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What are the costs of Boiler Controllers, TRVs, and Cozys?

Jul 10 2023

In a previous article, the technical differences between TRVs and Cozys were discussed. In this article, let’s look at the upfront costs and carbon fines when installing Boiler Controllers, TRVs, or Cozys, respectively. Most buildings probably already have an advanced boiler controller, so we’re just including boiler controllers for comparison. To set the stage, let’s assume a building with the following characteristics:

Apartments: 100
Square Footage: 100,000
Energy Use Intensity: 14 (BTU / SF / Heating Degree Day)

Using this data and the equations in the New York State Technical Resource Manual for Boiler Controllers, TRVs, and Cozys, let’s fill out the table below for the estimated energy savings.

Part 1: Determine Energy Savings

	Boiler Controller	TRV	Cozy
Est. Savings, MMBTU	311	551	1,865
Est. Energy Savings, %	4.54%	8.03%	27.20%

From Part 1, it is clear that The Cozy saves the most energy, followed by TRVs, then Boiler Controllers.

Next, let’s discuss project costs. For this building, let’s assume it only needs one Boiler Controller. For TRVs and Cozys, let’s assume that they are installed on 75% of the radiators, and there are approximately 2.5 radiators per apartment. Additionally, to take advantage of utility incentives for TRVs, orifice plates are needed, which are included in the calculation.

For TRVs to be fully effective it is also necessary to balance the heating system, tune the boiler burner, clean the boiler, recalibrate the boiler control set points and operating pressures, repair leaking inlets and air vents, replace steam traps, and insulate of bare steam lines. These costs are left out of the analysis since they are also good to do when installing Cozys, but not required for Cozys.

Part 2: Determine Project Costs

	Boiler Controller	TRV	Cozy
Devices Installed	1	188	188
Product Cost	$ 7,500	$ 162	$ 750
Labor	$ 4,000	$ 100	$ 100
Project Cost	$ 11,500	$ 49,252	$ 159,800
Utility Incentives	$ (7,500)	$ (16,534)	$ (55,977)
Tax Credits	$ –	$ –	$ (47,940)
Effective Project Cost	$ 4,000	$ 32,717	$ 55,882

Lifetime, years	15	5	15
15 Year Cost	$ 4,000	$ 98,152	$ 55,882
ROI, years	1.03	14.25	2.40

From Part 2, Boiler Controllers have the fastest ROI.

In this analysis, a Boiler Controller is the cheapest followed by TRVs then Cozys. However, there is a caveat. TRVs last about 5 years, while Cozys last 15 years, so over the 15 year period the building would spend more money on TRVs than they would on Cozys. So the return on investment (ROI) from Cozy is much better than TRVs. Of course, the ROI from installing just a Boiler Controller is the fastest.

Lastly, to fully appreciate the costs of Boiler Controllers, TRVs, and Cozys it is also important to look at the effects of future Local Law 97 carbon fines. For this building, the pre-retrofit emissions are 364 tons of carbon and the limit in 2035 is 269 tons.

Part 3: Calculate Carbon Fines

	Boiler Controller	TRV	Cozy
Emissions, tCO₂e/yr, No Retrofit	364	364	364
Emissions, tCO₂e/yr, Threshold 2035	269	269	269
Emission, tCO₂e/yr, Reduction	-17	-29	-99
Emissions, tCO₂e/yr, After Retrofit	347	335	265
NYC Local Law Fines, 2035	$ 20,794	$ 17,417	$ –

From Part 3, Cozys reduce carbon fines more than TRVs or Boiler Controllers along.

The Cozy will reduce emissions and fines more than a Boiler Controller alone or TRVs. The additional carbon fines from just installing TRVs wash out the lower upfront costs that those products may have.

In the end, The Cozy saves the most energy and has the largest impact on reducing carbon fines. The higher initial cost is offset by greater energy savings and lower operating costs. (Of course, subscriptions are available for The Cozy so there are no upfront costs.) To get more energy savings or carbon savings, a building could integrate a Boiler Controller with Cozys. And if your building doesn’t already have an advanced Boiler Controller, you should get one.

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