The technology for reducing carbon emissions can be more readily available then finance. Peter Walker explains how this dilemma can be resolved.

The energy costs of the swimming pool hall at Oundle School in Northamptonshire have been halved following the installation of a ventilation heat-recovery system designed by Calorex heat pumps.

To meet the growing demand for testing the airtightness of buildings, as required by the latest Building Regulations for commercial buildings above 500 m2 and dwellings, BSRIA’s service now operates from four locations — Bracknell, Swansea, St Helens and Belfast.

Samantha McDonough, CIBSE’s director of policy, discusses the vital role that CIBSE register of low-carbon consultants has in realising the objectives of the latest Building Regulations.

A strong demand for air-source heat pumps designed principally for space/water heating is predicted by Space Air, which distributes Daikin products.

While high-efficiency motors and variable-speed drives have a role to play in reducing the energy used by pumps, system design is much more important. Roy Henderson explains.

Installers, specifiers and manufacturers in the building services industry must do more to educate their end-user customers on the benefits of installing energy efficient and cost effective equipment in their premises, according to Daikin Airconditioning UK Ltd.

Dimplex has been appointed an approved supplier of ground-source heat pumps under the second phase of the DTI’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme. £50 million is available over the next 18 months to help fund the installation of ground-source heat pumps and other micro-generation technologies for schools, public-sector and not-for-profit buildings, as well as local-authority and housing-association housing projects.

Exploiting the capabilities of simulation software from the earliest stages of the design of a new headquarters for the Irish Office of Public Works in Eire has halved energy consumption compared with other possible designs.

Airedale’s OptiChill range of large-capacity, high-efficiency air-cooled screw chillers are said to break new ground in energy efficiency.Components are selected for optimum operating efficiency, so these chillers can achieve an EER of 3.0 or more at Eurovent conditions and ESEER values above 3.5 (for seasonal performance based on Eurovent’s part-load index).

In a campaign to reduce electricity consumption, Boots is working with utility-monitoring specialist Parasense to improve energy management in 500 shops.

Building on over 25 years’ experience in Europe, Dimplex has introduced its range of heat pumps into the UK. The company has been selected as one of only three approved suppliers of ground-source heat pumps for public-sector grants under Phase 2 of the DTI’s Low-Carbon-Buildings Programme.

Applied Energy offers a design application service for the Stiebel Eltron range of solar systems for generating hot water that can be used to help supply central heating and domestic hot water. The service aims to maximise efficiency and ensure that the full benefits of solar thermal heating are realised through SAP and the latest Part L.These solar collectors exploit both visible and infra-red light from the Sun with a thermal efficiency of over 80%.

Contributing to the stunning restoration of an architect-designed pub refurbishment on the banks of the River Dee in Chester is air conditioning installed by local contractor Bostock Air Conditioning.

The efficiency of modern air conditioning and its ability to exploit renewable energy make it part of the solution to reducing carbon emissions — not part of the problem. Philip Ord explains.

A variety of low-to-zero-carbon technologies and equipment to exploit renewable energy for domestic heating is available from Applied Energy with its Creda and Stiebel Eltron product ranges. The company also offers design and support services for specifiers, developers and installers.

Two oil-fired condensing boilers have been installed in a Grade 2 listed building in Yorkshire to provide space heating and domestic hot water. Supplied by Atlantic Boilers, they use outside air for combustion and achieve an annual efficiency of at least 92% and up to 99%. which is said to be 40% better than conventional modern boilers and up to 20% better than conventional condensing boilers. Flue-gas temperatures are always below 50°C, so low-cost plastic flues can be used.

Some 50 to 60% of the annual requirement for domestic hot water in a nursing home at Doncaster is met by a Vaillant solar systems — significantly reducing carbon emissions.

For some time, major boiler companies have been exploiting heat-pump technology to develop new approaches to heating. Now a major air-conditioning company has done the same — and produced assessments of the potential of this technology for reducing carbon-dioxide emissions.

Derek Duffill reflects on the role that building-management systems can play in saving energy and reducing a building’s carbon footprint.

A reliable and cost-effective method of satisfying the boiler bypass requirements of Good Practice Guide 302 to Part L1 of the Building Regulations for England and Wales is provided by an automatic bypass valve from Honeywell.

