Evinox’s PHRIE air-source heat pumps can achieve a COP in heating mode of up to five (flow/return of 35/30°C and air intake of 7/6°C dry/wet bulb), which the company claims makes them the most efficient air-source heat pumps in the UK. The range currently comprises models with outputs from 10 to 18 kW, with two single-phase models and one 3-phase model. Additional models with outputs from 5 to 25 kW will be launched shortly.

Schneider Electric has introduced a range of slimline electric panel heaters with automatic energy-saving settings to reduce energy consumption by up to 25% compared to a panel heater with a mechanical thermostat. These heaters have illuminated temperature settings on the front of the panel, and constant monitoring by the electronic thermostat maintains an even and comfortable temperature at all times.

Potterton Commercial’s Sirius two WH wall-hung stainless-steel condensing boiler complements the existing Sirius WH range. The Sirius two RH is available in five outputs from 50 to 110 kW and offers higher efficiency and a turndown ratio of 6:1 compared to the more common 5:1.

Hager has introduced a control and circuit-protection solution for commercial and domestic solar PV installations. As every installation is different, Hager’s device offer is a modular solution. Hager offers various sizes of AC and DC rotary-handle switches, a D 1000 V DIN-rail rotary switch, a type B RCCB 4 pole, surge protection, photo-voltaic fuse carriers and fuses, as well as metering. They can be housed in a number of different enclosures — ranging from a consumer unit to smaller enclosures.

Kingspan Renewables has strengthened its range of renewable-energy solutions for the commercial and industrial sectors with the introduction of solar-loading stations and fresh-water modules. The solar-loading stations (pictured) are designed to enable the quick and easy connection of medium- to large-scale solar-thermal arrays to thermal stores. The range of fresh-water stations provides for the efficient production of large volumes of domestic hot water.

The R22 Renew system from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries enables existing pipework to be retained when replacing an older R22 VRF air-conditioning systems with an R410A system. A new FDCR outdoor unit will be required, but it is often possible to reuse existing indoor units.

Vent-Axia has launched a range of electric radiant heaters for applications such as spaces with high ceilings such as warehouses and churches. There are heaters with outputs of 1.8, 2, 4 and 6 kW — the largest being capable of covering an area of up to 20 m2. Heat-up time is just one second, so heat is instantly available. The elements have a life of 5000 h.

BSS Industrial is promoting its prefabrication service that utilises specialist knowledge by working closely with customers and modularisation manufacturers. The approach is based on working with customers and five modularisation manufacturers to develop solutions. BSS is also the distributor of choice for major modular builders — including CHT, SES, Balfour and MEP.

Ex-Or’s Connect quick-connection range for lighting circuits has been extended with the introduction of the Ultra-Lite Connect Digital Box. Connect comprises purpose-designed connection centres with plug-in simplicity, and the UltraLite is at the value end of the range.

Shorts Environmental offers a wide range of absorption heat pumps and chillers fired by natural gas. They can generate hot water at efficiencies of over 140%. The range comprises air-source, ground-source and water-source models and is based on 37 kW heating modules that can be combined to deliver up to 208 kW.

Airedale’s OptiChill FreeCool large-capacity chillers maximise the use of free cooling to save more that half of the energy used by a conventional chiller. For up to 30% of the year these chillers can operate purely in free-cooling mode with an EER of up to 75 (15°C return water, 20% ethylene glycol, 3°C ambient and based on total input power to the fans). Some free cooling is available for 95% of annual operating hours (in London).

Hager has developed a simple solution for locking its consumer unit so that no-one can access devices while an electrician is working on a circuit. It was originally developed for Taylor Wimpey and Barratts for electricians to use while working on a circuit while keeping the rest of the installation live.

Memco’s elevator position system can be added to existing elevators to provide information about the floor number and direction of travel to passengers on a display screen inside the car. A magnet on each floor activates a sensor as the elevator car passes to update the display. The system will work with elevators travelling at up to 3.6 m/s and can cover up to 32 floors.

The Grundfos RC pump is said to be the first in the world to have been designed and optimised for use with CO2 as a refrigerant. It uses about a third of the energy of a standard centrifugal pump for the same purpose. This performance is achieved by utilising variable-speed capacity control and intelligent pump protection. Grundfos sees potential for this pump in applications such as large retailers that base their stores on refrigeration systems using CO2.

Multi V III is LG’s latest range of VRF air-conditioning products and is designed for commercial buildings, office complexes and large retail outlets. They can provide heating and cooling. Energy efficiency is boosted by LG’s BLDC V-Scroll inverter compressor with high-pressure oil-return technology, which supersedes the AC motor in the previous model. This new compressor achieves a 25% improvement in cooling EER to 4.27 and 11% in heating COP to 4.58.

