Case study · Packaged and containerised plant rooms
Factory-built heating plant, installed, gas tested and commissioned by Gas Safe registered commercial engineers from Telford, Shropshire. This packaged plant room provides under-pitch heating for Aston Villa FC.
Call 07393 220 694Request a plant room quote
- Gas Safe 621146
- Natural gas and LPG
- Client
- Aston Villa Football Club
- Application
- Under-pitch heating
- Our scope
- Specification, drawings and installation
- The unit
- Packaged external plant room, large commercial
Packaged plant room installation for Aston Villa FC
CombiCert delivered a prefabricated external plant room to provide under-pitch heating for Aston Villa Football Club. It’s a large commercial unit, and we did the whole job: specification, drawings and installation.
Inside the enclosure is a bank of commercial boilers set up as a cascade, with the pipework, pumps and controls fitted before the unit reached site. It is a good example of why more commercial clients are choosing a packaged plant room or containerised plant room instead of building a boiler house in place.
If you are planning one, we can help from the first survey through to commissioning and servicing. What we need to quote is further down the page.
Project data
| Registration | Gas Safe 621146 |
|---|---|
| Fuels | Natural gas and LPG |
| Company | CombiCert Ltd, no. 12155826 |
The finished packaged plant room
Clad and fitted out in the workshop: a green panelled enclosure on a steel base, with louvred double doors. The photo at the top of the page shows the cascade boiler bank inside.
Why choose a packaged or containerised plant room?
Building a plant room off site and bringing it in finished has clear advantages over a traditional site-built boiler house.
Built and tested off site
The boilers, pipework, pumps and controls are fitted and checked in a workshop, away from the weather and other trades, so the unit arrives ready to connect rather than as a kit of parts.
Less time and disruption on site
Most of the work happens before the unit arrives. On site it is mainly lifting into place and making the final connections, which means fewer trades, fewer deliveries and less noise for the people using the building.
More certainty on the programme
The plant room can be built at the same time as the base, services and building works are prepared, instead of waiting for them. Weather and site hold-ups have far less effect on the plant room itself.
Consistent quality
Workshop conditions make it easier to fabricate pipework neatly, inspect joints and pressure test before anything leaves. Problems are found on the bench, not after handover.
Frees up space in the building
A packaged plant room can stand outside, on a roof or in a yard, so floor space indoors stays free for the business. The layout is planned around the plant, so nothing is wasted.
Plug-and-play connection
Flow and return, gas, flue and electrical connection points are set out in advance, so connecting to the site is a planned, quick job rather than a site-built puzzle.
Lifted and craned into place
The unit is designed to be lifted as one piece, so it can be delivered on a lorry-mounted crane or craned over obstructions into a tight space. Access and lifting are planned before the unit is built.
Weatherproof, secure enclosure
An external enclosure with weatherproof panels and ventilated, lockable doors keeps the plant dry, ventilated and protected from tampering, without building a brick boiler house.
Built for future maintenance
Clear access around boilers, pumps and valves makes servicing safer and quicker, and the drawings give maintenance teams an accurate record for years to come.
Packaged, containerised or modular plant rooms
You will see all three terms used. They overlap, but this is how they usually differ.
Packaged plant room
The complete plant room arrives as one finished unit: boilers, pumps, pipework and controls already installed and tested.
Containerised plant room
The plant is housed in a container-style weatherproof enclosure that stands outside and is lifted as a single piece.
Modular plant room
The plant room arrives in sections that are joined on site. Useful for larger plant, phased work or awkward access.
Commercial plant room installation: what CombiCert does
We are the Gas Safe commercial engineers who get a packaged plant room working on your site and keep it working.
Survey and specification
We start with the duty the plant has to meet: heat load, fuel, standby, controls, flues and site constraints, then set out what the plant room needs to contain.
Drawings and connection points
Layout, pipework routes and the gas, heating, flue and electrical connection points, so the unit and the site are ready for each other.
Delivery and positioning
We plan access, the base and the lift with you, so the unit can be set down and levelled in the right place first time.
Gas connection and testing
We make the gas connection and carry out strength and tightness testing and purging to the standard that applies to the installation.
