Ideal delivers new heating for tower blocks in Southampton
Ideal Commercial boilers has supplied 20 Evomax 150 kW wall-hung boilers and five frame and header kits to Southampton City Council. They have been installed as part of a £14 million investment to improve energy efficiency in five residential blocks at International Way, Weston, and replace electric underfloor heating.
Their high efficiency and advanced control systems will help the council reduce energy use by up to 50%. The boilers contributed towards a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating that was necessary to make the project eligible for funding through Ofgem’s Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP).
The buildings already had a gas supply, but a plantroom needed to be constructed in each building. The old drying deck at the very top of the building just below the building was used for this purpose. The boilers were taken to the top of each 13-storey building in the lifts.
There are four boilers in each building which serve heat-interface units in each apartment. Tenants can control their usage and only pay for the heating and hot water they actually use.
Jim Simpkins, project manager for the mechanical element of the works for Southampton City Council, comments, ‘The modulating sequencer kits from Ideal Commercial Boilers control the system very well. The system is so efficient that temperatures on the primary circuit can be kept at around 70 to 75°C, as opposed to the normal 80°C.’
The refurbishment work also included replacing windows with double-glazed alternatives and external-wall insulation.
The boilers were installed by Southampton City Council in partnership with British Gas.
