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Boiler Sizing Calculator

Heating Plant · MBH · Hot Water GPM · Annual Fuel Cost

When to use: Use to size a boiler or heating plant for commercial or residential hydronic systems. Start with a heat loss calculation (from the Heating Load Estimator) and add domestic hot water (DHW) loads. The calculator applies piping losses, diversity, and redundancy factors to determine boiler output (MBH), hot water flow rate (GPM), and estimated annual fuel cost. Use ASHRAE 90.1 for minimum efficiency requirements.

Load & System
From heating load calc
BTU/hr
0 if separate DHW heater
BTU/hr
10–15% typical
(0–0.25)
(0.8–1.0)
1.1–1.25 typical
(×)
Fuel & Equipment
$/therm
Boiler Output Capacity
137.5
MBH Output
137,500 BTU/hr
System Summary
Design Load (space + DHW)100,000 BTU/hr
Gross Load (with piping loss)110,000 BTU/hr
Boiler Output (design)137.5 MBH
Boiler Input Required144,737 BTU/hr
Hot Water Flow Rate (20°F ΔT)13.8 GPM
Est. Annual Fuel Use2,895 therms
Est. Annual Fuel Cost$3,474
References
ASHRAE 90.1 – Boiler minimum efficiency standards
GPM = MBH × 1000 / (500 × ΔT)
Piping loss: 10–15% for well-insulated systems
AFUE = Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency