“Heightened” Efficiency: An innovative heating solution for a Boston high-rise building
Client: American Construction Contracting Company
Location: Boston, MA
Sectors: Construction
The Challenge
Fuel-efficient heat for vertical spaces
A construction firm tapped Aggreko as their 17-story high-rise in downtown Boston neared the final stages of construction. The project team faced a significant challenge: efficiently heating all stories of the building to complete the finishing work. Given the vertical nature of the structure and limited square footage, traditional electric heating methods would be inefficient.
The need for heat to be distributed from ground level up raised further challenges. A typical solution for similar-sized buildings would involve using several electric heaters. However, the building’s power limitations ruled out this approach. Additionally, the option to use indirect heaters, which would require daily fuel refills on every other floor, would have driven up operational costs and emissions.
The project team needed an efficient, non-electric solution that could not only heat the building from the ground up but also minimize fuel consumption and, as a byproduct, environmental impact.
Key Facts
The Solutions
Aggreko’s space-saving heating solution
To meet the unique heating demands of this 17-story high-rise during the colder months, Aggreko engineered a custom solution that provided efficient, temporary heat. The solution centered around deploying eight 1.8 million BTU diesel-fired central heating units (CHUs), 31 200,000 BTU fan coils, and four 800-gallon external diesel fuel tanks. The diesel fuel tanks supported the CHUs, ensuring a reliable fuel supply throughout the project. At the heart of the system was a 1,000-square-foot heat exchanger, which allowed heat to be efficiently distributed vertically, overcoming the need for electric heaters on each floor.
A vital feature of this solution was its design flexibility. Instead of operating individual heating loops for each floor, Aggreko designed the system to run in parallel. This allowed the project team to adjust heating capacity in real-time, running only the required CHUs and reducing fuel consumption when less heat was needed.
Due to the building’s location, space limitations at the ground level presented another challenge. Aggreko’s engineered solution allowed for efficient use of the limited exterior space. By tucking the equipment within the building and directing all exhaust outside, Aggreko ensured that necessary earth-moving and staging equipment could remain on-site, optimizing space and functionality.
The Impact
High-rise project while reducing operational costs and improving efficiency
The solution proposed by Aggreko addressed the unique challenges of this high-rise project while reducing operational costs and improving efficiency compared to other competitor bids. By minimizing fuel consumption and emissions, the system proved to be both cost-effective and environmentally conscious.
The solution’s smaller footprint allowed for better use of the limited space, ensuring that construction crews could maintain access for essential equipment. Aggreko’s system also reduced labor demands, saving the project team valuable time and effort compared to the competitor’s more labor-intensive approach. The customer valued Aggreko’s engineering expertise, appreciating how the solution simplified their work rather than adding complexity.
Safety and logistical risks were also minimized. Managing multiple electric heaters would have introduced technical challenges and increased the potential for complications. Aggreko’s heating solution provided a seamless, reliable, and safer alternative.
In the end, Aggreko’s approach challenged the status quo of heating high-rises, delivering a smarter solution that exceeded expectations.