Exposing the thermal mass of an existing building to night-time cooling has reduced internal temperatures by 5 K compared with ambient temperatures — with important implications for responding to climate change. Nick Barnard and Ant Wilson explain.

Learning from the experience of warmer countries as a response to changing conditions in the UK needs to be tempered with caution, as Dr Adrian Pitts told a recent CIBSE conference.

Maximum use of primary energy and reduced carbon emissions are being achieved at DVLA in Swansea by a tri-generation energy system.

A solar-controlled Sun-protection system at the Manchester offices of the Royal Bank of Scotland automatically control 320 venetian blinds that have been fitted to this glass-fronted structure.

Imperial College’s new landmark building for the Tanaka Business School, designed by a team including architect Foster and Partners and consulting engineers Buro Happold, is a striking example of how a new building can successfully integrate with existing structures and services to achieve a balance between user comfort and architectural aspirations.

The successful exploitation of modularisation requires the efforts of more than just a few imaginative contractors. Manufacturers have an important role to play, too.

Progressive companies base their success on a sustained programme of new-product development. Anne King examines the issues in the building-services sector.

Even products for very simple tasks can have far-ranging implications.Lawrence Burns considers float valves for controlling the water level in storage tanks and the benefits to health and safety and energy consumption.

The traditionally separately supplied products of fan-coil units and diffusers are now offered as a single package with guaranteed performance.

Keeping up in a competitive market place demands periodic reviews of product ranges. We found out how Carrier Holland Heating enhanced its AHU offering and addressed costs.

Effective commissioning of chilled-water systems is vital to their efficient operation — even more so when variable-speed pumps are used. SAV has responded to the challenge with commissioning sets that make possible the balancing of several fan-coil units from one point.

Most people must be noticing that R410A split-system air conditioning is more efficient than previous systems. But the change is not just due to the refrigerant.

VES Andover has developed a range of fans designed for reliability and to work continuously in arduous environments. They have a life expectancy for bearings in excess of 200 000 h with continuous running temperatures up to 150°C.

The design features of Colman’s N Series of nozzle diffusers are said to be a major factor in the product’s success.

The controlled use of copper and silver ions to disinfect water is said by KK Water Purification to avoid the biodegrading problems associated with some biocides, to that they become food for micro-organisms. Disinfection is ensured for long periods of time. Ultra-violet disinfection has similar benefits.

A duct reducer that also reduces pressure drop has been developed by Lindab. The reducer has a bell-shaped design and is available in diameters from 100 to 250 mm.

A new series of variable-speed drives from Mitsubishi Electric is said to set new benchmarks for energy saving through the development of improved power circuits, coupled with the the advanced processing power of the latest electronics to provide enhanced power-control strategies. They are intended particularly for pumps and fans.

Faster and more accurate commissioning for a major project in the City of London has been achieved using Venturi commissioning valves from Yorkshire Fittings. David Hearne, commercial manager for valves, says, ‘The Yorkshire Venturi is the first innovative static commissioning product to enter the market in many years.’

For some years now, building-services engineers have found themselves in the forefront of being urged to ‘do something’ to reduce the build-up of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere to reduce the effects of climate change — particularly global warming. After all, buildings are responsible for about half the UK’s emissions of that principal greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide.

It is good news indeed that in the 18 months since membership of the Heating & Ventilating Contractors’ Association has required independent assessment of technical and commercial capability that independent research is showing that most local authorities regard it as important that a contractor for M&E projects is a member of HVCA (page 8).

The productivity of M&E contractors has risen for the fourth year running to nearly 10% up on 2003. The latest mean score for value-added productivity is £54 100.

To bring engineers whose professional training has not included electrical services up to speed, Mid Career College is organising a series of 3-day courses at eight venues across the country from November to May next year.

