ENERGY GREEN ENERGY FOR
NEWCASTLE BAIL HOSTEL A bail hostel in the West End of Newcastle upon Tyne has been hailed as "…one of the most complete installations in the UK" after installing seven different kinds of green energy saving technology which act together to drastically reduce the building's fuel and water bills.
ince commissioning the equipment from South Tyneside- based EnviroEnergy Systems Ltd, gas bills at Ozanam House have fallen by some 48%, electricity bills have fallen by 46% and water saving measures has produced a 30% reduction in water bills. All of which has prompted Graham Baker, Project Manager for the Sir Joseph Swan Energy Centre for energy research at Newcastle University to describe the project as "…the most complete green energy installation in the UK."
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Ozanam House is a 24 bed Home Office approved hostel for offenders who are subject to a Probation Order and defendants on bail. Converted from a large private Victorian house with a modern extension added in the 70s, the accommodation is spread over three floors incorporating 24 bedrooms and four shower rooms with a variety of separate heating systems which have been added as the hostel expanded. Ed Marsh, Technical Manager for EnviroEnergy Systems, explained the challenge, "Whilst green energy systems are now well established for new build properties, the retrofit market for commercial buildings is far more fragmented with different companies offering different equipment. The basis of our business is that we design and install green energy systems that are tailor made to individual requirements and work holistically to give the lowest possible pay back periods." "For Ozanam House, the main challenge was the hostel is in constant use
and requires constant space and water heating. Our programme was therefore designed to not only cause the minimum disruption to the residents, ensuring heating of some sort was always available, but also to create the most cost- effective system that would give the shortest pay back period."
The solution for rising energy costs for Ozanam House was a combination of seven different technologies working together. Air Source Heat Pumps provide primary heating for both the central heating system and provision of hot water, whilst solar thermal panels installed on the roof use free solar energy to pre-heat mains water. A Waste Water Heat Recovery system facilitates the transfer of otherwise wasted energy going down the drain from the showers and the basins within the hostel. This otherwise “wasted” energy also assists in pre-heating the cold water mains as it passes to the pre-heat solar cylinder.
Whilst these four systems reduce gas bills, a solar PhotoVoltaic (PV) system is installed on the roof for electricity generation which will save approximately £1,800.00 per annum on electricity costs. Finally, the hostel's water bills have been reduced by a combination of Grey Water Recycling which transfers waste water (after it has passed through the heat recovery system) through filters before it is used for toilet flushing throughout the
building, and Rain Water Harvesting which collects rain water from 90% of its roof surfaces. The hostel is therefore not only collecting free rain water but also using all its water twice and capturing the heat energy before it's released into the sewer system. Chris Gelder, Manager of Ozanam House, commented, " Our energy costs are dramatically lower then they were previously – compared to a similar unit in Leeds we have savings of between 60% to 70% less per annum. Heating is now uniformly consistent, both over the 24 hour cycle and throughout the living spaces across the building. The carbon footprint on this business has got to be outstanding, which, from a moral perspective is a big bonus, and finally, in a climate where savings are actively pursued, we’ve managed to achieve some of these savings in a manner that has not been detrimental to both the staff and the people we work with. These benefits will be felt for many years to come." The hostel now benefits from a 48% reduction in gas bills, 46% reduction in electricity usage and a 30% reduction in water charges. The energy and water usage is also monitored by researchers at Newcastle University. For further information on
EnviroEnergy Systems, please contact them on (0191) 5197457 or visit
www.enviroenergysystems.ltd.uk
PUBLIC SECTOR SUSTAINABILITY • VOLUME 2 ISSUE 4 31
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