Recently, we were featured in an article for Contractor Magazine for our work on the plumbing and heating systems at the new student housing project at Utah Valley University. Our team was the primary plumbing contractor and installed sewers, water mains, piping and the water heating system. The article highlighted our team’s innovative use of Intellihot tankless water heaters, an innovative solution that saved space and improved efficiencies.
Tankless water heaters are becoming more popular, especially in residential plumbing. But in large-scale commercial projects like this, there is still some hesitation. We’ve found that much uncertainty comes from not understanding the latest tankless technology and what it can do for a building. For example, for this project, six 1,500,000 BTU units were installed, as well as four 1,000,000 BTU units and two 750,000 units, for a total capacity of 14,500,000 BTU/hour. That’s a lot of capacity at a smaller price, in a smaller space and with greater efficiency!
So what are the advantages of tankless systems for commercial projects? Of course, it depends on the type of system you choose, but here are three primary benefits you can expect with a tankless system.
- Higher output temperatures: Commercial tankless systems have a max temperature of 185 degrees, so they run hotter than traditional systems, which means hotter water!
- It’s easy to combine multiple units: If you’re worried about capacity limits or issues, install multiple units. The tankless systems take up less space and are easy to mount or install in rack configurations. Using multiple systems improves efficiency and capacity. It’s also a great fail-safe option if one of the systems experiences issues. The others can pick up the slack.
- It’s more efficient. Tankless systems run on natural gas or propane, which makes them more energy efficient than traditional water heater systems. As a result, they are an excellent option for reducing a building’s carbon footprint.
Our team recommended the Intellihot systems for the Utah Valley student housing project because we believe in the technology. Tankless systems like this are incredibly efficient and reliable and take up less space. For example, the area for the giant 5,000-gallon water tanks typically used in this project was repurposed into additional office space and storage. So now, the students of Utah Valley Unversity enjoy unlimited hot water all the time. As our project manager for this project, Nick Ovard, says, “Intellihot is doing its job well, and we have not received a single call-back for the water heating system.” So if you’re ready to switch to tankless water heating for your next commercial project, our team can help make that happen!