Prescriptive regulations for boiler plant in commercial buildings will not always lead to the most efficient heating system being installed. There are many factors to be considered, as GRAHAM WILLIAMSON explains.

Building-services engineers have fought shy of installing variable speed drives or inverters in the past, but GUY KENNETTsays that their apprehensions are based on older technologies. He also admits that few drives engineers have taken the trouble to understand the needs of environmental installations.

Comfort technology based on radiant heating and cooling is more energy efficient than just controlling air temperature, according to a major Italian company, which is now bringing its underfloor heating technology to the UK.

Air conditioning and passive ventilation both have important contributions to make to the comfort of buildings. Now those contributions have been combined and increased by two companies working together to exploit the benefits of mixed-mode cooling.

More hot summers, financial and regulatory pressures of increasing energy prices and the political determination to improve energy efficiency are all problems that can yield to the capabilities of intelligent building-management systems. TED SCHEIDEGGER explains.

As part of efforts to reduce fuel bills by Portsmouth City Teaching Primary Care Trust Estates & Facilities Services, Keston Boilers is supplying equipment for heating and hot-water requirements. The scope of projects includes special-needs care home, day hospitals and health centres.

To help meet requirements for maximum heating efficiency with low emissions for the new Pier 6 development at Gatwick Airport, NG Bailey has installed Ultramax gas-fired condensing boilers from MHS boilers. To meet the fluctuating heating requirement of this project, the heat output of these boilers is fully variable down to 25% of full output.

Danfoss has prepared a CD-ROM that provides comprehensive guidance on the control and application of AC drives in the HVCA sector. HVAC Planet is available free and supersedes the HVACity CD.

To help building proprietors and managers comply with legislation on the energy performance of buildings and carbon-dioxide emissions, Andrews Water heaters is continuing its development of condensing technology.

Such is the use made of renewable energy sources in a 420 m2 home in Gloucestershire, that a Hepworth Hep2O underfloor heating and domestic-hot-water installation is expected to have total running cots of £65 a year, Heating costs are calculated at £50 a year, with a further £15 for hot water.

Airedale has added compact 5 and 6.5 kW models to its Ecotel Indoor range of packaged, free-cooling for telecom exchanges, base stations, cabins and shelters, as well as ISPs and computer rooms.

Ensuring that electrical installations in commercial buildings comply with regulations requires a planned programme of inspection and testing. ANDRE DUFAYE outlines what is involved.

The changing nature of electrical installations is reducing their natural impedance, so that higher short-circuit currents occur. DAVID PITT and CHRIS SMITH explain the consequences.

Concealing electrical cables is either messy work or lacks elegance. DAVE MILBOURNE explains another approach.

How much protection against electromagnetic interference does data cabling need? MATTHEW WAYS explains describes how independent tests confound common sense.

Pacemaker high-bay luminaires and Tufflite luminaires have been supplied by Cooper Lighting & Security for the maintenance deport of the Nottingham Express Transit tramway. This is the first tram service to operate in Nottingham since 1936 and carried 8.4 million passengers in its first year — well ahead of target.

Ex-Or has expanded its Connect range of purpose-designed connection systems for lighting installations with the launch of Connect Ultra-Lite.

Armorduct has expanded its range of stainless-steel conduit and fittings for use in kitchens, food factories, health-car facilities and laboratory environments.

A new range of electrical distribution boards from Schneider Electric incorporates features to avoid installation errors.

Over 5000 electrical components are covered in Wieland Electric’s new building installation catalogue. They are part of the Gesis system, with all components from the distribution unit to the consumer device being plug-in

To provide power for a mobile cardiac catheter laboratory at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, power support company Merlin Power Management delivered a 200 kVA standby generator overnight.

With an immovable deadline for the Olympic Games in 2012, the construction industry — and the services sector in particular — cannot afford to be short of the required skills.

