Our commercial tankless water heaters have been sized/installed in 19,000+ N. American properties. These 3 insights from our database may surprise you.
Intellihot’s units have been sized/installed in 19,000+ N. American properties so far. This diverse portfolio includes skyscrapers like Chicago’s 340-On-the-Park and popular stadiums like this one in Santa Clara, California. However, unlike other manufacturers, our sizing calculator for commercial tankless installations guarantees its results.
340-on-the-Park and the Santa Clara stadium were sized with the same guaranteed approach. Yet, the glaring differences between the two properties were also considered. As surprising as it may seem, the precise use of data can result in a unified sizing approach for commercial properties that can be scaled for repetitive usage while ensuring customizability. Here’s 3 insights from our database that shed light on our approach:
Intuitively, it is not surprising that hot water usage differs by property type. However, consider the following: why do hospitals seem to need more hot water, on average, than hotels?
Hospitals not only use more quantities of hot water than hotels, but they also typically use hot water at a faster rate. Moreover, there is much more variance in property size for hotels in North America, compared to hospitals.
This chart shows the average flow rate (in GPM) needed by N. American hotels in 2023, broken down by the number of rooms. At first glance, the chart proves the general notion that hot water needs and usage increase by occupancy levels or “size” of the property. Yet, occupancy and hot water usage/need do not follow a linear relationship. Let’s dive deeper into this insight.
The above chart shows the average flow rate (in GPM) needed by N. American hotels, broken down by number of rooms and fixture counts. Why do you think the average hot water need for 150-180 room hotels with 0-100 fixtures is lower than 10-150 room hotels with the same fixture count?
Adjudging hot water needs with traditional categorization based on property size (fixture count/number of rooms) ignores several real-world considerations like temperature rise and elevation. Several properties might also require multiple temperature zones like a booster for the laundry. The following graph shows how hot water needs vary for hotels with different fixture counts and the inclusion of commercial washers.
Traditional wisdom suggests sizing a hot water system for the “worst case scenario” or peak demand. However, the worst-case scenario would never involve 100% of a property’s hot water fixtures being open at the same time. Third-party data shows that the worst-case scenario is much lower than 100%. For hotels, the peak demand is only between 12-18% of all hot water fixtures being open simultaneously.
This facet is well-documented and referred to as “the theory of diversity.” Here are a few examples of peak demand for various property types:
While the above insights provide interesting insights into commercial hot water usage, their true usefulness is felt in simplifying traditional sizing approaches. Common sizing methodologies like the Hunter’s Curve method or the ASPE domestic design method force engineers to make standardized assumptions that lead to oversizing (which increases a project’s upfront and operational expenses). At Intellihot, we have modified these curves for our guaranteed online commercial sizing calculator.
Using our database, we can predict the worst-case scenario for any commercial property regardless of its type, size, or geographic location without making any standardized assumptions. This approach has allowed us to size 19,000+ commercial properties instantly with a sizing guarantee. These properties have witnessed up to 30% reduction in operational expenses and up to 50% reduction in upfront costs.
Want to learn more about our sizing approach? Download our ebook, “From Skyscrapers to Stadiums” to get more insights and learn how they tie into our larger sizing methodology that ensures instant, guaranteed results at scale with exciting customizability.
"We needed a high output water heater with a small footprint to supply hot water for the scrubbers in the stadium, and the Intellihot iQ1001's small footprint was great to install in the mezzanine."
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