Client is opening a second location and asked me to weigh in on water heating before they buy. This
is prospective advisory rather than audit work so I am charging hourly, but I want the recommendation
to be right.
Site is 24 hours. Estimated hot water demand is substantial and fairly flat overnight, which is
unusual and I think it changes the answer.
Gas case: commercial condensing water heater, higher install cost, cheap therms in this territory,
but it adds a gas account with its own customer charge and the client would be on a small commercial
gas rate with a low load factor.
Electric case: no second utility account, but it lands squarely on a demand-metered electric rate and
the recovery cycles will interact with the dryer and HVAC peaks.
My instinct is gas wins on operating cost and electric loses badly once you price the demand
contribution, but I have never modeled a 24 hour laundry specifically. Anyone done this? What I most
want to know is whether the overnight flatness makes electric more competitive than I am assuming.
is prospective advisory rather than audit work so I am charging hourly, but I want the recommendation
to be right.
Site is 24 hours. Estimated hot water demand is substantial and fairly flat overnight, which is
unusual and I think it changes the answer.
Gas case: commercial condensing water heater, higher install cost, cheap therms in this territory,
but it adds a gas account with its own customer charge and the client would be on a small commercial
gas rate with a low load factor.
Electric case: no second utility account, but it lands squarely on a demand-metered electric rate and
the recovery cycles will interact with the dryer and HVAC peaks.
My instinct is gas wins on operating cost and electric loses badly once you price the demand
contribution, but I have never modeled a 24 hour laundry specifically. Anyone done this? What I most
want to know is whether the overnight flatness makes electric more competitive than I am assuming.