Saving Advice Heating and Hot Water
Saving Advice Heating and Hot Water
Keeping a business premises too hot can lead to staff opening windows.
Key Measures
- Avoid overheating space or water - check thermostats and controls.
- Check time switches so heating times match building occupancy.
- Check radiators and heat emitters are free from obstructions.
- Check pipes are insulated, especially in unheated spaces.
- Check the means by which hot water is generated in summer; avoid using large boilers for small loads.
Practical Tips
Hot water for catering and washing should be heated to 60-65 °C to avoid legionella, but no higher to reduce excessive heat loss. Check the lagging of hot water storage tanks and calorifiers and reset or improve thermostat control.
Many older hot water storage systems are oversized for their duty; fitting smaller storage or valving off multiple units reduces wastage. Spray taps can reduce water consumption by two thirds.
Large buildings may have hot water storage heated by the heating mains; in summer great economies are possible using a local heat source such as a small boiler or electric immersion heater.
Check space heating controls and temperatures regularly - good practice suggested temperatures are 16°C for warehousing, 16-18°C for light manufacturing and 20°C for offices. Ensure frost thermostats are set to 5°C.
Thermostatic Radiator Valves can be fitted to radiators to enable local temperature control.
Spaces with high ceilings can suffer high temperatures at high level, known as stratification, particularly with warm air heaters. Fitting ceiling fans can help de-stratify the air, reducing roof heat losses and improving comfort.
Tall, poorly insulated buildings such as factories and warehouses are often best heated with direct-fired radiant tube heaters.
Many radiator circuits are weather compensated - radiator temperature is reduced in mild spring and autumn weather using a mixing valve based on the outside temperature. This reduces overheating, improves occupant comfort and can save significant amounts of fuel.
Further information on heating and hot water
- The Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association provides information on local contractors. Tel 0207 313 4900 or visit www.hvca.org.uk