Plant Utilities worked example

Boiler Fuel Switch Payback with burner and fuel train conversion cost of 62,500 $: a worked example

Suppose burner and fuel train conversion cost falls to 62,500 $. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate payback for a boiler fuel switch or burner conversion using annual fuel savings and added support cost.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Burner and fuel train conversion cost: 62,500 $ (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 125,000)
  • Annual fuel cost savings: 52,000 $ / yr (held at the documented default)
  • Annual service and permitting cost: 7,000 $ / yr (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Net annual savings = annual fuel cost savings - annual service and permitting cost.
  • Boiler Fuel Switch Payback payback works out to 1.39 yr at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Net annual savings works out to 45,000 $ / yr at these inputs.
  • Project or backlog investment works out to 62,500 $ at these inputs.
  • Five year net works out to 162,500 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where burner and fuel train conversion cost sits at 125,000 $ and the headline result is 2.78 yr, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 1.39 yr.
  • It computes the simple payback period in years by dividing the burner and fuel-train conversion cost by net annual savings (fuel savings minus annual service and permitting cost). When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Boiler Fuel Switch Payback payback: 1.39 yr (headline result)
  • Net annual savings: 45,000 $ / yr
  • Project or backlog investment: 62,500 $
  • Five year net: 162,500 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Boiler Fuel Switch Payback calculator, set burner and fuel train conversion cost to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.