BSEE MAINTENANCE & REFURBISHMENT


Heating plays an essential role in preserving our historic buildings, protecting our heritage for generations to come. James Porter, Sales Director at Remeha, reports on how condensing boilers provide a win‐win solution to achieving high conservation standards and improved sustainable operation.


W


hat makes our nation


quintessentially British? Cricket, Sunday roasts, Wimbledon – the


weather? High on any list will be our great historic buildings, living symbols of our rich cultural heritage. These buildings link our past with our present. They are central to our national identity. And as such, they should be protected and preserved for the enjoyment of generations to come.


Yet while these buildings impress in terms of historic and architectural interest, they often fail to score high when it comes to energy efficiency and environmental performance. Heating is the largest single-end user of energy, responsible for around half a building’s total energy consumption and associated emissions, so it is important that it operates efficiently.


Ensuring energy-efficient heating helps older buildings reduce their environmental impact and running costs, making them more economical to operate and less likely to fall into disuse. But for historic buildings, achieving reliable, consistent temperature heating is more than a desirable requirement – it’s critical for the long-term conservation of the building and its valuable contents. So when the existing boilers failed at Grade I listed St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Moyra Skenfield, the Cathedral Administrator, was quick to act. “Our architects have stressed the importance of providing a constant temperature within the building throughout the year to prevent damage,” she explained. “If we’re to preserve the painted ceilings in the Presbytery and the tower, our unique medieval oak ceiling in the Nave, our valuable organ and the irreplaceable items in the Treasury, a reliable heating source is essential. Added to which, with Christmas fast approaching there’s the additional need to keep the Church warm for the services.”


uPreserving St Davids Cathedral with high performance heating.


The four old boilers were replaced with two condensing boilers, on the recommendation of heating contractor GG Thomas and Son, to achieve the required high performance heating. For St Davids, the refurbishment has proved extremely successful, with the stable, comfortable environment benefiting its visitors and worshippers while helping conserve the building and its treasures. Heating refurbishment also played a key part in the regeneration of a series of historic buildings at Chatham Historic Dockyard in Kent. For the Chatham


Historic Dockyard Trust, the replacement condensing boilers specified by PCS Consulting Services have provided a “cost-effective, efficient solution to some complex heritage challenges” and ensured “the long-term occupation of three of the Trust’s most important Scheduled Ancient Monuments historical buildings, now in 21st century use”. Across the UK, countless historic buildings now rely on condensing boilers to deliver high efficiency, consistent temperature heating to ensure their long term preservation. So what makes this technology so popular and so successful? To answer this, it is helpful to understand some of the challenges faced when refurbishing historic buildings.


Refurbishing older buildings requires careful planning due to the nature of the building, its fabric and its structure. Many historic buildings are listed or have protected status, so building consent would be required for any modifications or alterations to the building fabric. At the same time, a high proportion of historic buildings rely on commercial boiler plant for their heating. Due to the nature of the building and the heating system in place, an upgrade to condensing boilers is often recommended as the most effective, practical and affordable solution.


Space limitations


Then there are the space restrictions. Plant rooms in these historic buildings are typically difficult to access – often located in the basement, as at St Davids Cathedral, or on an upper floor. This presents logistical challenges as heating equipment must be negotiated down flights of stairs, squeezed round tight corners and manoeuvred along narrow corridors. Once inside, the plant room itself is often small and irregularly shaped, bringing further design constraints.


Condensing boilers provide a practical solution to all these issues, for easy installation and minimum disruption. Their lightweight design makes them easier to move and handle, while their compact size helps overcome any obstacles caused by space limitations – all of which reduces on-site labour and costs. A key advantage of the smaller footprint of condensing boilers is that it allows multiple boilers to be installed. This made it easier to design for both current and future heat demand at the Royal Dockyard Church, now in long term use by the University of Kent. Multiple boiler arrangements also improve the reliability, efficiency, security and maintenance of the heating service as well as reducing downtime during refurbishment.


Removing the hassle factor


Floor-standing condensing boilers are traditionally the boiler of choice for projects requiring high heat output. Some models are delivered on wheels for easier manoeuvrability into and around the plant room. Others can be dismantled into parts where access is particularly restricted, then reassembled inside the plant room. With the arrival of wall-hung boilers offering outputs of


18 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER DECEMBER 2016


Advertising: 01622 699116


HIGH EFFICIENCY CONDENSING BOILERS Remeha’s perfect solution for older buildings


uReplacement condensing boilers have provided a cost‐effective solution for complex heritage challenges at Chatham Historic Dockyard.


160kW, there is new opportunity to move equipment away from the floor and onto the wall. This provided a quality solution to high heat output in the tiny plant room at St Davids Cathedral, especially with the option for easy-to- install cascade systems.


With their improved ease of installation, condensing boilers remove the ‘hassle factor’ from heating refurbishments in historic buildings, allowing the everyday business of the building to continue uninterrupted. An added advantage is that retrofitting condensing boilers is unlikely to require any changes to the building fabric, removing any need for building consent.


Win‐win


Perhaps most importantly, condensing boilers offer proven, consistently reliable heating, achieving outstandingly high efficiencies at around 98% gross for more sustainable operation. Replacing any old boilers operating at just 50% efficiency with modern condensing boilers and adding controls could literally halve operating costs while improving the building’s environmental rating.


The low initial outlay and rapid financial payback – as little as a year and a half – makes condensing boilers a win-win solution to high conservation standards and reduced energy demand. This highly effective technology has the potential to transform the performance of our historic buildings, protecting our heritage for generations to come.


www.remeha.co.uk ‘


Floor‐standing condensing boilers are traditionally the boiler of choice for projects requiring high heat output. Some models are delivered on wheels for easier manoeuvrability into and around the plant room. Others can be dismantled into parts where access is particularly restricted, then reassembled inside the plant room.


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u300kW in a tiny footprint at St Davids Cathedral.


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