Community heating gives individual control
SAV has helped refurbish four council-owned blocks of flats in Southampton with the supply of 416 of its 3-Series FlatStation heat-interface units. They are a key part of replacing electric underfloor heating and point-of-use water heaters with community heating served by gas-fired condensing boilers on the roof.
Mark Ashley of British Gas, which managed the project, explains, ‘The space heating was controlled centrally, which meant that tenants had no local control of their temperature, other than by opening windows and wasting energy.’
Tony Adshead of installation contractor Lawtech explains that the new system has newly installed radiators and hot-water cylinders in each flat so that tenants can control their own heating efficiently. There are also TRV on radiators.
Control of heating and hot water in each flat is provided via a programmable room thermostat/timer.
Each FlatStation incorporates differential-pressure temperature control. The integral differential-pressure control valve ensures optimal hydraulic balancing of the primary central heating network — resulting in reduced flows, reduced heat losses and increased pump performance. Energy and maintenance costs are also reduced. Another advantage is that space heating and DHW demands in one flat do not affect availability in others.
