Brockton High School goes High-Efficiency!

Brockton High School                        Brockton High School

Since 1864, Brockton High School has provided a ‘proud tradition of excellence’ in education to the children of Brockton, Massachusetts, a working class city south of Boston.  Through many permutations, the high school has grown to accommodate the growth of the community it serves.  Most recently, in 1970, construction was completed on the current Brockton High School, housing approximately 4200 students.

Commercial heating technology has come a long way in the thirty plus years since the school was built.  With the growing cost of energy, combined with shrinking public education resources, officials at Brockton High School determined it was time to replace the school’s old inefficient heating system.

In 2005, they contacted Columbia Gas of Massachusetts and were informed that a new high-efficiency heating system installation could qualify for the Partners In Energy program that provides engineering assessments and rebates to Columbia Gas of Massachusetts commercial and industrial customers.

As part of the program, Columbia brought in RISE Engineering, a subcontractor to the Partners In Energy program. RISE conducted a complete energy assessment of the facility, the cost being completely paid for by Columbia Gas of Massachusetts.

The engineers came back with a comprehensive solution that included two AERCO Benchmark High Efficiency Gas Fired Hot Water Boilers. The heating system and the installation costs were eligible for a Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, Partners In Energy Program rebate. 

These boilers were recommended because they are designed to be one of the most efficient commercial boilers available.  This has been achieved by incorporating three important factors into the design:

  • The Benchmark has condensing capabilities, extracting as much heat as possible from the products of combustion.
  • The Benchmark has fully modulating firing capabilities, firing from a minimum of 100,000 Btu/H input to a maximum of 2,000,000 Btu/H input. This enables it to match the heat input to the load requirements precisely.  Hence, losses from cycling are minimal.

  • Its electronic control system maintains header temperature to +/- 2°F, eliminating wasteful temperature overshooting and droops.

"The bottom line", said Mike Harn, Commercial & Industrial Sales Representative, "is that these systems met Brockton High School’s needs while saving them a considerable amount on the installation.  In fact, the Benchmark boilers each qualified for a $50,000 rebate from Partners In Energy.  Plus, the engineers estimate that the increased efficiency gains will realize an annual savings of nearly $40,000."  In real savings, these boilers will pay for themselves in short order.

These savings will help Brockton High School control its energy budget and provide even, controlled, and comfortable heat to the over 4000 students and faculty members who call Brockton High School their ‘school home’ each and every day.