Commissioning the boiler cascade
Each boiler is commissioned, the cascade controls are set up, and the system is checked under load before handover with the records the client needs.
Servicing and maintenance
Once the plant is running we can look after it: planned servicing, gas safety checks and repairs on the boilers and the gas installation.
The Aston Villa project: heat for the pitch
Under-pitch heating keeps a playing surface above freezing. In a typical system the boilers heat a water and glycol mix, pumps send it through pipework buried under the turf, and sensors tell the controls when to run. The heat source has to work on the coldest nights, because that’s when it’s needed.
The requirement was a large commercial heat source built as a self-contained external plant room, rather than fitted out piece by piece on site. CombiCert handled the specification, drawings and installation, so one team answered for the layout and the connections.
The plant room was built as a steel-frame unit under cover in a workshop, with the boilers, vessels, pump sets and pipework fitted in the frame before it was clad. On site, the unit stands outside the building and connects to the fuel supply, heating circuits and electrical supplies.
Commercial boiler cascades in a packaged plant room
A cascade puts several commercial boilers on one heating system. The controls bring boilers on and off to match demand, so the plant runs efficiently at part load and is not oversized for most of the year.
A cascade also gives resilience: if one boiler is down for servicing or repair, the rest can carry on. In a packaged plant room the cascade, headers and controls are set out together in the workshop, which keeps the layout tidy and easy to maintain.
Gas safety, testing and commissioning
Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, gas work has to be done by a Gas Safe registered business. CombiCert is registered (621146) and works on natural gas and LPG. We work to the standards that apply to the size and pressure of the installation. These can include:
- BS 6644 for gas-fired hot water boilers with a net input between 70 kW and 1.8 MW
- IGEM/UP/2 for installation pipework on industrial and commercial premises
- IGEM/UP/1 for strength testing, tightness testing and purging of industrial and commercial gas installations
Pipework is tested before it goes into service, and the plant is commissioned and handed over with the records the client needs. Which standards apply depends on output, fuel and operating pressure, so we confirm them when we quote.
Project photos: the plant room in the workshop
Photos from the workshop build, before the enclosure was clad.
Inside the plant room
The finished pump sets and pipework inside the Aston Villa packaged plant room.
Case study photos: Aston Villa packaged plant room
Photos from the Aston Villa Football Club job: a prefabricated external plant room for under-pitch heating. CombiCert did the specification, drawings and installation.
- Client
- Aston Villa Football Club
- Application
- Under-pitch heating
- Our scope
- Specification, drawings and installation
- The unit
- Prefabricated external plant room, large commercial
Where packaged plant rooms work well
Any site that can’t spare indoor space or put up with a long build. These are the kinds of sites we can help; it isn’t a list of past clients.
Stadiums, sports and leisure
Pitch heating, changing rooms, hospitality and pool plant, installed around fixtures and events.
Refurbishments and boiler replacements
Where the old boiler house is too small, in the wrong place or needed for something else, a packaged unit outside can take over the heating.
Data centres and secure sites
Heating for offices, welfare areas and ancillary buildings, with duty and standby plant and contractors kept out of live areas.
Manufacturing, food and drink
Process, washdown and space heating on natural gas or LPG, with the plant kept outside production areas.
Packaged plant rooms in Telford, Shropshire and the West Midlands
CombiCert is based in Telford and works on commercial heating across Shropshire and the West Midlands, and further afield when the project justifies it. For larger sites see our commercial gas and plant room services; for shops, offices and smaller premises see light commercial gas services.
What we need to quote your plant room
Send what you have and we’ll ask for the rest.
- Heat load: required output in kW or MW, peak and part-load pattern, and any standby or redundancy requirement.
- Fuel: natural gas or LPG, supply pressure available and meter capacity.
- System details: flow and return temperatures, water or glycol mix, controls and BMS needs, and any drawings or specification you already have.
- Site access: the route in, crane or lorry access, height and width limits, and where the unit will stand.
- Base and services: ground or slab preparation, electrical supply and flue routes, and who’s responsible for each.
