Value engineering white paper explores optimal solutions for care homes

Rinnai has issued a new whitepaper titled ‘Optimising Domestic Hot Water Systems for Archetype Care Homes: A Value Engineering Approach’.

The whitepaper points out that value engineering principles highlight the importance of putting

customer requirements first, applying cost-effective engineering solutions and improving the whole life

value of a project – as opposed to simply cutting costs resulting in the inevitable compromise of

performance.

It includes a major section on an archetype case study which analyses a range of potential solutions for

the refurbishment of a care home in the UK. Carbon-Cost Analysis (CCA) studies are used to decipher the

optimal solution based on the customers’ criteria of reducing CO2 emissions by 20%, opting for a system

with no more than two heat pumps (HPs) due to space constraints, as well as considering the operating

expenditure (OPEX) as a key metric when deciding on the final solution. The archetypal site was given a

current system of three non-condensing water heaters.

After generating several proposed solutions and evaluating these based on the set criteria, there is

further analysis of specific ones – an instantaneous gas-fired system, a hybrid system and an all-electric

system – all based on the initial capital expenditure (CAPEX), plus five-year forecasts regarding OPEX,

carbon production, and lifecycle costs. A full breakdown of CAPEX, OPEX and carbon performance of all

relevant systems is provided to demonstrate which one provides the optimal solution in accordance

with the customer’s requirements.

The detailed analysis showed that the highest whole life value system that best aligned with the

customers’ needs is the hybrid system. Rinnai's latest whitepaper is designed to inform building services consultants, main contractorsm architects, specifiers and system designers on the wide range of technologies that can synergize together to create a long life efficient and cost-effective commercial DHW system.

The full version is available now on the Rinnai website www.rinnai-uk.co.uk/contact-us/ask-us-question