LEARN MORE AT
-^f^A energystar.gov
ENERGY STAR®, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
program, helps us all save money and protect our environment
through energy efficient products and practices. For more
information, visit www.energystar.gov.
Boiler Tune-ups:
Improve efficiency, reduce pollution, and save money!
Did you know ...
•	Inefficient industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) boilers waste money and pollute?
•	There are over 1.5 million ICI boilers in the United States?
•	Boilers burning coal, oil, biomass, and other solid fuels and liquid are a major source
of toxic air pollution?
•	New federal Clean Air Act rules require certain boilers to get regular tune-ups?
•	Keeping your boilers tuned-up can reduce hazardous air pollution?
Energy Management, Tune-ups and Energy Assessment
Reducing the amount of fuel used by boilers is one of the most cost effective ways to control hazardous
air pollution. Tuning-up a boiler optimizes the air-fuel mixture for the operating range of the boiler
which ensures less fuel is wasted, and reduces emissions of hazardous air pollutants produced by
inefficient combustion. Conducting an energy assessment of the systems and processes that the boiler
supports helps to identify opportunities to improve boiler system efficiencies and reduce fuel use.
EPA, through its ENERGY STAR program, can help you build into your energy program critical practices
that will keep your boilers operating efficiently. The ENERGY STAR Industrial Energy Guides and the
Building Upgrade Manual can help you identify opportunities to reduce boiler energy demands through
better boiler system efficiency measures, waste heat recovery, and other proven energy management
practices. (Download these valuable resources at: www.eneravstar.QOv/eneravQuides and
www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=business.bus upgrade manual)
Assessing your energy management practices and program can help you identify operational and
organizational strategies necessary to support and maintain boiler efficiency. The ENERGY STAR Energy
Program and Facility Assessment Matrix can help you quickly evaluate your energy management
practices. (Download the matrix at: www.energystar.gov/guidelines)
Conducting tune-ups and energy assessments of boiler systems are good energy management practices
and should be implemented on regular basis. If you would like to enhance your existing energy
program, check out additional energy management resources at www.energystar.gov/buildings.

-------
Are boiler tune-ups and energy assessments mandatory?
For some facilities, the new federal Boiler rules known as the Boiler MACT (major sources) and Boiler
Area Source Rule (smaller sources) require periodic boiler tune-ups and a one-time energy assessment.
Additionally, boilers that burn coal, oil, biomass, and other solid fossil and liquid fuels may be subject to
emission limits. Most boilers that burn natural gas are not impacted by the new boiler requirements.
EPA estimates that only 13% of existing boilers will be required to do tune-ups, and roughly 1% will need
to meet new emission limits.
To learn more about the EPA's Boiler rules, visit: www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/boiler/boilerpg.html and
www.epa.gov/airquality/combustion/actions.html
Common Boiler Systems Energy Efficiency Measures
Component
Objective
Action
Combustion
Reduce stack losses
•	Measure and monitor flue gas temperature.
•	Reduce air leaks in stack.
•	Keep stacks and airways clean.
•	Reduce flue gas temperature.
Reduce excess air
•	Test and monitor flue gas oxygen levels.
•	Check and eliminate air leaks in boiler.
•	Optimize oxygen concentrations for boiler operating levels.
•	Install or adjust positioning controls.
•	Install or calibrate oxygen sensors & controls.
Improve heat
transfer
•	Removing fouling and scale on the water side of boiler tubes and
heat exchangers.
•	Increase boiler insulation.
•	Increase heat transfer surface areas.
•	Reduce boiler blowdown losses.
Recover waste heat
•	Add stack economizer to pre-heat boiler feed water.
•	Collect and return steam condensate to boiler feed water.
•	Add waste heat recovery device to preheat intake air or for process
heating.
Steam
Reduce or eliminate
losses
•	Maintain or increase insulation to reduce heat loss.
•	Find and repair failing steam traps.
•	Find and repair steam leaks.
•	Upgrade steam traps.
•	Shorten and optimize steam piping runs.
Recover waste heat
•	Recover blowdown steam.
•	Recover flash steam from steam traps and use for preheating boiler
feed water.
•	Recover flash steam low temperature steam applications.
•	Recover condensates.
Optimize demand
and uses
•	Evaluate steam system uses and determine if less steam or lower
temperatures can be used.
•	Schedule steam uses to maximize boiler output efficiency.
Process
Improve process
efficiency
•	Replace old inefficient boilers and steam systems.
•	Consider alternative process heating methods if more efficient than
steam or hot water systems.

-------