Boiler controller

Sabien Technology Group, the Watford-based manufacturer and distributor of an intelligent boiler control system called the M2G, has obtained Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approval to sell its system in the US.

The certification will enable M2G to be sold in the US where it has already been piloted by its US distributor Greffen Systems at a number of prospective client sites over the past six months to see how it would perform in the different climatic regions of North America.

On the back of achieving UL approval, Greffen Systems placed an order with Sabien for £100,000.

The M2G is an intelligent control system that optimises the efficiency of an individual boiler. A unit attached to each boiler monitors the temperature of the water in the flow and return every 10 seconds and the information is recorded, along with the heat transfer rates at both first- and second-stage firings.

When a loading demand is made on the system, the M2G system automatically checks the latest data it has stored and decides whether it is more economical to retain a first-stage firing or to introduce a second-stage firing in the boiler.

The result, according to Sabien, is that the system can substantially reduce the demand for fuel during less demanding periods.

The M2G system, for which Sabien Technology has a patent pending, is designed to be used in a variety of commercial applications that consume natural gas, LP gas, Class C oil or Class D oil. Although designed for multiple boilers, it can also be used singly and can be fitted to many types of boiler, including forced draught and atmospheric systems.

UK tests at three premises owned by Norwich Union were conducted for 30 days between January and March last year. During that time, gas consumption and associated carbon emissions were reduced by between 14 per cent and 17 per cent, with an average of 15 per cent across the sites. The average payback was only 50 weeks, with annual CO₂ savings of 76 tonnes.