The cost of efficiency

At the first sign of cold weather, the four boilers in the Palais are primed. In winter they produce water at 110º C, which is sent to 12 heating substations where the temperature is reduced to between 25º C and 70º C depending on the weather. The water circulates in closed loops connected to your radiators. It is subjected to anti- corrosion treatment to protect the pipes and is replenished only when maintenance work is done on the system. Last summer, new boilers were installed at Les Feuillantines, Le Bocage and L’Orangerie (the gardeners’ pavilion). This summer, more than 200 manual valves were replaced by thermostats. For a cost of less than 100 Swiss francs, thermostats make your offices more comfortable to work in and result in big energy savings. To obtain a temperature of 21-23º C in your office, you should set your thermostat to between 3 and 4.

The team led by Claude Vinat, the sub-unit that comprises mechanics, heating and refrigeration engineers and burner and filtration specialists, and the team headed by Yves Martinelli of the Control Centre Sub-Unit, oversee and fine-tune our heating system. Over the past three years, fuel consumption has been cut from 2 million m to 1.660 million m , a reduction of nearly 30 per cent. Following adjustments to take account of the meteorological conditions each winter (“heating degree days” in technical par- lance), this still represents a saving of 22 per cent. Quite an achievement. But hardly compatible with the combination “window open - radiator on”!

Plumber-heating. Questions and answers

Enrique Ambel Capel and Patrice Nascimbeni, two guardians of the heating system among the five plumbers and heating engineers for 153,500 m²!

BES. What sort of training do you have?
Patrice. To be a professional heating engineer, you need training in hydraulics, heat engineering, piping and welding.
Enrique. Then you develop specific skills. After working at the Palais for eight years, I’ve become an expert on the regulating valves that connect up to the heating units. To change them, I have to drain 17 m of water. Fortunately, I don’t have to drain radiator valves when I work on them; I just apply a substance that freezes the water and forms a plug.
Patrice. My speciality is steel pipes. The oldest are as old as the buildings, dating back to the 1930s. You never know what you’re going to find! And I won’t even mention pipes embedded in walls or under roads…

BES. In winter, the heating never stops.
And you ?
Patrice. Neither do we! Our 12-men team is on duty round the clock.
Enrique. Someone is always on duty at the Palais from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the week and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at weekends (in summer, only on Saturdays). At other times, we’re on call.

BES. You have done this job for 20 years and been at UNOG for eight or three years...
Patrice and Enrique: Before coming to UNOG, we mainly installed new systems. The historic value of the Palais means that we tend to concentrate more on maintenance and repairs.
Enrique. By the way, if you’re worried about your heating, don’t wait until you have to wear your gloves and parka in the office - I remember someone did that once. You should contact our control centre (725.48).

Emmanuelle GANTET, UN.