HIGH SCHOOL CONVERTS TO TANKLESS WATER HEATERS FOR ENERGY SAVINGS

Located in Overton County, Livingston Academy High School in Livingston, Tenn., is a public

school with approximately 900 students. Operation of the school’s 1970s electric water heater

had been draining the school’s funds for a while. It was time for a change.

In 2011, the school took steps to replace the older water heater with a more efficient water-

heating solution. What wasn’t known at the time was how much more effective that new

system would be in meeting its hot water needs and saving energy costs. In fact, throughout

2012 the school saved approximately $65,000-70,000 in energy costs as a result of the new

Rinnai Tankless Water Heating System.

The school’s maintenance staff began working with Jim Palmer, territory sales manager for

C.C. Dickson, one of the largest wholesale distributors of HVAC/R in the Southeast, to design

a new, more energy-efficient system.

The long list of benefits associated with tankless technology made this energy-efficient option

a leading contender for the project’s team. With traditional tank water heaters, the stored

water in the tank needs to be kept hot over long periods of time, which consumes more

energy and creates higher utility bills. Tankless units heat water only as needed. By replacing

traditional tank water heaters with a tankless water heater system, schools can significantly

reduce energy costs.

Palmer had seen the benefits of tankless water heaters in other applications, but had not

yet been involved with such a project. After much consideration, Palmer and the school

collectively decided that Rinnai Ultra Series Condensing Tankless Water Heaters would offer

the school optimal energy savings and meet its hot-water needs more effectively.

Removal of the older, 2,300-gallon electric tank water heater from the school’s mechanical

room proved to be a challenge. “The old tank was the size of a car. It took up half the room

and we had to cut it at the bolt forces to get it out the door. The tankless units are only one-

Livingston Academy

ADVANTAGES FOR SCHOOLS:• Greaterenergyefficiencythantraditional

tankwaterheaters,withanEnergyFactor(EF)ratingashighas.95

• Built-inredundancy—ifoneormultiplewaterheatersrequiremaintenance,theremainingunitsseamlesslycontinuetoprovidehotwater

• Longerlifespanthantankwaterheaters.

• Unitscanbebankedtogetherasasingle-watersourcetoensurepeak-demandneedsarealwaysmet

• Minimalriskofpropertydamageduetoleakingwater,unlikeatraditionaltank

• Compactsuitcasesizeallowsformoreefficientuseofspace

• Canbeinstalledontheexteriorofabuildinginwarmerclimates,whichrequiresnoventingcomponentsandhelpssaveonconstructioncosts

• Temperature-lockfunctionpreventsaccidentalorunauthorizedchangestowatertemperature

• Supportslow-flowfixtures

• Easymaintenance

• Higherturndownratioformulti-tankless-unitcontrolsystems,whichallowstheBtuleveltopreciselymatchhot-waterdemand,

savingadditionalutilitycosts

HIGH SCHOOL CONVERTS TO TANKLESS WATER HEATERS FOR ENERGY SAVINGS

third the size and are a much more powerful system. It’s quite impressive,” said Palmer.

The project’s team worked with Rinnai engineering in the design and installation of a

sophisticated rack system for the mechanical room. Collectively, the school needed seven

Rinnai Condensing Tankless Water Heaters—approximately 1.4 million BTU—to adequately

supply hot water to its five mop sinks, 75 regular sinks and 46 showers. Each unit was

individually vented through the building’s roof. An existing gas line in the mechanical room

allowed the team to make the switch from electric to gas easily.

Condensing units were selected because they capture latent heat before it escapes into the

vent system and transfers it to the water being heated. This leads to greater energy efficiency,

with condensing units offering an Energy Factor (EF) rating as high as .95, compared to .82

with non-condensing tankless units.

Because the wait time for hot water could be substantial in a large school facility, one of the

tankless water heaters is on a recirculation system, which moves hot water in a continued

loop close to fixtures, so there is less of a hot-water wait.

The new tankless water heaters also featured unit redundancy, which means that if one, two,

or more units require maintenance, the remaining units seamlessly continue to provide on-

demand hot-water service to the school. Therefore, even if one unit shuts down, the system

still operates with approximately 80 to 90 percent coverage.

“Redundancy was another major reason the school decided to go with a tankless system,”

said Palmer. “If one unit wasn’t working or needed maintenance, the school would still have

hot water. You could just work on the unit that needed to be worked on without shutting down

the hot water supply.”

The whole project took about six months, including specifying equipment, developing a plan

and completing installation during summer vacation. “Once we had everything figured out,

it went very fast,” said Palmer. “Rinnai experts helped us specify the right number of units

for the school’s hot-water demands. They gave us good advice and direction and what they

recommended is providing fantastic results.”

“We never imagined how much money it would save,” said Palmer. “The system paid for

itself in two months. The school is still amazed at how well the new system is working—that

something that compact could deliver the hot water they need. They have no complaints. Not

one.”

The Overton County School System is planning to gradually switch to Rinnai Condensing

Tankless Water Heaters in all of its schools. Additionally, when the Overton County Sheriff’s

Department heard about the energy savings experienced at Livingston Academy, it contacted

Palmer for information, as well.

“We are looking for more and more opportunities to use tankless water heaters. People see

the value of them and the results speak for themselves,” Palmer said.

Livingston Academy

Rinnai America Corporation • 103 International Drive, Peachtree City, GA 30269Toll-Free: 1-800-621-9419 • Phone: 678-829-1700 • www.rinnai.us

©2013 Rinnai America Corporation. Rinnai is continually updating and improving products; therefore, specifications are subject to change without prior notice. Local, state, provincial, federal and national fuel gas codes must be adhered to prior to and upon installation.R-CSWH-E-24

The Rinnai Advantage

• Endless Supply of Hot Water Delivered up to 9.8 GPM

• Digital Control for Consistent Temperature

• Energy Factor of up to .95

• Wall-Mount Compact Design for Increased Space Savings

• External or Internal Installations with Discrete Vent Terminal

No matter what your hot water requirements are, the Rinnai tankless water heater can be configured to handle the job. Contact us with your requirements.

MODEL RU98I

Type of ApplianceTemperature-controlledcontinuousflowgashotwaterheater

Dimensions 18.5"Wx26"Hx10"D

Weight 61.7lbs,28kg

Energy Factor 0.95

Input (min./max.) 15,200BTU/199,000BTU

Gas Type Naturalorpropane

Temp. RangeResidential:98°-140°FCommercial:98°-185°F

Warranty 10-yearheatexchanger,5-yearparts