Raising the efficiency of boiler installations (BOILeff)

Guenter R. Simader and Georg Trnka, Austrian Energy Agency, Austria
Claus Barthel and Gerhard Wohlauf, Wuppertal Institut, Germany
Ferenc Lezsovits, Innoterm Energetics Ltd., Hungary
Alberto Coronas, Joan Carles Bruno, Maria Puig-Arnavat, and Núria Quince, URV – Crever, Spain

Keywords

heating systems, condensing boilers, boiler sizing, declaration of high quality installation, performance guarantee

Abstract

Installed boilers do not operate as efficiently as they could. While test cases demonstrate that boilers could achieve high efficiencies, their real performance is much lower. This observation could be verified by the German research Project "Optimus" which deals with the optimization of installed heating systems and by an implemented field test in Germany to evaluate the operation of gas fuelled condensing boilers.

Starting from this analysis that many boiler installations suffer from serious shortcomings, BOILeff project was initiated to develop and to assess two new market approaches for improving the efficiency of boiler installations.

The first market approach is a high quality declaration. It is based on a checklist of quality criteria for boiler installations, which should form a part of the contract between installers and end consumers. The second approach is a performance declaration. The installer should be able to pledge a certain annual efficiency of the boiler by his high quality installation.

By a field test including around 50 installations, the practicability and effectiveness of both new approaches are evaluated during the heating period 2008/2009.

Furthermore BOILeff activities should contribute to a new voluntary measure under discussion to increase the energy efficiency in heating systems and build-up on article 8 (inspection of boilers and heating systems) of EPBD and relate on the Ecodesign Directive.