District Energy - 2005 Third Quarter

end when it returns to their facility.

Therefore, on a short-term rental, a nearby supplier may have an advantage (assuming the supplier meets all the other criteria); but if the rental period spans several months or more, the starting location of the equipment becomes less significant.

Who pays shipping charges? Usually, the renter is responsible for shipping charges. A firm with extensive experience in shipping their equipment throughout the country, and even around the world, can usually give you a very close estimate of what these charges will be and how long it will take for the equipment to reach your facility.

Who is responsible for equipment
malfunctions, and what about rental
charges if the equipment is off line?

This is usually determined by who is responsible for the system outage. Qualified boiler rental companies will provide comprehensive instruction to your technicians to assure that no operating problems are encountered. However, if a system failure is attributable to improper operation by your technician, then you will be responsible for continuing rental charges until the system is brought back on line. On the other hand, if an outage is due to a component failure, for example, then credit should be granted for the time the system is off line.

Are charges included for personnel to instruct your technicians on system operation? In addition to confirming if they are included, ask for a definition of the rate and travel expense policy in the event your supplier needs to return

after startup.

In summary, with a little planning and attention to a few important considerations, it is possible for district energy managers and owners to rent, install and operate a temporary boiler or complete steam plant without experiencing significant challenges.

Larry K. Day is vice president of marketing for Nationwide Boiler Inc., which has been providing steam plants to district energy providers, government agencies and industry for nearly 40 years. Active in the boiler industry for more than 25 years, Day holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Shippensburg College. He may be reached at lday@nation wideboiler.com.