Hydronic Boiler Nameplate
Image by Zane Selvans
The boiler that powers the hydronic heating system is an AO Smith HW-520, (429kBTU output energy), which is rated 82% efficient. It was installed in 2004. It’s a heat-exchanging system. Current retail for this unit is 00. A 96% efficient condensing gas boiler with comparable output looks like it costs about 00 after the 00 federal rebate. Given that the condo complex as a whole spends about 50/year on heating, spending the extra 00 on the higher efficiency when the boiler was replaced would have been worth about 0/year, and so would have paid for itself quickly (6 years simple payback, 10 years at a 6% discount rate). The high efficiency boilers come with a 10+ year warranty, but most owner-occupants don’t expect to be around that long, and about half of the units are rented out, so this kind of otherwise sensible investment doesn’t get made.