Leighton Hospital has cut its water heating costs by an estimated 10-15% per annum by upgrading its hot water system to two Spirax Sarco EasiHeat steam-to-hot-water systems.
The installation by Leighton Hospital, a 540-bed acute hospital in Crewe, brings the total number of EasiHeats at the site to ten, underlining the hospital’s confidence in the technology’s superior reliability and energy efficiency. The EasiHeat systems will supply almost 90% of the DHW in the main hospital building.
“Our aims in installing the latest EasiHeat systems were to achieve a more accurate control of our outgoing water temperature, eliminate wasted energy due to storing large volumes of hot water, and reduce/eliminate scheduled maintenance works regarding annual inspections,” explained Brian Colley, Energy & Environmental Engineer at Leighton Hospital. “We have a lot of experience with plate heat exchange systems, which meant our decision to upgrade to the EasiHeat systems was an easy one to make – we knew they would be perfect for this project.”
Spirax Sarco EasiHeat is a ready-to-install system that uses steam in a compact, plate heat exchanger to deliver water on demand at a constant, stable temperature. As the hot water is supplied on-demand, there is no need to store it, avoiding the associated energy losses and significantly reducing the risk of Legionella.
“Before we installed the EasiHeat systems, we had to pasteurise the water by keeping it at 80°C for an hour before we could open it up onto the circuit. Then, because it is domestic hot water, we had to cool it down before it could be used, which was a huge waste of energy. Installing the EasiHeat systems means it is no longer necessary to store hot water, which will reduce carbon emissions.”
The EasiHeat systems are also expected to reduce maintenance costs at Leighton Hospital. Unlike calorifiers which are pressure vessels and must be stripped down for annual insurance inspections, EasiHeats do not need to meet this requirement, saving substantial maintenance costs.
