Brownian Heating Technology

Oil- and gas-fired appliances are still the mainstay of the heating industry, and even wood-fired systems will typically include an oil- or gas-fired appliance as “backup heat.” There’s a simple reason for this: both fuels are established technology.

• They are readily available, delivered right to your house
• They are easily switched on and off by electronic controls
• They are clean, safe, and efficient
• They are still relatively inexpensive

But “established technology” doesn’t mean that you have to be heating with your grandfather’s oil furnace. The basics have been established, but we’ve come a long way since them. The burners use less fuel and less electricity, while operating more reliably, with modern electronic controls that improve safety and comfort. The materials used are better, from thinner castings that improve efficiency while flexing to avoid failure, to better steels rolled with tighter tolerances, to precision flanges, gaskets, and other connecting products.

Boilers:

A properly-integrated boiler and control system is ideal for getting the best possible efficiency out of any most systems. The basis of that efficiency is a very light boiler (which means that you spend less fuel to heat up the boiler, before it can deliver heat to your house), and digital management of that boiler to match actual heating loads.

Boilers are listed with an AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) number, which is an ancient test procedure that ignores many inefficiencies. We can certainly go over all the details of why AFUE is inaccurate, but in the interest of keeping this page brief, we will summarize it in one sentence:

A system’s AFUE would go up if you opened all the windows in the dead of winter and cranked the thermostat up. I think we all know what a bad idea that would be, for your fuel bill, but the rating procedures are so flawed that the efficiency rating would go up in that case.

The System 2000 can get an AFUE rating that is competitive with the other boilers on the market, but their actual “total system efficiency” (from third-party testing at Brookhaven National Labs) is far in excess of almost anything else out there. Switching from most other systems to a System 2000 typically results in a 30-50% fuel usage reduction. At current prices, take a look at your fuel bill and imagine what you could do with that much extra money. And, since you cannot be taxed for saving money, that extra cash each month is like tax-free income, making it a better investment than the stock market.

Energy Kinetics only sells to qualified contractors, cutting out the middle-man and making a quality product like this affordable for the homeowner. The quality is such most installations can be provided with a 10-year parts and labor warranty. Few other products can be offered with that kind of warranty coverage.

Financing is available, and the fuel savings are quite often greater than the monthly payments, meaning you would actually be paid to upgrade your boiler.

Furnaces:

In many cases, a boiler producing hot water, which is used by an “air handler” to produce hot air in place of a furnace, will be the most efficient option.

If you prefer a conventional forced-air furnace for heat and/or cooling, look no further than Thermopride for oil, and York for most gas options (Thermopride makes an excellent, high-efficiency gas replacement for Miller and other mobile home furnaces). Whether you heat with oil or gas, whether you want central air conditioning or not, Thermopride has a product that will meet your needs. Thermopride furnaces are, simply put, the only conventional forced-air equipment we can recommend without reservation.

For small-duct, high-velocity systems, we use Hi-Velocity Systems equipment. It stands head-and-shoulders above the others in that market by offering dramatically higher energy efficiency and a “smart” fan controller that adjusts for changing conditions and allows for easy system zoning.