Bespoke heating solutions mean flexibility and economy

Off-the-shelf heating products are great for off-the-shelf buildings. But when a square box won’t fit, you need to rely on a manufacturer who can think outside it. Joe Kiernan of Reznor UK Ltd explains why the building services industry is relying more and more on bespoke heating solutions.

The demands placed on the building services industry – and the construction industry in general – are increasing constantly. From the Climate Change Levy through Part L Building Regulations to the government’s Carbon 60 initiatives, ever more stringent performance, energy and carbon reduction criteria are being loaded on to consultants and contractors. Specification has become significantly more complex and the demand for bespoke products greater than ever before.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the specification of heating systems. Here, energy consumption and emissions reduction are crucial to achieving not only low carbon ratings but also compliance with Part L and reduced Climate Change Levy burden.

Performance of the heater is just one half of the picture. The other lies in the nature of new and existing buildings and the need to satisfy the exacting requirements of end-users.

Almost every building requires heating of some sort - not all are suitable for standard, off-the-shelf products. Specifying a heater that is half right, or even nearly right, simply isn’t good enough in today’s customer-focused climate. Performance criteria have to be met; energy usage has to be monitored.

Then there are buildings which can’t accommodate standard products because there isn’t space, or the space isn’t the right shape. One example is St Giles in the Field in London, an 18th century church with an ageing underfloor ducted warm air heating system. The replacement system had to be sited in the vault, a room just one metre high accessed only by a narrow staircase.

Reznor engineered a Europak PV 2095-20 to meet the specific requirements of the building. To deal with problems of access, the heater was supplied in kit form for reassembly in the vault.

The engineered solution A correctly-designed, well-engineered solution tailored to the application will always meet the heating needs of the building and its occupants. Engineered solutions can offer the benefits of higher efficiency than some standard models, which in the long run may prove to be a wiser investment, despite slightly higher capital costs.

The following table compares the relative cost of installing high energy efficiency heating equipment against standard efficiency equipment:

Standard Efficiency
Capital cost (inc installation) £37,250
Fuel costs £15,900
Climate Change Levy £1,988
Less Capital Allowance £2,800
TOTAL £52,338

Equipment High Efficiency Equipment

Capital cost (inc installation) £44,000

Fuel costs £14,700

Climate Change Levy £1,838

Less Capital Allowance £13,200

TOTAL £47,338

Engineered heating schemes can include heaters complete with a range of optional extras such as filters, modulating burners, dampers, discharge heads, cooling coils, re-circulation fans and so on, to meet the precise comfort levels required.

Additionally, a Reznor engineered solution will include the provision of other critical information, subject to the requirements of the building, such as heat loss calculations, schematic drawings, flue design, the suitability of types of control equipment and the optimum positioning for the equipment.

Heating system design will also take account of any constraints or obstacles imposed by the building, ensuring the correct layout for the installation.

In the case of Reznor solutions, effective partnership support for consulting engineers, ensuring the H&V requirements of the project are handled smoothly and efficiently, is part of the package. All routine queries about the heating installation can be handled with nominated contractors without having to refer to the consultants.

When relying on the manufacturer to engineer a bespoke solution, flexibility and responsiveness are key. Reznor applies expertise and technical capability to develop a tailored and wholly innovative approach to heating in a very wide range of new and existing buildings.

http://www.reznor.co.uk/