Situated adjacent to the picturesque, 100-acre Santry Desmense Park, M&P Mechanical has completed the stylish, A2 rated, 251-unit Bridgefield apartment complex, developed and constructed by Cosgrave Development.
Bridgefield was the first NZEB compliant building to deliver units to the Dublin City Centre social and affordable housing. With high efficiency and low end-user costs, Cosgrave’s primary driving focus on the mechanical elements, district heating was the supreme choice. Cosgrave Development engaged the services of McElligott Consulting Engineers to develop a design and set out the road map for the installation. Cosgrave Developments’ continuous investment in new technologies has led to a beautifully finished apartment complex, with low running costs and a compressed plant size. Using custom-made apps for smartphones, each end-user can see the energy consumption of the apartment as it happens. This easy access interface encourages the end-user to adjust and modify the usage as needed to reduce the waste of energy.
Co-ordinating with other trades in tight spaces and managing quality control was the day- to-day business of the site management. Darren O’Neill, M&P Mechanical Project Foreman made sure the project was delivered in time and to the high standard expected by Mark O’Rourke, Managing Director of M&P Mechanical.
At the heart of the high efficiency district heating system at Bridgefield Apartments are two 320kw gas-fired boilers, three gas-fired CHP units, one 2000l buffer vessel.
The system circulates through a 4” mid steel heating ring mains located in the basement of the building. The ‘mains’ heating lines deliver the LPHW water to secondary pumps located at the bottom of each riser shift of which there are seven. From the secondary pump the LPHW water is pumped into each apartment sub metering station and onwards into the apartment radiators and hot water heat exchanger.
Alongside the district heating pipework is a main water distribution network. Mains water, held in a fully insulated format 30 tank, is pressurised through a booster pump and pumped to each apartment via the fusion welded plastic mains water pipework.
Each apartment was built to the highest standard of air tightness for efficiency and low running costs, with it’s own standalone heat recovery unit, fully insulation heating and water services pipework. On-demand hot water generation is available, which removes the end-users need to set time clocks for hot water around a busy life.
Positive charged air supplies to spaces with external walls is promoted to reduce cold air leakages into spaces, which can generate draughts and extra heating costs. Each apartment boasts fully pressurized plumbing, concealed sanitary fixing and high efficiency radiators.
FIRE SUPPRESSION
There is 4” galvanised steel routed up each dry riser with a landing valve on every floor. For every riser there is a standpipe outside to ensure easy access to extinguish or prevent the spread of fire in the building.
In the basement there are ten fire hose reels on 2” galvanised ring mains at 60 metre intervals, backed up by 2000L capacity cold water storage tanks.
Anthony O’Conaill, Senior Operations Manager at M&P Mechanical, concluded, “When it comes to large apartment complexes like this, its great to see a developer using this tried and tested district heating solution. Now with two district heating award behind us, we try to bring our knowledge to all the projects we do. District Heating with low maintenance and a life cycle on the main plant over 30 years, its more than just an efficient solution, it effective”
DUBLIN: Suite 2, Blackglen Village Centre, Sandyford, Dublin 18
T: +353 (0)1 518 0580
E: info@mandp.ie
W: www.mandpi.ie
C&F Quadrant played a key role in ensuring the heating system at the new Bridgefield Apartments at Santry Desmense, Dublin could operate at the highest efficiency.
The company supplied two 470kW Buderus gas-fired condensing boilers at 80/60C flow and return to manage peak heat loads, along with Buderus Cascade boiler controllers, all fully modulated and enabled from the BMS.
C&F Quadrant is a major distributor and merchant to the heating and plumbing trade in domestic and commercial heating products. With offices and warehousing in Dublin and Belfast, they are well placed to service the needs of the residential, commercial and industrial sectors across all of Ireland.
The reason Cosgrave Developments selected the GB402-470 Buderus boiler model and C&F Quadrant was down to reputation and experience. “The developer has used Buderus boilers before and was really happy with their performance,” says C&F Quadrant Sales Engineer, Michael Hempenstall. “It’s a top quality product, which is what we are known for supplying. We’ve been in the industry for over 40 years and as well as supplying the best names, our back-up service is also one of the best.”
Each of the floor-standing boilers has an efficiency of over 95% compared to a standard boiler’s efficiency of 80%. NOx levels are below 40mg per kWh – from a pollutant perspective, the lower the better. Controlled by the BMS, the Buderus boilers can be modulated up and down depending on the load. This model can modulate from 95kW up to 470kW.
“We advised on the requirements for the boilers and supplied the necessary accessories,” says Michael.
“M&P Mechanical was a joy to work with. We’ve worked with them before and look forward to working with them in the future.”
C&F Quadrant Unit L40 Cherry Orchard Industrial Estate, Dublin 10.
T: +353 (0)1 630 5757
E: michael@cfquadrant.ie
Glenergy played a vital role in ensuring the Bridgefield Apartments development met Part L regulations by generating significant carbon and energy savings for the user.
The company supplied three SenerTec Dachs micro CHP (Combined Heat and Power) units to generate heat and electricity for the residents. These are the biggest selling CHP units in Europe and highest selling micro CHP units in Ireland. Developed and manufactured by German company, Senertec GmbH, they are ideal for apartment blocks and other small commercial projects.
During lower heating load periods, the heat from the CHP is used to reduce running costs. This heat is introduced to the system in a way that allows the boilers to switch off. This effective and efficient control means the system can vary or ‘modulate’ its heating input from 940kW to 14.5kW – varying gas consumption from 100% to just 1.5%. This reduces wasted heat, avoids burning unnecessary gas and further helps lower the levels of CO2 generated by the central plant and its environmental impact over the life of the system.
The electrical supply for the landlord services and central plant room power consumption is satisfied by the CHPs, making it almost self-sustaining. The proven technology of the SenerTec Dachs miCRo CHP units is backed by the high level service delivered by Glenergy. The company has established itself as a leading and innovative provider of Part L and NZEB solutions to the Irish market. In addition to CHP, Glenergy has a range of heat pumps and hot water heat pumps to fit most commercial and residential applications.
Glenergy’s aim is to provide the best energy solution for the company’s clients at the best price whilst also taking into account long-term sustainability and greater social obligations.
Glenergy Limited, Unit 1D, Renmore Business Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
T: +353 (0)1 556 3100
E: info@glenery.ie
W: www.glenergy.ie
