If your house uses a boiler for home heating there is a great energy saving device out there you may not even be aware exists. The outdoor reset control is a device made specifically to prolong the life of your boiler and save energy. This device works on both oil and gas boilers, and on boilers with and without condensate pumps.
To understand what this device does, you must first understand how your boiler is set up. The point of any home heating system is to compensate for heat loss from your home. The amount of heat loss from your home depends on how well your home is insulated. Boilers work buy heating up water and circulating it through your house, keeping it warm. Steam boilers work in the same way, but instead of water use steam. Heat-timer.com explains that:
“When a building is heated using a hot water boiler, the boiler will run to maintain a set water temperature year round (normally between 160°F and 200°F) regardless of the outside weather conditions. This will cause occupants to feel much warmer during the Spring and Fall. However, the space temperature during the cold winter will be less warm. This is the result of faster energy escape in colder weather;”
Outdoor reset controls are attached to your existing boiler. They communicate with temperature sensor that is place outside your home. What this does is allow the temperature of your boiler to continually adjust based on the outdoor temperature conditions. By sending cooler water in warmer weather and warmer water in cooler weather, use of outdoor reset controls result in a steady year round in home temperature that will save both energy and money. Heat-timer.com breaks down the energy savings as follows:
”For every 4°F the boiler water is reduced, there is a 1% energy savings. Thus, if the boiler was run based on a fixed set point of 180°F vs. running the boiler using outdoor reset at 120°F will provide a minimum saving of 15%. Now, if the boiler was a condensing boiler and was able to lower its temperature below 120°F, the savings will increase;”
These controls can be used to help improve efficacy in both older and newer systems. To find out more about outdoor relay controls, contact your local heating installation specialists. Do you have an outdoor relay in your home? If so, tell other readers about your experience with it in the comments below.
