Energy conservation studies on residential heating systems: An application for Izmir, Turkey

Energy conservation through improvement of the efficiencies of end use devices such as boilers and stoves used for space heating is one of the most effective ways to provide immediate relief for the energy problem in the residential sector of Turkey. For this reason, during the 1995-96 winter period, the campaign 'Saving the Environment Begins at Home' was launched by the branch office of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers in Izmir (CMEI) and the Metropolitan Municipality of Izmir (MMI). The study was carried out by a team consisting of 18 persons from both organizations to improve the combustion systems of boilers and stoves for space heating. In 2,600 buildings, 3,178 boilers for space heating were inspected and also their gas components measured by ten mechanical engineers using flue gas analysers. During the study implementation, special computer software was used. The data collected by expert controllers were evaluated through computers. Missing and faulty points were reported to apartment managers in charge of building services and they were asked to fulfil the requirements. In addition to these, courses for improving boiler operators were given to 1,553 operators in Izmir. 1,838 houses heated by stoves were inspected and technical rules for efficient use of stoves were explained to users on site. Furthermore, during the 1996-97 winter period, a total of 303 randomly selected boilers were inspected, and also their flue gas measurements were carried out by the same team. In this paper, the application steps of the study performed, for the first time, on a large scale for Izmir in Turkey, are explained and results obtained are presented