AEEGTA Presents
Coffee & Conservation Series (#10)
Start Condensing!
Condensing Boiler Performance in Multi-Residential Buildings: Operational Limitations and Real-World Efficiency Outcomes
Across Ontario and other cold-climate regions, building decarbonization strategies increasingly rely on condensing boiler technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency. While many condensing boilers are rated above 95% efficiency, achieving these performance levels in existing multi-residential buildings is often far more complex than anticipated.
Join us for a technical discussion examining why real-world seasonal efficiencies frequently fall short of nameplate ratings in legacy hydronic heating systems. This session will explore the thermodynamic and operational limitations that restrict sustained condensing operation, including elevated return-water temperatures, domestic hot water demands, legacy distribution infrastructure, and control sequencing challenges.
The session will also explore practical retrofit considerations, system optimization strategies, and how waste heat recovery technologies and other complementary system approaches can enhance overall building performance to improve overall building performance, reduce fuel consumption, and support long-term decarbonization goals.
Topics Include:
- Why many legacy buildings struggle to achieve true condensing operation
- The relationship between return-water temperature and boiler efficiency
- Real-world operational limitations in high-temperature hydronic systems
- Why condensing boilers are not always “drop-in” replacements
- Outdoor reset strategies, hydraulic separation, and distribution constraints
- The role of flue gas heat recovery in improving system performance
- Reducing fuel consumption and extending equipment life in existing buildings
- Case studies and field observations from retrofit applications
Presenter:
Raphael Kolenko
Managing Director, Carbon Cap Inc.
Raphael Kolenko is the Managing Director of Carbon Cap Inc., a Canadian clean-tech company specializing in advanced heat recovery and building optimization technologies for multi-residential and commercial buildings. His work focuses on practical decarbonization strategies that improve real-world heating system performance while reducing natural gas consumption, operational costs, and carbon emissions.
Carbon Cap’s patented Flue Gas Recovery (FGR) technology has undergone multiple years of engineering development, prototyping, and field testing. The company’s fourth-generation FGR system has operated in a Toronto multi-residential showcase installation since February 2023. This operation is supported by comprehensive case study analysis utilizing Measurement Canada–certified and EN 1434-compliant metering data. This includes verified long-duration performance monitoring under real operating conditions in occupied buildings. The company’s technologies are protected by patents in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and multiple European jurisdictions.
Carbon Cap’s broader technology pathway also includes intelligent building optimization, heat balancing strategies, and future electrification concepts designed specifically for legacy buildings and retrofit applications.
Time: 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM EDT (on Microsoft Teams)
Registration Link: 
For any queries, please feel free to reach out to Aidan O'Riordan at info@aeegta.org.
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