- Author
- Kelly, G. E. | Didion, D. A. | Quigley, D. | Collins, B.
- Title
- Potential Energy Savings in Residential Oil-Fired Heating Systems in the U.S. Final Report.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- NBS BSS 163, December 1984,
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
- oil burners; heating equipment; residential buildings; thermal efficiency; performance; maintenance; fuel consumption; nozzles; field tests; data; computerized simulation
- Abstract
- Recent studies of the performance of residential oil-fired heating systems in the New England area from 1974-1977 demonstrated that significant energy savings are achievable through better maintenance and simple system modifications. These studies showed that annual tune-up of the furnace or boiler would improve the seasonal efficiency of most units, while considerable energy savings are possible by reducing the firing rate of the burner. Reduction in nozzle size with burner modification or with the installation of a new flame retention burner was found to reduce oil consumption substantially. In addition, more innovative equipment modifications such as the use of stack dampers, sealed combustion systems, and heat recovery devices also resulted in fuel savings, although to a lesser extent. Both experimental field data and results from computer simulations of furnace performance are presented.