The benefits of lower energy bills and greater energy efficiency are obvious, but switching from steam to gas heating can also increase worker comfort, boosting morale and productivity. Ga. He also chairs the Technical Committee on Industrial Air Conditioning of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers. However, when gas-equipment manufacturers developed gas systems with electronic controls, they enabled system operators to adjust with more precision the amount of heat they generate. Switching to gas can also reduce maintenance costs, because gas systems have an inherently less troublesome design than steam-distributed piping systems. This also incurs maintenance costs to identify and repair the trap vents.
All steam systems have to be vented and drained periodically.
Pipe must be insulated to keep steam at a desired temperature until it reaches the space to be heated. In addition, the water fed to steam heating systems must always be chemically treated to prevent it from scaling and corroding pipe interiors. By contrast, a gas heating system does not require descaling treatment, and leaks are rare and readily apparent. There are no venting or draining issues, and insulated piping is not needed, because unheated fuel is delivered to heaters located at the point of use. The aging boilers and pipes were inefficient.