Kestrel Mechanical Services of Sevenoaks, Kent, has recently completed a refit of hot water heating systems at a well-known care home in the South East of England. Kestrel has installed two Rinnai HDC1500i units, including the unique scale inhibitor system. Previously, the hot water systems delivery was provided by a whole set of satellite domestic boilers dotted all over the site.
The building is a stunning villa, a converted private residence that's been modernised to the highest standards of comfort and practicality. It offers a delightful 50-room residential and nursing home set in three-and-a-half acres of beautiful gardens near the north Kent coast. The home is made up of two separate buildings that provide very specialist care.
The care home aims to provide as comprehensive a range of care as possible, offering 24-hour convalescent, respite, palliative, and frail elderly nursing care. Regular and stimulating activities are key for social interaction and general well-being, which is why there is a packed schedule of fun activities. A reliable hot water heating delivery system was needed to replace the tangle of boiler units spread over the site.
“Our brief was to make the hot water delivery system work at an optimal level of efficiency. We chose the Rinnai 1500i units for a whole variety of reasons - reliable & continuous flow of useable hot water, safe temperature water distribution at all tap and shower points, overall energy efficiency, and ease of installation plus minimal ongoing maintenance costs.”
- Julian Ringrose, Kestrel
Water temperature is pre-set through easy-to-use built-in digital controls, eliminating the risk of scalding. Water can be used simultaneously at several points of delivery with no loss of heat. This is crucial for maintaining care home temperature and adhering to nursing home water temperature regulations.
The Rinnai HDC1500i range is designed for use directly off the mains, with no need for large, ungainly, and energy-inefficient storage vessels. It is capable of delivering in excess of 780 litres per hour at 65 degrees Celsius, ensuring water temperatures ideal for preventing legionella proliferation. This feature is essential for legionella prevention, a critical aspect of care home safety.
Eco-labelling of products offers transparency to specifiers and end users in a clear and simple guide when sourcing the most energy-efficient hot water heating units. The fact that Rinnai maintains ‘A’ rated Eco-labels on all its units speaks volumes for the company’s manufacturing process and stance on supplying only the highest efficiency units to the UK market. Rinnai products also meet and exceed the requirements of the Building Regulations Part L (fuel and power), and with these bespoke system arrangements, they can offer G3 and ACOP L8 best practice too.
Any possibility of Legionella breeding is minimised as Rinnai units have no storage and can be installed close to the outlet, thereby limiting the environment for bacteria production. The Rinnai Infinity series HDC1500i/e Low NOx is capable of delivering in excess of 2000 litres per hour. It has efficiencies of up to 107% and can realistically claim to be one of the most efficient hot water heating units of its kind available in the UK. The HDC1500i/e Low NOx is an on-demand style hot water heating unit – suitable for natural gas or LPG - and it has NO storage cylinder. This means that there is no needless waste of energy from constantly reheating a stored body of water for when there is demand. Energy is only used on a Rinnai unit when there is demand – simple as that.
Rinnai Infinity HDC1500i Low NOx can boast a modulation range of 59.5kW to 2.8kW. Thanks to this high modulation range, the Rinnai units ensure that the optimum amount of energy is used to heat the water, minimising waste and maximising system efficiencies. By developing this holistic condensing technology, Rinnai offers a simple, viable, cost-effective, and energy-efficient solution to any consumer needs for hot water.
The installation of Rinnai units at the care home not only ensures compliance with care home temperature and nursing home water temperature regulations but also significantly enhances legionella prevention measures. This upgrade provides peace of mind for both the care home operators and the residents, ensuring a safe and comfortable environment.
