HVAC in schools
www.heatingandventilating.net
Clifton College, pictured below, replaced the old cast iron section boiler in its East Building with a Quinta Pro cascade as a rapid, quality solution to improved heating efficiency and reliability
Lessons in efficiency
For the many UK schools relying on commercial boiler plant for their heating, condensing boil- ers offer an affordable route to more reliable, energy-efficient heating. Chris Meir, sales director at Remeha, looks at how schools can maximise the benefits of condensing boilers
I
mproving energy efficiency should be a priority for all organisations as it reduces energy usage, lowers running costs and cuts greenhouse gas emissions. With many schools located in older, sometimes historic and often inefficient buildings, there’s huge scope for energy saving. The Carbon Trust estimates that UK schools could reduce energy costs by around £44 million a year, preventing 625,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. As school budgets grow ever tighter, optimising the energy performance of school buildings is increasingly important to maximise the funds available for students. And with space heating typically accounting for nearly 60% of a school’s energy use and 45% of its energy costs, it’s a good starting point. Replacing ageing or inefficient non-condensing boilers with high efficiency
condensing boilers is a proven, affordable route to significant energy savings and more sustainable operation while providing a more comfortable and productive learning environment. Schools in off-grid areas can also benefit from this cleaner, greener heating technology as some of the latest condensing boiler models are certified to run on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
48% gas savings
So how great are the savings? The European Union puts the figure at around 20% for refurbishment projects where older equipment is replaced with products (like condensing boilers) that comply with the tighter efficiency requirements of the Energy-related Products Directive (ErP). The exact savings will depend on the nature of the boilers in place as well as the new heating system design. But a good example is Ferndown First School in Dorset, which has achieved impressive gas savings since upgrading to condensing boilers. By replacing the school’s old boilers with Remeha Gas 220 Ace condensing boilers, Dorset County Council has achieved an impressive 48% drop in gas consumption, according to initial indications.
Minimum downtime, maximum reliability
Aside from high efficiencies, schools also need to prioritise heating reliability as if the heating fails, the school could be forced to close. So when refurbishing the heating system, schools should consider sharing the load across multiple condensing boilers rather than selecting one larger unit as this will provide greater heating security. How? A multiple boiler arrangement provides in-built redundancy by design. The design also pre-empts any interruption to the heating service during routine maintenance work or boiler replacements. What’s more, sharing the heat load across multiple boiler units maximises boiler performance as it allows the condensing boilers to operate at part load
where they are most efficient. The arrangement also makes full use of the boilers’ modulating feature, so they can match the building’s heat demand more accurately. All of which increases energy savings for the school.
Rapid installation
A further advantage of condensing boilers is that multiple units can be installed quickly and easily on a cascade or rig system. Manufacturers like Remeha provide pre-assembled cascade systems for up to eight floor-standing or wall- hung boilers. There’s also the option to install them on a bespoke-designed prefabricated rig system. This can be manufactured to meet the exact requirements of the school project or site, for the ultimate in rapid installation. The time and labour-saving advantages of cascade and rig systems are particularly beneficial on school projects as many refurbishments will need to be completed during the summer holidays. As these solutions require reduced on- site skilled labour, contractors can schedule the project team more accurately and carry out more refurbishments than would otherwise be possible in the same period. Additionally, the compact dimensions of the boilers make it possible to install a high output in an extremely small footprint, offering enhanced design flexibility to overcome space restrictions.
Controlled heating
School managers will be familiar with the 10-80-10 ratio representing the costs of construction. While 10% of the whole life costs of a building are invested at the construction stage and a further 10% go on decommissioning, a huge 80% are spent on its operation.
This underlines the importance of improving school operational efficiencies. And where heating is concerned, this means ensuring good control. Adding the appropriate controls will achieve and maintain high performance operation, keeping bills and emissions low without affecting comfort levels. An effective controls strategy will help to maintain optimum temperatures
around the school while avoiding overly heated classrooms that can negatively affect productivity and result in unnecessarily high heating bills. Schools have varying heat requirements in the week and often no need for heat at the weekend, so adding time controls will help match the operating hours more accurately. We also advise including weather compensation and optimisation controls to optimise boiler operation. On a multi-boiler cascade or rig system, adding a sequential control rotates the lead boiler, lengthening the serviceable life of the boilers. The heating controls must all be fully integrated into the Building
24 April 2018
www.heatingandventilating.net
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