Tony Barnes believes the British are hot on the heels of ground-source heat-pump technology.

Priva Building Intelligence has eliminated the need for boilers and chillers in its new headquarters in The Netherlands by integrating an underground thermal storage system (UTES) into the design for the 8200 m2 building. Previous installations have shown that such a system can reduce energy costs by 40 to 80%.

One of the first UK installations of a Viessmann Vitolig biomass boiler is in a house in Cheam.

EC Power moves to boost take-up of small-scale CHP

A continuing programme of improvements by Honeywell Building Solutions (HBS) at BMW’s vehicle distribution centre at Thorne near Doncaster is aimed at saving energy and enhancing the environmental credentials of the centre. HBS used data from BMW and feedback from its 8-strong maintenance team on site to create a control solution to help identify and eliminate waste at the centre.

Mike Lamb considers how increasing awareness of the importance of renewable energy adds to the importance of underfloor heating.

Keith Westcott argues that the current boom in demand for underfloor heating makes good engineering based design even more crucial to maximise comfort and efficiency.

Graham Richardson explains the importance of controls in enabling underfloor heating to enable the heat generators that deliver hot water to operate at maximum efficiency.

Underfloor heating has been chosen for a ground-breaking zero-carbon house project in the Shetland Islands. The project aims to show how an holistic approach to renewable energy can eliminate household carbon emissions. The Osma underfloor heating system is supplied with hot water by an air-to-water heat pump, which also provides domestic hot water via a heat store.

Electric underfloor heating mats from Creda are only 3 mm thick and can be used with any type of flooring — including ceramic tiles, carpet, laminate or wooden floors. They can used for new build or refurbishment projects in homes. Benefits include low capital cost and easy installation. They gently emit heat to provide an even, draught-free and warm environment. Temperatures are regulated by a wall-mounted multi-controlling thermostat that allows for 7-day programming.

Using renewable energy can reduce carbon emissions and deliver savings on fuel bills. Bill McConnel explains how underfloor heating can reinforce these energy efficiencies.

The capabilities of underfloor heating for delivering comfort using less energy than other forms of heating are increasingly being recognised — especially with the latest Building Regulations requiring new buildings to have a carbon footprint around 25% less than a similar building designed to the 2002 Building Regulations.

Carpets and underlay with a combined rating of 2.5 Tog can be used with underfloor heating without impairing its efficiency, according to tests carried out by the Underfloor Heating Manufacturers’ Association. The results are said to prove that the old maximum of 1.5 Tog is too low.

There are huge business opportunities for the building-services sector in delivering the aspirations of politicians — but the industry must ensure it has the necessary skills, says HVCA President Mike McCloskey.

In preparation for the Building Regulations coming into full effect in April, manufacturers in the industry have been developing products and systems to meet the requirements for energy efficiency and renewable energy.

With the building-services industry continually faced with a chronic shortage of graduate engineers, CIBSE launched its Student Bursary Scheme three years ago. It provides a means for companies and organisations in the industry to do their bit for the future of the industry — including Modern Building Services.

To the ever-growing number of people in the building-services industry who fully appreciate just how much can be achieved with energy-efficient plant and systems in dramatically reducing the energy consumption of buildings and their associated carbon-dioxide emissions, it will come as a culture shock to be reminded that there are plenty of people who do not. In this day and age when all forms of printed and broadcast media are constantly covering the threat of global warming — or at least blaming it for any weather that is perceived to be at all abnormal — can there really be responsible people out there who do not accept that good engineering can readily deliver energy savings of 25 to 30% and more, as highlighted in the link below?

A section for those qualified in the use of building-simulation software is being added to CIBSE’s register of low-carbon consultants. It will be launched at the institution’s national conference in London on 24 and 25 April.

The £6.5 million contract for the installation of M&E services for a major project in central Manchester has been awarded to the Manchester office of SES. It is for the Piccadilly Place 3 office development and follows the successful completion of £3.6 million of M&E installation works at Piccadilly Place 2, which is the new home of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, with principal contractor Carillion.

Ruskin Air Management has moved the sales office of the Air Diffusion division to new premises in Welwyn Garden City. The new office handles all enquiries for Air Diffusion air-terminal devices.

