Well, it seems hard to believe for those of us in the Northeast. But the heating season is winding down, and we can all enjoy some consistently warmer weather now. Besides that, we can also begin to shut down heating systems, perform maintenance, troubleshoot, and begin implementing long-term strategies to keep your equipment operating efficiently, reliably, and more cheaply without impacting workers/residents.

One simple item that will save you energy costs is insulation. It is surprising how much pipe surface area in a boiler (or cooling) system has no or worn-away insulation. Many such areas are humid, their walls not well-insulated, etc. And therefore, pipe insulation will wear away and fall off. Insulating a bare pipe carrying steam, hot water, or return condensate can reduce heat losses from that pipe by over 90%. That means un- or under-insulated pipes carry a heavy energy penalty. The combustion equipment must burn more fuel to produce more steam or hot water to compensate for the losses along the way to get heat to the intended targets. That means greater costs (and fuel costs are only rising) and increased greenhouse gas emissions. In large industrial facilities or even apartment complexes, where the intended areas to heat may be blocks away, the issue of heat loss is critical and can be very expensive.

As discussed, heat loss from a pipe can be reduced by 90% or more by installing the right insulation. While many factors are involved (cost of fuel, length of uninsulated pipe, usage and efficiency of boiler), it is likely that by realizing this reduction of heat loss with insulation, cost savings can be high tens of dollars and one ton or more of GHG emissions per foot of pipe per year. For a large plant or building with thousands of feet of pipe in heating service, the savings and GHG reductions can be quite significant.

Bottom Line: Take some time out while your heating equipment is not operating to inspect (as access allows) your piping – both steam and hot water leaving a boiler and any condensate that is collected. Look for areas of uninsulated pipes. If your pipes are insulated, then check its viability. Is it flaking and coming off? Have areas of it dropped off? Are there areas where bare pipe show? Catalog these areas of concern and consider re-insulating. Proper insulation can be easily found and calculations performed to determine the fuel and energy savings and payback for such a project. Be careful. If some of your existing insulation is asbestos, you must get licensed, certified professional help to get it removed and cleaned from the area.

CCES has the technical energy experts to help you devise a smart, long-term energy-saving program for your heating equipment during the non-heating season. We can help you evaluate insulation, as well as other, energy-saving strategies to provide you multiple options, all of which will benefit you financially. Contact us today at karell@CCESworld.com. or at 914-584-6720.