Propane Boilers
Why Choose a High Efficiency Propane Boiler?
Propane wall-hung boilers are the perfect complement to a new, energy efficient house. These boilers come from Europe where fuel is very expensive, and making the most of it counts. Some major advantages over oil boilers are as follows:
- Wall-hung boilers take very little space, and fit easily into a closet. They are the perfect complement to a slab on grade, or can fit easily into a basement.
- One unit produces both heat and on-demand hot water, with no wasted tank losses.
- They are quiet and elegantly engineered.
- High efficiency with AFUE ratings between 84-94% (depending on the model).
- They are cleaner-burning than oil.
- They require no chimney.
- Sealed combustion means indoor air quality is not affected by your heating system.
The enormous benefit of built-in circulation pumps, heat exchangers, expansion tanks, ball valves, pressure relief valves and fast fills make for neat, clean, and easy installations. The units are fully modulated, meaning that they burn the exact amount of fuel needed to keep the temperature up, unlike oil boilers, which can only run fully on or off.
Designing a House
Invest in creating the most energy efficient building (see "Energy & Efficiency") to lower the lifetime energy consumption of a system. Proper building orientation (i.e. solar south) and insulation can cut the demand of the building up to 50-75%. We can then realize all of the advantages of propane with very little extra operating cost. Don't put in a chimney; instead, invest the money you save into your walls (insulation).
Propane Versus Oil
For each delivered BTU, propane cost up to 40% more than oil. By cutting overall operating costs, the advantage of "cheap dirty oil" is minimized. The benefits of propane will far outweigh the marginal cost increase. These benefits include:
- 20-30% less carbon emissions into the atmosphere than oil.
- No sulfates and negligible nitrogen emissions into the atmosphere.
- One fuel source in your home for dryer, oven, heat, and hot water.
- No annual cleaning, no lowered efficiency after the annual cleaning.
Heat Distribution Systems
A RADIANT FLOOR OFFERS THE HIGHEST ENERGY PERFORMANCE WITH HIGH COMFORT. The lowest cost and most efficient operation is a concrete slab with integral radiant tubing. We highly recommend a concrete slab on grade (4-6") or a thin slab (2"minimum) to provide the thermal mass needed for higher efficiency and higher solar gain without overheating. For existing floors, the slightly less-efficient option is staple-up tubing with metal fins that help distribute the heat.
RADIATORS AND BASEBOARD SYSTEMS are great options for existing structures. ReVision Energy professionally engineers and installs panel radiator and baseboard systems for highest efficiency and comfort.
The Process
Heating system design begins with an energy consult. The consultant will provide guidelines for low cost/high yield solutions to build an energy efficient home with detailed recommendations on specific building practices that will best work for your house, including orientation, insulation, wall systems, ventilation, thermal mass, window types and placement. The cost for this service is $400 and will be credited towards your heating system if ReVision Energy designs and installs the heating system.
Estimated Costs
Starting prices for installation range around $7,000-$8,000 for the 84% efficient model (Baxi Luna) with built-in hot water. A condensing boiler option with 94% efficiency adds about $1000. These estimates include the installed unit with all its controls, but none of the heat distribution. More complicated controls, or larger houses with variable temperature outputs (outdoor temperature sensor), can add $1000.
Estimated heating distribution prices by ReVision Energy are as follows:
- Radiant floor- thin slab and slab on grade (not including concrete work)........$2.00 per square foot.
- Baseboard........$2.00 per square foot.
- Radiant floor-staple up tubing........$4.00 per square foot.