Birmingham's famous Hippodrome Theatre started off as a purpose-built circus venue over 100 years ago. Now it is the home of the prestigious Birmingham Royal Ballet and the venue for performances ranging from full-scale opera and ballet through to West End musicals and comedy, including the world's largest pantomime.
Birmingham Hippodrome was the first theatre in the UK to be registered to ISO 14001, an international standard for Environmental Management Systems. At the time, Brian Smith, deputy manager of the facilities department, said: "Our commitment is ongoing and at the moment we are looking at how we can improve our water usage." Shortly after he made that statement, he got the chance to act on his words when one of the old water heater storage units failed, and a decision was taken to replace the whole system with an energy-efficient, eco-friendly continuous flow water heater system.
By anyone's calculations, the theatre was going to need an extremely reliable supply of safe hot water. As Birmingham Hippodrome regularly welcomes in excess of 523,219 paying visitors, making it the most popular single theatre in the UK. Add to that the number of staff and shows with accompanying casts, which could vary between just a handful and a full-blown musical orchestra with a few hundred on stage, and the challenge becomes clear. However, help was close to hand, literally at the click of a mouse. Smith came across Rinnai continuous flow water heaters when trawling the internet for alternative systems. With the assistance of Rinnai, two Infinity HD55i internal gas fired water heaters were specified because of their high efficiencies and low running costs, and because the compact units would be easy to handle into place with no special equipment. The installation was performed by Spa Gas of Birmingham and project managed by the company's Brian Crowe. Spa Gas took the faulty unit out first and installed a Rinnai instantaneous heater before dismantling the second old unit and installing the other Infinity HD55i continuous flow water heaters so the flow of hot water was never interrupted.
"With the theatre catering for between 800 and 2,000 a day in hospitality through its four kitchens, including a full-service kitchen, servery kitchen, and hospitality satellites as well as the Green Room (for staff and performers) and four bars, plus showers and washrooms, there are more than 130 tap outlets plus 20 shower outlets being serviced by the two Rinnai continuous flow water heaters," says Smith.
The Rinnai Infinity range is designed for use directly off the mains, with no need for large, ungainly storage vessels. In many commercial heating operations, these gas fired heaters are the best of all possible options; storage systems, by virtue of their design, are unable to cope with modern hot water demand, as the recovery times are often longer than the period of use. Birmingham Hippodrome is a prime example of this type of usage, as it requires heavy loads of hot water at intermittent times of the day.
With a continuous flow system, the only time energy is used is when there is a demand; in other words, the Rinnai water heaters are only burning gas when a tap or shower is being run, so there is no standing loss on the appliance. When there is no demand, there is no gas usage, so running costs are kept to a minimum. This is particularly beneficial for DHW heating and commercial heating applications, where efficiency and cost savings are crucial.
"We have had no problems whatsoever with either the installation or the Rinnai units themselves since they have been in. They are easily accessible to accommodate service and maintenance, and getting parts if needed will not be a problem. All in all, we are very pleased with the Rinnai system."
- Brian Smith, Deputy Manager at Hippodrome Theatre
The Rinnai system at Birmingham Hippodrome demonstrates the advantages of modern, efficient hot water solutions. By switching to Rinnai’s continuous flow units, the theatre has achieved substantial cost savings and improved reliability. This case study highlights the potential benefits for other businesses considering similar upgrades, particularly in the commercial heating and domestic hot water sectors. The ability to provide a constant supply of hot water without the need for large storage tanks is particularly beneficial for businesses with fluctuating hot water demands.
Brian Smith, Deputy Manager of the Facilities department, is confident that the new system will continue to meet the theatre's needs for years to come. The Rinnai Infinity range, with its high efficiency and low running costs, is an excellent choice for both DHW heating and commercial heating applications.
