How Do You Evaluate Heating Options for a 3,000 Sqft Elementary School?

AI Thread Summary
To evaluate heating options for a 3,000 sqft elementary school, it's essential to consider both the current heating method and the overall heat requirements during winter ASHRAE design conditions. Comparing the costs of electric heating at $0.0463/kWh versus natural gas at $0.72390 for the first 2,000 therms is crucial for determining economic viability. Engaging an engineer for detailed calculations is recommended to assess the performance and pricing of the heating components being considered. Financing options may also differ between installing a boiler or baseboard heaters, impacting the overall decision. Conducting preliminary calculations can provide insights, but thorough analysis is necessary for an informed choice.
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looking to find out what it take to retro-fit a small elementry school ( 3,000sqft) with new base board heater or small boiler.
to calculate the different fuels (electric vs natural gas) and amounts used?

In NW: older rates (just for calculations)
electric is $.0463/kWh
vs
1st 2,000 therms: $0.72390

What would do next to evaluate getting a boiler or base boards?

Thank you

Jim
 
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How is it heated now? At best, you can do some back-of-the-envelope calculations here, but you really need an engineer to put some real time and effort into this.
 
Are you looking for maximum economic savings or maximum overall efficiency?

What is the overall heat requirement at the winter ASHRAE design conditions?

What is the performance of components you are comparing?

What are the prices of the components you are comparing?

Would the financing be different between the two options?

I agree with Russ that it may be difficult to get any real answers without some serious work. However, depending on what you are trying to maximize and your geographic location it may be clear (although not likely to be clear) what the better choice is by doing some back of the envelope calculations.
 

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