Abstract
As part of the Energy Efficiency Office's condensing boiler demonstration programme, Newcastle Polytechnic were responsible for a project in the North of England, consisting of a 30-unit sheltered housing scheme. This involved central condensing boilers for space heating and independent gas fired generators for domestic hot water. Data on various aspects of the heating installation performance were collected during a two year period in the late 1980s. The dual condensing boilers were under direct external temperature compensation control, and were oversized to make provision for stand-by capacity. At light load, expected high efficiency operation was not always achieved due to the effect of low load factor. Condensing operation was found to be sporadic, though during significant loads, dry mode efficiency was high; generally around 86-88%. The use of a low flow temperature compensation range set during commissioning was identified as the main reason for restricted condensing operation.
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