How many buildings are using large amounts of energy to maintain indoor air quality when spaces are empty or only lightly occupied? Chris Dearden explains how carbon-dioxide monitoring systems provide an energy-saving and cost-effective approach to controlling ventilation and indoor air quality in buildings.

Priva’s web-hosted energy-monitoring software, Priva Energy Online, is set to make reducing energy use on a site-wide basis simpler than ever. Priva Energy Online has an attractive graphical interface to display information about energy management in an intuitive way to help companies target areas of high energy consumption so they can reduce their energy bills and carbon emissions.

In the past, adding new building controls to an existing BMS or to an existing HVAC system that was already in place would have been a real challenge. However, the advent of open systems such as BACnet, LonWorks and Modbus means that the time and costs for refurbishment of controls have been greatly reduced — as BCIA’s recent ConnectFest demonstrated.

Glow-worm has launched a wireless RF programmable room thermostat. The Climapro2 controller is a 2-channel device with time and temperature control of central heating and hot water. It has an intuitive new menu system with all program information in clear text on a large back-lit display.

ICS (Eastern), based in Norwich, has completed the installation of a sophisticated BMS at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket. It is the headquarters for Darley’s global breeding operation, which currently stands at more than 60 thoroughbred stallions around the world.

Radio-Tech has developed a wireless environmental monitoring system that measures energy efficiency and building performance. It is designed to meet standards specified by the Energy Saving Trust. Radio-Tech’s products have been selected as the primary data-collection system for the Energy Saving Trust’s filed trials of solid-wall insulation and the Technology Strategy Board’s ‘Retrofit for the future’ project.

David Lewis argues the case for energy control and management ranking high on the agenda when buildings are refurbished and stresses the importance of providing a common communications hierarchy.

Alan Braybrook explains how wireless technology can significantly reduce installation cost — making lower-energy BMS a viable option for refurbishment projects as well as new builds.

A £250 000 building-management system for the new £10 million Fulton Building at the University of Sussex has been completed by SCS Group. This integrated system controls ventilation, air conditioning, underfloor heating and hot-water systems at the Brighton Campus and was designed and installed by SCS.

Carlo Gavazzi has added to its modular control and management solution for solar-PV installations with the introduction of Eos-Array Lite. It offers increased modularity for cost-sensitive applications from 10 kW(e) upwards and provides localised diagnostics to support the rapid repair of power faults.

The installation of a new building-management system in six operating theatres for Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey has been completed by ICS (Eastern). It was built in 1974 as one of six hospitals to exactly the same plan and serves north-east Hampshire and west Surrey. It also incorporated a fully integrated Ministry of Defence hospital unit with qualified military medics.

BG Controls has supported the installation of a new eco-friendly heating system in the Welsh Language & Heritage Centre in Pwllheli with the installation of a control system. As part of a modernisation programme, the original heritage building has been totally refurbished and refitted with green technologies. Eco Energy Services contracted BG Controls to design, installed and commiss­ion sophisticated con­trols to co-ordinate several sources of renewable energy to provide underfloor heating and domestic hot water.

A new range of occupancy sensors from Hager offers standard or digital lighting control. They can be surface or flush mounted and also supplied pre-wired. Installation involves pushing the sensor through a ceiling aperture, and reverse springs then hold it in place. A sliding cover on the surface of the sensor allows access to its controls without removing it from the ceiling. The programming system offers sophisticated lighting control using an easy-to-install system.

Kanmor Control Systems’ 264e weather-compensated heating control is in charge of a wood-pellet boiler and oil-fired condensing boiler in the listed Rectory Hotel in Crudwell, Wiltshire. The system was installed by Cotswold Efficient Energy Centre and won an award as Renewable Energy Project of the Year.

FS Cables has joined KNX UK as a manufacturer member, following its membership of the international KNX Association and subsequent certification of its KNX twisted-pair cable.
The company’s KNX cable has been tested and certified as being suitable for use in KNX systems and bears the KNX logo.

Just when you might have thought that the building-controls market had peaked comes growth of well over 20% overall — according to the latest figures from the Building Controls Industry Association.

Modern variable-speed drives can become an integral part of a building-management system — and eliminate the need for motor control panels. John Reid describes the realities.

The LON communication protocol has a history stretching back about 15 years, and is firmly placed as a control technology for future generations, as Ron Bernstein explains.

An ocean liner arrives at the City Cruise Terminal in Southampton about 60 times a year, but when it does the terminal needs to be ready for hundreds or even thousands of passengers to disembark and others to join the ship.

The INVent controller for Monodraught’s Sola-boost natural-ventilation system can control up to four zones and includes connections for sensors for temperature, rain, carbon-dioxide and windspeed/weather. Other features include a built-in BMS fault signal alarm, heating interlock/occupancy facility, fire service keyswitch over-ride facility and interconnection with a fire alarm to automatically close dampers in response to an alarm.

Honeywell’s Enterprise Buildings Integrators (EBI) working with LonWorks technology links building-management systems with financial and personnel records and supply chain of Italy’s leading financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore in its new headquarters in Milan.

A simple and cost-effective way of presenting real-time data for electricity consumption, carbon emissions and costs is provided by PRI’s Scroller for XP.

Electrical-accessory manufacturer Crabtree has developed a range of KNX switches as part of its Platinum range. The KNX control protocol is embedded in these switches, so they can communicate using the KNX bus to a host of other devices such as sensors, actuators and smart controllers.

To avoid problems with temperature sensors caused by the ingress of moisture, especially at the interface between the lead and the sensor, ATC Semitec has developed a range of TPE-encapsulated sensors with leads and sensors of the same material to create a waterproof barrier rated to IP68 and capable of operation at up to 105°C.

The ability of KNX intelligent-building technology to integrate and manage many different building-services functions and systems is fully exploited in a multi-purpose commercial headquarters building in Cheshire. Forum House was built three years ago and provides 3000 m2 of space on two floors.

The xitec processor from TridonicAtco is the latest in a line of intelligent ballasts to follow the successful ASIC generations. It is based on two decades of technology and knowledge producing dimmable and non-dimmable ballasts and offers sophisticated functionality for lamp and lighting management.

Sontay has added a new series of gas sensors and a water detection alarm to its product offering. They provide a valuable addition to a building-management system.