There is much to be gained when those responsible for designing buildings and those who will subsequently manage them, facilities managers, work together from concept stage. GEOFF PRUDENCE how an initiative by two industry bodies will encourage this.

How well is your building operated and maintained? Those questions can be difficult to answer in isolation, but PADDY HASTINGS describes a scheme to enable companies offering such services, and their clients, to compare their performance.

Multi-disciplinary consulting engineer Gifford has been appointed as part of the design team for a new museum to house the hull of the Mary Rose. The commission follows earlier engineering work undertaken by the practice relating to preserving the hull of Henry VIII’s flagship.

When facilities-management Emcor UK needed to upgrade its analogue control system, its systems specialist Independent Building Solutions recommended Priva Building Intelligence.

An intelligent means of venting smoke in the event of a fire for Building 1000 at the Royals Business Park office development has been designed, installed and commissioned by SE Controls. This is one of the first buildings to be completed in this part of the massive regeneration programme at London’s Royal Albert Dock.

The integrity of the emergency-lighting the in the new £4 million Whitefriars sport and recreation centre has been achieved with the installation of a FasteLink computer-addressable fully automatic self-testing system from P4. The system provides a reliable, simple and rapid response to any maintenance requirement for this 2-storey building.

As part of the relocation of 750 BBC staff, equipment and assets from Pebble Mill to a predominantly open-plant environment at the Mailbox in the heart of Birmingham, Andrews Sykes provided three 500 kW chillers to meet the cooling needs of the building during fit-out.

A continuous radiant-tube heating system positioned at high level in the 22 m roof of Ryanair’s new hangar at Prestwick airport ensures night-shift workers are kept warm despite open doorways and cold winds.

Faced with demanding noise requirements for the Wales Millennium Centre, almost every one of 39 air-handling units supplied by Carrier had to be factory tested and certificated. The heart of this project is the auditorium of the Donald Gordan Theatre, which can seat over 1800 people. Other spaces include foyers, rehearsal rooms, studios, the orchestra pit, control rooms, visitor facilities and offices.

To provide background heating to maintain the conditioning of bright engineering steels stored in the Waterbeach depot of Parker Steel, Reznor V3 gas-fired heaters have been installed.

The successful installation of a Fujitsu VRF air-conditioning system by Force One Air Conditioning at the Watford showroom of Anthony Betts Motor Group has led to a second showroom installation at the refurbished Hemel Hempstead branch.

Underfloor heating in an extension to a nursery combines safety with comfort. The Even-Heat system serves a 400 m2 single-storey extension to St Peter’s Church of England School at Wallsend, which provides nursery and pre-school facilities for children up to four years old.

If punters in William Hill betting shops get hot under the collar, that will not be due the air conditioning. Ensuring that a comfortable, conditioned environment is maintained in the company’s betting offices in the South East is now the task of Eaton-Williams Service, which secured this contract following an invitation to tender.

The first phase of a renewal programme to provide up-to-date heating and hot-water for Preston City Council’s domestic accommodation has been completed with the installation of over 400 Remeha Selecta combi condensing boilers.

Faced with the requirements when installing central-heating controls in family living areas of a stately home in Devon not to damage historic decorations, no cable holes and no visible wiring, Honeywell wireless programmable thermostats provided the solution.

Underfloor heating and cooling is being included in its most prestigious projects by Cheshire developer Hillcrest Homes.

Trane’s new range of CLCE air-handling units has been developed from the CLCP range launched in 2003 following research among consultants, contractors and maintenance companies. Among the improvements is the inclusion on name plates of motor power, external static pressure, and air flow.

A range of high-efficiency bag filters from Jasun Filtration for general heating and air-conditioning applications have low flammability. They are made from Class 1 fire-retardant media to meet DIN 53 438 Teil 3. These filters are available from grade F6 to F9 in a number of sizes.

The latest addition to Viessmann’s boiler range is aimed at low-budget projects.

