Side Walk Snow Melting
405 East 73rd Street
New York City
Integrated HVAC
Ronald McDonald House (RMH) New York, is located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Built-in 1989, the 13-story brick building provides temporary housing to as many as 84 families at a time. The RMH management wanted to install an energy-conserving, reliable heating system that better-served children and families battling cancer while at the same time reducing operating costs.
Every dollar saved on the 1.5 million BTU/hr heating utilities can directly go to supporting families in need. However, the system needed to be rock solid and reliable since even the smallest downtime could mean leaving these families in the cold. An Integrated solution was decided upon where a natural gas-fired Combined Heat & Power unit was installed on the roof of the 13-story building as the primary power and initial heating source. The pre-packaged unit’s generator produces 250KW of electrical power for the building and up to 1.5 million BTU/hr maximum heat output into the heating loop.
However, to keep up with cold New York winters and to add rock solid back-up reliability, a pair of Laars NeoTherm condensing boilers were installed to provide the needed heat on the coldest days and overall system redundancy.
A large 1.7 million BTU/hr, 95% efficient Laars NeoTherm more than matched the heat output of the CHP unit. It alone is able to condition the building regardless of the season. The second, 1.0 million BTU/hr NeoTherm boiler is in place for further peace of mind. If the CHP unit goes down for any reason, the boilers fire together, each modulating to roughly 50 percent to meet design load as well as providing snow melting of 2,200-sq.ft. of sidewalks and approach in front of the main entrance resulting in a safe walkway for patients and family.
In 2010 RMH was in the process of repaving the sidewalk in front of their building.
Ike Beyer – President of Integrated HVAC suggested to the board that this would be a great time to install a snow-melting system.
Rathe Associates partnered with Integrated HVAC and donated the radiant snow melting system for their building. Allowing easy access in and out of their building during icy or snow days.
Call Rathe Associates 631-822-1200 for more info – applications – design information
Ronald McDonald House finds, creates, and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and families. The Ronald McDonald House, provides a home away from home for families with children receiving treatment at hospitals and medical facilities. RMH keeps families close to their ill child.
To learn more about RMH or Make A Donation please click on this link.
