After nearly half a century of faithful service, the electric-powered domestic hot water boiler at the Toulaine, a 245-unit co-op at 130 West 67th St., was on its way out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile the old boiler was still operational, we wanted to get ahead of the game,\u201d says Steven Hoffman, founder the co-op\u2019s management company, Hoffman Management. \u201cProactively, the board decided to make the change to a new boiler.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The board brought in Ralph Germain, president of the engineering firm R. Germain Inc., to design a new system and solicit bids. \u201cThe boiler was way past its useful life,\u201d Germain says. \u201cThey were spending a lot of money on maintenance, and it wasn\u2019t producing enough hot water. We wanted to switch to gas because electricity is four times more expensive than gas. But there was no place to put a chimney on this 25-story building.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So electricity would continue as the power source. Luckily for the co-op board, technology has improved dramatically since the building was built in the 1970s, and Germain proposed using a boiler produced by Sussman Electric Boilers, a century-old company based in Long Island City, Queens. This new boiler was about one-third as large as its predecessor, and instead of two large burners that fired constantly, it is powered by nine small burners, only three of which are in use at any given time \u2014 a major boost in efficiency with a corresponding reduction in electricity usage.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An added bonus: if the electric grid switches from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources in the coming years, as planned, this co-op\u2019s carbon emissions will shrink without any retrofits or added expense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The board brought in Abilene Inc. to install the system. Vincent Logozzo, the vice president of construction at Abilene, served as project manager. \u201cIt was a pretty simple job for us,\u201d he says. \u201cWe cut up the old boiler with torches and carried it out in pieces. The new boiler fit through a 36-inch doorway, so we just put it on a dolly and rolled it right into the space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The board covered the $170,000 cost of the project with an assessment and a withdrawal from the reserve fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019re saving a fortune on electricity bills, and now they have adequate hot water,\u201d Germain says. \u201cThat\u2019s the home run.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The final proof is in the water temperature. \u201cWe\u2019ve got plenty of hot water, and the boiler is worry-free,\u201d Hoffman says. \u201cBoth Abilene and Germain did a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PRINCIPAL PLAYERS <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 ENGINEER: R. Germain Inc. CONTRACTOR: Abilene Inc. PROPERTY MANAGER: Hoffman Management. MANUFACTURER: Sussman Electric Boilers.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After nearly half a century of faithful service, the electric-powered domestic hot water boiler at the Toulaine, a 245-unit co-op at 130 West 67th St., was on its way out. \u201cWhile the old boiler was still operational, we wanted to get ahead of the game,\u201d says Steven Hoffman, founder the co-op\u2019s management company, Hoffman Management.<\/p>\n