The ElectroVap MC electrode boiler humidifier from JS Humidifiers can now be used in a master/slave system of up to 11 units to deliver up to 900 kg/h of steam to an air-handling system.

The outdoor units of LG’s Multi M multi-split air-conditioning system uses two compressors operating at 40 and 60%, rather than conventional ones working at 100%. This approach allows for energy savings of up to 35%.

Housings to hold all types of air filter in any configuration are available from Jasun Filtration. Designed for internal and external siting, Filbox filter housings are available in various models in a wide range of sizes and dimensions. They can hold a row of bag filters from 95 to 750 mm thick and can be bought with a row of panel filters installed.

The Chameleon warm-air curtain from Diffusion is described as offering an aesthetic solution for lobbies and entrance areas.

Accurate control of pumped riser pipes terminating into header tanks is provided by Hydraquip’s constant-flow flange CFF range fitted into pipe terminating flanges. This enables the delivery to the header to be accurately specified and the maximum delivery at any one time can be calculated, with the CFF being able to self compensate within ±10% through a pressure range from 1 to 10 bar.

Daikin has added new heat-pump and cooling-only versions to its VRVII range of R410A air-conditioning systems.

The Trident modular radiating-heating panel from Solray is designed to fit into standard 600 mm ceiling grids. It can be specified in short or long runs in buildings such as hospitals, schools and offices. The heat source is hot water, and these panels provide heating without occupying wall space.

Pre-insulated pipework from Armacell can be supplied with SAE flare fittings and other accessories. Armaflex Split and Duosplit pre-insulated pipework is designed for single-split and multi-split air-conditioning systems, reversible heat pumps, refrigeration systems and cold shelves.

A range of heating controls for tenanted properties has features to help landlords and tenants know that a boiler service is due. Drayton’s LPSi allows landlords to set service intervals and alert tenants when a service is due.

McQuay has introduced a range of water-source split-system reverse-cycle cooling units that separate the noise-generating compressor from the unit in the room and place it in a separate cabinet that can be located in a service area away from the conditioned room. This approach is well suited to hotels, offices and residential applications.

Thyristors from Sontay for controlling electric heater batteries in air-handling units can control single- and 3-phase heating loads.

York International has introduced a range of air-handling units for ultra-sensitive hygienic applications and environments such as hospitals, pharmaceutical factories, petrochemical plants and food-processing lines.

Sanyo has added a small, 2-pipe heat pump VRF system to its ECOi Mini range of small-capacity air-conditioning systems.

The Ace electric over-door heater from Diffusion is available with heating outputs of 3 or 6 kW. Both models can be run in fan-only mode. They are most effective in continuous operation and can be mounted up to 2.2 m high.

Balancing valves offering cost-efficient and reliable solutions for circuits with relatively low flow rates are available from Axio. The WattFlow Enterprise range also makes it easy to check and alter flow rates long after the system has been commissioned. The compact design of these valves is especially suited to balancing fan-coil installations.

Carrier now offers an integrated direct-expansion free-cooling system as a factory installed option in its Aquasnap Puron chillers. The system is available on models up to 500 kW of these R410A chillers.

IPPEC has further developed its underfloor-heating manifolds with built-in mixer and pump. They now have a miniature single-piece all-in-one manifold mixer and pump.

Airedale has added larger models to its EasiCool range. The new models offer cooling capacities from 25 to 60, so that the entire range extends from 5 to 60 kW.

While the erratic progress of the new Part L of the Building Regulations, which is not now expected to arrive until April 2006, may delay the legislative framework for reducing the energy consumption of buildings, this issue is one that should always concern building-services engineers. That, indeed, is the topic of the main feature in this issue of Modern Building Services.

The promotion of best practice in awarding the contracts for the £2.4 billion-worth of construction projects for the Olympic Games in London is being promoted by SEC Group to the authority delivering the games. SEC Group, which represents specialist engineering contractors, will be advising the authority to adhere to the recommendations of the recent report of the National Audit Office ‘Improving public services through better construction’.

