AERCO

The flagship model for AERCO is the Benchmark series.  These units utilize a 439 SS heat exchanger material which has an extremely high resistance to corrosion, and a low coefficient of expansion compared with 300 series stainless steels.  Less expansion/contraction means lower stresses on the heat exchanger over time.  This is how AERCO can offer an industry-leading 15-year non pro-rated warranty on the Benchmark vessel & heat exchanger.

Thermal efficiency on the Benchmark series is listed at between 94-97% which is using the AHRI testing standard of 80°F return water temp with 100°F rise.  This is a very unrealistic situation, assuming a 100°F delta-T from the building’s heating system.  We prefer to look at ‘seasonal efficiency’ which is a better indication of real-world boiler performance, as boiler plants typically operate at low- to medium-fire for most of their life.

Most boilers with high turndown ratios use multiple burners & heat exchangers each with a 5:1 turndown, for a combined turndown of 10:1 or 15:1.  Besides the increased service costs for these extra burners, the downside of this configuration is reduced seasonal efficiency.  When the boilers aren’t working their hardest, these individual burners are only utilizing part of the total heat exchanger area under low to medium fire.  (One or two of the internal burner/heat exchangers will shut off when not required).  AERCO manufactures their own gas/air valve that is capable of up to 20:1 turndown through a single burner & heat exchanger.  Utilizing this entire heating surface area throughout the firing range means these boilers have the best seasonal efficiency on the market (most efficient boilers on an overall/annual basis).

To further increase long-term efficiency, AERCO has an AERtrim feature available for the Benchmark series.  This involves a true, direct oxygen measurement using an O2 sensor in the combustion chamber which is an AERCO-patented method.  By measuring O2 where it matters most, the air/fuel ratio is constantly adjusted to changing conditions to dial in the most efficient and stable combustion.  In other words, these are self-calibrating boilers!

AERCO Benchmark boilers are controlled by the advanced Edge controller which provides many of the same features that other modern boilers do – touch screen, cascading control, setpoint adjustment, etc.  However they have much more to offer that’s unique to AERCO, such as efficiency & oxygen level reporting, assisted combustion calibration, ‘swing boiler’ control for combination plants, predictive analytics which warns of potential upcoming service issues, and remote reporting capability to access this data from anywhere.  Building or plant operators get an email with a monthly summary of boiler plant efficiency, and an email if any alarms are triggered.  They can also log in anytime to view status.

Primarily a high efficiency gas-fired boiler company, AERCO has taken their expertise in boilers and applied it to domestic water heating, offering both direct & indirect instantaneous water heaters.

The Innovation gas-fired water heater comes in a range of gas inputs from 600-1350 MBH.  It uses a stainless steel helical firetube heat exchanger that is thermal shockproof and scale resistant.  The Innovation utilizes an internal “feed-forward” system with 3 temperature sensors and a circulation pump to predict the load before it’s required and apply the correct energy input to maintain a very stable outlet temperature (within 4°F of setpoint). No storage tank means reduced legionella risk, especially with the circulation pump constantly moving the water through the vessel.  Setpoint can also be lower than a tank type water heater for the same reasons, and you’ll have lower standby losses as a result.

The Smart Plate water heater is also instantaneous / tankless, but it’s not direct fired.  It relies on a separate boiler plant to provide the source heating water.  It has many of the same features and control as the Innovation above and includes a double-wall plate heat exchanger with leak detection to transfer heat from the boiler loop to the domestic water.