Significant cost savings across construction could be achieved by setting up project bank accounts, according to a survey of companies operating in the specialist engineering sector.

Kier Building Services Engineers is building on work at Uxbridge Business Park with the winning of a £2.5 million contract for the design-and-build provision of M&E services for plot 3. The company has been appointed for the category A installation of services for this 3-storey 8400 m2 office building for developer Arlington, following the completion of work on the previous two plots.

Danfoss and Cylon Controls have signed an agreement that will see the Danfoss VLT HVAC drive integrated into Cylon’s Unitron UC32 building and energy management system. Cylon will also sell this drive through its network of 80 approved system integrators.

LG has been confirmed as the global leader in air conditioning — for the seventh consecutive year in a row. Over 10 million air-conditioning units were shipped by the company last year, for the third year in a row.

A wind farm with 140 turbines to supply 500 MW has been confirmed by Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Trade & Industry. The Greater Gabbard scheme 23 km off the Suffolk coast has the potential to meet more than the entire demand of Suffolk and will cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 1.5 Mt a year. The project is being developed by two companies — Airtricity and Fluor.

Concerns that the savings promised by energy-efficient power and heating systems are too good to be true are leading to some business and public-sector organisations turning their backs on them — according to Paul Hamblyn, head of market-development company Ener-G. He says, ‘Some organisations view the energy-efficiency issue and the well-proven and successful technologies that go with it as a “black art”.’

If the UK’s house-building aims are to be achieved by 2016, experts from across the construction industry must work together now to share experience, innovation and best practice and expand the collective knowledge essential to deliver the Government’s carbon-saving objectives.

Continuing rapid expansion since Atag Heating UK was established four years ago has enabled it to move to extensive new premises in Chichester. The new UK headquarters has been purpose designed within an existing shell to provide space and facilities for the next stage of the company’s development.

Nicky Gavron, Deputy Mayor of London, will deliver the keynote speech on the first day of CIBSE’s national conference in London on 24 and 25 April. Raising the issue of how cities can help tackle climate change and how London itself is rising to the challenge, she will discuss how integrated and holistic approaches can achieve high standards of sustainable building design.

In the run-up to the introduction of the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007, the Construction Confederation and the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group have signed a statement of intent to work together to further improve health and safety on site.

Dalkia, which specialises in the management of technical facilities and energy, has been appointed to jointly handle all the facilities management within site services at Sellafield in West Cumbria. The appointment for the site, which cover about two square miles, was made by British Nuclear Group.

CIBSE has urged DEFRA to remain focused on the technical aspects of reducing carbon emissions rather than moving the emphasis onto a form of emissions-trading scheme ‘cap and trade’. Such an approach, believes CIBSE, would move the responsibility of reducing carbon emissions away from building managers to financial managers, so placing too much emphasis on financial, not carbon, savings.

The Newcastle office of Atkins is delivering architecture, engineering and project-management services for a £4.2 million innovative research facility at Durham University.

Designed to promote collaborative and integrated working, the new JCT/Constructing Excellence contract was formally launched by Sir Michael Latham earlier this month (March 2007). This new contract form has been developed by JCT and Constructing Excellent and aims to provide a single contract form to regulate all the relationships involved in a project — making the delivery of the project the joint mission of the entire project team.

Hornagold & Hills has completed the construction of the new James Black Centre at King’s College, London. The company was responsible for project management, contract management and client’s representative support on this £30 million, 4-year project.

Hong Kong Airport Authority has awarded Colt International what the company believes may be the largest order for natural smoke ventilation in the world in the last year. Natural smoke ventilation designed and supplied by Colt replaced the mechanical system in the original design and gives significant performance and cost advantages.

The most recent changes to the Twickenham stadium involve the redevelopment of the South Stand to increase capacity from 74 000 to 82 000 and provide new changing rooms, hospitality boxes, bars and restaurants. Grundfos Pumps worked with consultant Ove Arup and contractor Lorne Stewart to provide two booster sets to ensure there is sufficient water available to meets guests’ needs.

