Textbook example of cooperation and sustainable heating

The Blockhouse, Groningen

Vacant buildings are bad for livability and spatial quality in our cities. There is also still a need for additional housing. Converting existing real estate can be a solution in this case, but it also brings challenges. For example, when it comes to heating these buildings. Remeha responds to this with an extensive range of products. From high efficiency boilers to heat pumps, buffer tanks and associated control technology. But also with extensive advice and project support, so that the right and sustainable choices can be made from the very first moment.

"Whether it's transformation, renovation or sustainability projects, every project invariably starts with a thorough inventory," says Henri van der Scheer, Account Manager at Remeha. "What kind of boilers are currently in the building? And what possibilities are there for optimization? In practice, we still regularly come across vr boilers, which we would like to replace with a hr boiler. This is already a significant step towards sustainability. On request, we can also take stock of the possibilities for a hybrid system in which a heat pump is installed in addition to the boiler. Is the existing mains connection suitable for a heat pump? Or is it perhaps possible to increase the load on the connection?" 

Comprehensive advisory report

"We inventory the current gas consumption and available electricity capacity," Van der Scheer said. "In addition, we look at where the new boiler(s), heat pump(s) and buffer tank(s) can best be placed. Is this at the current location, on the first floor or just on the roof? And what piping distances must be bridged in the process? The resulting advisory report is discussed in detail with the installer and serves as a basis for the follow-up process. In this way we relieve our customer even after commissioning and delivery of the installation. We can also still offer maintenance contacts so that we can perform maintenance for the installer."

Complete system solutions

"Remeha offers complete system solutions for the transformation, renovation or sustainability market," emphasizes Nico Loppersum, Senior Application Engineer at Remeha. "Following an extensive range of central heating boilers (up to 1,300 kW), we also offer a wide selection of heat pumps (up to 200 kW) and buffer vessels, which can be controlled and regulated with our own Remeha mitera Plus central system controller."

The Blockhouse

That Remeha's complete system solutions are appreciated is proven by many reference projects. A great example is The Blockhouse. On the Reitemakersrijge in Groningen, an old KPN office building was transformed into a modern and stylish building with two hundred short-stay apartments for foreign students and expats, various work and study spaces and a catering facility. An extension was also recently added. The apartments were initially heated by one 550 kW central heating boiler, which was placed in a container on the roof. Aalberts Duurzame Installaties was approached in 2024 to make this installation more sustainable and sought cooperation with Remeha for this purpose.

Specialized partners

"Projects like The Blockhouse are not something we do every day," says Zwier van der Weerd, project manager at Aalberts Duurzame Installaties. "Moreover, technical developments follow each other in rapid succession. Also in the field of heating. In order to immediately have the right knowledge at the table and to be able to hit the nail on the head, cooperation with specialized partners is essential. Remeha is such a partner. The lines between our organizations are short, which also enabled us to switch quickly in this project." Loppersum: "With the challenges we face today, collaboration in the chain is necessary. The Blockhouse is a textbook example of this. We really pulled together and visited the project several times to arrive at the best-fit installation."

New cascade system

"The Blockhouse's existing central heating boiler was about 2.5 years old," Loppersum illustrates. "The building owner wanted to make a label leap by connecting one or more heat pumps to this boiler. Because the apartments already had underfloor heating, a low temperature system was in fact easy to realize. We developed a recommendation for this, but during this process the boiler broke down unexpectedly and irreparably. A wake-up call for the building owner, whose building heating had until then depended on a single appliance. In order to prevent residents from being left out in the cold again in the future, in consultation with Aalberts Duurzame Installaties and us, a new cascade system with three Remeha Quinta Ace central heating boilers of 160 kW, five Effenca MT (Medium-Temperature) air/water heat pumps of 40 kW, a buffer tank of 300 liters and a mitera Plus central system controller was chosen."

Advice and support

"The former KPN building already had a heavy connection," says Van der Scheer. "This offered opportunities for sustainability. We provided insight into the gas consumption and determined the installed capacity, on the basis of which the capacity for central heating was reduced from 550 to 480 kW. This was a major step forward in terms of sustainability, which was further enhanced by the heat pumps. Based on the beta factor, Nico determined the installed capacity of these heat pumps. He also calculated the contents of the buffer tank and supported Aalberts Duurzame Installaties in choosing the right pumps, control valves, pipe diameters, et cetera. We were really involved from the first advice to the delivery, with this beautiful installation as a result." The new central heating system was put into operation at the end of April.