On Sun, 1 Jan 2012 02:13:47 -0800 (PST), harry
wrote:



If it has 2" pipework and it is unmanned , it is small.
Steam heating was largely devised so that large buildings/collections
of buildings could be heated from a central source using coal/oil and
a minimum of labour and dirt and inconvenience in the heated
buildings.



So if you are heating with gas (or even oil these days) there are vast
savings to be made by decentralising, locating small (non-steam)
boilers close to the buildings to be heated.


On paper, there seems to be potential savings. Have you seen the
building? No? They you have no idea what is needed to refurbish the
building to a new system.

The need to run gas lines to each apartment may be impossible, or
nearly so and meet codes. Individual boilers are small and efficient,
but they still need some space and vents and probably condensate pumps
for the most efficient.

I glad to hear that all of the UK has done this to the old buildings
though. More oil for the rest of us.