DRY CYCLING
An unnecessary waste of scarce resources
Most boilers in standby mode naturally cool due to heat loss to the surrounding environment. The good news: some of that heat will go towards heating the building. The bad news: much of it is wasted energy, due to natural boiler ‘standing losses’.
When the temperature in a boiler falls below the required internal set point temperature, there’s a trigger for the boiler to return it to that set point. So the boiler ‘intelligence’ causes it to fire up. But the ‘dumb’ result is energy is being used simply to return the boiler to its set point replacing the boiler standing loss only – not due to any need for heating within the building.
Smart technology for commercial boilers
Boilers can waste fuel continuously, in order to remain at their set point temperature. Up to 10-25% of a boiler’s gas consumption can be wasted due to dry cycling. For building operators, that can equate to thousands of pounds of unnecessary spend and tonnes of unnecessary carbon emissions.
Boiler plant is generally over specified for the building kW load requirements, as the boiler/s kW output capacity is designed to meet the worst-case winter loads. This leads to the boilers operating for extended periods at “partial load” which can lead to boiler dry and short cycling.
Sabien’s M2G Boiler Load Optimisation Solution can be retrofitted to the majority of commercial boilers. It monitors and analyses the boiler temperature every second via two digital sensors. It then identifies if a boiler is firing due to a genuine need for building heat, or (as is too often the case), as a result of just firing to replace the boiler’s standing losses. If it’s the latter – dry cycling – M2G immediately inhibits the boiler firing under these conditions. On identification of a genuine demand for heat, M2G immediately enables the boiler to fire ensuring all building setpoints are maintained at all times.
“Credit where it’s due,…
…we installed these devices on most of our boilers and they have contributed to us exceeding our target for 2020. To anyone who has a Salix recycling fund you can use that to fund your carbon reduction by installing these. It really is a “no brainier” to invest in reducing your gas consumption which releases opex for cost improvement and improve the environment around you by reducing your carbon emissions as well.”
Mike Blades
Energy & Sustainability Officer
Northumbria NHS Trust
