Organic Energy Case Studies
Waterpoint, Enniscrone, Co. Sligo, Ireland
The Energy Box being lowered into position
The Energy Box in-situ
The cascade of 4 Pellematic Maxi 56kW wood pellet boilers
Opening ceremony for the project
Waterpoint is one of Ireland's top leisure attractions – a fusion of water park, health suite and sports centre, which includes a 65-metre flume waterslide and state-of-the-art gym. Run by the local community with support from Sligo County Council, it also has floodlit Astroturf pitches and a spa offering beauty treatments.
However, Waterpoint's board of directors recognised that the running costs were heading toward unsustainable levels, with annual heating costs of more than €60,000.
The board, in consultation with the local authority, have embarked upon a range of energy efficiency measures including roof and wall insulation, heating circulators and energy efficient lighting. However, the key target was to bring down heating costs for the site.
With funds via Irish Government’s Energy and Access Upgrade Projects Scheme, a ÖkoFEN wood pellet boiler heating system, supplied from Organic Energy, the UK and Ireland's sole distributor of ÖkoFEN heating systems, was decided upon as the preferred biomass solution. The system was required to heat two swimming pools. Space heating for a 700 sq m building, the Sunset Spa and hot water requirements.
Organic Energy has supplied an ÖkoFEN Energy Box for the Waterpoint site, working alongside installers Archers of Ballina. The Energy Box is a complete heating system for any building or home, delivered ready for installation and connected to the heating system within a matter of hours. It comes pre-wired and pre-plumbed and as a result the downtime at Waterpoint was only half of one day to allow for modification of existing plumbing for the tie in. The Energy Box, which is lowered onto a concrete base, is a complete plant room designed and pre-fabricated by ÖkoFEN. This represents the very latest in renewable, sustainable heating technology, which is low in carbon dioxide emissions and extremely cost-effective.
The installation at Waterpoint is an Energy Box Type E, which includes four-cascaded 56 kW ÖkoFEN Pellematic wood pellet boilers with an output range of 17 – 224kW, automatic fuel supply, ash compression system, boiler 'back end' protection and fully automated digital heating controls. The Energy Box is constructed using durable, sustainable timber and also incorporates a 14 tonne fuel store and plant room.
The ÖkoFEN system has already cut Waterpoint's fuel bills by 60 per cent. Waterpoint's directors estimated that spend on oil was approximately €1800 per week, against a cost of the wood pellets of around €2500 every five weeks. The boiler heating system's output matches demand delivering between 17kW and 230kW at, or above, 92 per cent efficiency and is monitored remotely online.
Although the main aim of the brief was to provide a renewable heating solution which would cut heating costs, the installation supplied by Organic Energy and installed by Archers, also complements the centre's White Flag award for the highest environmental standards.
