Get up to date with market trends and technical developments in the

air-conditioning market.

Technical competition is joining price as one of the driving forces in the UK air-conditioning market. Ignacio de Alvaro has the details.

With air-conditioning being such an energy-demanding service, achieving and maintaining an efficient system is vital. Gareth Holden gives some pointers to making an immediate impact on the efficiency of chiller plant.

With the threat of a ban on the use of HFCs for stationary air-conditioning equipment having been lifted, responsibility is placed on the industry to prevent leaks, says Andrew Keogh.

For the appropriate air-conditioning installations, evaporative cooling offers much lower life-cycle costs than dry cooling — as well as a host of other benefits. Robert MacLeod-Smith explains.

VRF air-conditioning systems owe their growing popularity to their ability to meet a wide range of requirements, as Tony Nielsen explains.

With the launch of its R410A RZQ inverter series, Daikin claims to the the first manufacturer to offer a full range of R410A inverters — from the smallest split to the largest VRV systems.

Trox’s engineering and technical expertise in air conditioning is being made available to construction professionals by the setting up of the Trox Design Bureau.

Gas-powered air conditioning with all the features of a VRF system is offered by Sanyo in its GHP range. Instead of an electrically driven compressor, a GHP unit has an open-drive compressor driven by a gas-powered engine. Either natural gas or LPG can be used.

Dadanco chilled beams with around three times the output of traditional active beams installed in the James Clerk Maxwell Building of Edinburgh University have enabled a much more conventional ceiling layout to be used — looking very similar to that associated with a fan-coil systems.

Peak summer temperatures in excess of 35°C in a bedding factory and warehouse have been reduced to around 25°C following the installation of Breezair evaporative-cooling equipment.

LG has introduced a range of VRF air-conditioning products that can operate up to 16 indoor units from one outdoor unit. Multi V is initially available in two sizes — 4.5 and 10 hp and can be operated via the Internet, a PC, a deluxe or simple controller.

Air conditioning — including dehumidification, heating and cooling — has been provided for a domestic conservatory in west London housing a range of exercise equipment. The free-standing conservatory is close to the house and thus requires heating in winter and cooling in summer to offset the considerable heat gain through its glazed roof.

Quietness in operation was the key criterion in the selection of air-conditioning plant for the upgrade of a 90-bedroom hotel on a sensitive site on the south side of the River Thames in London and very close to the Tate Modern.

Mitsubishi Electric has radically revamped its range of small air-conditioning systems with the launch of a new R410A M-Series range of inverter-driven heat pumps.

Longcross Refrigeration has installed a Daikin VRV2 heat-recovery air-conditioning system in the control centre of train operator FirstGroup in Manchester, which runs the TransPennine Express trains.

Stulz’s CyberAir precision air-conditioning range incorporates new ventilation technology, new micro-processor and a completely new structure. Electronically commutated fans are used in all models.

CIBSE’s new president Graham Manly is concerned that the building-services industry lacks the resources and competences it needs for a sustainable future.

Without close teamwork and the extensive use of prefabricated services modules, 10 weeks would have been added to the installation time for a new hospital in Coventry and nearly 20% to services installation costs.

Managing risk on construction projects can be a nightmare. The newly developed COMPASSure scheme provides a means of transferring risk to those parts of the supply chain that are best equipped to carry it. Alan Kennedy explains.

Following over 20 years in commissioning, engineer Duncan Selby has developed an electronic commissioning device for piped services that is said to provide the ultimate in accuracy, reliability and convenience.

The Wefatherm pipework system from Durapipe is based on polypropylene-random, so it can be completely recycled or disposed of in landfills, where it behaves in a neutral and non-toxic manner.

Bitzer now offers from stock the most popular models from its range of air-cooled Euroscroll LH condensing units. These popular units are initially available with 2 to 9 kW nominal motor power and include various options to suit customer requirements.

