systems have an eternally lit pilot flame and will turn on to heat the water period- ically even when demand is at its lowest, unlike a tankless system that only uses energy on demand. Also, as minerals are prone to build-up in the tank over time, the heaters sometimes become less and less efficient thereby adding to the energy costs. Metropolitan Industries replaced the
old tank water heaters with three Navien NR240A natural gas tankless water heaters, each with a Btu rating of 199,000. These new water heaters — installed in June 2010 — provide an endless supply of continuous hot water and with 98% efficiency, re- duces energy costs associated with the Mansion. The systems are on a recir- culation loop that saves an average of 12,000 gallons of water per year be- (Turn to Helping ... page 68.)
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