Luxury high-rise warmed by low-cost hydronic heating

A new 21-story luxury condo faced a cold, damp winter, when the municipal gas line that would have fuelled its heating system was delayed. That meant no heating to dry out the construction, or when the building was finished, and winter was fast approaching.
The owner/builder initially considered open flame heaters fuelled by kerosene or propane but venting off the carbon monoxide would have increased fuel costs. Electric heaters don’t produce enough heat and indirect air heating – reheating the outside air – was costly.

We came up with a fourth option – hydronic heating. Instead of re-heating cold outside air or bringing in cold air for ventilation, hydronic heating re-heats the ambient air from within the building. It uses an external central heater to heat food grade propylene glycol, which is then pumped through fan coils to warm the building. It has the major advantage of using less fuel, and so saves operating costs. We used propane then seamlessly switched to natural gas when it became available.

Our innovative heating package kept the building at optimal temperatures for six months. The builder saved significantly on heating costs during the winter and received a total end-to end-service. The contractors and craftsmen were able to perfect the luxury condo with complete peace of mind that we had the heating covered. We left the site with every condo in ready to move into condition and are now working on five more buildings for this construction company.