Skirting Board Heating firm wins Low Carbon Carehome Contract

With the recent news about spiralling commercial energy prices, care home providers are set to be disproportionately adversely affected. One Lancashire based care home group is taking decisive action to modernise its energy strategy to both reduce its carbon emissions and offset the impending spike in energy prices.?

Belsfield Care based in Blackpool own and operate five high quality care homes across the local area. Already boasting an 'Outstanding' rating by the CQC, Belsfield are looking to bolster their reputation by bringing their carbon emissions down to an impressive standard as well as control their energy costs.?

Rossall Care Home is a former NHS owned residential facility, which in the early 2000s had a gas fired, blown air heating system installed. As part of the modernisation program this is going to be de-commissioned and replaced. In its place will be a cascade air source heat pump system designed and supplied by Vaillant UK. The air source heat pumps will provide low temperature hot water to brand new distribution manifolds provided by iDRO UK, which in turn feed out to a radiant skirting board heaters in each room.?

As the heat pumps run at much lower temperatures than the gas boilers they replace, Belsfield Care were looking for a heating system that could be retrofitted on a room-by-room basis in a home that is usually fully occupied. In addition, the heat emitters selected needed to suitably heat each room at a flow temperature lower than 45°C.

The answer was found in Northwest based company, DiscreteHeat, manufacturers of the ThermaSkirt skirting board heating system. It is becoming more and more usual to find skirting board heating in care environments, particularly since DiscreteHeat developed their EasyClean LST version in co-operation with the NHS in 2015.

Darren Bell, Founder and Owner of Belsfield Care said “This will be the first time we have ever used skirting board heating. Once I saw it in the flesh, I realised how many problems it solves for us, not only from a heating perspective but it improves the comfort and safety of our homes; something we’re very passionate about.”

Skirting board heating operates at low temperatures, meaning that boiler flow temperatures can be turned down or heat pumps can be used. This then creates a natural safe surface temperature of ?43°C, such that bulky radiator covers are no longer required.

?Tamperproof systems like the EasyClean LST, also resolve many of the maintenance, cleaning, and hygiene problems often associated with more traditional LST radiators and covers. These radiators & covers have been a proven breeding ground for communicable infections and require a regular deep clean to comply with NHS Guidelines.

Ethan Wadsworth, the Sales Director at DiscreteHeat introduced the product to Darren and his team and oversaw the design of the system with the Vaillant Heat Pumps: “Care homes are in use 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year and need to ensure that they are comfortable for the residents, practical for the staff, and as low energy as possible. Improving the performance, comfort and safety of care homes is something we’re always driving for.”

Belsfield Care are planning to roll-out the Easy Clean LST skirting heating solution across all five homes in due course.

A typical EasyClean LST installation in a care environment. Inset, thermal image of skirting board heating at 45°C.?