The SmartTank system is designed, to save water and energy. But it also helps with Legionella compliance. Providing real-time data, predictive insights, and automation to manage water temperature and overall system performance. It is particularly effective in student accommodation and buildings of multiple occupancy, where Legionella risks must be carefully monitored and mitigated.
Real-Time Temperature Monitoring
Legionella bacteria thrive in water temperatures between 20°C and 45°C, with the optimal growth rate around 37°C. With standard cylinders it is impossible to measure temperatures precisely. Using pocketed sensors SmartTank continuously monitors at the core of the cylinder, ensuring the danger zone is avoided.
Automated Alerts and Notifications
The system provides automatic alerts. This helps ensure operators or maintenance staff are notified of unusual activity and excessive consumption, allowing them to take prompt action to correct issues. Alerts can be customised based on the facility’s needs and compliance requirements.
Data Logging and Reporting
The Irus Portal keeps comprehensive logs of water temperature, flow, and tank status. These are used for audit trails and to demonstrate compliance with Water Safety Plans. The data is available in real-time, making it easy to access historical data, generate reports, and comply with regulatory inspections.
Remote Monitoring and Control
The systems remote monitoring, means compliance is maintained even when on-site personnel aren’t available. It can be remotely accessed via online devices to check conditions, adjust settings, or receive alerts.
Optimised Tank Performance
SmartTank monitors cylinder parameters to ensure optimal operation and water safety. Keeping the system running efficiently helps prevent conditions that could foster Legionella bacteria growth, such as stagnation or insufficient circulation.
Proactive Maintenance
Through the combination of predictive analytics and continuous monitoring, the system predicts potential issues before they occur, helping to schedule preventative maintenance. For instance, the system identifies trends that suggest insufficient water temperatures are being met, or potential malfunctions, such as escape of water.
Compliance with Regulations
UK regulations require frequent checks and records for Legionella control. These include keeping water temperatures within safe ranges, performing risk assessments, and conducting periodic testing. These tasks can be simplified by automatically generating data that demonstrates compliance with Water Safety Plans, such as those from HSE (Health and Safety Executive), ACOP L8 (UK).
The system’s ability to document temperature trends, risk assessments, and corrective actions helps student accommodation providers meet their regulatory obligations.
Easy install
Factory fitted with on-board controls, pre-wired and pre-plumbed, SmartTank arrives on site ready for efficient, consistent installation. Connection to the cold water supply, hot output, and electrical wiring to the mains makes the fitting process time effective and efficient.
Savings
Recent studies have demonstrated that standard hot water cylinders use 1.5 times more energy than SmartTank, to achieve the same results. This is primarily due to tighter temperature control. Management of over-heating, over consumption, and identification of leaks and water wastage, quickly contribute to even greater savings.
In conclusion, the Irus SMART Tank supports Legionella compliance by combining real-time monitoring, automated control, and data logging. It ensures that water temperatures and quality are managed within safe parameters. It reduces the risk of Legionella growth, and simplifies the compliance process with automated alerts and reports. This makes it an invaluable tool for maintaining a safe water system in multi-occupancy accommodation.
SMART Tank recently won the ENERGY SAVING AWARDS, Water Saving Commercial Product of 2024 category.
This article appeared in the March 2025 issue of Energy Manager magazine. Subscribe here.