Clean Heat NYC case studies

Case studies

Several buildings are already switching to cleaner heating fuel. Here's how they switched and saved money doing it.

20 East 9th Street

This Manhattan building started burning natural gas in December 2010. Though the 320-unit building invested $325,000 to make the conversion from No. 6 oil, by committing to firm gas for three years it avoided any expenses associated with extending a gas line to the building.

Since the switch, savings have run between $20,000 and $30,000 per month, and the board of managers expects to recoup their initial investment within two years.

A Jackson Heights Condominium

This 214-unit building in central Queens replaced No. 6-burning boilers and burners and started burning natural gas in July 2009. After taking advantage of a National Grid incentive program, capital costs totaled $346,500, but their total heating bill fell by almost $100,000 the following year.

When combined with the electricity savings associated with no longer preheating and circulating No. 6 oil, the investment is expected to pay for itself in just over three years.

Fuel conversion data table [PDF]

910 Park Avenue, Manhattan

This 25-unit Upper East Side co-op started burning No. 2 oil in October 2010. Even though the 2010/2011 winter had more heating degree days, the building burned only 24,500 gallons of No. 2 oil, compared to 27,00 gallons of No. 6 oil burned during the 2009/2010 winter.

The building reduced its fuel despite No. 2 oil containing fewer BTUs per gallon than No. 6 oil. Experts believe that fuel consumption was reduced because No. 2 oil burns much cleaner. A cleaner boiler leads to increased heat transfer so fewer gallons of oil are needed to make the same amount of steam.

Co-op in Gravesend, Brooklyn

This building's conversion required only $39,000 in upfront investment. In February 2007 the 120-unit Brooklyn building installed a gas booster and immediately started heating with clean-burning natural gas.

The conversion proved instrumental in protecting the building from rising oil costs; since the switch the building’s heating bills have averaged $146,000 per year, but meeting the same heat demand with No. 6 oil would cost $173,000 at current prices.

Fuel conversion data table [PDF]

Fairview at Forest Hills

The Fairview took advantage of $375,000 in incentives from National Grid when replacing its boilers and switching from No. 6 oil to natural gas in October 2008. The 426-unit condo building covered the remaining $238,500 in capital costs, but immediately saw its heating bill drop by $190,000 in the year following the conversion. As natural gas has since become even cheaper relative to oil, the building can expect even greater savings in the future.

Fuel conversion data table [PDF]

While every building will require its own analysis, EDF believes that most can achieve a payback period of less than 5 years through a combination of fuel cost savings, efficiency enhancements, and reduced operating and maintenance expenses.