Since installing a new LPG-fired space and water heating system from Calor, the Rede, Tyne & Coquet Sports & Leisure Centre in Otterburn is guaranteed secure, dependable and affordable energy, in one of the most remote, off-grid locations in the UK.
A spate of repeated fuel oil thefts coupled with freezing pipes and system breakdowns, led the centre, which is run as a charity for the local community, to look at alternative ways of generating heat and hot water.
The result? A Sports England-funded LPG system has been installed across the whole site by Calor; providing heat for the sports hall (and in the future social areas), and hot water for the bar; all from a single bulk gas tank.
Andrew Shone, of the Executive Committee that runs the charity explains: “As a small, rural sports centre, the local community relies on the facilities we provide and so it’s important that we can remain operational, with sufficient heating and hot water throughout the year.
“Previously, we had three separate heating systems, running on two fuel sources, namely oil and LPG, which were proving inadequate for our needs. We knew we wanted to consolidate all our fuel sources and reduce our costs, so any new system we installed had to be affordable and easy to maintain.
“We were originally planning to move to biomass but, after speaking to the local Calor representative, we became concerned about the viability of such a system and whether the RHI payments we would receive would be sufficient to warrant the capital investment. We also found that we would have needed to install some large silos to store the wood pellets in, which would have required extensive building work at a substantial cost.
“Not only was Calor able to recommend a system that would meet all our heating and hot water needs, but it was also able to carry out a full design, installation and commissioning service, saving us the effort of having to organise the switch ourselves.”
The sports hall had used an oil-fired, warm air unit previously. Aside from the inconvenience of repeat oil thefts, which left the hall without any source of heat until the fuel could be replaced, the heating method proved impractical as the space is often used for playing badminton and the shuttlecocks would be blown around by the hot air!
Now, Calor has installed a ceiling-mounted, wet-radiator system, comprising a 40 kW LPG boiler, complete with low loss header, plate heat exchanger and an unvented hot water cylinder.
The hot water is piped to the ceiling to heat four rows of heaters, with an output of 24kW. These are designed to reflect the heat downwards rather than in all directions, raising the temperature in the hall to a perfect 16 oC.
Unlike warm air heating, which requires additional ventilation, this new ‘sealed’ option requires no exhaust system, saving on capital expenditure costs and enabling a simpler installation process.
The new water cylinder is also used to provide hot water for the social areas, replacing the previous water heater. Importantly, the installation has been future-proofed, with the cylinder sized to provide hot water to the new showers planned for the future.
Finally, the LPG boiler will be powering new radiators that have been installed in the bar area, helping to reduce capital investment costs further.
Andrew Shone concludes: “Running on oil had left us vulnerable to theft and cost of replacing the fuel. Our new LPG system removes this concern completely meaning we can continue to operate the centre for the benefit of the local community; but at a price that is affordable and with a system that is built for future expansion.”
