Blackburn Cathedral is benefiting from reduced energy consumption and utility bills following installation of a modern Building Management System
Built in 1826, Blackburn Cathedral is the largest place of worship in Lancashire — when full to capacity, the building can seat up to 1250 people.
Mechanical contractor Thermatic Maintenance gave Open Building Systems the task of installing a sophisticated BMS to replace the Cathedral’s dated and inefficient proprietary system. Using technology provided by building controls specialist Delta Controls, OBS engineers connected new boiler plant equipment and a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit to the BMS.
Unlike traditional power generators, the ‘waste’ heat that is produced by the CHP generator engine is captured and then used to supply heat and electricity to the Cathedral and its domestic hot water systems.
In addition, the BMS is programmed to monitor the temperature outside the Cathedral. It then uses this data to correlate internal temperatures with the external climate, which enables the vast internal space to be heated more efficiently.
Easy system management
Delta’s ORCAweb software provides the front end to the BMS and allows local users to view the device architecture of the system on customised web pages in the form of 3D animated graphics. This makes it simple for Cathedral clergy to actively manage the whole system and be alerted to any faults on screen, without the need to physically inspect the plant equipment.
Overall, the BMS is designed to save time and reduce energy consumption. It is anticipated that the Cathedral’s energy use will be reduced by almost 30 per cent — an annual saving of about £15,000.
“As the Cathedral’s old boiler plant was inefficient and wasteful, we sought a greener alternative to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Andrew Hindley, Canon Sacrist. “We have found the new system extremely easy to operate and have been delighted by the personable service we received from Thermatic and OBS throughout the installation.
"We are so pleased that we will use Thermatic and OBS for all our systems in the future. The cost savings will of course be a happy bonus.”
