High Efficiency Natural Gas Boilers

Upgrade to a high efficiency boiler system for your business and reduce energy use by 30 per cent.

Condensing and near-condensing boilers

Both condensing and near-condensing systems offer superior heat exchange design and improved combustion technologies over standard atmospheric units. A condensing boiler recovers additional heat from exhaust gases by condensing water vapour that is normally lost up the flue.

Increase the energy efficiency of your heating system and lower your costs with financial incentives for upgrading to condensing or near-condensing boilers.

Benefits

• reduced heating costs;
• increased occupant comfort with more uniform building temperatures;
• reduced greenhouse gas emissions;
• increased profitability and competitiveness.

Incentives

Incentive = boiler input capacity x $ / MBH

Incentives available for retrofit applications only.

Application	Incentive
Condensing	$8 / eligible MBH input
Near-condensing	$2 / eligible MBH input

Example: A 1,000 MBH condensing boiler is installed: Incentive = 1,000 x $8 = $8,000

Eligibility

Eligibility is based on the following requirements:

• must be a natural gas fired hot water boiler (no steam);
• minimum combustion efficiency of 85 per cent (near-condensing) or 90 per cent (condensing) as per ANSI Z21.13/CSA 4.9 standards or BTS 2000 (>300,000 Btu/h);
• all boilers under 300,000 Btu/h must be ENERGY STAR qualified;
• forced draft venting system required;
• designed to withstand continuous operation with a return water temperature not exceeding 49 C (120 F) (condensing boilers only);
• technical data sheet showing catalogue performance data and efficiency rating certification must be provided;
• incentives will be limited to eligible loads only; future, redundant or standby capacity will not be eligible for incentives;
• detailed heat loss calculation (also known as a building heat load summary); this shows transmission, infiltration, ventilation and domestic hot water loads (if applied for).

You must apply for pre-approval before equipment is ordered and before work can begin.

Eligible loads

A detailed building heat load study is required for all applications to determine eligible boiler loads. Incentives are based on the lesser input capacity (MBH) of the building's heat load summary, the proposed boiler system, and the existing system.

Building heat loads are necessary to determine the right size boiler for your building. Properly-sized boiler equipment can improve operating efficiency, reduce capital costs, and increase occupant comfort.

Your heating service provider will perform the building heat load calculation and enter the information into the Building Heat Load Summary Table on the application. This will determine your incentive.

A	B	C		D	E	F
Eligible energy/heating loads	Heat loss (MBH)	Boiler		If no, source	Eligible load multiplier	Eligible load (B x E)
		Yes	No
Transmission heat loss					1.40
Infiltration heat loss					1.40
Ventilation					0.35
Domestic hot water					0.35
Total

Typical annual savings

On average, upgrading to a 2,000 MBH condensing boiler should:

• save up to $6,000 on your annual energy bill;
• save up to $150,000 in life cycle costs over the 25-year operating life;
• realize a 2 to 5 year payback;
• reduce GHG emissions by almost 40 tonnes (equal to taking more than ten cars off the road each year).

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) proposes to amend Canada's Energy Efficiency Regulations to include minimum efficiency requirements for commercial natural gas boilers. For more information on the proposed amendment, visit the NRCan website.

Conduct regular boiler maintenance to reduce boiler operating and energy costs, improve safety, and extend the life of your boiler. Use our boiler maintenance checklist as a guide for performing maintenance on an established schedule. Consult your heating supplier or service technician for maintenance specific to your boiler.