Our brief was to install a high efficiency solar hot water system within a void dwelling.

The dwelling at the time of installation was under major refurbishment, being converted back from a number of bed-sit type units to one large house, giving 5 double bedrooms.

The new solar system was to be linked to a new boiler / heating system which had recently been installed. The system was designed to give the maximum return by way of reduced cost hot water to the end user.

Procurement

Works was secured after competitive quotations had been submitted by a number of contractors, all the contractors who were invited to summit costs were chosen due to their ongoing working relationship with Waltham Forest Housing.

Our quotation was accepted not only for best valve but also for our detailed design proposals.

Equipment

Vaillant Ltd were the chosen manufacturer due to the new heating boiler being supplied by the same company they also have a range of Solar un-vented hot water cylinders, thus keeping the whole project with one main manufacturer. This will help with any future maintenance.

Supply chain

All equipment was supplied from local merchants, reducing the impact on the environment due to transportation. This also helps to support local business and their employees.

System Benefits

• Environment ~ Using solar energy, you are reducing the impact on the environment as a whole, the estimated carbon reduction could be as much as 325Kg / per year.
• The reduced use of standard methods of heating your hot water, helps to conserve the rapidly diminishing supplies of gas and oil, thus helping to curb the every rising cost of standard fuels.
• End user ~ Once installed the solar system should provide around 50-60% of the annual domestic hot water requirements, in some cases your standard gas boiler would not be required for hot water for some of the summer months.
• Along with the feel good factor of helping the environment, solar systems will of course save you money. This amount will depend on the fuel type you are replacing.

Maintenance ~ These costs are normally very low, most panels will only need to be visually checked yearly, with a more in-depth service every 3-5 years.

We have been working as a main contractor with UCL for over 10 years providing new installations and regular maintenance across some 180 buildings, managed from our Central London office.

As a globally renowned University, UCL demand only the best and many of our contracts are not only highly complex, they have to be carried out with the minimum of disruption so that buildings may remain operational at all times enabling their world leading research and education to carry on unabated.

A typical contract will involve:

• Removal and replacement of existing Boiler Plant
• Upgrade of Heating Services
• New Building Energy Management Systems
• Electrical Works
• Building Work
• Ventilation and Air Conditioning Systems
• Water Hygiene Improvements

We attend regular Performance meetings and provide monthly reports to ensure that UCL can monitor progress on site and ensure that quality standards are met.

Throughout our time of working with UCL providing Installation, Service, Repairs and Maintenance, there have been no instances where there has been a failure to complete works on time or on budget.

Mechanical Services to newly formed mock Operating Theatres comprising heating, air conditioning and medical gas services

Aston Group provides a broad range of maintenance services for circa 9,000 dwellings on behalf on Waltham Forest Housing to improve their tenant experience.

Scheduled ‘planned’ maintenance is complemented by reactive repairs handled by our Response Call Centre, which deals with all resident liaison, from initiating repairs (such as lift breakdowns, power outages, boiler breakdowns etc), keeping residents fully informed at all times.

Core work is allocated to operatives and managed to effective completion via PDAs, which are carried by all operatives.

All maintenance is carried out by fully trained Aston Group employees supported by a list of approved high performing specialist suppliers / supply chain subcontractors handpicked by us for their expertise.

Management information systems track the performance against an array of stringent KPIs to maintain the highest standards and our approved supplier list is constantly vetted to drive continuous improvement.

Complete M&E Maintenance and Capital Upgrade Programme including:

• New / Replacement Central Heating Systems,
• Boiler Changes, Repairs
• CHP Servicing, repairs and maintenance
• Communal Heating for residents and leaseholders
• Communal Electrics
• Communal Ventilation
• Sheltered Accommodation service and Maintenance
• Lifts
• Door Entry
• Intruder Alarms
• Smoke Alarms
• TV Aerials
• Lightning Protection
• Renewable Energy
• Emergency Lighting
• Domestic and Communal Periodics

Performance against KPIs:

• Gas servicing of dwellings – 100% compliance
• Completion of Repairs & Breakdowns within Target – 99.68%
• Appointments made and kept – 99.98%
• Resident satisfaction (services) – 98%
• Resident satisfaction (repairs) – 98.2%

The original boiler plant at Blackshots Leisure Centre, which provided its heating and hot water, was at the end of its life. One boiler was now defunct, and the original pipework and electrical installations were inefficient and in a poor state of repair.

This exciting but challenging modernisation project commenced on the agreed date of May 4, despite the leisure centre being closed due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The first challenge was to implement a social distancing regime to be placed throughout the works. This was achieved by producing a programme to phase the works, preventing different tradespeople from being on site at the same time wherever possible. We also appointed one of our many experienced site managers to engage with all the stakeholders and ensure compliance.

Once the primary circuits had been isolated and drained, the mechanical team marked the items that would need to be safely removed. Then the asbestos removal contractors took over the site for five weeks to undertake all the removals and scraping of the walls and ceiling, followed by encapsulation of the plant area. We also asked them to attach unistrut rails to provide fixings for all our pipework and electrics, negating the need for possible disturbance of asbestos residue during both this and any future works.

To ensure the programme was kept on track, instead of casting one long concrete base for the new plant, two smaller bases were cast; this saved both time and materials.

The new boilers had originally been planned to be delivered in sections, then manually positioned in the plant room for the boiler manufacturer to assemble on site. To reduce the time this element would take, it was arranged for the boilers and associated plant to be lowered into the plant room fully built; they were therefore able to be positioned on the new concrete bases in a single day.

The internal plant and pipework installation was straightforward for our experienced team; the planning and layout was adapted from the initial design drawings, and the final product was a neat and tidy standard Aston Group installation. All the new pipework was thermally insulated and protected with aluminium stucco sheet, valve jackets and appropriate identification.

There were difficulties in routing the new gas supply into the basement plant room through the building’s concrete footing, so we installed the last section externally and entered the building through the now-redundant fire foam suppression hatch that used to serve the original oil boilers. As an additional safety feature, we fabricated and installed bespoke bollards as protection.

Both the council and the leisure centre were delighted with Aston Group’s work on this contract.

Project overview

• Upgrading the boiler plant to provide an environmentally friendly heat source
• Avoiding the need to use a temporary boiler plant by continuing
  with the project during lockdown
• Refurbishment of basement plant room area to include upgrading of mechanical equipment, controls and gas supply
• Removal of all redundant equipment
• Extensive asbestos clearance.

For full case study please contact us mail@astongroup.co.uk

Queensland Road is the final housing phase of the Arsenal Regeneration Area.

Located next to Emirates Stadium, Queensland Road provides over 700 new homes with 354 being affordable. The large number of affordable homes at Queensland Road makes it the biggest single development project in the Arsenal Regeneration Area.

Appointed by our long-term partners Kier we began work in 2011 and completed on time at the end of 2013.

The contract included the Design, Installation of the complete Mechanical Services, including:

• Heating, hot and cold water services,
• Ventilation
• Booster pumps
• BMS Control System