Modular Boilers Commercial

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Commercial modular boilers with high energy efficiency

modular boilers commercial with high turn down ratio

Modular boilers commercial with high turndown ratio from Flexiheat UK

Modular boilers commercial – Organizations that require hot water for their commercial space heating, such as schools, hotels and office buildings complexes, frequently employ a modular boiler or a modular boiler system, as they are highly efficient, high performance heating solutions.

Modular boilers are designed to be a high performance and cost-effective alternative to a large single boiler for commercial heating. Each module can be a standalone boiler put in a horizontal arrangement or even as a vertical stack of boiler modules arranged one on top of the other, which gives the boilers an incredibly small footprint, which is great for a boiler room with limited space and allow quick installation for your heating and hot water requirements.

commercial modular boilers; hot water boilers; water tube boiler; energy saving boiler plant

Older vertical mounted modular heating boilers / plant – floor standing gas boilers for commercial buildings

The main advantage of this modular boiler design is that if one module fails, the remaining other modules carry on working normally and continue to provide heating, as the boilers run in a cascade operating configuration. That means you won’t be wasting precious operation time due to maintenance or repairs. By comparison, if a traditional boiler fails, the whole plant shuts down until the boiler is repaired or replaced.

The net result is increase system security for the heating hydronic systems, as modular systems always provide some level of heating, making them the best solution for commercial applications that cannot afford to be with some level of hot water, whether it be for heating or for the production of domestic hot water. You get long-term durability, economies of scale with these boilers as they match the load of the heating system very well.

modular gas condensing boilers with high turndown ratio and high energy efficiency for better heat load matching for the hvac systems

Newer gas fired condensing boilers – with high turndown ratio for better heat load matching for the hvac heating systems- up to 2,000kW of output when used in cascade

 

Commercial gas floor standing modular boiler range with condensing technology 180kW and 240kW manual Flexiheat UK

 

If the heating engineer incorporates into the design one backup modular boiler to address demand uncertainties, the capacity is available without consuming energy unless demand demands it. Furthermore, the heating system has redundancy. Any present unanticipated demand might be satisfied by installing more modular units if space is provided in the design process for future development.

For retrofit projects, an efficient and flexible approach can be achieved to either an old boiler replacement, with the many benefits of a smooth changeover installation or they can also be installed alongside the existing heating boiler that services the building. The boilers are easier to physically handle during transport and installation.

With their compact size, the ability to be fitted in tight spaces is a real benefit.

Modular boilers provide demand-based control management to allow for changes in total heating capacity as well as variable seasonal heating capacity or requirements, which results in energy savings.

In cascade mode all the boilers (which these days are a condensing boiler to comply with the ErP regulations), have one master controller installed alongside the relevant safety devices incorporated with the modular boiler system.

cascaded modular boilers with common flue header from Flexiheat UK

Cascade modulating boilers which can be linked with a common flue header system

Reduce carbon footprint in commercial buildings

These days condensing modular boilers are the standard modular boiler system installed in commercial heating applications, as commercial boilers from 70kW to 400kW have to achieve high energy efficiency, as opposed to the older traditional boiler or conventional boilers that used to be non-condensing boilers.

Condensing boiler technology ensures highly efficient central heating solutions, which is essential in these times of rising energy costs with energy saving being at the top of the HVAC industry and the end users considerations.

Modular boilers work by dividing output capacity, and also increase the heating systems security, with great fuel efficiency as opposed to conventional boiler systems. In short modular boiler systems provide not only a secure but also an efficient approach to essential heating solutions.

Modular boiler systems are not however limited to non domestic buildings or commercial buildings, as they can also be utilised in larger domestic space heating applications as well as opposed to a single boiler room install.

gas modular condensing boilers with high turndown ratio;energy saving; hot water climate system; temperature climate control

Modular condensing boilers for large domestic or commercial hot water heating – 75kW, 100kW and 120kW are two boilers in one casing with 20:1 turndown ratio –

Modular boiler systems

What are the advantages of modular boiler systems, and what do modular boilers provide?

Even if one of the modular boilers fails, the remaining boilers in the system can keep the building warm enough. Modular boilers are also far more convenient to service. Access to the boilers is typically easier, and one module can be serviced while the others continue to satisfy the system’s heat demand without causing unplanned downtime to the heating system.

Energy efficiency by better heating load matching

One of the key benefits of using modulating boilers installed in a modular boiler system is to precisely match the heat load profile of the building is of large advantage. The modulating boilers in a multiple boiler system can be regulated in such a way that they modulate together and equal the system demand, thanks to a sequence controller installed in the system.

