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Forced Circulation Generator Engine Block Heaters for Nonresidential Standby Generators

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UES Measures Standard protocols list Demand Response Technologies Supporting Documents Propose a measure or standard protocol Proposed measures and status Whole Building Efforts
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  • Agricultural Irrigation
  • Air Source Heat Pumps
  • Commercial HVAC
  • Compressed Air
  • Connected Thermostats
  • Demand Response
  • Ductless Heat Pumps
  • Duct Sealing
  • Guidelines
  • Heat Pump Water Heaters
  • Implementers Group
  • Market Analysis
  • Natural Gas Subcommittee
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  • Operations
  • Pump Systems
  • Research and Evaluation
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Work Products

UES Measures Standard protocols list Demand Response Technologies Supporting Documents Propose a measure or standard protocol Proposed measures and status Whole Building Efforts

Subcommittees

  • Agricultural Irrigation
  • Air Source Heat Pumps
  • Commercial HVAC
  • Compressed Air
  • Connected Thermostats
  • Demand Response
  • Ductless Heat Pumps
  • Duct Sealing
  • Guidelines
  • Heat Pump Water Heaters
  • Implementers Group
  • Market Analysis
  • Natural Gas Subcommittee
  • New Homes Standard Protocol
  • Non-Residential Lighting
  • Operations
  • Pump Systems
  • Research and Evaluation
  • Residential Behavior
  • Residential Lighting
  • RTF Policy Advisory Committee
  • Small and Rural Utilities
  • Statistical Methods
  • Whole Building Subcommittee
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UES Measure

  • Forced Circulation Generator Engine Block Heaters for Nonresidential Standby Generators

Forced Circulation Generator Engine Block Heaters for Nonresidential Standby Generators

At a Glance

Status 
active
Fuel type 
electric
Sector 
agricultural, commercial, industrial
Applications 
motors/drives
Sunset date 
Jun 30, 2023

Standby generators, or “gensets”, are used to power buildings in the event of an electric grid outage. As they are often needed to turn on within a matter of seconds, gensets utilize heaters to keep their engine blocks warm and at the ready. The conventional style of engine block heaters, called thermosiphon heaters, are simple and rely on natural convection alone to circulate coolant throughout the engine. While effective, the convection process requires a significant temperature gradient in the coolant loop in order to function properly. A newer type of block heating, called forced circulation, utilizes a pump to circulate coolant, rather than relying on convection alone. These heaters do not need to maintain such a large temperature gradient in the coolant loop, which can lead to lower average loop temperatures – and as a result, potential energy savings and less coolant system wear and tear.

Workbook

Latest Version

Commercial Standby Generator Block Heaters v2.0

File Commercial Standby Generator Block Heaters v2.0
Updated with 2021 Plan cost effectiveness methodology
Date 
Apr 18, 2022
Version number 
2.0

Past Versions

version date document
1.2
Sep 27, 2021
File Commercial Standby Generator Block Heaters v1.2
Reran through ProCost 3.1.05 to correct for minor error
1.1
Aug 07, 2020
File Commercial Standby Generator Block Heaters v1.1
QC complete.
1.0
Jun 23, 2020
File Commercial Standby Generator Block Heaters v1.0
Approved at the June RTF Meeting. Currently undergoing QC.
Supporting Documents
File Commercial Generator Block Heaters Research Strategy (June 2020)
Jun 24, 2020
Approved at the June 2020 RTF meeting. Describes the RTF’s candidate approach to better understand average energy savings, and the key drivers of energy savings, that result from replacing a thermosiphon engine block heater with a forced circulation engine block heater in a non-residential standby generator.

Decisions

Expand All Decisions

Latest decision

Decision details

Decided 
June 24, 2020
RTF Meeting: June 24, 2020

Approved New Measure

Decision Details

Adopt the new Planning UES measure Forced Circulation Engine Block Heaters for Non-Residential Standby Generators as Presented. Use restaurant heating load shape, set the measure category to Planning, set the measure status to Active, and set the sunset date to June 30, 2023.

Decided 
November 19, 2019
RTF Meeting: November 19, 2019

Allocate Resources to New Measure Development

Decision Details

Allocate resources to: 

  • Small Commercial DHPs 
  • Generator Engine Block Heaters
  • ENERGY STAR Air Purifiers
  • Non-Residential LED Wallpacks
  • Residential High Efficiency Central AC
  • Advanced Kitchen Ventilation Controls 
  • Retrofit or Upgrade Doors on Existing Display Cases 
  • Air Curtains for Walk-Ins
  • Floating Controls for Multiplex Refrigeration System
  • Display Case Upgrade and Replacement

Do not allocate resource to:

  • Workstation Power Management Devices
  • Anti-Fouling Refrigerant Additives 
  • ENERGY STAR Dehumidifiers

 

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