Canary Wharf Group has received planning permission for its highest quality site remaining on the River Thames. The Riverside South scheme will comprise nearly 300 000 m2 of office and retail development.

To support the future development of high-efficiency condensing boilers, Baxi Potterton is to invest £3.5 million in a new aluminium production cell at is factory at Alfer in Lancashire. The new facility will produce aluminium heat exchangers.

GSH claims to have become the first major player in the facilities-management sector to join forces with the Forum for the Future as a foundation corporate partner. Business partners of Forum for the Future are selected for their commitment to continuous improvement of their environmental and social performance, in line with the charity’s focus on accelerating the transition to a sustainable way of life.

What is believed to be the largest order for fan-coil units placed with a UK manufacturer has been won by Trox. The 4000 units with water-side control will be made at the company’s Thetford factory and delivered over 14 weeks during the next few months.

Kingspan Insulation is meeting the sustainability requirements of legislation or best practice in most areas of its manufacturing operation — and moving beyond best practice in some. Those are the key findings of an appraisal of its site at Pembridge in Herefordshire carried out by Arup using its SPeAR tool (Sustainability Project Appraisal Routine).

Daikin’s new air-conditioning factory in Pilsen in the Czech Republic was officially opened on 14 July. The 32 200 m2 plant produces residential units for the growing market in southern Europe and will significantly reduce lead times. The factory has 650 employees, which is expected to grow to 1800 over the next few years.

Marty Wilson, a regional sales manager with Lennox, has become amateur kickboxing world champion in the 67 to 71 kg class with three international organisations.

The first presentation of the Commissioning Specialists Association best student award has been won by Anthony Anderson of H&V Commissioning Services. The award was present at the annual CSA dinner in London by the association’s chairman Alun Baylis.

The first solar panel to form part of Europe’s largest vertical photo-voltaic project was installed in July on the tower of the Co-operative Insurance Society in Manchester.

Mechanical-services contractor Sharp + Howse has secured contracts worth nearly £3 million.

White Young Green has been appointed to provide design services for a £13 million extension to the chemistry laboratory of the University Manchester. The practice’s Manchester office was awarded the commission as part of its involvement in a framework agreement with the university. It is one of a number of major education-section commissions being handled by the firm.

York chillers made in the UK at Basildon have gained Eurovent certification. Eurovent is a third-party organisation that independently tests and verifies product ranges against published literature and data supplied to customers.

The competition to design the Halley VI Research Station in Antarctica has been won by Faber Maunsell and Hugh Broughton Architects. The new prefabricated modular research station features a central social and recreational module (red in this graphic). The station is designed to adapt to the changing external conditions and future science needs of BAS.

An outstanding performance at Snetterton has seen Space Air sponsored motor cyclist Jay (Fandango) Fernadez powering back into the lead of the 2005 MRO Supertwins Championship. Riding his 998 Ducati, he left all challengers in his wake. At the halfway stage, the team is back on track for a triumphant season following a setback at Silverstone in May when mechanical problems cost Jay his championship leading position.

Four intrepid oarsmen from Daikin Airconditioning, 360 Engineering and Eventemp (Midlands) and cox Hazel Shackleton, of Daikin, won the men’s 500 m sprint in the recent corporate regatta organised by 4-times Olympic gold medallist Sir Matthew Pinsent. The event was held at Dormey Lake near Windsor and gave competitors from companies in the south east first-hand knowledge of the training and teamwork required to succeed at this exhausting sport. The event was open to mixed teams with no previous experience.

Neil Dady of air-conditioning contractor EPM (left) has won the prize draw run by LG at this year’s RAC Show. He was presented with this customised Nissan Primastar van by Tony Gittings of LG. The competition was based around the LG stand at the RAC Show in March, but carried on afterwards to give all air-conditioning contractors the chance to enter.