Abstract: A method is provided for controlling the operation of a furnace. A furnace generally includes a boiler having a combustion zone, a plurality of burners burning a mixture of fuel and air in the combustion zone producing a gaseous by-product, and an electrostatic precipitator in fluid communication with the boiler removing particulates from the gaseous by-products. The method includes the steps of monitoring operating conditions of the electrostatic precipitator on a section-by-section basis, and controlling a select one or more of the burners based upon the section-by-section monitored operating conditions.