Each modulating boiler is operated in its most efficient mode, i.e., part-load, by igniting the maximum number of boilers required to match the load, with each running at or near its minimal modulation, making them the ideal modular boilers for commercial hotel or similar heating.

This keeps the system’s operating efficiency at a high level or the most efficient state all the way up to maximum output requirements.


Repair and preventive maintenance

A multiple boiler system enables heating system security, as one of the primary advantages of the modular design is that if one of the boiler modules requires repair or maintenance, the others can continue to operate and provide heating while the affected boiler module is repaired. That means you won’t have to worry about maintenance or repairs interrupting your operations.

By contrast, if a traditional separate boiler fails, the entire heating system shuts down until the boiler is repaired or replaced in commercial applications.

Turndown ratios

Modular boilers offer some great benefits when compared to conventional systems, with single large boilers. A single large conventional boiler will have a high minimum output level, whereby multiple small units or separate modules, each with their own burner allows the individual boilers to modulate to the heating and hot water system variable levels or requirements which leads to lower energy consumption for these commercial boilers.

Building automation system (BAS) or Building management system (BMS)

Building automation or building management systems are often used as one master controller for commercial building HVAC systems. This means that the modular boilers work under the full control of the BMS system, which monitors the heating demand, and adjusts the heat output and the numbers of modular boilers needed to operate during the heating season.

This results in the space heating being run at the most efficient state, resulting in high efficiency, reduced energy usage and energy operating costs. All our modular boilers can be controlled by building automation or management systems, directly via a 0-10V signal.

We also do controllers which are a mini control system for the modular boiler system, which will also ensure rotating boilers or heat exchangers within the modular boiler systems.

Heat exchangers

All our gas commercial boilers range and commercial oil condensing boilers range benefit from a reliable and efficient stainless steel heat exchanger.

modular condensing boiler heat exchanger with large turndown ratios; energy efficiency; hot water; direct water heaters

Commercial heating boiler heat exchanger with high modulation rate – manufactured in stainless steel

Hot water boiler system

Modular boiler systems may be set up to sequence boilers in cascade or unison mode. Cascade control starts a boiler at its lowest heating rate, regulates it to its highest rate, and then starts the next boiler to fulfil the system demand. This approach uses the fewest number of boilers to meet the heating load requirements.

For our gas fired ( natural gas or propane gas options ) modular boilers, please see our dedicated webpage here  – Commercial Gas Boilers 

or for our oil fired option – please see the following webpage – Oil Condensing Boilers 

and finally our industrial and commercial electric boiler range, which can be cascaded up to 5mW of output

Commercial boilers – Modular boilers

We at Flexiheat UK, do a full range of modular boilers commercial in various fuel options such as natural gas, propane gas or oil, with the best boiler turndown ratio on the market, that provide reliable heating solutions in a modular or cascade installation. Please don’t hesitate to contact our sales service team on 01202 822221 or use our email contact form via the contact tab above to message us.

Condensing Water Heaters Legislation UK 2022

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Energy efficient water heating

Part L building regulations logo - condensing water heaters for commercial applications.jpg

Condensing water heaters – The government announced revisions to the approved document “L” of the Building Regulations, which defines the criteria for the energy performance and carbon emissions of new and existing buildings, on December 15, 2021. One of the modifications involves tighter thermal efficiency for domestic hot water systems in commercial and industrial water heating applications. Usually what happens first in the commercial market, often filters down into the domestic market fairly soon after- but there is no news on this as yet.

Energy savings water heaters

Direct­ fire water heaters must have a minimum heat generator seasonal efficiency of 91 percent (gross calorific value, GCV) for natural gas and 92 percent GCV for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by June 15 of this year (2022) . For indirect fired water heaters, the minimum heat generator seasonal efficiency (GCV) for natural gas and LPG is 91 percent. The revised criteria apply to both existing and newly constructed non­ domestic building stock.

In practise, what would the higher criteria imply? It effectively eliminates the possibility of replacing non condensing water heaters with like­ for ­like models in the majority of non-­domestic buildings. Only in extreme cases, where a condensing water heater replacement is declared unsuitable by the building control authority, may a minimum seasonal efficiency of 80 percent for gas or 79 percent for LPG be employed.

Installing our high-efficiency condensing water heaters can result in energy savings of more than 20%.

Conserve energy

The increase in hot water heating efficiency, is part of the government’s plan to attain the UK’s net zero objective by 2050, and it represents a significant step toward more energy­ efficient water heating in non­ domestic buildings.

