How to Make Your Boiler More Efficient

To create a more efficient boiler, you need to use the lowest possible temperature to generate the lowest amount of flue gas. You also need to make sure heat isn’t lost in the heat stack, which is where the majority of heat goes to waste. You can reduce heat loss and lower the flue gas temperature by implementing the following efficiency measures:

• Preheat your boiler’s combustion air: Your combustion air is the air fed to the burner in your boiler. If you preheat the air before you send it to the burner, you reduce the amount of fuel the boiler uses to turn its water to steam.
• Find the right balance of excess air: Your boiler needs excess air to create combustion, but you need to use the right amount of it to make your boiler efficient. Too much excess air makes the whole process inefficient, but too little excess air allows dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide and soot to build up in the boiler. You can install a smart monitor to measure and adjust the excess air levels in your boiler to improve its efficiency.
• Clean all boiler surfaces: This sounds so simple, but it really can improve your boiler’s efficiency. Clean your boiler’s fire side to remove soot from the boiler tubes. Then clean the water side to prevent mud from building up around it. You should also clean the rest of your boiler’s surfaces to prevent scale from building up on them.
• Save the condensate your boiler produces: When your boiler generates steam, that steam eventually cools off and creates condensate. Collect that condensate and return it to the boiler to reduce the amount of water your boiler uses to create more steam.

Each of these measures reduces the amount of heat, water, and fuel your boiler needs to operate. When you put them in place, you’re taking big steps toward lowering your energy bills.