Hotel company Travelodge is working with a manufacturer of scale inhibitors to optimise the efficiency of its boilers. WaterMATIC’s Kal-Guard+ electrolytic scale inhibitor is being trialled at the Travelodge hotel in Hemel Hempstead, an area with particularly hard water.

Two penthouses and 32 apartments in Baltimore House, part of the Battersea Reach residential and commercial development by St George Plc, include Daikin VRV heat-recovery air conditioning among their numerous facilities and fittings. The systems were installed by Daikin D1 installer Air Cool Engineering Systems.

Potential stars of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, along with university students and local school children, are already taking advantage of the flagship £7 million indoor sports facility at Brunel University. Their performance is matched by the Nor-Ray-Vac continuous radiant-tube heating systems from Ambi-Rad.

Precise environmental control for the production of £multi-million satellites at EADS Astrium is controlled by a Cylon BMS — along with lighting, ventilation, air conditioning and heating throughout the entire site.

With temperatures in the cutting area of BLP UK, a volume manufacturer of MDF wrapped profiles and membrane press cabinet doors, exceeding an ambient temperature of 23°C by 15 K, industrial heating and cooling company Air Plants recommending a Breezair evaporative cooler to improve thermal comfort.

Energy-efficient air conditioning for the latest Abode hotel in the UK, in Glasgow, is provided by a Mitsubishi Electric City Multi system with units in bedrooms activated by the door entry system.

A wireless analogue fire-detection system is providing temporary protection for the outpatients clinics at a hospital in Scotland while the clinics are being refurbished.

Boilers at the University of the West of England in Bristol are being replaced with Hamworthy Purewell VariHeat condensing boilers with cast-iron sections as part of a programme of upgrading plantrooms. Four of six plantrooms have been upgraded — and energy savings are already apparent.

10 years ago, Newcastle City Council began installing Oventrop Hydromat differential-pressure regulators in dwellings on its Byker estate to facilitate hydronic balancing and eliminate system noise. The valves are said to have given trouble-free operation ever since.

The 2012 Olympic Games in London has already generated business for Integrated Controls Systems. The company has won the fast-track contract to design and install the controls for offices being used by the London Development Agency, the regeneration agency laying the foundations for the games.

The heating and hot-water systems for Romford’s new £261 million Queen’s Hospital are powered by four Riello industrial burners with a capacity of 6 MW. These Monobloc dual-fuel burners are installed on 4.1 MW steel hot-water boilers. Riello also supplied four gas boosters.

Both maintenance and running costs of lighting at Blue Diamond Engineering in County Durham have been reduced following the installation of a new lighting system by Parkersell. The project qualified for a Action Energy Loan from the Carbon Trust; this scheme is targeted at SMEs in England and Wales and offers interest-free loans that are repayable over a negotiable period.

When light fittings were replaced throughout the headquarters of international marketing company Dunnhumby in west London, the existing wiring had to be retained under the tenancy agreement. However, flexible control of lighting has been achieved using Ex-Or managed lighting systems, enabling the networked lighting control system to be integrated with the existing wiring.

The low noise levels of McQuay’s ALS XN air-cooled chillers with screw compressors was a key factor in their specification for what will be one of the largest healthcare facilities in the UK.

Temperatures exceeding 35°C in the warehouse of Nisbets, a specialist in commercial catering equipment, have been reduced to a much more comfortable 24°C by installing evaporative cooling.

Hattersley valves have been exclusively used throughout the new headquarters of the Cleveland Police in Middlesbrough to control all LTHW and chilled-water systems. The valves used include commissioning sets, butterfly and Metrex valves and strainers.

To enable the sports hall at Marymount International School in Kingston upon Thames to be used for examinations and large social functions, as well as sport, warm-air heating with the warm air distributed through a perforated PVC duct has been installed.

When Scorpion Security wanted to avoid the risk of power failures rendering its remote monitoring equipment unable to function, it turned to its namesake — Scorpion Power Systems — to include a 8 kVA low-noise automatic mains-failure generator system.

Using a range of press-fit and push-fit fittings for pipework from Yorkshire for a new development of apartments and houses in Warwick has avoided the need for a hot-works permit and proved much quicker than soldering or brazing joints.

Faced with its traditional storage system for hot water being unable to cope with demand at peak times, a holiday centre in north Wales has installed Rinnai Infinity continuous-flow water heaters fuelled by LPG.