Best-practice standards on ductwork cleaning feature in an upgrade to the SMG2000 standard maintenance specification for mechanical services in buildings from HVCA Publications. SFG20 is published as a CD-ROM and now includes the facility for users to extract articles and transfer them into Word documents, facilitating easy inclusion in plant-operation manuals.

Terry Wyatt of Hoare Lea Consulting Engineers and immediate past president of CIBSE has been appointed special professor of building-services engineering in the School of the Built Environment at the University of Nottingham.

Carrier UK has won the order to supply air-conditioning equipment for the new Wembley Stadium. Two water-cooled centrifugal chillers, each with a capacity of 3100 kW, and one with a capacity of 1300 kW will provide chilled water for cooling administration areas, changing rooms, studios, hospitality facilities, restaurants etc. All the machines will be commissioned by Carrier Service. Design consultant for the mechanical services is Mott McDonald, with MJN Colston of Croydon as mechanical-services contractor.

reduce energy costs

Ammonia chillers with a capacity of 6.6 MW are to be supplied for the Terminal 5 development at Heathrow airport by York International. The four chillers will be delivered to site in December and form the first phase of the installation. They were chosen because ammonia has no global-warming effect and also will not contribute to ozone depletion.

Private commercial orders in the construction industry in the year to June were 10% higher than the previous year. Orders in the second quarter of 2004 were 29% higher than in the same period a year earlier. In contrast, orders in the second quarter of 2004 fell by 9% compared to the previous quarter.

Services designed by the M&E division of consultants White Young Green will play a key role in maintaining sound quality of a full-size state-of-the-art concert organ in the refurbished Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall at Leeds University.

Nearly 400 staff joined the founders of Airedale International Air Conditioning at the Leeds factory in the middle of June to celebrate 30 years of what has grown to become the UK’s largest independent manufacturer of air-conditioning systems.

A new national show running alongside the RAC Show at the NEC has been launched by Emap Communications. Called H&V05, it will target the heating and ventilating sectors of the industry. The first event will be from 1 to 3 March 2005. There will be freedom of movement between the two shows.

Nearly half of local authorities think it is essential that the contractors they commission to undertake building, construction or maintenance work are members of their relevant trade association. According to research commissioned by the HVCA and carried out by independent market-research organisation BMG Research, only 6% say they do not feel it is important, with 70% believing such membership to be either very important or essential.

Members of the team from Fulcrum Consulting that won the Carbon 60 competition run by CIBSE revisit the institution’s headquarters in South London. From the left are Susie Woollett, Chani Leahong and Kate Crawford.

confines damage in hotel

Copper pipework with integral solder-ring fittings (ISR) has been used extensively throughout the new £60 million office building of software company Sage Group at Gosforth, Newcastle, despite an original intention to use steel fittings in some areas of the building

When the old gas heaters serving a church in Hayes, Middlesex, broke down, Rinnai responded to an urgent request for 13 wall-mounted gas heaters.

Cable management for the new 17 000 m2 new-concept, 3-level Debenhams department store that is part of the 34 000 m2 expansion of the MetroCentre at Newcastle is being achieved using a range of Greenings cable trays. This is the biggest Debenhams store outside of London.

reduces whole-life costs

An 80% reduction of limescale on heating surfaces has been achieved following the testing of an installation of WaterMatic’s KalGuard+ electrolytic scale inhibitors at Cranfield.

The lower cost and ease of installation of Daikin’s VRV air-conditioning systems compared with chiller and 4-pipe fan-coil system promoted its installation in the Digital World Centre at Salford Quays in Manchester. Key Engineering handled the project on a design-and-build basis for Lowry Developments. Total cooling load for the project is 820 kW.

Not only was only four weeks available for the design, installation and commissioning of an air-conditioning system for a community health centre in Huddersfield, but it also had to remain operational throughout.

To harmonise with the oak parquet in the main hall of the Mitchell Library in Glasgow, MITA has supplied customised floor boxes with brass edges.