Shorts Environmental offers a comprehensive planned maintenance service that is tailored to actual customer requirements to ensure the optimum performance of all HVAC systems. The company’s customer-support manager Gareth Chappells says, ‘Incorporating planned maintenance into the lifetime cost of an HVAC installation is essential if maximum energy efficiencies and subsequent lower running costs are to be achieved.’

Big Foot Systems offers the complete non-penetrative mounting system for photovoltaic panels on a flat roof.

Air-management specialist Sirius Products has developed a modular filtration system designed to eliminate around 98% of perceptible grease, smoke and odour from kitchen extract emissions. This system consists of high-performance electrostatic precipitators and UV filtration units; it can be configured to accommodate any airflow and any cooking process, and is ideal for use in locations where issues of environmental health and sustainability are of particular concern. By improving capture efficiency and eliminating the need for non-recyclable filters, Sirius’s ESP and UV filtration sends almost zero waste to landfill and significantly reduces overall energy consumption.

Siemens has extended its proven Acvatix range by the introduction of a new range of pressure-independent control combi valves, types VPP46 and VPI46 to complement the existing VPI45 range. These have a control valve for temperature control, a differential-pressure controller for balancing pressure fluctuations in the hydraulic system, a facility for pre-adjusting the required flow rate, and pressure test points for measuring the differential pressure — all integrated in one valve body. They reduce planning, installation and commissioning costs, and increase the control accuracy under all operating conditions, leading to increased energy efficient operation.

The NX range of scroll-compressor liquid chillers from Climaveneta UK is described as combining excellent energy efficiency with a compact design and choice of models for a range of applications. They include options with shell-and-tube or plate heat exchangers as well as low-noise or super-low-noise versions and units with partial heat recovery. Cooling capacities range from 159 to 352 kW.

Rinnai’s heavy-duty condensing continuous-flow water heaters have two heat exchangers to achieve optimum water heating by capturing residual heat from flue gases and transferring it to the water being heated. Available for indoor and outdoor installation, the HDC1200i achieves a net efficiency of 107% and the HDC1500i turns in 105% net efficiency.

Tridonic’s PCA range of one4all ballasts for fluorescent lighting comprises three products combining flexibility, optimised performance and exceptional energy efficiency. These ballasts incorporate the company’s Xitec processor to optimise lamp management and extend lamp life through a combination of preheating lamp electrodes, ensuring a sufficiently high ignition voltage, limiting the discharge current and delivering a defined hot restart.

Energys Group offers a lease arrangement for its energy-efficient lighting products to enable lighting energy consumption to be reduced without capital investment and keeping the debt off balance sheet. The arrangement covers Save It Easy units that enable energy-efficient T5 fluorescent lamps to be slotted into existing fluorescent light fittings to achieve energy savings of up to 65%.

A bronze ball valve in BSS Industrial’s BOSS range is particularly suited to chilled-water applications. 965NREXT valves have an extended non-rotating stem to make them ideal for insulated pipe runs. Having the lever above the insulation enables it to be operated freely without disturbing the vapour seal.

Legrand’s Swifts cable-ladder and cable-tray system have been integrated into Intergraph’s PDS and SmartPlant 3D engineering software systems, enabling design teams to produce accurate and efficient cable-management routing schemes, plans and procurement lists as part of a fully integrated overall plant design.

Hitachi Air Conditioning & Refrigeration has added several new models to its Set Free range of mini outdoor units. These 2-pipe heat-pump VRF condensing units offer greater efficiency and improved COP. They can be connected to all Hitachi’s system-free indoor units. One outdoor unit can be connected to up to nine indoor units. There are single- and 3-phase units rated at 4, 5 and 6 hp.

Hiring the expensive and sophisticated instruments that are required for mandatory testing procedures, especially those involving safety, is extremely cost effective, according to Alan Gilbert of BSRIA Instrument Solutions. He cites the example of a ‘middle-of-the-road’ Class 1 sound-level meter with octave bands. Such an instrument costs upwards of £3000 and may be needed only very occasionally. Hiring such an instrument from BSRIA Instrument Solutions costs about £150 a week.

Cudis has launched a range of 3-phase distribution boards with four to 18 ways. These CPN units have heavy-duty metal enclosures of epoxy-coated steel sheet and are attractively finished to make them suitable for use in public areas. Supplied with a 100 A main switch, units are intended for use with MH (10 kA) Series 3 miniature circuit breakers available in single-, double- and triple-pole configurations to B, C or D trip curves. Ratings are from 2 to 63 A.

Grundfos has extended its range of packaged booster sets with a range of single-phase pre-packaged CMB/CMBE booster sets. These sets are based around CM stainless-steel booster pumps. They are suitable for many applications that require clean water to be delivered from a cold-water storage tank, such as when boosting to pressurised hot- and cold-water systems and above-ground storage tanks and water-transfer applications.

