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Improving the energy performance of The Chelmsford Diocesan House of Retreat, located within a conservation area in the historic Essex village of Pleshey, had the potential to challenge church leaders guiding the diocesan estate to carbon neutrality in line with the Church Of England’s 2030 objective.

 

For not only is the retreat within a historically sensitive location, its buildings include a listed Georgian farmhouse, an Edwardian Arts and Crafts property and a chapel, collectively creating a real challenge in terms of energy efficiency upgrades and precluding many mainstream energy efficiency approaches, as Diocese spokesman Peter Palmer explained:

 

“Many of the buildings within our estate are more modern than those in Pleshey, making it possible to incorporate air source heat pumps and solar panels etc as part of our net zero agenda. But this approach couldn’t be considered for The House of Retreat due to the restrictions of a listed heritage site and the complexities of upgrading heating and plumbing systems within older buildings given their age and lay-out,” said Peter.

 

The diocese had previously installed revolutionary heat transfer fluid Hydromx at more than 35 of its voluntary aided primary schools and considered it the right approach for Pleshey due to its relative simplicity to install and no requirement for major plant or system changes. Energy and carbon savings of between 20% and 35% can be expected from Hydromx.

 

“Hydromx provided an outstanding solution, allowing us to upgrade all buildings at The House of Retreat with minimal impact on the day-to-day running of the operation and deliver an almost instant impact on fuel bills and carbon emissions,” added Peter.

 

This feedback was echoed by retreat warden the Rev Graham Dowling, who confirmed reduced fuel consumption and ‘warmer rooms overall’.

 

The Rt Revd Roger Morris, Bishop of Colchester and chair of the Diocesan Net Zero Carbon Management Board, believes the positive impact of Hydromx goes beyond reducing The House of Retreat’s fuel bill, as he explained: “Responding to the climate crisis is an essential part of our mission to safeguard God’s creation and achieve a more just world for everyone. We can already see the devastating impact of climate change across the world, often hitting hardest the poorest countries and poorest people of the world.

 

“For The House of Retreat, this new venture witnesses to our communities across Essex and East London that the Diocese of Chelmsford is fully committed to addressing climate change — in faith, practice and mission. We have also been bold and innovative in the use of Hydromx. It has already proven hugely effective across our school estate and the early signs are that it is already a game-changer for The House of Retreat – reducing running costs, ensuring the building is warm and hospitable and significantly cutting carbon emissions.”

 

In total some 635 litres of Hydromx was installed at the retreat by specialist installer Lyndon Ingram-Palmer, of Highcliff Mechanical Services in Southend, Essex, working with UK distributor HMX UK. He said: “Each of the properties had different challenges but the process of adding Hydromx remained the same and relatively simple – drain the system, check it’s clean and in good condition and, in the case of the main building, replace some TRVs and add valves to ensure system isolation if a drain down is required.” ends

 

About Hydromx

Hydromx is a unique cutting-edge heat transfer solution that improves the thermal conductivity of fluid within water-based heating and cooling systems. It is in use worldwide (New York’s Empire State Building has been benefitting from it for years) and compatible with most HVAC systems. It is inert, guaranteed for 20 years and performs the tasks of an inhibitor, protecting against calcification, corrosion, freezing, bacteria and algae growth. Depending upon the application and system characteristics, building operators and owners can expect carbon and cost savings of between 20-35%.

Scientists behind a cutting-edge technology already delivering gas bill savings of up to 35% for a trio of schools in Greater London are calling on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to include the approach in his just-announced Greener Schools programme.

The schools in Wansted, Romford and Dagenham have also reduced carbon emissions by up to 9.7 tonnes per year after having their heating systems upgraded with the hi-tech nanofluid, accelerating the speed with which rooms and spaces in the buildings heat up.

Berkin Arikan, CEO of Hydromx which manufactures the nanofluid – also installed in the Empire State Building, New York – believes it has massive potential to reduce school energy bills and cut their carbon emissions – both key pillars of Khan’s Greener Schools initiative – without the need for capital investment or major disruption to school operations.

He said: “We applaud Mayor Khan’s drive to address fuel bills and carbon emissions and in doing so keep children warm and free-up school budgets for much-needed resources. And, while we support the installation of solar and heat pump technology, our work with The Diocese of Chelmsford installing Hydromx into more than 35 schools across Essex – including Wansted, Romford and Dagenham – has highlighted how a really straight-forward, quick and cost-effective approach can deliver huge energy and carbon savings.”

Installation simply requires draining the heating system and re-filling with a mix of water and the nanofluid. It can take as little as a morning, results are instant and ROI is typically around two years. The approach is suitable for buildings of all types and ages, including Victorian and Listed buildings.

Chelmsford Diocese, which encompasses Church of England schools across Essex and East London, is the first in the country to include Hydromx in its carbon reduction strategy, starting with a three-school pilot project, as diocese spokesman Peter Palmer explained: “Specifying this system into our school estate is a key component of the diocese’s Net Zero objective. The pilot project delivered significant energy, cost and carbon savings so we rolled out Hydromx across the remainder of our applicable voluntary aided schools.”

Feedback from schools has included pupils complaining about being too hot immediately after installation, previously hard-to-heat rooms being ‘toasty warm’ and savings being made equating to annual book budgets.

One headmaster said: “The very first day after installation everyone said the school felt hot. The radiators were roasting rather than being luke warm. It really has made a big difference.”

Via: https://hmxuk.com/appeal-for-london-mayor-to-embrace-nanotech-for-greener-schools-initiative/