Potterton Commercial helps St George's Church of England Academy Newton stay warm

A Birmingham Primary Academy has significantly improved its heating capabilities, with the installation of two Potterton Eurocondense Three 520kw duo boilers.

The plant room at St George's Church of England Academy Newtown in the inner city area of Birmingham had previously been fitted with two outdated, inefficient 600kw cast sectional pressure jet boilers, which failed to heat the Primary Academy effectively, leaving classrooms unnecessarily cold in winter.

Due to the low temperatures, the Primary Academy's 210 pupils and 40 staff were regularly left in uncomfortable conditions during the colder months. Identifying the issue, Education Support Services West Midlands (ESSWM), brought in a contractor to improve the heating system and maintain a comfortable temperature all year round, and provide students with much needed warmth during winter.

AP Mechanical Services specified Potterton Commercial's highly efficient Eurocondense Three boilers, due to their high reliability, performance, pipework cascade system and small carbon footprint.

Fitted during the summer holidays in 2014, disruption to the day-to-day running of the Primary Academy was kept to a minimum. Interestingly, the new boiler system design incorporated a cascade formation, rather than the specification of one large capacity unit. Installing several lower output units to operate simultaneously together offered a significantly reduced installation time, as well as increased overall system longevity.

The floor-standing, condensing gas boilers feature an aluminium heat exchanger that provides a higher level of corrosion resistance and the compact design and quiet operation of the four 260kW boiler modules, which form part of the two 520kW boiler system, also enabled flexible placement within the plant room.

Andy Pugh, director at AP Mechanical Services, comments: "When we were asked to design a more efficient heating system for St George's Church of England Academy Newtown, we worked closely with both ESSWM and the Primary Academy to ensure we were specifying a system that could cater for the building's demands. Crucially, we wanted to ensure the students at the Primary Academy were able to learn and concentrate in a comfortable environment.

"We're confident that by replacing the inefficient, 40 year old oil fired boilers with Potterton Commercial models, the newly tailored system will meet the heat demand of the Primary Academy's current facilities, as well as possible future expansion plans. Furthermore, the system is fully compliant with Building Regulations, and offers cost saving potential for the Primary Academy due to the higher efficiency ratings.”

Mark Field, key account manager at Baxi Commercial, comments: "Although the existing boilers in the Primary Academy were high powered, they weren't running efficiently and were leaving classrooms unbearably cold in winter months. Due to this, it was key for the heating system to be specified correctly from the outset to ensure the required heat demand could be met consistently over time.

"The newly installed Potterton Commercial boilers will run much more efficiently and provide an increased amount of warmth across the buildings, which is critical in an educational environment. As the system was flushed with a treatment, the boilers won't be affected by debris from existing pipework, meaning they will continue to deliver heat and hot water for years to come.”