Prior to last winter, a 37-year-old, 250-horsepower boiler provided heat to The Lauren, a 168-unit condominium in Washington, D.C. According to Walter Krolman, project manager at The Lauren, the unit functioned well, delivering plenty of heat throughout the 10-story building that was originally constructed in 1972 as an apartment building.
However, Krolman questioned the efficiency of the boiler. “It was built for 80 percent efficiency, but it was probably functioning well below that level,” Krolman explained. “So, in as much as it was scheduled for replacement soon, we decided to move forward and consider replacing the boiler ahead of schedule with a more efficient boiler — one that would immediately allow us to capture energy savings and convert those savings to reduced operating costs.”