Ideal Standard’s Boost shower packs can combine mains-pressure cold water and low-pressure hot water from a cylinder to achieve the effect of a power shower without a booster pump. Boost works by using the power from mains-pressure cold water to draw hot water into the throat of a venturi cartridge to accelerate it and produce a high, yet controllable, flow rate.

Panasonic’s Mini ECOi series of VRF air-conditioning products is designed to provide cooling and heating for the light-commercial and domestic sectors. Exclusively available from Panasonic distributors, the range is available for single-phase and 3-phase electrical supplies. Starting current is just 1 A.

Rinnai’s Infinity 16i continuous-flow water heater can deliver 15.2 l/min of hot water with accurate temperature control. Water temperature can be set using built-in digital controls, eliminating the risk of scalding and the need for thermostatic mixing valves. Applications include cafes, pubs and restaurants, hotels, leisure centres, offices, shops and hairdressers, small industrial units and residential sites.

Gent by Honeywell has launched its first wireless fire-detection system. Called Plexus, it incorporates technology to offer the ultimate level of integration and user confidence. The system provides the flexibility of wired and wireless devices for projects where building constraints prohibit the use of cables and disruption to the buildings or activity in them needs to be minimised.

Altecnic’s Ecocal thermostatic radiator valve has achieved the European A efficiency rating, having been tested against the requirements of the European Valve Manufacturers’ Association ‘Thermostatic efficiency label’ (TELL). Designed for retro-fit and new installations, Ecocal is available in 8, 10 and 15 mm sizes. A serrated tail piece makes for easy installation to avoid alterations to pipework and ensure PTFE sealant bonds securely.

Daikin Europe’s MC70L air purifier is suitable for rooms of up to 46 m2. Noise level is just 16 dB(A) in ‘silent mode’ and airflows of up to 420 m3/h can be delivered in turbo mode. These units have a multi-layer filtering system and re-engineered Daikin Flash Streamer technology, which captures, removes and decomposes allergens, bacteria, dust particles, odours, pet hairs, moulds, pollen and mites.

Dimplex has expanded its range of heat pumps with the launch of the air-source LA PMS medium-temperature range of units. These single-phase heat pumps use R290, a naturally occurring refrigerant with a global-warming potential of three. They have capacities of 8 or 14 kW and can deliver variable flow temperatures up to 65°C, weather compensated.

Passivent and Rehau have worked together to develop a low-energy cooling solution for the commercial market. It can also pre-heat fresh air on cold days in the Winter (as illustrated]. The system combines Passivent’s passive stack natural ventilation with Rehau’s Awadukt Thermo ground-to-air heat exchanger. It is particularly appropriate for buildings with deep floor plans and/or restricted facades.

A 2-channel PIR presence detector from CP Electronics has a detection range of 40 m at a mounting height of 15 m. Hi-Sense provides very precise control through switching or dimming in response to occupancy and light levels. Hi-Sense also has a ‘burn-in’ function to extend the life of fluorescent tubes. Applications include warehouses, factories and retail ‘sheds’.

A patching solution for Ethernet cables in steel-wire cable trays or straight-edged galvanised tray is available from Marco. Xspace flexible panels will accept standard LJ6C modules and are available with six-, 12- and 24-way cut-outs. Bend radius is not compromised, so the system can accept Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6A and shielded solutions.

EnviroVent has launched a range of centralised and decentralised mechanical-extract solutions for houses, apartments and communal residences. They meet the requirements of System 3 in accordance with Part F of the Building Regulations.

For a good many years the company Keraflo has been associated with the Aylesbury range of float valves for controlling the filling of cold-water storage tanks. The key benefit of these valves is that they allow the water level in a tank to fall by a controlled amount before it is refilled, which brings a range of benefits compared with equilibrium valves.

Air-management specialist Sirius Products has developed a modular filtration system designed to eliminate around 98% of perceptible grease, smoke and odour from kitchen extract emissions. This system, consisting of high-performance electrostatic precipitators and UV filtration units, can be configured to accommodate any airflow and any cooking process. It is ideal for use in locations where issues of environmental health and sustainability are of particular concern. By improving capture efficiency and eliminating the need for non-recyclable filters, Sirius ESP and UV filtration sends almost zero waste to landfill and significantly reduces overall energy consumption.

Big Foot Systems offers the complete non-penetrative mounting system for photovoltaic panels on a flat roof.

The RWD stand-alone universal controller range is ideal for the energy-efficient control of HVAC. The range is simple to install and commission, keeping costs to a minimum. The range delivers high control accuracy and can be used to control temperature, humidity, pressure, volumetric flow and air quality. Inputs can be from Ni1000, Pt 1000 or DC 0-10V sensors, and the control outputs can be either DC 0-10V, 3-position or on/off.