Wesleyan University has tapped a new heating system that also generates free electricity as part of its ongoing sustainability efforts. Hartford-based Enviro Power, Inc.’s SmartWatt Boiler has been installed at the Butterfield student dormitory complex, where it is converting heat that would otherwise be lost in traditional boilers into electricity. This is the first time the technology has been installed by a university.
Designed as a drop-in replacement for conventional heat and hot water system boilers, the SmartWatt boiler generates clean energy at 98 percent efficiency (HHV). It is a boiler that incorporates a compact internal power plant that captures and converts heat and steam lost in typical boilers into free electricity. Utilizing existing heating infrastructures, the boiler is a replacement solution that more than pays for itself over time by lowering a building’s energy costs.
With a footprint comparable to traditional boilers, the boiler was able to be installed by Wesleyan’s in-house facilities team. The system was initially installed and tested at the 56,000-square-foot Butterfield C dormitory, then fully launched recently upon the return of students to campus following the COVID pandemic. It provides hot water to the three-story, 197 student residence and its dining hall. In addition to the free electricity produced, the boiler also is more efficient than the previous heating system, using less natural gas and reducing carbon emissions.
Enviro Power’s boiler generates near-zero cost, onsite electricity and continuous backup power while adhering to power load guidelines at the building and grid levels. The product is one of just a few commercialized hardware energy-saving technologies for buildings ready for mass production and deployment.
Enviro Power recently achieved two major milestones – Intertek ETL certification of the SmartWatt Boiler and the start of serial production with its strategic partner Burnham Holdings, one of the largest boiler manufacturers in the U.S.
