HeatingSave heating controls at The Coplow Centre

ETL-listed HeatingSave helps reduce energy costs at The Coplow Centre

In 2015, Simon Keast, Trustee of the Charity and Facilities Manager at The Coplow Centre, was facing several challenges in managing the Centre's energy costs for heating.

The Centre had an advanced but inefficient heating system, comprising a conventional gas-fired boiler and radiators, a 35 kW ceiling-mounted radiant heater, and a photovoltaic installation. While these helped reduce energy bills, the Centre lacked a central management and control solution that would streamline their functionality to make them work together more efficiently.

The challenge: at a glance

• The main hall required approximately 5 hours to warm up before events, resulting in substantial gas expenses.
• Rooms were not consistently pre-heated as required, and the heating was often left on after use, leading to energy wastage.
• There was a lack of capability to optimise heating according to room bookings and events.
• The absence of metering made it difficult to measure gas/electricity usage for identifying waste.

Upon researching, Mr Keast discovered the Energy Technology List which helped him identify HeatingSave’s Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) building control system as the right option.

The solution: HeatingSave on the ETL

In August 2015, the Centre implemented the HeatingSave HVAC building control system with custom modifications to optimise their heating. The system features:

• Destratification fans to maintain consistent temperatures
• Management of solar panels to minimise costs whenever there's a surge in the level of electricity
• Management of air-conditioning units that regulate depending on the season
• A ‘heating diary’ that matches appropriate temperature to room bookings
• Occupancy sensors to adjust temperatures when people enter a space
• A self-learning software that calculates optimal temperatures minute by minute.

The flexibility to customise preferences and settings has since led to substantial energy savings. Mr Keast also highlighted remote monitoring, ease of use, and visualisation as key benefits.

HeatingSave controller managing complex heating zone.

HeatingSave controller and a simple single boiler system.

The result: significant savings

The information and support available on the ETL helped Mr Keast find energy efficient technologies and compare performance, helping identify solutions to address the Centre's challenges – and significantly reduce energy usage and cost. According to Mr Keast:

“We have now had HeatingSave for eight years and have made a 51% saving on our gas bill. One of the biggest savings has been in heating the main hall. We cut by a staggering 90% the time it takes to heat the hall and hence the cost.”

You can find the HeatingSave system plus others under the HVAC Building Controls product category on the ETL. Search for other high performing, energy efficient products on the Energy Technology List now.

Are you a manufacturer of energy efficient technology? Apply to get listed on the ETL today. We feature and promote stories that highlight a journey to better energy efficiency, decarbonisation and Net Zero – just like this one. If you or your customers have one to share, please contact us at: media@etl.energysecurity.gov.uk.