There’s no doubt that 2020 has been one of the most challenging years ever faced by the UK hotel sector. But reports on the market speculate that in the next couple of years, more of us are likely to holiday in the UK than ever before. The PwC UK Hotels Forecast for 2020 – 2021 says that regions such as Cornwall, the Lake District and the coast could benefit from this trend.
Alpha Heating Innovation has worked with clients in the hotel sector for many years. We know that reliable heating and hot water are essential services that concern hotel managers because they impact their guest experience.
Being able to meet demand as customers return will be crucial, as will controlling operational expenses. Heating and hot water provision represent a significant portion of hotel operation costs, so now might be a good time to think about updating old and inefficient heating systems. The latest high efficiency condensing boilers offer excellent energy efficiency, dependability and the low NOx emissions now required by law.
One of the challenges when specifying boilers for hotels is finding a solution that will meet peak demands while optimising energy use. Alpha Heating Innovation offers the Ares Tec low NOx condensing boiler range that takes an advanced approach to tackle this and other challenges for clients in the hotel sector.
Ares Tec condensing boilers contain several self-contained heat-generating modules in a single casing. This series of linked ‘boilers’ can operate singly or in multiples. It’s ideal for the varied seasonal and daily demands of a hotel. The 1 in 40 modulation means that the boiler can reduce its output to less than 3% of its maximum. When demand is high, guests are comfortably warm and have plenty of hot water; but the boiler can tick over efficiently during the day or late at night.
The multiple heating modules also provide built-in back-up, so in the unlikely event that a module fails, the others continue to provide heating during repairs with no loss of performance.
For older buildings, replacing an obsolete boiler can be problematic, particularly if a plant room is small or difficult to access, as we often find in retrofitting projects. The refurbishment should also be quick to minimise downtime.
The AresTec range is designed with these issues in mind. It has a compact footprint for those tight spaces and external siting is also possible, without any modification or additional accessories. Single connections for one unit make set-up simple. One flue connection can run in plastic or stainless steel single wall, so flue runs are straightforward and less intrusive.
Boiler control is central to energy-efficient operation, and the AresTec range offers built-in controls that manage its individual modules. So the heating system can be commissioned quickly to meet user requirements, and continue to operate most efficiently. Not only does this save energy, but it also helps to preserve the equipment from unnecessary operation.
Hotels can use the current market dip to make positive long-term changes to operational efficiencies. With a return to better times on the horizon, this could be an opportunity to invest in a modern heating system that will pay dividends in energy efficiency and reliability for years to come.
For more information on our AresTec range, click here.
We also have a whitepaper that covers cascade boiler systems in hotels, available to download here.