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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Building structure's impact on the effectiveness of furnace retrofits

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5594781
Improvement of the energy use efficiency of gas furnace (and boiler) installations by retrofit has been considered in the past, and two general approaches have been proposed for implementation. These are: retrofit of the heating appliances (for maladjusted or sized equipment) and/or retrofit of its energy distribution system (duct work, hot water piping, etc.). Fuel input derate, accompanied by adjustment of secondary air and restriction of the vent connector's cross-sectional area, is one such approach that has been tested with gas furnaces and boilers; another is the use of one or more automatic vent-dampers (electrically or thermally actuated) for the furnace only, or for the furnace and water heater. This paper discusses how furnace installation and building structure characteristics can affect the level of gas energy savings to be expected in these cases, presents quantitative formulations that can be used to estimate these effects, and attempts to delineate the circumstances under which the expected energy savings may be negligent or nonexistent.
Research Organization:
Institute of Gas Technology, Chicago, IL (USA)
OSTI ID:
5594781
Report Number(s):
CONF-810909-11; ON: DE82902137
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English