Making a proper business case is the key to progressing with integrated building automation, says JEROEN MULDER . The benefits are improved productivity and reduced costs.

An asset-management suite from AMX includes building asset management and room-scheduling packages.

With the rising costs of utilities and increasingly stringent Government regulations on energy, facilities managers need to overcome increasing challenges to ensure their buildings are managed efficiently and cost effectively. RICHARD HIPKISS explains how an intelligent building system can help achieve these goals.

RAJESH SINHA explains how the IP network that is ubiquitous in new buildings provides the key to intelligent buildings.

One of the first schools to benefit from an intelligent system to integrate its services is the newly built St Benedict’s primary school and community centre in Glasgow. It uses Schneider Electric’s T-BIS system.

The very many people who play important roles in the building-services industry and are not members of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers now have the opportunity to join CIBSE and enjoy numerous opportunities to help them perform their jobs better and develop professionally.

The president of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, DONALD LEEPER, and its president–elect, DAVID HUGHES, are so enthusiastic about the benefits of CIBSE membership that they want more people to enjoy them and bring their expertise to the cause of better serviced buildings and addressing the environmental issues associated with buildings.

Recent legislation means that sacrificing energy efficiency to cut costs is no longer an option in building projects. In many cases, however, money can be saved without sacrifice by using an efficient and effective building-management system (BMS). ALAN ASHMORE explains.

With construction projects continually becoming more complex, how can they be validated ready for handover? MIKE WATSON has a solution.

Behind all those SEDBUCK A and B ratings and seasonal-efficiency figures for boilers is a comprehensive programme of performance testing. DR ARNOLD TEEKARAM explains how it all works.

Cast-iron boilers have a big future says BOB WALSH. Investment in the latest technology has ensured that the cast-iron boilers available today are more than up to the job required of them.

Modulating boilers and high efficiency heat exchangers have altered the face of commercial heating and hot water installations, says PAUL SANDS

In the long term, any real policy of sustainability needs to include a move to fuels that do not deplete the world’s irreplaceable reserve of fossil fuels. IAN DAGLEY considers the benefits of wood as a carbon-neutral fuel.

Domestic hot water stored at 60°C or more and condensing water heaters (where the return temperature has to be below about 55°C) might seem a paradox. So how can condensing water heaters be included in the Government’s Energy Technology List. PAUL MARSDON explains.

Support for the Government’s efforts to reduce smoking has been declared by the Air Cleaner Manufacturers Association, which also says that it does not believe a total smoking ban is workable. In a report submitted to the team responsible for smoking legislation at the Department of Health, ACMA points out that air cleaning provides a ‘middle way’ that provides comfort and clean air for both smokers and non-smokers.

Consulting engineers Martin Clowes Associates (MCA) has renamed itself elementa consulting as part of a branding initiative to reflect its expanding portfolio of building services and design and project-management solutions. The 20-year-old practice has offices in Surrey and Oxon. Its client list includes Accor, Allied London, Infracare, Dixons and Starbucks, as well as leading architectural practices..

Johnson Controls is to acquire York International for a sum of about $3.2 billion.

Providing the heated environment for around 2500 semi-tropical plants in the award-winning Winter Garden in Sheffield is an underfloor heating system provided by Velta to a brief by Buro Happold.

A call for anyone hiring air-conditioning contractors to exercise caution in the light of possible industry confusion about refrigerant-handling legislation and the reclassification of refrigerants as hazardous waste has been made by REFCOM, the register of companies competent to handle refrigerants in the UK.

Steady improvements in key building sectors of the construction industry are reported in the largest figures from the Department of Trade & Industry. The figures are for work to the second quarter of 2005.

Cogeneration specialist Ener.G Combined Power has acquired the business and assets of Petbow Cogeneration, formerly owned by Centrica. In recent years, Ener.G has provided maintenance for Petbow’s installed base of up to 80 units with electrical outputs from 56 to 800 kW.

New public buildings are increasingly being constructed using external wall-insulation systems, which is one of the fastest growing building techniques in the UK — according to the Insulated Render & Cladding Association.

Consultancy and engineering businesses in the built and natural environment are performing well and are optimistic about the future, according to a state-of-business report from the Association for Consultancy & Engineering.

Half-year figures from Grundfos Group show sales growing at 7 to 8% over last year, a rate that is expected to continue for the rest of 2005. The growth comes from the Far East, Eastern Europe, North America and Western Europe.

