An analysis of alternative systems showed a
potential reduction from 62% to 87% in energy
costs for waste heat systems compared with a
conventional oil-fired boiler system (Rotz, C.A.
and R.A. Aldrich, 1978). The same study showed a
simple pay-back period of 4–6 years. Several acres of
greenhouses in the U.S. are now heated with power
plant waste heat, and there is a potential for several
hundred acres more