KNIGHT™ XL Delivers Grand Slam Savings on ESPN Campus

Case Studies

by Lochinvar Marketing Department | 06/28/2013

Over the years, ESPN has thrived on transformation - from pioneering new media to growing its headquarters in Central Connecticut from a couple of trailers to a 123-acre campus. In recent years, the transformation has continued with a number of efficiency upgrades at company headquarters.
 
Following the successful installation of Lochinvar’s SYNC Condensing Boilers in the ESPN Radio Building in 2010, additional boiler replacements were planned to increase efficiency in other buildings on campus. In fall 2012, the ESPN team once again reached out to HVAC manufacturers’ representative FIA, Inc. to discuss equipment upgrades for two of its office buildings. 

Both Building 3 and Building 5, which house executive offices, were in need of new high-efficiency boiler systems. The existing systems were comprised of a1.2 million Btu/hr boiler with on/off functionality and efficiency of less than 80 percent.

Based on the significant energy savings delivered by the Lochinvar boilers installed in the ESPN Radio Building, the FIA team recommended using Lochinvar again. For the specific requirements of this job, FIA Sales Engineer Eric Montas specified the KNIGHT™ XL Commercial Boiler from Lochinvar. The KNIGHT XL offers up to 94.6 thermal efficiencies, Low Nox emissions and a fully modulating burner with 5:1 turndown. 

For Building 3, two 600,000 Btu/hr KNIGHT XL boilers were specified to meet its heating and hot water demands. Since Building 5 required a slightly lighter load, it required two 500,000 Btu/hr units. 

The installing contractor, Elite Mechanical, re-piped the system and replaced the pumps and the expansion tank. Because both original systems featured conventional venting, the team had to transition them to PVC venting. 

According to Paul Hammell of Elite Mechanical, “This was a very basic replacement job, and the only tricky part was removing the old vent compared to installing the new PVC vent. The rest was quick and easy, particularly due to the compact size of the KNIGHT XL and the simple setup required with the SMART SYSTEM operating control.”

The installation of all four boilers across the two buildings took less than two weeks. Gary Maturo of Shelton Winnelson was instrumental in helping to keep things running smoothly throughout the project.

The boilers in each building are linked to a Building Management System, which allows for seamless operation. Since the installation, the ESPN team has been extremely pleased with the performance and sizable savings offered by the new KNIGHT XL Boilers.