While seven of 10 American homes utilize forced air to heat and cool their homes, a rising portion of the industry believes radiant and hydronic heating and cooling provides a better path to prosperity. These self-proclaimed “wet heads” met in Providence, R.I., Sept. 11-12 for the inaugural Hydronics Roundtable.

In addition to the 2012 Commercial Heating Showcase Product Grid, The NEWS spotlights the industry’s latest commercial heating products in this photo feature. The manufacturers provided the brief description of features included with each product.

The P-K MACH® condensing boiler dual-fuel product line has been expanded. According to the manufacturer, switching from natural gas to propane is fast and easy, only requiring flipping a simple toggle switch.

Redesigned and featuring 15:1 turndown for energy efficiency and low NOx emissions, the Benchmark 6000 (BMK6000) is a 6 million-Btuh condensing hydronic boiler. It has an operating efficiency of 92.5 percent. The unit measures 79 (h) by 34 (w) by 109 (d) inches.

Available in four standard boiler models — CDN040, CDN070, CDN100, and CDN120 — with gas inputs ranging from 40,000 to 120,000 Btuh, the compact, wall-mount modulating/condensing heating boiler can handle the heating load for almost any home, said the company.

Colleges and universities across the United States are benefitting from new technologies that provide superior indoor comfort to students while delivering significant energy savings to the institutions. What types of equipment are they investing in? 

Years ago, steam heating was a business of installing complete systems and not just a business of replacing boilers and fixing problems as it is today. So, how do you get the most out of a modern steam boiler? 

Redesigned, the Benchmark 3000 boiler features high turndown for energy efficiency, lower operating costs, and high reliability in a compact footprint. Incorporating the company’s stainless steel, fire-tube design, the boiler can satisfy environmental requirements, and provides flexibility to fit in both retrofit and new construction.

The newly redesigned hydronic air handler, which is an element of the company’s Integrated Heating & Water Heating System, incorporates a new, high-efficiency permanent magnet motor, which helps upgrade the electrical efficiency of the air handler.

The AFL Automatic Flow Limiter is a unique, patented design that provides test and balance engineers, commissioning agents, installing contractors, and building owners the ability to measure flow while automatically limiting the flow rate to the system requirements.