High Efficiency Space Heaters Get DOE's Attention

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Over the past 25 years, ASHRAE has dramatically increased the minimum efficiency requirements for commercial buildings and their associated equipment. The direct result: • 44% improvement in lighting efficiency • 27% improvement in cooling efficiency • 21% improvement in building envelope efficiency • 37% improvement in commercial building efficiency overall • But only 1% improvement in heating efficiency With such a small increase in heating efficiency compared to other categories, High Temperature Heating and Ventilation (HTHV) direct gas-fired heaters caught the attention of the Department of Energy (DOE) as a way to dramatically reduce energy consumption. Field Demonstration of High Efficiency Gas Heaters - Cambridge Air Solutions In many commercial and industrial buildings, unit heaters are the popular choice for space heating. But, according to ASHRAE, these buildings require ventilation systems in addition to space heating in order to meet code. With separate systems providing space heating and outside air, most buildings have complex heating systems that consume too much energy. Wanting to find out for themselves the viability of the HTHV technology, the DOE conducted their own independent study. They discovered that direct-fired HTHV demonstrated 20% gas savings compared to standard unit heaters, a margin that could substantially reduce energy consumption and utility bills for commercial and industrial buildings in the U.S. Direct-fired technologies have been widely adopted as high-efficiency ventilation units. The DOE’s study has proved HTHV’s viability in increasing heating efficiency in the United States, an area that not seen much improvement in the past 25 years. Click here to download the full DOE study >>