For the past 12 months, no school under the jurisdiction of Cheshire County Council has been forced to close due to boiler failure, thanks to the success of a three year boiler renewal and replacement project undertaken between Cheshire County Council, MITIE Engineering Projects and their consultants Paul Moy Associates, and boiler manufacturers, Potterton Commercial. Nineteen properties including schools, libraries, a family centre and council offices were refitted in 2004, with 13 in 2005 and replacements to a further 15 anticipated for 2006. One of the key issues to be considered in terms of installation and commissioning is the time sensitivity of much of the work; Norman Cassata of Cheshire County Council, who was responsible for the initiation of the £3million project, explains: 'The majority of the work has to be completed within the six weeks school summer break, this puts pressure on Potterton Commercial not only to have the required stock available for immediate call off but also to meet multiple, simultaneous commissioning deadlines and so far, we haven't been disappointed.' Roy Rogers, contracts manager at MITIE Engineering Projects , is one of the people responsible for proposing Potterton Commercial as the preferred partner in the programme.

The decision rested on reliability of product, simplicity of use, high level, post-commissioning support, price and efficiency.

He says: 'There were four contenders for the contract.

Potterton Commercial won the business because the products they proposed are simple to operate with intelligent controls.

'Their systems are cost-effective and yet there's no compromise on quality.

One of the stated measures of success is ease of operability; gone are the days of full-time, on-campus caretakers, who are able react immediately to heating and ventilation issues.

The beauty of Potterton boilers is they are simple to control with easy override facilities, striking that necessary balance between energy efficiency and operational effectiveness.' The Potterton Commercial boilers chosen for the job included; NXR3s, NXR4s, Derwent Compacts and Paramounts.

The key benefits are contained, lifetime costs, ease of installation - they're perfectly suited to installations in basement boiler houses - and increased energy efficiency.

The NXR3 and NXR4 can also be linked effortlessly into existing pipework.

The NXR3 and NXR4 are cast iron sectional boilers with multiple flueways that increase the heat exchange surface area and achieve maximum combustion performance.

Increased insulation reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, aiding compliance with environmental legislation and the Clean Air Act.