A bespoke-designed prefabricated boiler rig system delivers more efficient and reliable heating at Sherborne School with minimal disruption
Installation: 4 x Remeha Gas 120 Ace boilers on a bespoke-designed rig with insulated pipework set and pumps, integrated plate heat exchanger and pressurisation unit, dosing pot and expansion vessel
Sherborne School in Dorset has successfully improved the reliability and efficiency of the heating system serving its Big School Room (BSR) building with the installation of four new Remeha Gas 120 Ace boilers using a Remeha prefabricated cascade arrangement. Remeha is part of Baxi.
Founded in its current guise in 1550, Sherborne School’s history of educating boys dates back to the 12th century. Given its rich history and reputation for excellence, creating the optimal warm and comfortable learning environment for its students and teachers is a key priority for the School’s estates team. However, refurbishing the heating system in Victorian school buildings like Big School Room can present challenges.
This two-storey building, which looks onto the Courts, was built in 1878 to provide a new assembly hall and classrooms for the School. Until recently, the building had been relying on six increasingly inefficient and unreliable boilers for heating. When they reached end of life, the estates team asked mechanical engineering services company Cosgrove & Drew to evaluate the practical options to achieve a more modern, efficient and reliable heating system.
Neil Price, Senior Technical Manager at Cosgrove & Drew, said: “The fabric of the Victorian building and the operating temperatures of the heating system presented several obstacles.”
Relocating the plant room to a repurposed room or designing an external packaged plant room were two options that had to be ruled out due to budget implications. Heat pumps also had to be disregarded as a viable option.
Neil invited Baxi to accompany him on a site survey to discuss the achievable solutions within the project parameters. The site survey identified additional hurdles. Access to the plant room was restricted due to its basement location, narrow walkways, stairwells and doorway. The low ceiling inside the plant room was a further complication.
Cosgrove & Drew recommended installing new modular energy-efficient replacement boilers with a Plate Heat Exchanger as the most practical and reliable approach to meet the School’s requirements for a more energy-efficient heating service, minimal disruption and easy future maintenance.
To overcome the space restrictions, Baxi proposed installing four Remeha Gas 120 Ace boilers using a bespoke Remeha off-site fabricated cascade system complete with insulated pipework set and pumps and a specially sized Plate Heat Exchanger (PHE).
