I used to live in a condominium… It was my first home and for all it was worth (at the time from 2004 - 2008), a really great investment. One of things living in a condo that may be at a premium is space. Whether it be closet space, or just storage space in general. Especially when there is a basement and all the major mechanicals are down there. The other is high efficiency heating… For this discussion, oil heat is the only option (just as an example) because there are markets where it truly is the only option. In one of my most recent blogs, I discussed that oil heat is not TABOO.
The two main points to talk about are the furnace & hot water heater. Typically you’re going to see an electric water heater (cheaper is better right? – WRONG) and a single zone forced air furnace. Most condos (townhouse – two floors or three) will have two very large return plenums, one on the first floor and the other directly above on the second floor. Now without diving into too much detail, the building characteristics at the time (or even in minimum code new construction), this is not ideal nor is it the best for energy efficiency.
There are two units on the market that I feel would benefit the condo owner/investor/flipper of the future.
1. ThermoPride OHC95 Condensing Furnace
http://www.thermopride.com/products/oil-products/highboy-furnaces/ohc95-oil-condensing-furnace/
http://oilandenergyonline.com/thermo-pride-introduces-95-percent-efficient-oil-furnace/
http://www.nefi.com/oilandenergy/archive/OE_0214_web/index.html#34/z
http://noraweb.org/2014/09/thermo-products-releases-95-efficient-oil-furnace/
2. Bock SpaceSavr 20e with the 20ST piggy back storage tank (totaling 40 gallons)
http://411plumb.com/bock-spacesavr-20e-oil-fired-water-heater-review/
http://www.hotwaterproducts.com/HWP_Products/PDFs/80035_SpacSavr_09-07.pdf
MY REASONING WHY???
Both units can be direct vented (similarly to high efficiency gas units). This in turn can eliminate the need for a through the roof chimney assembly. What makes this better? No chimney cleaning on an annual basis… This does not eliminate the need for annual cleaning of the units themselves. All the maintenance is localized to the vent piping (intake & exhaust) and the various burners/nozzles, heat exchangers, etc…
I am willing to predict that in the not so distant future, masonry chimneys will only serve the purpose for solid fuel burning (wood & pellet). In these cases, I’m a big fan of wood pellet heat, masonry heaters (some have been known to be 90% efficient) and high efficiency (greater than 75% - more towards the 80% mark) wood stoves/inserts. Without digressing to extremes this would be the topic for another discussion down the road.
Edit: Remember that size matters in any case when replacing the heating & cooling mechanicals. Don't just take my word for it. The professionals should be doing their due diligence in making sure size matters.
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