Evinox brings communal heating system to high-rise refurbishment project in Wolverhampton
The new communal heating system for two high-rise blocks in Wolverhampton is served by Evinox packaged boiler skids that are more efficient than individual boilers. The £12 million investment to refurbish the buildings on the Hickman estate is part of the Wolverhampton Homes Decent Homes programme. Each flat has a ModuSat heat-interface unit equipped to provide accurate metering of energy consumption and billing.
Evinox provided the complete system design — including sizing the heating and hot-water outputs for each apartment, the pipework system and routing, pumps and flow rates required to circulate the primary energy and the power required in the plant room to drive the system.
Another key consideration was the ability to source the central plant from the same supplier as part of an integrated package.
Two Evinox ADI CD packaged boiler skids (pictured) were chosen for each building. Their compact design and speed of installation removed the cost and need for a temporary boiler house.
Other benefits of centralised plant include no need for a gas infrastructure throughout each building and its associated risks. There is also no need for annual gas inspections, and the removal of boiler flues improves the aesthetics of the buildings.
Wolverhampton Homes chose the Evinox PaySmart metering solution with residents paying for energy as they need it, so unpaid bills and debt will not build up — nor does the housing association need to collect money.
