Case Studies

If our clients aren’t happy with their new infrared heating system, neither are we, so we always follow up with them after installation just to ensure that everything is functioning up to our specific standards. Usually, we receive some very gratifying feedback from our clients and, just as importantly, their employees. Below are just a handful of case studies we have put together based on this feedback.

We installed a five-zone infrared system. The burners supplied with outside inlet combustion air eliminated previous frequent nuisance maintenance issues.

There is a sharp drop in annual fuel consumption while increasing the quality of heat. Employees appreciate the several benefits, including no dust blowing, quietness, ease of multiple zoning, warm, dry floors, and the ability of vehicles to heat up quickly when brought in from winter elements. A 3.5-year payback was achieved.

The club’s members now regularly comment on the improved comfort level, the evenness of heat across the whole court, and the lack of distraction from the new, much quieter system.

Hollis Line Machine is a precision machine job shop demanding a specific, even temperature due to tight machining tolerances. The overall building size is 40,000 sq. ft., and the existing heating system was four oversized oil-fired furnaces. Individual zoning with the previous oil furnaces was not possible, as up to 36,000 sq. ft. is wide open floor space. Complaints relating to the old heating system were numerous: cold floors; drafty, noisy, and dusty system; very inefficient heating system that was constantly clogged and contaminated from poor indoor air quality; and very poor heat recovery when the outside doors were opened.

They achieved immense fuel cost savings with greatly improved comfort and individual zone control. Employees rave about the evenness of heat, warm, dry, comfortable floors, the quietness of infrared, rapid heat recovery, and very quick warm-up time when heaters have been in off mode. Also, additional floor space was gained with the elimination of the previous large, oil-fired furnaces.

North American Crane is a manufacturer of industrial bridges and gantry cranes. The facility is 39,000 sq. ft. with 22-ft. high ceilings. The former heating method was with one centrally located, natural gas-fired air rotation furnace. This air rotation furnace occupied a 14-ft. x 22-ft. footprint within the center of a busy production area. With only one zone for 39,000 sq. ft., the efficiency, comfort, and reliability of a single source heater were troublesome. The heat was very uneven, particularly near outside overhead doors and drafty welding stations. The maintenance costs of the air rotation furnace were expensive, and repairs were ongoing.

American Ramp is a manufacturer of handicapped ramps. Shop demands include warehousing, fabrication, and painting. The facility is 18,400 sq. ft. with an average ceiling height of 20 ft. Frequent door openings aggravated the constantly cold environment, as the previously natural gas-fired unit heaters could not keep up with this busy facility’s demands. Cold, wet floors existed, fuel consumption was high, zoning was near impossible, unit heaters required frequent maintenance, and the paint on products took days to cure. It is also important to note that this building is under negative air pressure due to open-style paint booths and welding exhaust fans, which added to the cold, uncomfortable existence.

A four-zone infrared system was installed. Outside-sealed combustion was installed to combat the challenges of paint fumes, filthy air from welding, and negative air pressure.

The annual fuel consumption dropped sharply. The comfort level increased beyond American Ramp’s expectations; employees are thrilled and are no longer distracted by previous cold, drafty conditions. Heat recovery is within minutes. Curing times of paint on products improved dramatically. A 3-year payback was achieved, and the shop has never been more comfortable. Also, products can be packaged and shipped much quicker due to greatly improved paint curing times.

Pagell Corporation is a job shop for the paper industry. The open shop area is 14,300 sq. ft. with an average ceiling height of 24 ft. The previous natural gas-fired boiler with steam-warm air unit heaters was very costly to operate, maintenance costs were high and troublesome, only one zone existed, unit heaters were noisy, and the heating was uneven.

A two-zone infrared system was designed and installed.

Healthy ongoing annual fuel savings were achieved, resulting in a 2-year payback. There is very even heat distribution and a quiet, dust-free operation. Employees immediately commented on the warm, comfortable floors and rapid heat-up time when heating has been in an off mode.

A steel supplier and fabrication facility near the Canadian border, Isaacson Steel is faced with the challenges of long, harsh winters. The facility size is 23,000 sq. ft. with a 17-ft. ceiling. Previous heating was two oil-fired, floor-mounted furnaces. The complaints included high fuel cost, uneven heat distribution, poor zone control, and cold steel that, when brought in from outside, would take several hours to warm up.

We installed a three-zone infrared heating system. The system was mounted above overhead cranes, and outside combustion inlet air eliminated maintenance problems from airborne contaminants.

There is a reduction in fuel consumption, greatly improved employee comfort, and rapid heat recovery. The product now heats up quickly when brought inside from outside. We also enabled superior zone control, aiding in fuel savings. The project achieved a 3.33-year payback

This is a machine shop located in a large circa 1900 mill building. It has a large floor plan, but the management desires to only spot heat a few workstations that are open to the large unheated space. Previous attempts with portable, kerosene warm-air, construction-style heaters proved ineffective, noisy, smelly, and inconvenient. Any thoughts of warm-air permanent heating were not considered due to the challenges of the spot heating requirement.

We installed two infrared heaters in individual work areas.

For a modest annual fuel cost, permanent, quality infrared spot heat has been accomplished. The management reports they were spending a similar amount on kerosene fuel for construction-style heaters. Employee satisfaction has been greatly improved. They now enjoy a quiet, carefree operation. Quick heat-up time from off mode is also now possible.