Following its entry into the UK air-conditioning market last year, Vaillant has enlarged its product offering with the launch of a VRF range.

Described by Ridi as a highly distinctive and stylish suspended luminaire, the Vision-Viva is designed for commercial offices, schools, hospitals and all types of public environment. It has a novel daylight-effect panel design and is supplied with Philips ActiViva lamps to ‘energise’ the lit surroundings. These luminaires have been created by Storp Design of Germany.

Menvier’s Evoled range of exit signs minimise the requirements for maintenance by using LED lamps with a life of 60 000 h.

Lochinvar has applied condensing technology to gas-fired water heaters with the launch of the TurboCharger range. It combines all the well known and tried-and-tested features of the established Charger series — but with the benefit of condensing technology. TurboCharger units work on the proven principles of low storage and fast recovery of hot water. They extract otherwise wasted heat using a triple-pass flue design to achieve net efficiencies of up to 109%. Five models have recovery rates of 698 to 1613 l/h through 44 K and storage of 230 and 380 l. The room-sealed combustion design allows for a great deal of installation flexibility and overcomes the potential problems of open-flued appliances in negative-pressure areas such as commercial kitchens and allows installation close to point of use. The pre-mix power burner contributes to high efficiency and low NOx emissions, while the submerged heat exchanger reduces heat loss. Noise is less than 52 dB(A). A factory-fitted Correx Electrical system protects against corrosion from electrolytic action. Enquiry Number 123

Ideal Boilers has added four models to its Imax xtra range of high-efficiency condensing boilers to meet increasing demand for high-efficiency condensing boilers with outputs from 320 to 560 kW, in 80 kW increments.

Mitsubishi Electric air-conditioning can now be controlled from a PC screen using a display that looks and behaves just like a G50 controller.

KSB’s Etabloc range of close-coupled pumps are now available for delivery in 24 h. These pumps are designed for varied building-services applications, including heating and air-conditioning systems in offices, hospitals, hotels and department stores. They can also handle potable water.

New colour, new finishes and new features and benefits are all part of LG’s Art Cool collection for 2007. These uncluttered and stylish indoor units take cooling and heating (using a heat pump) into the realms of the indoor design accessory.

Aico's Firecap CFS100 series of recessed fan and vent sleeves is designed to restore the fire rating of ceilings penetrated by recessed ceiling fans and ventilation ducts.

The latest range of Econoflame commercial and industrial boilers from Stokvis Energy Systems exceed the requirements of Part L, and many are included in the scheme for Enhanced Capital Allowances. They are also made from totally recyclable materials.

The latest range of Econoflame commercial and industrial boilers from Stokvis Energy Systems exceed the requirements of Part L, and many are included in the scheme for Enhanced Capital Allowances. They are also made from totally recyclable materials.

Buderus has introduced its GB162 range of commercial, wall-hung gas-fired condensing boilers to the UK. There are two outputs, 80 and 100 kW, and boilers can be combined in a cascade system to provide up to 800 kW of heat, making them a useful solution for replacing out-of-date and inefficient heating technology in applications such as schools, offices and hotels. These boilers can be readily integrated into existing heating systems since they do not require a minimum flow. They can modulate down to 19 kW.

Carrier Air Conditioning has introduced six gas-fired rooftop packaged air conditioners. They use R407C as the refrigerant and are designed to replace products using R22. They can directly replace time-served existing units — fitting into exactly the same space and requiring no new ductwork, pipework, electrical connections or even roof curbs.

To enable the benefits of prefabricated boiler plant to be exploited in plant rooms with restricted access and awkward layouts, Potterton has devised a modular approach.

Daikin Europe’s ceiling-mounted Roundflow air-conditioning cassette delivers air in a 360° radial pattern. It is available in thin-body (214 mm) and high-COP variants for integration with Sky Air systems and thin-body for use with VRV systems.

Durapipe has developed an integrated system of plastics pipes, fittings and valves for chilled-water and boosted-cold-water applications.

Airedale’s Easicool range now includes a DX water-cooled version with the addition of a optional integral plate heat exchanger, creating a completely packaged, pre-charged DX water-cooled system within the unit.