Global leaders in pioneering heating projects
IWTM's products have been installed on some of the most prestigious UK district heating projects, taking center stage in water-engineering innovation. IWTM has been featured in Bunhill 2 with waste heat being used from the London Underground, and the village-wide renewable retrofit of Swaffham Prior.
“There are cost and reliability benefits to chemical free water treatment and secondary benefits that have proved to be invaluable to our clients.”
Operations Manager Major DHN Developer and Operator
Return on investment
L&Q produced a business case for retrofitting Barking Riverside with an IWTM industrial 500 unit. A calculated return on investment at 3.25 years, and an operating cost saving of 82% when compared to the legacy chemical treatment were obviously important. But it was benefits to system reliability with reduced part failure, fewer service interruptions, reduced system downtime (due to repairs) and lower maintenance costs that helped with the award. Connecting networks on phased projects such as Barking can also create huge issues when differing water qualities mix. Chemical-free principles treat the root cause of corrosion as well as the symptoms, meaning it offers a comparable water quality across all phases – helping avoid delays and expensive remediation works.
Water quality standards
VDI2035’s chemical-free approach was specifically recognised in the Design Guide as the best solution for large volume networks and for systems with low and intermittent flow. Our solution achieves VDI2035 water quality standards which are one of the most stringent in Europe and we were instrumental in getting these recognised in the CIBSE CP1 Heat Network Code of Conduct and in the CIBSE Heat Network Design Guide. Both Bunhill and Swaffham Prior (a retrofit and a new build project) were affected by low and intermittent flow as they were waiting for customer take up and connection, meaning they were well suited to our chemical-free approach. This advantage over traditional chemical water treatment ensured greater corrosion protection of the networks whilst not in full circulation.
Driving efficiencies through safer water
An operations manager from a city-wide district network highlighted improved efficiencies and reduction in management administration through the installation of chemical free water treatment. By removing chemical handling not only was the labour time saved but it also eliminated time spent completing Waste Matrixes, Risk Assessments of Cost and Material Safety Data Sheets. This was measured in the number of days returned each month which could be then transferred to more pressing activity. This also created a safer and healthier work environment whilst giving back storage space to their cramped plant rooms.
Primary and secondary advantages
Most operators are initially drawn to the primary benefits of longevity, reliability and whole-life cost. On average our solution returns on capital costs for retrofit projects of between 2-5 years (or immediate if there are remedial costs to consider). By following chemical-free principles on a recent new build award we reduced the cost of the pre-comm builders clean by over half from £55,000 to £25,000 by removing chemical costs. These cost savings mean specification at new build can offer immediate or equitable cost when compared to chemical regimes. Our secondary benefits such as reduction in occupier complaints, safer working environments and fuller component life are further improving operations on the projects we have installed on.
Case studies
As IWTM's chemical free water treatment solution makes its impact across the world, we bring you some prestigious projects that have made the most of our innovative, renewable heating engineering. From private housing developments to large scale NHS Trust hospital wards and offices - IWTM has boosted ROI, safety and sustainability. You will find more details in the case studies on how asset owners and operators have benefited from our developers and the people who directly benefit from our reliable, chemical-free water heating solutions.
