As California lawmakers pass clean energy bills to meet carbon free energy goals, R.F. MacDonald Co. navigates customers through decarbonization regulations with electric boilers
On July 16, 2019, the Berkeley City Council added a new legal code prohibiting the development of natural gas infrastructure in new buildings, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2020. The City of Berkeley’s natural gas ban advances the framework for California’s goal of 100 percent zero-carbon electricity by 2045.
In addition, the University of California (UC) Office of the President announced that “no new UC buildings or major renovations will use onsite fossil fuel combustion, such as natural gas, for space and water heating after June 2019, except in special circumstances.”
As the expert hot water and steam solutions provider, R.F. MacDonald Co. is prepared to meet clean energy requirements and has worked with many industries to reduce emissions, including the Bay Area’s Stanford University Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI) project, which is touted by Stanford as the “first large-scale example in the world that employs the technology roadmap for building heating and cooling.”
While the City of Berkeley’s new law currently only affects newly constructed residential homes and low-rise residential buildings, Berkeley also plans to expand the ban to commercial structures in the future. R.F. MacDonald Co.’s electric, zero emissions boilers are perfect for producing heat in universities and schools, hospitals and clinics, and commercial buildings.
With Cleaver-Brooks full-line of high-quality electric boilers, R.F. MacDonald Co. is immediately available to install all electric units with fast and reliable service. Cleaver-Brooks electric boilers are ideal for new boiler applications or as a replacement to upgrade existing installations. The instantaneous hot water IWH boiler provides on-demand hot water, which allows for even more energy efficiency.
- Zero Emissions: Electric boilers are 100 percent local emission-free. This is beneficial in meeting the total emissions of a given project site or in areas where fuel combustion emissions are limited.
- Fossil Fuel Independence: For areas affected by allocations or interruptions of natural gas and costly oil supplies, electric boilers provide a reliable source of hot water and steam, offering a cleaner, safer, easier-to-use alternative to fossil fuels. Users can take advantage of onsite power generation from solar and wind.
- No Stack or Fuel Requirements: The unit can be located anywhere in the building.
- Quiet Operation: Elimination of combustion noise and minimal moving parts results in extremely quiet operation.
- High Efficiency: The electric boiler will provide nearly 100 percent efficiency at all operating points.
- Quality Construction: ISO 9001:2001 certified manufacturing processes ensure the highest compliance with manufacturing standards. Each unit is tested and certified in accordance with UL or cUL and a label is affixed, attesting to meeting the latest requirements for packaged electric boilers.
- Safer Operation: No combustion hazards because there are no flames, fumes, fuel lines or storage tanks. There is no low-water danger since the current cannot flow without water and no problems with heat buildup or electrode burnout even if scaling should occur. Thermal shock is eliminated.
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