With tight budgets and a fluctuating demand for heating and hot water throughout the year, local authority premises such as schools, libraries and social housing, can save a significant amount of energy and money by considering hiring heating equipment. While some local authorities install oversized heating systems to cope with peaks in demand throughout the year, others may have an older and unreliable heating system which is unable to cope. However, there are efficient and affordable ways to tackle the problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ICS Cool Energy outlines five key tips for local authorities considering boiler hire as an alternative to an upfront purchase<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Balancing the books<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hiring equipment means its associated costs can be kept off the balance sheet as the equipment doesn\u2019t technically belong to the local authority. This can go a long way to finding a fast solution, especially when budgets are tight. Hiring equipment avoids capital expenditure which is an attractive option for businesses lacking the funds for large upfront costs of equipment. What\u2019s more, hire packages tend to cover the cost of maintenance and repairs (in most circumstances), ensuring money is saved and freed up to spend elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Planned maintenance<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n A hire solution is ideal for back-up cover when planned maintenance is taking place, such as in school holidays, and will provide peace of mind that normal operating conditions will be maintained while work is scheduled for existing equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Contingency planning for emergency breakdown situations<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n You never know when an emergency may strike or what type of incident it may be. Being prepared is therefore very important and knowing the key contacts for hire solutions to meet heating and cooling needs should be an important component of a contingency plan for local authority sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n