Energy consumption soaring? Experts point out that the duct heating system has up to 30% potential for energy savings

Jiangsu Sinton has released a white paper: When using air duct electric heaters, how can we achieve greater energy efficiency? Electric heaters consume a lot of electricity. How can we save energy? Have these questions also troubled you? Sinton can help you optimize the selection and control of air duct heaters, significantly reducing industrial operating costs.

With the continuous rise in global energy costs, the operational pressure on industrial enterprises is increasing day by day. Among various energy-consuming units, the air duct heaters in air handling units (AHUs) are often overlooked as "electric power hogs". The latest industry analysis by Jiangsu Sinton Import and Export Co., Ltd. shows that by optimizing the design of the heaters, improving control strategies, and strengthening maintenance, most existing systems have up to 30% potential for energy savings.

"Many customers have complained to us about the high electricity bills, but few people immediately realize that the problem lies in the ventilation duct heating process," pointed out the technical director of Jiangsu Sinton. "The common misconception is 'it's good enough', rather than 'optimal matching'."

The three overlooked energy consumption pain points and upgrade solutions:

Problem 1: The selected power is too high, resulting in 'a large engine pulling a small vehicle'

Problem Insight: To be on the safe side, many designs tend to choose heaters with power much higher than the actual demand. This not only increases the initial cost, but also leads to energy waste, reduced control accuracy, and shortened component lifespan when operating at partial loads due to frequent startups or rapid heating.

Solution: Implement multi-level power control or use solid-state relays (SSR) in combination with PID power regulation. Divide the total power into multiple groups. Based on the actual heat load, intelligently activate or adjust the power to achieve smooth and precise temperature control, minimizing energy waste to the greatest extent.

Problem 2: Ignoring waste heat recovery, resulting in wasted energy.

Problem Insight: In processes such as drying and painting, the exhaust air temperature is often very high. These air streams carrying a large amount of energy are directly released into the atmosphere, while fresh air needs to be heated from a low temperature, resulting in a significant waste of energy in two aspects.

Solution: It is recommended to install a heat recovery device (such as plate or rotary heat exchanger) in the system. Utilizing the residual heat from the exhaust air to preheat the fresh air can significantly reduce the load of the main air duct heater, resulting in immediate energy savings and a short investment return period.

Problem 3: Outdated and inefficient heating element materials and structure

Problem Insight: Older heaters may use low-efficiency resistance wire materials, or have an unreasonable structural design that leads to uneven air flow, excessive pressure loss (increased energy consumption of the fan), and severe surface heat loss.

Solution: Upgrade and replace with new high-performance electric heating alloy materials for the heating tubes. These materials have stronger anti-oxidation capabilities and greater stability, as well as longer lifespan. Adopt scientific fin spacing and arrangement methods to optimize heat exchange efficiency, ensuring the heating effect while reducing wind resistance. Install a high-performance insulation layer on the heater shell to minimize heat loss to the environment.

Towards Intelligence and Efficiency: The Future Has Arrived

Jiangsu Sinton emphasizes that modern ventilation heating systems are no longer merely "electric heating" components. Integrating intelligent temperature controllers and linking with building management systems (BMS) or process control systems (PLC), they automatically optimize operation strategies based on real-time conditions, which has become a new standard for cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

"Choosing a supplier that offers technical consultation rather than just product catalogues is of vital importance," said the general manager of Jiangsu Sinton. "We are willing to conduct free energy consumption assessments for our clients and provide a comprehensive energy-saving solution package, from customized design to intelligent control, to help them address cost challenges."