Direct­ fired water heaters are an efficient and cost­ effective way of delivering huge volumes of hygienic hot water, and hospitals, hotels, and leisure centres, which have a high need for instantaneous hot water, are just a few of the structures that rely on this technology.

Until recently, most manufacturers and suppliers supplied both condensing and non condensing types. Condensing water heaters are capable of capturing and reusing latent heat that would otherwise be lost through the flue gases or hot combustion gases . As a consequence, they are up to 20% more efficient than conventional models. Flexiheat Water Heaters, for example, may attain efficiency of up to 98 percent.

A condensing water heater in condensing mode as it extracts all the energy from the fuel

Condensing water heaters – Because the flue gases leaving a condensing water heater are cool, they form a visible mist or plume of water vapour whilst leaving the flue terminal.

We do a full range, with all of our units having a stainless steel heat exchanger, low NOx combustion emissions, better insulation, high energy efficiency, that can be used in a direct, storage or recirculation hot water system – range is here

The stainless steel heat exchangers that are used in our water heaters ensure great thermal efficiency, coupled with our more efficient burners, result in a high level of energy being recovered from the exhaust gases (the same way condensing boilers work) and the net result is less energy is used by the water heater

Energy efficient hot water heaters

The benefit of moving to more efficient condensing units in terms of energy savings is obvious. Many organisations, however, continue to rely on the ability to replace non-condensing water heaters with like­ for ­like models as the present equipment reaches the end of its usable life. Because no substantial work is required, the appliances may be replaced promptly and with minimum disturbance to the building’s regular operations.

While the transition from non­ condensing to condensing water heaters can be relatively simple, some aspects, such as flueing and condensate arrangements, must be evaluated on a project­ by­  project basis. So, our recommendation is to begin working with building owners today to create an asset management programme. They will be adequately educated to prepare ahead to future proof their hot water systems and save energy with regular condition audits and plant asset inspection.

Factors to consider when moving to condensing gas fired water heating

There are two main factors

  1. Condensate drainage –  Unlike non-condensing types, condensing water heaters require an appropriate drainage point to discharge the condensate (the water vapor is cooled via the condensation process and releases the energy – in this process condensate is produced) that forms during normal operation. While a condensate discharge point may be close to the water heater installation, if one is not accessible, another place may need to be found or a soakaway used to accommodate the condensate pipe and discharge – which is normally PVC pipe.
  2. Flue issues – A vertical flue from the plantroom to the roof is usually required for a classic non-condensing water heater. When replacing a non-condensing unit with a condensing water heater, we have options of using either a co-axial flue, split flue or a single flue system with lengths up to 40 metres or lining the existing flue rise may be a possibility, depending on installation standards and restrictions. Alternatively using a horizontal flue that would pass right through an adjacent outside wall are often used , but this is contingent on sufficient wall space and the terminal location – which must comply with the following standards and guidelines for water heaters up to 70kW
  • BS5440: Flues and ventilation for gas appliances with a maximum rated power of 70kW (net); Building Regulations Part J Section: Additional regulations for gas burning appliances with a rated input up to 70kW; IGEM UP 10: Installation of flued gas appliances in industrial and commercial establishments.

By shifting from a reactive to a proactive mindset, they will be able to better prepare for change and budget for future enhancements. Even on the rare instances where exclusions may apply, forethought is essential. Early interaction with building control will be crucial if heating engineers are to be happy with the advice and prevent trouble.
With difficulties come chances. An update will prompt a re-evaluation of the building’s hot water demand. Over the last two years, many businesses will have seen fluctuations in building occupancy. Finally, the revised calculations may indicate that a smaller water heater is now required, resulting in lower initial capital investment and longer­ term operating expenses.

The transition to condensing technology provides designers and end users of hot water heating system with the opportunity to reposition the water heaters to make greater use of space, for example, at a hotel, the original plant room may be turned into an extra bedroom etc.

Budget allowing, there may even be the option of combining low carbon air source heat pumps with condensing water heaters in a hybrid system to reduce carbon footprint even more and achieve or strive for a net zero economy by 2050

Nobody wants buildings to be left in an emergency scenario without hot water, so if your looking at replacing you existing gas fired non condensing hot water heater , with a now compliant to regulations gas fired condensing water heater (tankless water heaters or storage water heater options – all with stainless steel heat exchangers) then we at Flexiheat UK are the company to speak to – call our sales team to get a price on 01202 822221 or use our email contact above on the web page.