Lockable 13 A socket outlets have been added to the Ultra flat-plate range of wiring accessories from Eaton MEM. They are suitable for commercial premises and public areas where the use of socket outlets needs to be restricted.

Trane has introduced a fan-coil unit that is suited to the requirements of the hotel market.

Titon is adding powered ventilation products to its portfolio. The company is well known for its trickle ventilators and window fittings.

Control of warm-water underfloor heating systems from simple to sophisticated is provided by a specially designed control module from Coster Environmental Systems.

Pipe Center has expanded the range of Sabiana fan-coil units that it distributes with the addition of the Futura designer-cased version. Their enclosures have rounded corners suitable for professional offices, surgeries and similar locations where image is as important as functional performance. A vandal-resistant version is also available.

Claimed to be the most efficient solar cells commercially produced in Europe are the Saturn 7 series of power modules from BP Solar.

Five models of heat-recovery air-handling units from Exhausto cover airflows from 400 to 7700 m3/h. Units in the VEX100 range are compact in size so that they can be sited virtually anywhere. The largest unit has a footprint of just 2.7 m2.

Simple and effective control to switch off lighting when there is sufficient daylight and to dim and brighten lamps as light levels fluctuate is provided by the LightSpot photocell from Ex-Or.

In readiness for higher efficiency levels for commercial boilers expected in the 2005 update of the Building Regulations, Ideal Boilers has added floor-standing condensing boilers to its Imax range. Six boilers provide outputs from 80 to 280 kW, and boilers can be installed in multiple formation to provide larger outputs.

Endurance long-life luminaires from Chalmor have a working life of 60 000 h before replacement is required — equating to 20 years of operation at 10 h use a day.

Ferroli has enhanced its Pegasus range of atmospheric boilers with the introduction of a high-low burner design to boost efficiency. These burners are used on all boilers in the range, which cover 12 outputs from 51 to 289 kW.

Axair Climate has introduced an upgraded range of air-to-air heat-pump systems using R407C.

Vapac has launched a customised maintenance package designed to maximise the reliability and energy efficiency of humidifiers.

As part of a complete product relaunch including three new ranges, Yorkshire Fittings has rebranded its PressFit plumbing products as XPress.

A family of modular wiring systems from Apex Wiring Solutions is described as providing a faster and more flexible alternative to conventional wiring for lighting, underfloor power and ‘buswire’ distribution systems.

JS has launched two electrode-boiler humidifier packages for contractors. The ELMC Plus package includes all the elements needed to supply 5 or 10 kg/h of steam directly into a room or to a duct.

Three of Airedale’s chiller ranges are listed on the Energy Technology List, so that they qualify for Enhanced Capital Allowances.

CIBSE has enlarged the scope for membership by being able to accept competent building-services engineers as corporate members without demanding that they meet the narrower requirements of the Engineering Council at the same time. The changes that the Privy Council has approved are in line with developments in other engineering institutions. Candidates for corporate membership will still be required to meet CIBSE’s own competence standards.

Emap has acquired the 50% shareholding in Interbuild that was formerly held by Montgomery Exhibitions. Formal ownership starts on 7 July.

A 25 to 30% improvement in the energy performance of buildings over present ratings can be expected when revised Building Regulations come into effect by the end of 2005, according to Alan Aldridge, executive director of the Energy Systems Trade Association. He was speaking at the London event of a series of nationwide seminars organised by ESTA ‘Keep your eye on the ball’.

A chartered accountant employed by McQuay has won an award for her dedicated voluntary work on a community project in Northumberland.

Daikin has acquired one of the UK’s fastest-growing air-conditioning suppliers, MacQueen Air Conditioning.

Mitsubishi Electric has opened new air-conditioning training facilities to serve Scotland and the north of England. Located in the company’s factory at Livingstone near Edinburgh, the facilities complement those at Hatfield, which have already provided guidance and education for over 2000 engineers in the last two years.

Power support company Merlin Power Management, has acquired the specialist service and commissioning company Powercall as part of its strategic expansion programme to provide its customers with a totally integrated power solutions service.

