MAINTENANCE, REFURBISHMENT & REGENERATION
Why cold-water booster sets will become ever more important in UK cities
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With water companies struggling to match demand as population in the UK’s cities surges, cold water pressure boosters will become more important in both retrofit applications and newbuild developments. Here, Jason Cox, sales director – building services at Wilo UK, explains how smart water pumps could solve an emerging concern
he challenge of meeting the growing demand for water supply is becoming increasingly difficult for water companies, local authorities and building service engineers, most often
resulting in a reduction in pressure to Ofwat’s minimum stipulation of 0.7bar. The reality, however, is that certain outlets in high-rise buildings, and even those with two- or three-storeys, won’t even receive this – depending on their geographical position. As newbuild developments continue to rise across city skylines, this problem may only be exacerbated without a solution. Once required only for high-rise buildings, cold water pressure boosters are now crucial to a wider range of properties, both new and existing, that are unable to yield sufficient pressure. Cold water boosters deliver constant pressure at every extraction point throughout a building, making trickling taps a thing of the past. The issue of insufficient water pressure Despite more cities across the country being
recognised as ‘water stressed’, many remain unaware of the benefits of cold-water booster sets. From housing associations to hospitals to student accommodation providers, installing new or retrofitting existing booster sets will combat inadequate supply in any scenario. Throughout recent years, Wilo has noticed an increasing number of properties that, almost overnight, have encountered a drop in water pressure – despite running seamlessly for decades. As a result, the challenge of working out how to overcome the issue is one that local authorities and student accommodation providers, for instance, have little, if any, experience in solving. To deal with the issue of insufficient water
pressure, the industry’s solution providers, like Wilo, offer an end-to-end service to make sure that not only are the most suitable boosters selected, but that they are also commissioned and serviced correctly. Wilo has worked with the country’s largest housing associations, schools and hospitals to gain the experience required to help businesses in a variety of sectors overcome a potentially unique water pressure issue.
Utilising available support
With a growing nationwide focus on driving environmental action, it’s essential that organisations consider incorporating sustainability into future building upgrades, particularly cold-water booster sets. Conducting on-site surveys and energy reports
are an increasingly popular method in helping relevant parties understand the importance of installing or retrofitting the correct pressure boosting equipment. Energy reports help to quantify the energy, carbon and cost savings available from doing so. As part of the end- to-end solution offered, Wilo also provides an estimated payback period to inform customers of when they can expect to see these savings come to fruition.
Utilising expertise and support on selecting the correct product, for instance, is crucial to the long-term success and reliability of an upgrade. From selection to commissioning and maintenance, solutions providers like Wilo go the extra mile for organisations throughout the entire process of upgrading booster sets. Aside from installing the relevant upgrades, support
is also available for contractors who may require assistance with selection, supply and commissioning appliances on their own projects.
Utilising smart products
When replacing existing boosters, opting for a smaller motor that can supply the same demand is crucial to improving energy efficiency. Replacing equipment with IE1,2,3 and 4 motors with Wilo booster sets that feature IE5 motors can also provide invaluable carbon and energy savings. Regarding the latest innovative equipment that the industry has to offer in commercial applications, the Wilo SiBoost 2.0 Smart Helix VE range is the latest addition to the SiBoost product family. A heavy-duty yet efficient system, the booster is built to ensure a maximum degree of control performance, thanks in part to its smart LCD display. This makes installation as straightforward as possible, while helping to notify end-users of any issues, like insufficient pressure, before they worsen. Wilo will be showcasing the ability to remotely monitor their booster sets, which allows for preventative maintenance, at this year’s InstallerSHOW (25-27 June, NEC, Birmingham).
Putting progress into practice
For many organisations, conducting energy reports is the first step to making real progress towards improving energy efficiency. A popular student residence in the Southwest of England did just that – subsequently discovering potential yearly savings of over £6,000 and more than 46,000 kWh. Through the efficient, straightforward improvements to the property’s booster set, it was determined that the upgrade would pay for itself in just over three years, accompanied by carbon savings of over 10,000kg per year. Building on Wilo’s planned preventative maintenance contract which is in place with all of the accommodation provider’s buildings across the country, a further opportunity for increased sustainable action was recognised following a detailed site survey, which resulted in the energy report. Major energy and carbon savings were predicted by replacing the building’s existing, inefficient, fixed-speed booster sets with a SiBoost Smart Helix VE. In practice, this reveals the hidden potential for savings that most building owners or operators have within their grasp. A simple task like replacing old booster sets or correctly sized, high efficiency pumping equipment can make a monumental difference, all while delivering peace of mind to the building’s students that their shower won’t be reduced to a trickle anytime soon.
16 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JUNE 2024 Read the latest at:
www.bsee.co.uk
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