September 2026 Chapter Meeting - Past Presidents Meeting

Speaker: Michelle Valenti

Michelle Valenti is currently a regional sales manager with Fulton Boiler Works, a position she has held for 9 years. Fulton is an American multi-national collection of companies headquartered in Pulaski, New York, USA. We research, engineer, manufacture, and support premier heat transfer equipment for a wide range of commercial and industrial applications. Today Fulton employs more than 650 people in facilities across five countries, serving as an industry leader of emerging heat technologies for more than 75 years.

Prior to Fulton, Michelle spent 20 years with B. J. Muirhead Co., Inc. a Buffalo, NY based manufacturer’s representative working as a commercial boiler sales engineer where she represented Fulton Boiler Works as well as Cleaver Brooks, Patterson Kelly, Raypak and other associated lines.

Michelle is a Past President of the Niagara Frontier ASHRAE Chapter and is a graduate of Buffalo State University.

Subjects:

#1: Hydronic Design and Control Strategies for Condensing Boilers

An introduction to modern condensing boiler piping strategies, applications, and control system optimization. The discussion includes an introduction to the principles behind flue gas condensate, industry test standards for defining efficiency, how piping arrangements influence installation and operating costs, the benefits of variable primary flow designs, and utilizing modern control platforms to load match energy loss and gain throughout seasonal changes.

#2: Hybrid Electric Hydronic Systems

An exploration of a potential solution for reducing carbon emissions from hydronic heating plants by incorporating a mix of high-efficiency condensing boilers and zero-emission technologies, such as electric resistance boilers and air source heat pumps. With proper control strategies, integrating an electric boiler or heat pump to handle the base load of the heating system can significantly reduce CO2 emissions, without the high costs associated with transitioning to a fully electric system. Also an examination of the advantages of a hybrid system, including improved reliability, cost savings, and enhanced system performance.