With the onset of autumn, we looked at increasing the efficiency of heat pumps. In this article we look at how to improve the efficiency of a gas boiler.
The efficiency of a gas boiler depends on the heating temperature (which varies with the weather, lower outside temperatures leading to higher heating temperatures) and the partial load (utilisation) of the boiler. With Thermal Battery, the gas boiler can be operated at its best efficiency.
The figure shows the change of the heating profile over the course of a day. The HeatTank is charged after the night-time heating reduction starts, using the heat remaining in the system due to the lower internal temperature maintained by the heating system. This means that a lower internal temperature has to be maintained (tempering or night-time heating reduction), so the boiler is almost completely switched off, because until the building has cooled down to the lower internal temperature, there is no heating demand for the building. During this period, hot water remains in pipes of the heating system and can be used to charge the HeatTank (this hot water otherwise would lose a lot of heat if it remains in the pipes, the HeatTank can be used to store its heat content with minimal loss). In addition, the boiler can be operated at an optimal part load in the evening, so the HeatTank can be charged with optimal efficiency if it is not fully charged yet.
The morning start-up requires more heating power to heat the building, and also the outside temperature is low, so the boiler has to operate with higher water temperature. During this period, the heating efficiency is not optimal and energy savings can be achieved with the Thermal Battery.
In some cases, the Thermal Battery can be charged for a second time during daytime hours (when heating energy can be produced with good efficiency) and the evening peak can be covered by the Thermal Battery when the heating efficiency is significantly lower.
Cooling demand is higher in the evening, when the outside temperature is lower. During this period, energy savings can also be achieved with the Intelligent Thermal Battery.
Improving the efficiency of a gas boiler not only reduces operating costs, but also saves energy, reduces CO2 emissions and reduces maintenance by using the system in better operational level.