June 23rd, 2015

Terminal A of the Reagan International Airport Sees Decreased Energy Costs In Time For Winter

The Challenge

Terminal A of the Reagan International Airport had two existing very large cast iron boilers that were outdated and needed to be replaced. The Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority was also instituting new Green Initiatives with which the replacement boilers would need to comply. Lastly, there was a limited time frame for replacement of the boilers.

The Solution

Removal of the existing cast iron boilers required demolition of a wall. The boilers also needed to be cut up to be removed. Local Patterson-Kelley representative, Chesapeake Systems, LLC, recommended 4 P-K SONIC® stainless steel condensing boilers to provide the required 16 Million BTU/hr. The SONIC’s were delivered on the tarmac and simply rolled through a 36″ doorway into the mechanical room. The boilers were installed quickly with the first boiler brought online less than three days after delivery. There was no additional demolition required which saved additional construction costs.

According to Bill Oskouee, Lead Mechanical Design Engineer and Construction Manager for Reagan Airport and member of Green Team, the new boilers will effectively contribute to the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authorities goals of reduced emissions. The boilers will decrease Reagan Airport’s carbon footprint and significantly lower the terminal’s energy cost.

The previous year’s heating utilities bill totaled a whopping $104,000. In the short time since the P-K SONIC’s were installed, the energy savings provided by these high efficiency boilers has been so significant that the energy cost for the coming year is projected to drop to a mere $70,000! An approximate 50% reduction in gas usage will result in a savings of over $30,000.00 per season. The boilers will pay for themselves in just a few years!

With great support from the Desel Company (Mechanical Engineer), local P-K representative from Chesapeake Systems, Shawn Lasek (Sales Engineer), President Bryan Austin, and VP Kerry Acquits, the project was a success.