Eton Dorney, near Windsor, owned and constructed by nearby Eton College, hosted the Rowing and Kayak events on Dorney Lake during the Olympic and Paralympic Games for London 2012 and was voted top Olympic venue by an exit poll of spectators. It is now home to Sports England rowing training facilities.
Andy Robinson, Operations Director of Hull-based Imperio Solutions, was called down south to the world-class rowing and flat-water canoeing centre to install heating and hot water systems to the new sports efficiency centre which houses changing facilities for the Team GB training hub.
He explains why Rinnai was chosen for the project. “The Eton Dorney contract came to us from Integra, a local modular buildings company with Sports England contacts. They give us the specification, with efficiencies very much to the fore, and asked ‘what can you supply?’
“It made no sense to use a wasteful stored hot water system at the new Eton Dorney sports efficiency centre. The best option in my mind was to install three Rinnai Infinity HDC 1500 interior units, manifolded to produce more than enough hot water to eight showers plus wash facilities and a kitchen. The Rinnai Infinity system produces instant hot water only when it is required, thereby keeping running costs down.”
Rinnai’s Infinity HDC products incorporate two heat exchangers to achieve optimum water heating generated from every cubic metre of Natural Gas or LPG, producing efficiencies of 95-97%, The units are low nox less than 50ppm, they can supply hot water volumes of in excess of 1000 litres per hour at 50° Delta from a single appliance. The addition of smart controls to the commercial condensing range cuts emissions further, and gives minimal gas consumption.
“The installation itself was very easy as it just involved installing one module holding all three units to a wall and piping it in. Over the past 10 years, I have specified Rinnai products in many installations, from large commercial projects to domestic jobs,” says Robinson.
Shortly after completing the Eton Dorney installation, Roberts was back in Hull turning his attention to providing the hot water needs of a newly refurbished bowling alley. “The newly transformed Hull Bowl was yet another ideal site for Rinnai Infinity HDC1500 units. We installed two, which are now supplying instant hot water to 15 showers with ambient heating provided by a gas condensing boiler. The derelict bowling alley had undergone a full restoration by a local builder who told us what was needed and stressed the importance of keeping running costs down.
Robinson is involved in the everyday running of Imperio’s plumbing & heating and mechanical services business, specialising in renewable heating products such as ground and air source heat pumps, Biomass and PV and runs a team of highly skilled engineers that maintains, repairs and installs plumbing and heating systems throughout the UK.
His experience of the market also includes a stint at well-known boiler manufacturer so he fully understands water heaters. “When you are looking at efficiencies as everybody is nowadays, the Rinnai is cheaper to run and the units will pay back on the initial investment quickly.”
“The use of a technologically advance condensing continuous flow gas fired water heater system such as Rinnai’s instead of a wasteful and costly hot water storage system can make a significant impact to running costs in a traditional set up”
Chris Goggin, Operations Director
As for the future of the industry, Robinson sees renewables as the way forward and can see Rinnai product having an important role to play in integrated systems whether commercial or domestic.
As Goggin points out: “The hot water produced by a HE Rinnai condensing continuous flow water heater can be utilised as a secondary heat source for a solar or ASHP-boosted hot water delivery system and is one of the most energy efficient of all methods available today as the intelligence of Rinnai water heaters ensures that only the precise volume of gas is applied to boosting the renewables shortfall. Rinnai Infinity HDC1500 and HDC 1200 gas fired condensing continuous flow water heaters are renewables-ready or easily retrofit able with current renewable technology. They are a better environmental option than an electric booster system i.e. immersion heaters often employed”
“The Infinity range of continuous flow gas fired water heaters has been engineered specifically to guarantee the highest efficiencies and therefore offers the lowest running costs of any commercial water heater,” he says.
