Boiler Tune-Ups

Pollution Prevention: Advanced Boiler Tune-ups

Introduction

Air pollution is estimated to play a role in 10% of all deaths in the Twin Cities metro area with the highest estimated rates of air pollution-related death and disease found in neighborhoods with the largest percentage of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), low-income and uninsured residents, and people who live with a disability.¹ This project will reduce particulate matter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in environmental justice communities through reductions in fuel burning from increased boiler efficiency.

MnTAP is working with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE), the Lake Street Council, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a pollution prevention (P2) grant to provide advanced boiler tune-ups in environmental justice communities and develop resources and training for other communities to replicate the process.

Target Audience

This project will provide advanced boiler tune-ups at no cost to facilities in Minnesota including businesses, organizations, multifamily buildings, and schools.

Target Objectives

This project will perform the following activities:

  • Provide advanced boiler tune-up technical assistance to facilities in environmental justice areas to increase boiler efficiency which will save energy and reduce emissions
  • Develop and share a toolkit for incorporating P2 activities within existing community programs

Contact

Recruitment for this project will begin in early 2024, if you are interested in participating please contact:

Laura Sevcik – Associate Engineer
612-624-8192 | lsevcik@umn.edu

Funding Source and Additional Resources

The FY 2023-FY 2024 Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice in Communities funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has provided grant funding for this project.

For more information on CEE’s advanced boiler tune-ups, please visit their website.

For more information about environmental justice areas, please visit MPCA’s Understanding environmental justice in Minnesota webpage.

[1] https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air-water-land-climate/life-and-breath-report