Housing Focus
Integrated communal heating Tenants on the Hickman estate in Wolverhampton are benefiting from a ÂŁ12m investment as part of the Wolverhampton Homes Decent Homes programme. The two high-rise blocks on the estate, Wodensfield Tower and William Bentley Court, are being completely refurbished and now benefit from the installation of an Evinox communal heating system in each block, which is more energy efficient than individual boilers. Evinox engineers designed the system from sizing the heating and hot water outputs required 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. This reduced cost and ensured that the correct heating systems was specified for each block.
Enhanced efficiency
Wodensfield Tower and William Bentley Court now benefit from the installation of an Evinox communal heating system in each block, which is more energy efficient than individual boilers
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communal heating system supplies heat to a number of dwellings from a common heat source or Energy Centre. The Evinox communal heating systems at Wodensfield Tower and William Bentley Court include ModuSat heat interface units in each dwelling, which are powered by central boiler plant equipment located in plant rooms sited adjacent to the high rise blocks. The ModuSats convert the heat generated by the Energy Centre into independent, fast recovery hot water and high efficiency heating for each residence. This removes the requirement for individual boilers and a gas supply in each home. This type of heating system provides end users with the same autonomy as if they had their own boiler and tank and just as with their own independent heat source they pay for only the energy they use. There is no requirement for a flue, gas supply or additional room ventilation in each dwelling, making installation simpler,
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with easy access for servicing and minimal maintenance requirements. Wolverhampton Homes’ specification of Evinox for this project proved invaluable in terms of the M&E support and design input provided.
Another key consideration was the ability to source the central plant equipment from the same supplier as part of an integrated package. Two Evinox ADI CD packaged boiler skids were chosen for each building, which due to their compact design and the ease and speed of installation, removed the need and cost of a temporary boiler house. The pre-packaged skids contain 400kW Evinox ADI CD boilers which provide excellent seasonal efficiency
Two-way command and communication SmartTalk™ Communal Heating Technology
Residents benefit from Evinox SmartTalk technology, which enables the system in each apartment to be remotely metered, controlled, interrogated and tested