Energy and water efficiency are imperative to saving money and resources within industrial facilities, which is why tankless water heaters are essential to any high performing plant.
Since the recovery from the economic recession, efficiency has been a major focus for industrial facilities. These benefits of doing so are multifold. By more efficiently using resources, plants can cut overhead costs, which can increase bottom lines in the process. Also, more and more Americans are concerned about the state of the environment, so by investing in sustainability measures, plants can reduce their environmental footprint.
Where to start?
A great place to kick start your plant's efficiency measures is through hot water heating. Hot water is vital for making sure that plants are prepared to clean up any possible hazards within the plant and that all the essential elements are sanitary. However, many plants are using outdated technology to meet tepid water standards for safety showers and eyewash stations, or temperature requirements for other critical hot water processes.
Many plants are using water tanks to meet these needs, but there are a number of flaws with this water heating solution. In order to meet the high demand for hot water within the entire plant, facilities need to use massive tanks and in some cases multiple ones. This can take up valuable plant space. On top of this, these tanks need to be kept to a particularly high temperature to meet sanitation needs. While this is not an inherently wasteful endeavor, because hot water tanks need to maintain water temperatures at a certain level, they are constantly using energy.
Water efficiency is also an important factor to consider. The United States Green Building Council's LEED program is one of the foremost certification initiatives when it comes to making sure that buildings are performing to their top levels. The organization noted that water is essential for so many operations within a building, from the bathroom to cleaning and other functions, that it can amount to high water usage. However, if your plant is using a hot water tank, a user may need to wait for the hot water to reach the station, wasting cold water in the process.
How tankless can help
With efficiency becoming a top priority in today's plants, there needs to be a better way for managers to heat their hot water. This is where a tankless hot water heating solution can be supremely handy. Tankless hot water heaters are growing increasingly popular, especially and more and more plant operators shift to better energy efficient practices.
They can address efficiency in a number of ways. First, their size is a key advantage. Tankless water heaters work on demand, so they do not need to store massive amounts of water like tanks. As a result, the former are about 90 percent smaller than the latter. This saves valuable plant space. But also, it makes it easier to have hot water wherever one needs it most. For instance, if an industrial sink is located on one side of the plant and a drench shower on the other, each appliance can use a tankless hot water heater or booster to get hot water right when it is needed.
On top of this, tankless water heaters have a thermal efficiency rating of 99 percent, which far outperforms the 65 percent from water tanks. This can lead to water and energy savings of up to 50 percent, while at the same time still being able to reach the UPC 413.1 and ANSI Z358.1 requirements for tepid water safety equipment. Finally, these solutions are certified in the LEED program, making them ideal for any plant improvement or retrofit projects.