During school holidays, when stairways are silent, corridors are clean, canteens are quiet, and whiteboards are wiped …
… we are hard at work!
The school holidays are some of the busiest times for our mechanical and electrical engineering team, as they take the opportunity to maintain, refurbish or replace schools’ heating systems while staff and students have a well-earned break.
Some of our tasks are:
* Replacing existing heating systems (or refurbishing various parts), either as planned works identified by surveys, or following reactive remedial work carried out by our framework mechanical and electrical partner
* Replacing distribution pipework that provides heat to radiators.
We prioritise work according to the age and condition of existing systems, assessing the effects of a possible failure. Our overall aim is to give our borough’s schools resilience against nuisance breakdowns and to reduce the likelihood of school closures during term time.
Where existing boilers are oil-fired, we upgrade them to gas. Technology has advanced in recent years, so gas-fired boilers are more efficient: their impact on the environment has reduced and they are more economical to run.
We work closely with colleagues in Sandwell Council’s Energy Team in our mutual goal to
reduce emissions, and we design replacement works with this in mind.
In recent months we’ve been working at:
Park Hill Primary School in Wednesbury: a boiler and domestic hot water replacement
St Martin’s Church of England Primary School in Tipton: boiler replacement
Ocker Hill Infants School in Tipton: boiler replacement in the Nursery block
Lyng Primary School in West Bromwich: replacement of all existing heating fan convector units in the main school building.
So if you know any staff or students at those Sandwell schools, you can reassure them of a warm winter thanks to their toasty and efficient heating systems.
Learn about more of Urban Design and Building Services’ work on our projects page.
