Heating System Replacement Rebates
There’s only so many band-aids you can apply to a heating system before it becomes obvious a replacement is necessary. Many homeowners put up with higher than necessary heating costs and more frequent service calls simply because they perceive upgrading to a more efficient system would require a substantial out of pocket investment. That problem has been solved.
The heating equipment in the Saugus home featured in this video was eligible for considerable rebates and incentives through Mass Save. Plus the homeowner was able to take advantage of 0% interest financing which substantially lowered his upfront costs. A no-brainer!
Video Summary
In this video Ken Roberts from Absolute Precision Plumbing Heating & Cooling explains that the older Burnham boiler might, even after 30 years of service, have years of life left. But ongoing monitoring and maintenance would be necessary. A bigger problem, perhaps, was that the 2 direct fired hot water heaters could, at any moment, fail. Which would cause problems with basement flooding and a lot of inconvenience.
Since the homeowner was approved for rebates and incentives through the Mass Save program it was an easy decision to upgrade. In order to complete the transition from old equipment to new efficiently and in a timely manner the Absolute Precision team got to work constructing a wall to house the new equipment.
Components of the system included a 95% efficient Burnham Alpine gas fired boiler, valves providing fives zones for heat plus one for domestic hot water, and a 60 gallon stainless steel hot water tank by Superstor, which has a lifetime warranty.
This system provides major efficiency gains in several ways. One is that outside air is drawn into the system for combustion and rather than send heat up the chimney, as in the old system, the Alpine combusts almost all of the fuel and sends the byproducts out through a dedicated exhaust.
In addition the Alpine uses an outside sensor which communicates the actual outside temperature to the brains in the indoor Alpine unit. This allows the system to consume less fuel generally, and especially at times of day when less BTU’s are required to reach the desired indoor temperature of say 70 degrees.
As is always the case with Absolute Precision this new heating system is strictly up to code and manufacturer specifications. Ken points out features such as the condensate pump which treats the effluent coming out of the boiler, filtering it through limestone to make it less acidic, and discharging it to the sewer.
Additionally the system has a low water cutoff. Each zone is gated off so that zones can be isolated to make any future maintenance easier.
In this particular home there is an addition which does not have a foundation. The addition is served by one zone. There has been a history of frozen pipes. To prevent that from happening in the future Absolute Precision is using a specific type of anti freeze in the lines.
Heating Equipment Rebates for 2019
Massachusetts residents who are interested in upgrading to high efficiency heating equipment in 2019 may be eligible for rebates, incentives, and 0% financing. Here is a chart pertaining to high efficiency natural gas heating equipment from the Mass Save website.
| Equipment | Rebate Amount | Efficiency Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Warm air furnace | $300 | ≥ 95% AFUE rating equipped with Electronic Commutated Motor (ECM) or equivalent advanced furnace fan system |
| $600 | ≥ 97% AFUE rating equipped with Electronic Commutated Motor (ECM) or equivalent advanced furnace fan system | |
| Forced hot water boiler* | $1,500 | ≥ 90% AFUE rating |
| $2,300 | ≥ 95% AFUE rating | |
| Condensing Boiler w/On-Demand Hot Water Heater (must be considered one unit by manufacturer) | $2,000 | ≥ 95% AFUE boiler rating |
AFUE = Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency rating. ECM = Electronically Commutated Motor
*Outdoor reset control required.
Additional Resources
In this heating system replacement in Winthrop, which was a two family house, we replaced 2 boilers. The building had cast iron radiators which also required special attention.
Another project that was smooth sailing due to the homeowner’s research and preparation was this oil to gas conversion in Melrose.
Our primary service area includes:
Andover, North Andover, Boxford, Topsfield, Middleton, Danvers, Beverly, Peabody, Lynnfield, North Reading, Reading, Wilmington, Tewksbury, Wakefield, Melrose, Stoneham, Woburn, Winchester
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