The UK market for solar photo-voltaics has fallen well behind other countries, according to figures from the International Energy Agency.

Using wool from hill breeds of sheep with coarse wools to produce thermal insulation for buildings has won a prestigious ward for a company in Cumbria. Second Nature of Penrith makes high-quality insulation from this wool under the trade name Thermafleece. As an environmentally preferable alternative to conventional insulation products, it has aroused much interest, particularly in rural areas where renewable products such as wool are a vital part of a sheep farmer’s livelihood.

The development of the Windcatcher natural-ventilation system and SunPipe natural-lighting system by Monodraught over the last 10 years have led to the company’s managing director Terry Payne being appointed a Special Professor in Building Services Engineering at the School of the Built Environment in Nottingham University.

New homes are emitting 6000 t more carbon dioxide a year than they should be by not complying with minimum standards for air tightness, according to a report by the Energy Saving Trust. That figure is estimated to add £650 000 to heating bills a year.

The role of micro-generation in the UK’s future energy strategy is to be examined by the Energy Saving Trust.

An absorption chiller supplied by McQuay UK for a project at the University of East Anglia (UAE) utilises waste heat from the university’s CHP system during the summer and mid-season periods to produce up to 1000 kW of chilled water without using harmful refrigerants.

All valves for heating, cooling and domestic services for two new buildings at the Royal Navy’s HMS Collingwood establishment in Fareham have been supplied by Oventrop. Warspite and the Personnel Administration Centre at the Navy’s School of Communications & Weapons Engineering are part of an ongoing programme of expansion.

Environmental comfort for patients of a chiropractic clinic in Wilton has been improved following the installation of a Carrier XPower system. The practice is based in a small historic building in the centre of Wilton. It is of predominantly wooden construction and retains heat. Comfort cooling was decided on to improve conditions for patients in the treatment room and the reception area.

To enable plumbing work in the apartment block of the Macintosh Village development in Manchester to be staged, SAV developed pre-assembled controls centres for plumbing, heating and potable-water services based on its well-proven commissioning module. Sales director Jan Hansen explains, ‘There is no need to plumb out complete individual plumbing and heating systems in apartment blocks like the Green Building.’

A geothermal combined heating and cooling system for the Lewis Glucksman Art Gallery at University College in Cork is served by two heat pumps supplied by York International.

To overcome space pressures and achieve low noise levels for air conditioning serving the Radisson SAS Hotel at Stansted Airport, Airedale has supplied two super-quiet Ultima remote air-cooled chillers.

All the air-handling units for the 170 m Spinnaker Tower alongside Portsmouth’s historic harbour have been supplied by VES Andover.

Trox multi-service chilled beams have been used extensively in the refurbishment of a 3-storey building dating from 1986 to provide new offices for building-services consultancy Roger Preston & Partners in Maidenhead.

Separate heating systems for each floor of two new buildings at Central Sussex College (formerly Crawley College) have all boiler and ancillary controls, as well as system regulating and commissioning valves, supplied by Oventrop.

Obsolescent pressure-jet boilers serving two linked sheltered housing schemes in Marlow have been replaced by two Broag high-efficiency condensing boilers with intelligent controls and 100% pre-mix combustion. Fully modulating burners offer high economies at part or full load. The sheltered housing is run by Wycombe District Council.

To cater for larger demands for domestic hot water, A. O. Smith now offers two Cyclone BFC fully condensing water heaters. They have outputs of 82 and 100 kW and efficiencies up to 96%.

The decentralisation of boiler houses at the Daresbury Laboratory of CCLRC near Warrington has been completed using Broag boilers worth around £145 000.

Unvented hot-water storage systems, long popular in the domestic market, are growing in popularity for commercial buildings — according to Heatrae Sadia.

Rinnai has added smaller-capacity models to its Infinity range of continuous-flow water heaters. These units provide a continuous flow of temperature-controlled hot water for as long as required. They are fed direct from the mains and do not require a storage system.

Derriford Hospital in Plymouth has reduced the cost of generating domestic hot water by £51 000 a year following the installation of a new system based around five Boss plate heat exchangers made by Alfa Laval for BSS.

Recent additions to Lochinvar’s range of copper-fin gas-fired water heaters and boilers and the Intelli-fin and Power-fin products.

Tacanova has been appointed exclusive UK distributor for the Danfoss Redan product range for providing heating and DHW in community heating schemes and large apartment blocks.

