Achieving optimum thermal comfort in a commercial environment always presents a number of challenges and energy efficiency is always a top priority.
This was certainly the case for Jacksons Building Centre in Grimsby, who accomplished its goal of energy efficient heating with a brand new system supplied by Alpha Heating Innovation.
Des Read, Managing Director of Gaswise Heating Services Ltd was recently called upon to carry out servicing on the old cast iron boilers at the well-known builders merchant in Grimsby. Upon inspection, it was evident that the installation was outdated, and management began looking for a replacement system.
Des said: “Coupled with the fact that across the board, cast iron boilers are now at best only 60% efficient and are a continual financial strain to the owner due to their high operational costs, the installation at Jacksons was, after 30 years, unfit for purpose. We were keen to find an energy efficient alternative to a regular non-condensing system solution, which is why we decided to approach Alpha Heating Innovation.”
Following consultation with the branch manager Steven Marris, it was agreed to replace the old boilers with new energy efficient condensing boilers and, with technical advice from Alpha Heating Innovation, Des made the choice to specify two Alpha commercial high-efficiency CD70S condensing boilers combined with Alpha’s Cascade Manager Controls.
It was also decided to reposition the boiler plant room to a more convenient location on the premises and allow commencement of works before removal of the redundant plant.
Jacksons has also benefitted from Alpha’s Cascade Manager heating controls giving the owner the ability to visualise the operating status of the heating system via the Modulating Room Thermostat. Plus, there is now the option to override the current heating time programmes using a single button, without having to adjust any settings on the main Cascade Manager.
The installation of Alpha’s Cascade Manager meant it afforded boiler sequencing, ensuring that when the heat load decreases to just one boiler the lead is alternated, thus spreading the load between the two boilers and ensuring even wear. Configuring and utilising the sequence control feature will potentially save an additional 5-10% of the overall energy consumption. A weather compensation option was also integrated into the control system, automatically adjusting the systems flow temperatures and further reducing gas usage.
Alpha’s Commercial Product Engineer Justin Jearum said: “At Alpha, we strive to provide valuable technical support and advice before, during and after the installation of any system. We make it one of our key objectives to ensure we provide the best customer service - attending site to commission the controls and assist with the client hand-over, once the heating installation is complete.”
Jacksons Manager Steve Marris commented, “We were delighted with the efficient and cost-effective solution from Alpha Heating Innovation. We welcomed having the expertise of Alpha’s Commercial Engineer on-site, with Justin adjusting the Cascade Manager Parameters to our specific requirements and thoroughly explaining the heating controls to ensure a smooth transition to our new system”.
