Rinnai checks into Heathrow hotel with energy efficient water heating

A hotel at Heathrow airport has been upgraded using Rinnai’s Hydrogen-blend ready 20% continuous flow water heaters.

London’s Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in the world – handling more than 20 million passengers each year. The area around Heathrow also has one of the highest densities of hotels in the world. Hotels come at all stages of the star rating system – from five-star luxury to the budget minded. One of the more up market five-star hotels, set in over 10 acres of lush meadow and woodland, is just a 20-minute chauffeur driven car journey to the Heathrow terminals.

Recently, the hotel updated the heating and hot water system to its 70 bedrooms, leisure and spa centre and Michelin-starred kitchens using Rinnai Hydrogen blend ready 20% continuous flow water heaters.

The site includes a top-class restaurant, a Polo Bar and Lounge plus an outdoor terrace to indulge in an Afternoon Tea. There is also a fitness zone, two outdoor tennis courts, and a croquet lawn.

A feasibility study conducted by the Rinnai in house design team looked at replacing two ageing atmospheric water heaters, joined into a flue dilution system. The study concluded that the existing units of 287 litres each plus existing outputs, were of a sufficient capacity to meet the current demand of guests, kitchens, housekeeping etc.

The feasibility study concluded that the hotel could reduce its carbon from hot water generation if they switched from the existing storage-based system and installed a turnkey package of two Rinnai N Series Hydrogen blend ready 20% continuous flow water heaters plus a 500 L hot water store.

The solution was deemed a viable option for the following benefits: 

·       Reduced onsite carbon

·       Reduced capital expenditure costs

·       Reduced operational expenditure costs

·       ACOP/L8 compliance

·       Hydrogen-blends ready

·       26:1 turndown ratio 4.4kW to 112kW

·       Fifty percent redundancy should a unit fail

·       No single point of failure

·       Cylinder would weigh approx. 90kg

·       12-year warranty.

The Rinnai Sensei N Series range offers a more compact, enhanced combustion design that allows for easier installation, superior operational performance as well as ease of serviceability.

The Rinnai Series is the first ever continuous flow hot water heating unit manufactured with stainless steel heat exchangers to be available in the UK - this gives an extended working life at optimum performance to each of the four models in the range. Added to this are the market leading extended warranties, which accompany the hydrogen Blend-ready 20% and Bio-LPG ready instantaneous water heaters.

The four models are:

·       the N1600i, giving 954 litres per hour (at 50 degrees)

·       the N1600e (external), giving 954 litres per hour (at 50 degrees)

·       the N1300i, giving 775 litres per hour

·       the N1300e, giving 775 litres per hours of temperature controlled hot water at 50 degrees.

The two 1600s have load profiles of XXL and are water efficiency class A rated, while the 1300s are load profile XL and are also water efficiency class A rated.

All the range is also low-NOx (Less than 26ppm meaning they gain additional points under BREEAM) and the future-proofed continuous flow water heater uses Rinnai’s patented advanced burner technology with a 13-1 turn down ratio – the largest on the market combined with 96% efficiency rating. Integral controls on the units enable the water heater to achieve high efficiencies because of advanced burner control and high modulation ranges.

This wide range of modulation means that energy usage is completely optimised as the water heater through smart inbuilt controls will only heat the water to the temperature required thus preserving energy.

Rinnai offers sizing and support services to ensure that the optimum solution is created for your project, whether that be gaseous continuous water heaters, hybrid water heating systems or commercial heat pumps.

www.rinnaiuk.com