Finning Power Systems offers ex stock a range of standby generators with outputs from 5.5 to 250 kVA and aimed at building-services engineers and electrical contractors. Generators with outputs up to 500 kVA are available to order. They are particularly aimed at retail applications, and a new company (EP Retail) has been set up to supply them.

Vent-Axia’s range of Turboprop axial-flow fans for kitchen systems and longer duct runs is now available from all branches of CCL Veloduct.

An automatic-shutter version of its standard low-voltage 100 mm axial fan is now offered by Addvent. The AVX100 ALVN is described as a premium fan that minimises backdraught due to the superior seal achieved by its automatic shutters — improving the efficiency of the fan and comfort.

In response to changes in Building Regulations and energy-efficiency standards, Airedale has developed a range of packaged water-cooled chillers with EERs of 3.5 and more under nominal conditions. The UWC range is designed to meet the requirements of the Energy Technology List.

Chiller range is even quieter

A smoking booth that can accommodate three people and requires only connection to a mains socket has been developed by Carrier Holland Heating.

Oasis overdoor warm-air heaters from Diffusion are available in lengths of 1 and 1.5 m for LPHW or electricity.

The cold-temperature performance of Chalmor’s Endurance lighting system is rated at -25°C, making it applicable for cold rooms. These fittings provide 150 W of white light that degrades by only 6%. Striking is instantaneous, and full light output is attained within a minute.

Finned panels to mask radiators and pipework are now offered for use with Hager’s Tehalit cable-management systems. This fin system also reduces the need for on-site fabrication for awkward corners or pillars.

Daikin has introduced a heat-recovery series of its EUWA air-cooled water chillers. They have a single screw compressor using R407C and offer cooling capacities from 200 to 350 kW from four models. The range is likely to be increased soon to eight models with capacities from 100 to 550 kW.

Fedders split and multi-split air conditioners are available for next-day delivery from JS Air Conditioners. The range comprises wall-mounted units from 2.6 to 6.5 kW with list prices from £396 to £837. Noise levels are 26 dB(A).

The second phase of the introduction by Grundfos of the TP range of inline centrifugal pumps extends the range of motors to 35 with ratings from 120 W to 630 kW. EFF1 high-efficiency motors are standard on all 3-phase models up to 90 kW. Flange sizes are from DN25 to DN 400 with operating temperatures from -25 to 150°C.

A complete range of controls for domestic hot water is offered by Watts Martin Orgee.

Nederman has launched two compact high-vacuum units for removing fumes and dust in general industrial applications. L-PAK units are mounted on a base that can be handle by a pallet truck and can be installed by non-specialist personnel. They are compatible with the wide range of Nederman accessories for extraction systems.

Jasun Filtration now offers HEPA filters capable of trapping particles down to 0.1 µm. They are delivered ex-stock by Jasun’s dedicated fleet of vehicles.

Axair Climate now offers the Defensor RS2 Complete and Condair CP2 Complete ranges of humidifiers ex stock.

Daikin has added a 4-way-blow ceiling-suspended air-conditioning unit to its R410A VRV II series of fan-coil units. The FXUQ range is available in three sizes with cooling capacities from 7.1 to 12.5 kW and heating from 7.7 to 14 kW. They can be used in rooms up to 3.5 m high. Sound levels range from 18 to 33 dB(A).

Daikin has added a 4-way-blow ceiling-suspended air-conditioning unit to its R410A VRV II series of fan-coil units. The FXUQ range is available in three sizes with cooling capacities from 7.1 to 12.5 kW and heating from 7.7 to 14 kW. They can be used in rooms up to 3.5 m high. Sound levels range from 18 to 33 dB(A).

Small-diameter Firelock couplings for Victaulic’s grooved pipe-jointing systems are available in 42 and 48 mm in painted or galvanised finishes.

Hamworthy’s Spetisbury range of sectional cast-iron boilers have pre-mix burners to improve combustion performance to meet legislative requirements.