When Keele University decided to replace the heating and hot water systems servicing their IC1 and IC2 science blocks, the key criteria for the new systems were energy efficiency, low emissions and reliability, while achieving the lowest lifetime costs.
After a careful appraisal of the various options available, they selected ATAG XL boilers supplied by ATAG Commercial and installed by main contractors for the work, Climate Heating & Plumbing Services Ltd.
There are two separate ATAG installations at Keele; at IC1 comprising three XL140 and one XL70 in a back-to-back cascade configuration linked to a standard cylinder, also supplied by ATAG, and at IC2 comprising three XL110 boilers linked to an ATAG solar cylinder.
The University’s Science & Business Park Facilities Manager Chris Holland will be monitoring the boilers’ performance over the next twelve months and his department has created a special programme to compute weather data against fuel usage and costs to measure annual energy savings accurately.
‘While the old systems have given good service over the years, they couldn’t match the efficiency levels of the latest boiler technology and there was also an issue with the availability of parts,’ said Chris Holland.
ATAG boilers are renowned for their advanced energy saving and environmentally friendly features developed by their Dutch parent company over many years of intensive research and development.
Featuring ATAG’s tried and tested 316 stainless steel heat exchanger technology, the XL gives a class leading efficiency of 109.3% (EN677), achieved through seamless upwards modulation and this combined with NOx emissions which ATAG believe to be the lowest in its class makes this boiler particularly environmentally friendly.
One area the new boilers have already proved successful is reliability. With a faultless performance since installation, servicing and maintenance costs, which were mounting year on year with the old system, are now fully under control.
There are three models in the XL range with outputs of 65.4kW, 105kW and 130.9kW and these can be configured in multiples of up to 8 units to give a maximum output of 960kW. The boilers can be either wall or frame mounted in line (2 - 8 boilers) or frame mounted back to back (3 - 8 boilers) for simplicity of installation.
A major feature of the XL range is that maximum output can be achieved in the smallest possible footprint of only 2.7m2. Space was at a premium at both plant rooms and the compact dimensions of the ATAG boilers combined with their neat space-saving installation rigs minimised the floor space and height required. At IC2 a special ATAG-designed flue configuration supplied by local flue company B & J Engineering also contributed another cost saving.
Prior to ATAG boilers being specified, key personnel from Keele’s facilities department team were invited to training sessions at the company’s HQ in Chichester, where the technical advantages and operational benefits of the XL boilers were outlined in detail.
Keele was the first higher education institution established after the Second World War, gaining degree-giving powers in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire. University status, as Keele University, followed in 1962.
Keele is the UK's largest integrated campus occupying a 617 acre estate, the central feature of which is the 19th century Keele Hall. The University's position as a leading university for research of world leading and of international standard was confirmed by the UK-wide Research Excellence Framework (REF)2014, which found that 97% of Keele's research is classified as world leading and of international importance.
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