Episode 2
While New Yorkers are trying to stay warm inside their homes, offices, and apartments, the team at Miller Proctor Nicholas (MPN) is working double-time.
We are balancing massive traditional infrastructure operations with a high-stakes sprint for The Clean Fight and the Empire Technology Prize.
Here is an inside look at how we are combining heavy metal, regulatory deadlines, and cutting-edge engineering to change urban heating forever.
Before we can look to the future, we have to keep the present running. MPN’s core commercial operations are moving at a massive scale across the region’s major hubs:
We aren’t just an engineering think-tank entering a green tech competition. We are the boots-on-the-ground boiler specialists who understand New York’s massive heating infrastructure better than anyone else.
Why is our push for clean technology so urgent? It comes down to Local Law 97.
Passed in 2019, this law means the Department of Buildings (DOB) is actively enforcing strict carbon limits, and non-compliant building owners face steep fines. As MPN Sales Engineer Julia See notes, the scale of the challenge is historic:
“There are over 50,000 buildings that need to be retrofitted by 2050 if we want to hit the New York City goal of zero carbon emissions. The Empire Tech Prize gives us great visibility to show building owners how our water-source heat pump can curb their emissions.”
Down at our Holbrook, Long Island shop, Engineering Lead Ian Motley has been working with just 24 weeks left on the Empire Technology Prize clock. His mission: Take the Oilon P30 ChillHeat pump and use low-temperature waste water to generate low-pressure steam.
Because this technology is incredibly new to the domestic market, Ian had no U.S. blueprint to follow. He had to learn the unique “attitudes” of the machine, navigating fluctuating condenser outlet temperatures to find the system’s exact operational sweet spot.
After weeks of trial, error, and pure mental power, the breakthrough arrived: The machine is humming, and the clean steam is officially flowing.
Low-pressure steam has been the lifeblood of Manhattan heating since 1882. The coveted cast-iron radiators that line NYC apartments create a specific kind of comfortable warmth that modern forced-air systems simply cannot duplicate.
By utilizing our test rig—affectionately named “The Dollhouse”—we successfully proved that this heat pump can back-feed clean steam directly into traditional cast-iron radiators. Seeing genuine steam rise from a system with zero fossil fuels injected into it is an absolute game-changer for urban decarbonization.
Proving the science works in a controlled shop environment is a massive victory, but clients need to see it to believe it. Our next challenge is turning this stationary, two-ton industrial setup into a fully portable demonstration unit.
Fortunately, MPN recently acquired Mobile Steam, a division that specializes in building and renting mobile boiler systems. However, packaging a highly complex, next-generation heat pump inside a mobile trailer has never been done before.
As the team prepares the trailer for fabrication, we know this is where the rubber meets the road. It’s a lot easier to break things than it is to make them, but our engineering team is ready to deliver.
Stay tuned as we build out the mobile trailer and get ready to take the future of clean NYC heating on the road!
Whether you require a comprehensive Building Decarbonization Strategy, Technical Emissions Modeling, or expert guidance on NYC Local Law 97 Carbon Compliance, our team is ready to assist.
Reach out to Hudson Clean Heat Representative Today!
info@mpnboilers.com
(914) 203-1907