Summary
Adveco looks at the options for designing hotel hot water systems to assure guest comfort and deliver operational advantages. Covering managing peak guest demand, hygiene and safety, whilst delivering sustainable alternatives that are more cost-effective to install and operate.
Across the hotel industry, guest comfort is one of the most important aspects of the overall experience. Domestic hot water (DHW) plays a significant role in achieving this. From service functions including cleaning and laundry to guests showering in their rooms, using gym, spa and pool facilities, or dining in the hotel restaurant or bar, hotel hot water systems must be consistent and reliable.
Meeting operational and guest demands for hot water at all hours, year-round, requires careful system design and management. Hotels also need to keep a close eye on the bottom line to ensure profitable operations, and that increasingly means finding ways to maintain a reliable hot water supply while improving energy efficiency and reducing environmental impacts and operational costs. At the same time, hotel operators must comply with strict water safety regulations, making the design of hotel hot water systems an important part of building services planning.
Managing Peak Guest Demand, Hygiene and Safety
Guest accommodation typically generates the highest demand for hotel hot water systems. Morning routines often create a surge in shower usage as guests prepare for the day. In larger hotels, hundreds of rooms may require hot water at the same time. Without sufficient system capacity, temperature fluctuations can occur to the detriment of guest satisfaction. To prevent this, hotel hot water systems are designed with adequate storage and strong recovery capability. This ensures that peak demand periods can be met without compromising performance.
Hotels must also manage water hygiene risks across their buildings. As commercial premises, they are required to control legionella risk in accordance with UK health and safety guidance. Effective hotel hot water systems maintain temperatures that help prevent bacterial growth. Hot water is typically stored at +60°C and delivered to outlets at approximately 50°C. Hotels can face additional challenges because of fluctuating occupancy levels. During quieter periods, some rooms may remain unused for extended periods, which increases the importance of circulation and monitoring within hotel hot water systems. For these reasons, hot water production can represent a significant, if not the highest portion of a building’s operational energy use, so it should always be at the forefront of a hotel operator’s plans.
Older hotels will undoubtedly incorporate gas-fired systems, most recently employing condensing water heaters, which recover heat for greater efficiencies. Many hotels, and not just new construction, are also embracing renewable technologies as guests become more environmentally aware and start to seek out sustainable alternatives, particularly when seeking holiday accommodations. Air source heat pumps, such as Adveco’s ADV-W range, are a prime example of such low-carbon technology, which can contribute to reducing carbon emissions and controlling energy demands by the hot water system while maintaining reliable performance during periods of high demand. Combining electric primary heating with boilers, and system pre-heat with a low-carbon heat pump, or truly renewable solar thermal, is termed a hybrid approach. Such systems, such as Adveco’s award-winning FUSION, allow hotel hot water systems to balance sustainability goals with cost control and the operational reliability required in hospitality environments.
Adapting to Building & Guest Constraints
Space is a valuable commodity for any hotel, whether allowing for greater guest accommodations or extra seats in the restaurant. Optimising how necessary plant room space is allocated can be a challenge, especially for older properties attempting to transition to lower carbon alternatives, as these can be demanding of exterior spaces as well as requiring greater hot water storage to meet consistent daily demands. One option is to embrace, faster, high-quality off-site constructed packaged plant rooms to provide a practical response. These offer integration of multiple components – boilers, cylinders, controls, heat pumps – into a compact system which can be sited in unused spaces, or areas of the building away from guests, such as alleys and rooftops. The installation, upgrades and ongoing maintenance can all be completed more efficiently and without disruption to hotel operations.
