Most multi-family buildings, whether they are rentals, co-ops or condos, use a single outside sensor (generally referred to as "a heat timer") to control cycling of the boiler. This method is highly inaccurate and often results in over-heating the building (it's why you'll see windows open during the dead of winter, throwing your heat, fuel and money to the winds).

Alternately, an EMS adds a number of temperature sensors strategically placed in apartments --furthest from the boiler, and the last place to get the heat. The EMS computer then reads the outside temperature together with the indoor temperatures and controls the boiler, with adjustable set-points, to operate only as long as it takes to deliver the right amount of heat -- The exactly right amount to keep residents comfortable without wasting fuel. The boiler runs far less and therefore uses less fuel and requires fewer repairs – it’s as simple as that!

In fact, US Energy Group’s EMS typically provides a minimum of 15 percent fuel savings over the outside sensor method, and a great many customers achieve more like 25 to 30 percent reduced fuel consumption. The payback is generally just one to two seasons (50 percent to 100 percent return on investment).

More than that, the EMS also monitors many other boiler functions to provide information that will increase the life of your heating system, detect water leaks, and warn of potentially dangerous or violation-producing problems (like a bad mixing valve and scalding hot water).

Simply put, an EMS is the single best investment to achieve significant and provable energy and cost savings in multi-family buildings. The proven technology has been around since 1978 (Ha! When the price of oil was under 15-cents a gallon), and it’s used today in thousands of buildings throughout the New York metropolitan area.