Maintaining Heating and Hot Water Supplies in Schools and Universities

As the winter months approach, schools and universities across the UK are gearing up to ensure their facilities remain warm and comfortable for staff and students. Maintaining heating and hot water supplies in schools and universities is crucial, not only for comfort but also for health and safety. However, this task comes with its own set of challenges.

In this blog, we will explore these challenges and explain how ICS Cool Energy can provide effective solutions to keep educational institutions running smoothly.

The Challenges of Winter Heating and Hot Water Supply

 Ageing Infrastructure

Many schools and universities operate in buildings with ageing infrastructure. Old boilers and heating systems are prone to breakdowns, especially under the increased demand during winter. These failures can lead to significant disruptions, affecting the learning environment and potentially causing closures.

Budget Constraints

Educational institutions often face tight budget constraints, making it difficult to invest in new heating systems or extensive repairs. Allocating funds for unexpected breakdowns can be challenging, and the cost of emergency repairs can quickly escalate.

Energy Efficiency

With rising energy costs, schools and universities must focus on energy efficiency. Inefficient heating systems not only increase operational costs but also contribute to a larger carbon footprint. Balancing the need for warmth with energy efficiency is a delicate task.

Health and Safety Regulations

Maintaining a comfortable temperature is a legal requirement. Failure to do so can result in non-compliance with health and safety regulations, leading to potential fines and reputational damage. Ensuring consistent heating and hot water supply is essential to meet these standards.

Here’s how we can help:

We understand the unique challenges faced by educational institutions during the winter months. Our temperature control solutions are designed to provide reliable, efficient, and cost-effective heating and hot water supplies.

Emergency Hire Solutions

In the event of a boiler breakdown or heating system failure, our hire solutions offer immediate relief with our 24/7, 365 support. We provide temporary heating and hot water equipment to ensure minimal disruption to your operations. This allows you to maintain a comfortable environment while a permanent solution is being arranged.

You can also avoid any further unexpected costs as the equipment will be maintained by us throughout the hire period.

Business Contingency Planning

Planning for potential failures is crucial. We offer detailed site surveys and assessments to help you develop a robust business contingency plan. By identifying the backup equipment needed in case of plant room failures, we ensure that you can activate your plan immediately should a breakdown occur, which will keep your institution running smoothly.

Flexible Payment Options

Budget constraints can be a significant hurdle. Our hire solutions can be paid for in monthly instalments, rather than requiring a bulk upfront payment. This flexibility allows you to allocate funds more effectively and avoid financial strain.

Energy-Efficient Equipment

Our fleet includes energy-efficient heating and hot water equipment, helping you reduce operational costs and minimize your carbon footprint. By choosing ICS, you can achieve a balance between warmth and energy efficiency.

Expert Support

With the UK’s largest hire fleet of heating and cooling equipment, we offer unparalleled support. We overcome logistical constraints using adaptive resources and extensive know-how to ensure installations run smoothly.  Our team provide guidance, answer questions, and ensure that your heating and hot water systems are functioning optimally.

Single Equipment Supplies for Heating and Cooling

Each of these individual facilities can have different temperature control demands and are often managed or maintained by several different people.

Having one equipment provider means the demands of each facility can be met by one point of contact to make, supply, maintenance and servicing as simple as possible.

Examples

A project at a public college campus in central Britain is a great example to picture potential savings from applying heat pump technology as a renewable alternative to traditional gas fired boilers.

This college, as part of the UK governments Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), was awarded funds to carry out heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures in their three buildings.

As a result of this project, the existing gas-fired boilers were replaced with heat pump systems and new centralised plant and distribution pipework to provide buildings with low carbon heating and hot water.

Using the combination of air-to-water heat pumps and water-to-water heat pumps we are able to provide up to 80°C of leaving water temperature to fully replace existing gas boilers.

Looking at the Total Efficiency Ratio (TER) of the new system, the college has improved the efficiency by 400% versus the one that was installed previously.

The new system of air-source and water-source heat pumps in cascade configuration provide 600kW of Heating, generating the college annual savings of 790,000 kWh in energy consumption and 160 Tons in CO₂ emissions.

Conclusion

As winter approaches, schools and universities must be prepared to face the challenges of maintaining heating and hot water supplies. Ageing infrastructure, budget constraints, energy efficiency, and health and safety regulations can all pose significant hurdles. However, with our comprehensive solutions, you can ensure a comfortable and compliant environment for staff and students.

Don’t wait for a breakdown to disrupt your operations. Plan ahead and take advantage of our emergency hire solutions, business contingency planning, flexible payment options, energy-efficient equipment, and expert support.