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ates, according to Keene. The company is
offering the technical training to make sure
the system is installed to their specifications
for maximum performance and efficiency.
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Keene also shared some news on oil
and gas heat combustion emissions. “Oil
has a perception as not being as clean
burning as natural gas. This view has
changed recently,” she wrote. “According
to a recent Technical Update from the Oil
Heat Manufacturers Association (OMA),
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) recently acknowledged that modern
oil burners are much cleaner burning than
older models.
“According to OMA, the EPA emissions
factor for particulates from oil burners is
7.5 times lower than previous ratings. OMA
submitted tests by Brookhaven National
Laboratory and other sources to the EPA
and requested an update to the oil emission
standard. This is an important revision. The
new EPA emission ratings affirm that oil
burners are now one of the cleanest com-
bustion sources in the U.S.
“The Technical Update also states that
modern oil burners typically use flame
retention heads and higher air pressure
to lower soot and smoke and improve
efficiency compared to older designs. The
EPA emissions rating for oil burners has
been reduced from 3 to 0.4 pounds of par-
ticulates per 1,000 gallons of fuel burned.
This is approaching near zero levels. Oil
burners now emit particulates at a rate that
is similar to the levels produced by natural
gas burners over the past 10 years.
“This refutes the misconception that oil
burners are dirty. In fact, proper adjustment
of oil-fired equipment reduces particulates by
a factor of 10 to 20 compared to some older
burners. While oil burner emissions have
been lower for many years, this fact is now
fully supported by an EPA publication. New
ambient air quality standards are now being
proposed by the EPA that may restrict partic-
ulate emissions from combustion equipment
in the future. Residential oil burner emission
ratings are now already much lower than the
previous ratings. This makes it easier for oil
equipment to comply with more stringent
regulations in the future.
“Oil is not going away totally. There are
still many locations that will rely on oil into
the future.”
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Boyertown Furnace Company is now in
its second year of selling the Regal Star oil
furnace. Sales Manager Rosemarie Bartchak
said contractors appreciate the Regal Star’s
low profile at 44½” and the flexible flue
design. “We have managed to keep one of
our most unique features on the new Regal
Star. The RSM 600 has two flues, front and
rear on every furnace. Installers smile when
I mention that feature, because they know
the number of times they have been deliv-
ered the incorrect furnace for the installa-
tion”. The Regal Star can be installed as a
low-profile highboy, or as a horizontal.
The Regal Star ECM, is Energy Star
®
-
rated. The variable speed ECM motor is one
of the best improvements to oil furnaces
in several years. The Regal REH or REL
750 ECM unit can be paired with Carlin’s
EZ-H2L Burner, for two-stage oil heating.
The Regal Star AFUE ranges up to 86.5
percent, and installers have the option
of chimney vent with a Beckett, Carlin or
Riello burner or direct-vent with a Riello
BF3. Heating capacity is 60,000 to 89,000
BTUH, and Boyertown is developing a new
version with capacity to 125,000 BTUH.
The Regal Star ships with the nrgMax
9103i control board, developed by Bob
Tonner. The board supports both PSC and
ECM blowers, making it service-friendly
in the event that either a PSC or ECM
motor fails.
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Boyertown does not make a gas furnace,
but it has partnered with Carlin and Riello
to enable the use of a power gas burner in
certain Regal and Hallmark furnaces, as
well as the Trio and Solaia boilers. “If a
customer had a Hallmark or Regal installed
n the last few years, there are specifications
n place to change it over to gas,” Bartchak
explained. “That way if gas becomes avail-
able on a customer’s street and they want
o convert, they don’t have to install a new
urnace. The unit will operate properly and
be efficient with a Carlin or Riello Power
gas burner installed.”
The power gas burner option can help oil
dealers make equipment sales to customers
who want to replace an old oil furnace or
oil boiler, but have been holding out for
natural gas to come to their neighborhoods,
he said. “With the extremely cold weather,
f the homeowner experiences a catastrophic
ailure on the boiler or furnace, but is not
prepared to switch to gas, they have an
option, and you can make a sale to someone
who wasn’t going to buy.”
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The Boyertown team places a high
priority on contractor support according
to Bartchak. “Boyertown Furnace is small
enough that we have always maintained the
personal touch. That’s what sets us apart as
a company,” she said. “There are technical
people here available to answer the phone.
We don’t hide behind answering machines,
and if the phone is ringing at the end of
the day we stay until they are all answered.
I can’t tell you the number of times we’ve
been thanked for being there or for calling
someone back personally.”
Bartchak is a huge fan of ECM blower
motors because of the comfort and effi-
ciency that they provide, but she recog-
nizes that making the upsell is a struggle
for some contractors. She recommends
that contractors refer customers to infor-
mational sites such as The Dealer Toolbox
(thedealertoolbox.com) to research blower
motors. “The site discusses why airflow is
important and how an ECM motor, when
installed properly can save the homeowner
money”.
Contractors can sell ECM motors and
even ductwork upgrades by talking with
customers about their comfort. A customer
might think their comfort is adequate until
the contractor starts raising specific issues,
such as draftiness and excessive noise.
“People want to be talked to like adults.
If you provide some information and let
them do research on their own, 90 percent
of the time you get the sale,” she said.
“It’s all about educating the consumer.”
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