John G. Johnson Co. Puts the Owner First with Hydronic Heat

As with any good story, difficulty along the way makes the end that much sweeter. Such is the case for the John G. Johnson Company at the Joseph & Florence Mandel Jewish Day School Renovation Project.

JGJ Head of Business Development Matt Large put us in touch with his PM Ian Schechterman after learning about hydronic heat at one of our "Lunch-and-Learn" events. Ian was working on a large repurposing project for which hydronic was a perfect fit. He presented the hydronic option to the owner, but they chose to settle for the slightly lower up-front cost of a traditional indirect fired system.

Indirect-fired heat may have a lower cost up front, but what about fuel?

Not long after that a chance run in with Ian led to a follow-up meeting. Ian and the JGJ team had completed a fantastic project with a very happy climate, but what about those fuel costs? He was in utter disbelief:

“I can’t believe how much fuel those things used. We essentially had to have them fueled every day. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Day, it didn’t matter. We were constantly having those things filled. It was unreal. I had no idea something like this was even possible.”

Traditional systems like indirect- and direct-fired heat rack up huge fuel costs.

When we discussed the difference hydronic heat might have made on the project, all Ian could say was “I had no idea, I had no idea.”

But it's not just Ian. None of us had a clue about this a few years ago. Hydronic systems have been around for 20 years, but only recently have they come to fit an average construction budget. A dry, filterable, efficient climate control system is now affordable, too, but this fact has yet to become common knowledge. But how does this relate to the Mandel School project?

The benefits of hydronic heat are still becoming common knowledge.

Well, Ian decided he and his clients would never be in the above situation again.

When JGJ began plotting out temporary heat for the school, Ian put us in touch with Project Superintendent Jim Brown. Hydronic's safety features (discussed in another post) already made it ideal for working on the school, which would be in session during construction of the addition. The deal-maker, however, came from a lesson learned: fuel efficiency. The owner may be paying for the natural gas, but Johnson is saving their client a lot of money by providing them with the most efficient system on the market.

Hydronic heat is without a doubt the most efficient way to heat your job site.

When we visited the site earlier this week Jim told us “The system is working great, we are very happy with it, and don’t worry we will definitely be using it again on future projects!”

Promoting a newer alternative in the face of long-used methods is a difficult task. The rewarding part, however, is seeing everyone benefit, from workers to owners. Congratulations to John G. Johnson and the entire Joseph & Florence Mandel Jewish Day School Team. Your commitment to safety and success is outstanding and we thank you for allowing us to be a part of that process.