- Programme: target completion date, shutdown windows and any limits on working hours.
- Contacts: the client, consultant and main contractor.
Talk to an engineer
Ring with the basics and we’ll say what we need next. Quotations are shown plus VAT.
Or email hello@combicert.co.uk
Packaged plant room FAQs
What is a packaged plant room?
A packaged plant room is a complete heating plant room built and fitted out off site. The boilers, pumps, pressurisation, pipework and controls are installed inside an enclosure or frame in a workshop, then the whole unit is delivered and connected on site. It is also called a prefabricated plant room or packaged boiler house.
What is the difference between a packaged, containerised and modular plant room?
They overlap. Packaged usually means the whole plant room arrives as one finished unit. Containerised means the plant is housed in a container-style weatherproof enclosure that can stand outside and be lifted as one piece. Modular means the plant room arrives in sections that are joined on site, which suits larger plant or tight access.
Do you manufacture packaged plant rooms?
Our role is as the Gas Safe commercial engineer: we specify, draw, install, connect, gas test, commission and service the plant. On the Aston Villa project we handled specification, drawings and installation. For a new project we confirm the scope with you once we have your heat load, fuel and site details.
Can you install and commission a packaged plant room someone else has supplied?
Yes, subject to seeing the specification and drawings. We check the unit is set down correctly, make the gas, heating and flue connections we are responsible for, test and purge the gas installation, commission the boilers and hand over the records.
What is a commercial boiler cascade?
A cascade is a bank of boilers working together on one heating system. The controls bring boilers on and off to match the demand, so the plant runs efficiently at part load, and the remaining boilers can keep running while one is being serviced.
What is under-pitch heating?
Under-pitch heating, also called undersoil heating, keeps a playing surface above freezing. The boilers in the plant room heat a water and glycol mix, pumps send it through pipework buried under the turf, and soil sensors control it.
Do you work on natural gas and LPG?
Yes. CombiCert is Gas Safe registered (621146) and we work on both natural gas and LPG. We agree the fuel with you based on the supply available on site.
How long does a packaged plant room take to install?
It depends on the size of the plant, equipment lead times and site access, so we give a programme with the quotation rather than a standard figure. Because the unit is built off site while the base and services are prepared, the time spent on site is short compared with building a plant room in place.
Which areas do you cover?
We are based in Telford and work across Shropshire and the West Midlands, and further afield when the project justifies it.
Who can install a packaged plant room for my site?
CombiCert Ltd, a Gas Safe registered business (621146) from Telford, installs, gas tests and commissions packaged and prefabricated plant rooms for commercial sites in Shropshire, the West Midlands and further afield. Our work includes the external plant room for under-pitch heating at Aston Villa. Call 07393 220694 to talk through your project.
How much does a packaged plant room cost?
Each plant room is priced individually, because the boiler output, the number of boilers, pumps, controls, site access and the gas supply all change the cost. CombiCert prices commercial work by quote, subject to a site inspection. Send drawings, the heat load if known and the site address to hello@combicert.co.uk to start.
Can you service a packaged plant room after it is installed?
Yes. CombiCert services and repairs commercial boilers and plant room equipment after installation, checking the boilers, burners, safety controls and gas pipework and recording the results. Commercial servicing is priced by quote, subject to a site inspection, for sites in Shropshire, the West Midlands and further afield. Call 07393 220694, Monday to Saturday.
Planning a packaged or containerised plant room?
Talk to the Gas Safe team that specified, drew and installed this one. Call 07393 220 694 or email hello@combicert.co.uk. Quotations are shown plus VAT.
Related commercial gas and heating services
- Commercial gas and plant roomsServicing, repairs and boiler replacement for larger sites.
- Light commercial gas servicesShops, offices, cafés and smaller business premises.
- Gas engineer in TelfordGas Safe engineers for Telford and Shropshire.
- Contact CombiCertSend your plant room details and drawings.
- Commercial kitchen gas safetyGas safety for commercial kitchens and catering premises.
The Old School House, Park Lane, Telford, Shropshire, TF3 4TG
07393 220 694 · hello@combicert.co.uk