Energy
temperature, meaning that the system will think the home is colder and will keep the heating running for longer than is required. This often leads to overheating, which is then made worse with occupants opening windows, which compounds the energy waste.
A smart system will deploy multiple thermostats and apply temperature control across the average temperature. Doing so helps mitigate problems of a poorly located single thermostat.
Heating systems can be zoned. Zoning means the heating system is divided in to individual areas that are individually controlled. For example, a home may have north and south wings. The south wing would naturally require less heat than the north wing as it would benefit from solar gain. Therefore, if the system were individually zoned, the south wing would reach set point and would switch off. If the heating system were not zoned in this way, the south wing would overheat, as the north wing would require heat after the south wing had reached set point – meaning the opportunity for energy savings would be lost.
Maintenance
By far the most important of these factors – and the one that has the largest bearing on system efficiency – is maintenance. An annual service of the heat source will ensure it continues to operate at its rated efficiency. Skimping on maintenance is a false economy, as any maintenance savings will be far outweighed by higher than necessary energy consumption.
Typically, maintenance service visits should be conducted on an annual basis prior to the heating season starting.
2. Transportation of heat Once heat is generated, it is transported around the building by a network of pipes. The transportation system is critical to system performance. Uninsulated or poorly insulated pipework leads to losses within the system. Uninsulated pipework will result in heat being lost before it arrives at its desired locations. When this happens, more energy is required to recover these losses. It is important at this stage to make a clarification between transportation and delivery of heat. The heating pipework is part of the transportation network. These are the arteries of the system. Radiators are the heat emitters; these are the organs of the system and they deliver the heat. This is important because
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Image 2 shows hot water pipework to and from a large hot water cylinder. The cylinder will be controlled via an internal temperature sensor. As hot water is taken from the cylinder, the system will call for more heat / hot water.
uninsulated pipework in corridors is often dismissed due to the belief that it is contributing to the heating of the building. This is an incorrect assumption. Pipework is designed to transport heat, not to give off heat. Therefore, pipework in corridors should be insulated – see images 1 & 2. Clearly, in this case, the heat loss will be significant. All pipework within the image should be insulated. However, none of the heating pipework is insulated. This is a missed opportunity and is a great example of heat being lost before it has arrived at its desired location. This example is common place within care homes.
Image 1 shows uninsulated heating pipework. The grey square pipe is the common header. The heat source provides heat to the common header, which then feeds the 1st and 2nd floor heating, plus a hot water circuit.
If the heat arriving to the cylinder has suffered losses in transportation, the cylinder will take longer to reach set point and, as such, the system will call for more heat to recover these losses – all of which consumes more energy. Similarly, with hot water to taps,
showers, and baths, if the system has losses in transportation, occupants will run taps for longer until the desired temperature is reached. Which again compounds energy wastage, as well as wasting water and staff time.
The above example is also commonly found in care homes. Pipework insulation, often referred to as lagging, is incredibly cheap and cost effective to install. Lagging can be installed by a competent care taker. However, to ensure the best installation and minimal heat losses, a pipework insulation professional should be appointed. Pipework insulation projects typically achieve payback in 2-4 years, depending on the system and the amount of insulation present.
3. Thermal efficiency of the building. The thermal efficiency of the building relates to how well a building retains heat. Thermal efficiency can be improved and or compromised in many areas.
Loft insulation
Loft Insulation acts as a blanket above the sealing and restricts heat loss through the building fabric (see image 3).
Image 3 shows a loft void above a care home. The ceiling rafters are clearly visible. This void contains 100mm of loft insulation. The current recommendation for loft insulation is 300mm, which means this loft space is under-insulated and the building will require more energy to heat. In simple terms: more loft insulation = less heat loss = less energy required to heat.
Cavity wall insulation. Cavity wall construction consists of an inner and outer wall. This type of construction has been popular since the Second World War. When cavity wall buildings were first constructed, the cavity was left empty to allow for ventilation.
Since the 1990s, modern building engineering has determined that the cavity
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com January 2025
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