Bristol-based electrical contractor Avon Combined Electrical Services is enjoying the benefits of partnering after completing one of several major projects — a health centre in Bristol — with main contractor Pearce Construction, consultants, G. K. Salters & Associates and manufacturers Hager and Sovereign.

The Leeds office of consulting engineers White Young Green, as part of the QED consortium set up by Wates Group, has reached financial close on a £25 million PFI scheme to build 10 primary schools in Leeds. The other consortium partners are Watson & Batty Architects and Hyder Business Services providing facilities-management services. Day-to-day project management is by Education Leeds, an arms-length company wholly owned by Leeds City Council.

SES electrical apprentices Paul Hanna and Darren McMahon take time out on the completion by SES of its £3 million building-services contract at The Hurlingham Club in London to learn the sport of croquet.

CIBSE has confirmed that its 2004 national conference will go ahead — despite the cancellation of the Clima Expo exhibition that was scheduled at the same time this Autumn. The new venue is the International Hotel, Marsh Wall, next to Canary Wharf in London. The dates are unchanged — 29 and 30 September.

To help the industry respond to the recent 80% reduction in exposure limits to electromagnetic fields, BSRIA provides surveys of electromagnetic fields to assess current levels and make practical recommendations to solve problems. The National Radiation Protection Board says that the safety thresholds for exposure to power lines, mobile phones and radio transmitters should be reduced to bring Britain into line with international guidelines.

Carbon emissions are being reduced by over 840 t a year following the installation of a CHP scheme serving some 5000 properties in Portsmouth, including hoses, bungalows and high- , medium- and low-rise blocks of flats. The Charles Dickens District Heating Scheme is also expected to reduce annual fuel bills by about £120 per household on the Buckland estate to the north of the city centre.

A relationship stretching back over 20 years between installer Air Conditioning Economics in Derby and Airedale International Air Conditioning has continued with the supply of an Ultima Compact chiller to maintain accurate temperatures in offices and laboratories of International Laboratory Services in Derby.

Modular prefabrication based on wooden structures for one of the UK’s newest Travelodges at Leicester provided an ideal application for the use of Yorkshire Fittings’ XPress Copper range of plumbing. Because of the wooden structure, no hot work was permitted.

The task of installing power and IT cables in refurbished offices in the Civic Centre of the London Borough of Harrow has been achieved using Marshall-Tufflex Sterling Profile 12 trunking.

The installation of 350 thermostatic radiator valves in student accommodation at the university of Essex has reduced gas consumption by 8% in the five months since they were installed. That equates to an energy saving of nearly £2000 in a full year.

Self-regulating electric floor heating in the Turkish Embassy in London is achieving energy savings in excess of 20% compared with an unregulated system.

Having regularly experienced long power cuts lasting up to 48 h, mechanical, electrical and maintenance contractor Resource Environmental Services has tackled the problem by installing a standby power system from Scorpion Power Systems. The turnkey package includes generator, UPS, full electrical installation, testing and commissioning.

With new and developing technologies to provide better-serviced buildings came conflict between the traditional skills of plumbers and the new breed of heating engineer. It was the need for representing the special interests of contractors that led to the formation of the forerunner of the Heating & Ventilating Contractors’ Association.

Despite the economic difficulties of the 1930s and 1940s, building services grew in importance — and air conditioning was installed in a number of prestige buildings. Education and training needs received serious attention.

Can it really be as late as the 1960s before legislation for minimum standards of heating in offices, shops and factories was passed? How much longer might we have to wait for legislation on excessively high indoor temperatures?

On the technical front, building services has changed more in the last 25 years than in the previous 75 years. Commerical and economic problems ,however, remain stubbornly persistent.

The Heating & Ventilating Contractors’ Association has seen its fair share of triumph and adversity in its first 100 years. Modern Building Services sought out some presidents who played key roles in a century of contracting to see if the lessons of the past could inform the future.