Hotel benefits as Tapworks gains carbon neutral status
March 04th 2008

Tapworks, the leading UK water softener manufacturer and provider of the North Star range of commercial water softeners, has been independently assessed as the first carbon neutral water softener manufacturer in the UK.This makes the company the first manufacturer in this sector to be able to claim carbon neutral status or better

The forward thinking company – the UK arm of the world’s leading water softener company – called in an accredited EU Emissions Trading Scheme Verifier to assess every aspect of the work it undertakes with a view to confirming what it had been working towards over the previous twelve months – that it was categorically performing in a carbon neutral manner.

The assessor measured and evaluated every aspect of the UK operation.This included the product’s arrival in the UK, transportation, the operations of the company’s HQ in Stokenchurch, other UK transport issues including the use of company owned vehicles and the end user operational energy costs – the energy used by the water softeners after they had been installed in customers’ homes. An annual tonnage of carbon dioxide generated for each of these areas was calculated to assess the required savings that needed to be available to set against the emissions to achieve a carbon neutral status – or better.

Tests were carried out on Tapworks water softener models to establish the electrical power drawn to operate the products and these averaged out at seven watts per unit. The assessor then used verifiable figures from a US study on the energy savings that can be attributed to a Tapworks water softener.These are savings that can be attributed to the reduction of scale formation on boiler heat exchangers, in radiators and pipework, in valves, pumps and taps, which lead to vastly improved thermal transfer from a standard heating system.Together with the with the reduced energy required – and in fact the figures were reduced for UK operation from 22 to 30 per cent measured in the USA to just 20 per cent here in the UK to give a generous margin for error – the independent assessor confirmed the findings that “it is likely that the annual emissions created in the US manufacture of the units sold in the UK are covered by the annual emissions saving created by the softener use. It is therefore safe to state categorically that the UK operation of Tapworks has a beneficial impact on the environment.”

Tapworks managing director, Mike Pickavance was understandably delighted with the report and being named the first UK manufacturer in the sector to be able to officially state that his operation is carbon neutral or better:“This is an aim we have had for a while and to get this report is excellent news for the business – but even better news for our growing customer base who can buy install and use their Tapworks water softener knowing that it is not only not contributing to the CO2 emissions problem, it’s actually helping it! To be able to claim that your business is carbon neutral is not easy and can only be achieved by quantifying the actual energy employed at all stages of activity and transparently accounting for the compensatory measures we employ to offset the impact of the environmental emissions we all cause to a greater or lesser extent.

“This report highlights that by installing a water softener, if you live in a hard water area of the UK - which is about 60% of the country – you will not only be installing a carbon neutral appliance, you will also be saving significantly on your energy bills because of the reduced demand on electrical energy supply from a power station or gas, combusted in the water heating equipment.”

One business which is already benefiting from the installation of a Tapworks North Star water softener is the recently opened Mercure Holland House Hotel & Spa on Redcliffe Hill in Bristol city centre. Being in a hard water area, the hotel wanted to avoid the associated damage it can cause. Not just the damage that is clear for everyone to see – scaled up shower heads,grimy bathrooms, smeared crockery and cutlery – but also in the areas where you can’t see its effects such as boilers, radiators, pumps and pipework which can have a huge impact on energy bills and major maintenance costs.

According to Government figures, scale can build up at 1.5mm every year and a leading trade association representing the interests of the water and wastewater industry in the UK and overseas - says that in hard water areas, just 1.6mm of scale in heating systems causes a 12% loss in heat transfer from the energy source – gas or electricity - to water, in terms of heating efficiency. If scale builds up on an element, it has to heat the scale before it heats the water so it really is money down the drain.

So,when work began on the conversion work to create the luxury 275 bedroom hotel – formerly a four-storey office block – Mechanical Design Engineer James Mogg, of McCann & Partners, Design Consultants based in Cardiff, considered that a Tapworks water softener was an absolute necessity. He says: “The Mercure Holland House Hotel & Spa is a four star hotel so it is important that consideration is given to the problems associated with hard water. Soft water will help create a great impression on guests, and it will also have added benefits of providing long term energy efficiency and cost savings for the hotel. The softener we specified has a capacity to soften 52,600 litres of water a day and a peak flow rate of 16.5 litres a second – plenty to cope with a 275 bedroom hotel and all its water requirements.”

Brett Benson, Tapworks’ National Sales Manager, discussed further long term benefits:“Tapworks’ North Star range of commercial water softeners has a fantastic reputation for reliability which means that maintenance costs are negligible. On top of this, running costs can be up to 50 per cent lower than competitors’ products because Tapworks North Star softeners feature Genius Chip® technology that precisely measures the amount of water used. This in turn enables a more accurate calculation of the salt and water needed to cleanse the softener, resulting in more than 50% less water and up to 50% less salt being used.”

The Tapworks water softener installed at Holland House is a quadplex system – and it will provide softened water throughout the entire hotel.The Hotel’s General Manager, Damian Kaye, said:“The Tapworks Water Softener is a key part of the quality and luxury we offer to our guests. They expect the water to be of good quality when they stay here – it’s not really an option – it’s part of what we offer.Having the softener installed means that our guests experience soft water whenever they turn on their taps or showers in their rooms and, as a business, we know that limescale build up will not be a problem in our heating system or in any of the appliances we operate, reducing the likelihood of emergency call outs to failed appliances and reducing medium and long term maintenance problems significantly. And of course it reduces our energy bills which, for a hotel this size, are considerable.Any savings we can make will be well received by the company!”

Full details of the Tapworks North Star Commercial range of ion exchange water softeners can be obtained by calling Tapworks on 01494 480 621 or visiting northstar.tapworks.co.uk.