Dimplex offers a range of nearly 40 models of electric water heaters. They all have features to reduce limescale and corrosion, including stainless-steel elements and tanks.

Seeley International has added to its range of evaporative coolers with the launch of a unit for heavy-duty industrial applications and providing air flows of up to 32 400 m3/h. They are designed for applications with high static pressure and/or where there is complex ductwork. RPX900 coolers provide low-cost, low-energy cooling with minimal maintenance.

To help detect poor insulation or water ingress in buildings, FLIR Systems has developed a camera with a sensitivity of less than 0.1 K over the range –20 to +55°C. Evidence of poor insulation or water ingress can amount to a temperature variation of only 3 or 4 K above or below the norm. Until now its sensitivity of 0.08 K has been the preserve of the company’s ThermaCAM B20 infra-red camera.

Lennox has developed a control module to maximise the performance of all its rooftop air conditioners and chillers. The Climatic 50 module enables Lennox Flexy and Baltic rooftops and EcoLogic, MCW and MCB chillers to be linked or connected to a building-management system via Modbus or LonTalk interfaces.

A software tool developed by BRE and commissioned by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will help those developing and designing buildings with the complex task of assessing their energy performance — a task that will soon be essential.

Airedale’s new remote electronic expansion valve (REEV) brings the efficiency and control of electronic expansion valves to split systems, providing stable and accurate control of the refrigeration system superheat.

Wilo’s has introduced a new range of electronically regulated glanded pumps for large technical installations. They can be used for hot-water, air conditioning and cooling, and the operating modes can be set separately for heating and air-conditioning applications.

A compact steam humidifier with an output of 90 kg/h has been introduced by JS Humidifiers. The Neptronic SKG has a footprint of 610 by 560 mm.

Cooper Lighting has introduced a wall-mounting uplighter that is designed to aid compliance with CIBSE’s recently introduced LG7 lighting guide. The Crompton Reef range provides excellent illumination of ceilings and walls to enhance the visual environment in a wide variety of applications.

A control system to improve the efficiency of existing constant-volume air-conditioning systems has been introduced by Carrier. The 3V control system used by the latest variable-volume and variable-speed technology has been packaged as a stand-alone retrofit system for the refurbishment market.

The Espace wireless alarm system from Daitem is said to be the largest totally wire-free alarm system on the UK market. A system can comprise up to 80 alarm points and eight separate partitions.

ebm-papst UK has redesigned the impeller on its RER and RG160 range of DC blowers to comply with European Directive 2002/95.RG (RoHS), which prohibits the use of lead for balancing fan impellers.

Trox has developed a variable-air-volume system (VAV) specifically designed for laboratories where the responsive control of air is critical. LabControl uses co-ordinated hardware and software to maximise safety, while being easy to use and generating savings in capital cost, installation time and costs and maintenance.

Powrmatic’s NV range of suspended gas-fired unit heaters have a tubular heat exchanger and automatic ignition in-shot gas-fired burners, features that combine to give a combustion efficiency of 92%.

Trox UK and Star Refrigeration have developed a cooling solution for blade servers based on liquid carbon dioxide. Its method of heat transfer can cope with cooling loads of up to 30 kW per cabinet, with a 30% reduction in running costs compared with air or water solutions.

Addvent has extended its Professional range of commercial fans and restyled them to make then more discreet by incorporating the internal shutters into the grille to reduce the profile. The external grille has also been redesigned and moulded in dark grey to make it less obtrusive and easier to clean.

A range of fan-coil units using electronically commutated fan motors has been introduced by Ability Projects. Available as 2- and 4- pipe versions, they use ebm-papst’s high-efficiency DC motor technology, which offers infinitely variable speed.

The HeatSafe range of self-regulating electric heating cables is now available in the north of England through HeatSafe Cable Systems (Northern) as a main distributor.

Delrac’s RAS series of air-cooled chillers comprises 12 models with cooling capacities from 330 to 660 kW. Each model has two semi-hermetic reciprocating compressors and two separate cooling circuits. They are offered with R407C and R134a refrigerant.

Vaisala’s Humicap HMT100 series of humidity and temperature transmitters have 2-wire loop-powered or 3-wire voltage-output configurations, an interchangeable probe and optional display. They have been developed for monitoring temperature and humidity in demanding HVAC applications.

Prefabricated shells to prevent condensation on the housings of pumps in cold-water applications such as air conditioning are now offered by Wilo (UK).