2009 September

A freely available online water-footprint calculator has been developed by Shawn Coles, founder of Water Saving Week, sponsored by Roca. The average amount of water consumed per person per day in the UK is about 150 l, rising to 168 l in London. That use is for drinking water, toilet flushing, bath, washing machines etc.

CIAT Ozonair claims to have become the first manufacturer to market air-to-water heat pumps — the Aquaciat Grand Inverter range — as a result of close collaboration with DCC Danfoss Inc. This range has the award-winning Apexx VSH Series variable-speed scroll compressor, a high-capacity variable-speed scroll compressor for R410A heat pumps.

Daikin Airconditioning has introduced a DHW module that can be connect to the refrigeration circuit of a Daikin VRVIII HR heat-recovery system to use heat extracted from a building.

RIDI Lighting’s LF-T16 luminaire for the education sector is an IP-rated T5 fitting available for suspended and surface mounting. There is a choice of optics, and the luminaire housing is a sealed unit, vapour and waterproof, permitting its specification in all areas of a school — from classrooms to kitchens and laboratories.

The JetSpray HP high-pressure spray in-duct humidifier from JS Humidifiers has less than 1%

Trox Design Bureau has developed a range of chilled beams for the health-care market. They have features that make them an ideal hygienic solution and are easily maintained and cleaned without allowing room contaminants to migrate to and from the ceiling void or supply ductwork.

Titon’s energy-efficient central mechanical extract unit is designed for ease of installation and commissioning. It is SAP Appendix Q eligible and EST Best Practice compliant. Supply air is normally provided by trickle vents.

The Vitesse Modular range of marshalling boxes from CP Electronics has a modular design that makes it quick and easy to add luminaires by plugging in 4-way extender modules. A appropriate CP detector (PIR, microwave — absence or presence detector) is then plugged into the end module using a prewired lead.

Samsung’s Vivace and Neo Forte wall-mounted air-conditioning units are compatible with the company’s RAC single-split systems. FJM multi-splits and DVM Plus III (VRF) systems. Cooling capacities range from 2.2 to 7.1 kW

The Hydroboil Pulse range of wall-mounted boiling-water heaters from Zip Heaters has a combination of energy-saving features to minimise energy consumption. The performance of these units has been independently tested by Aston University.

Daikin Europe has introduced two EWAD air-cooled inverter-controlled chillers with high EERs at full and partial loads. They have cooling capacities from 330 to 515 kW and have two independent R134a refrigerant coils that provide continuous operation during maintenance periods.

Flakt Woods TE3 energy-recovery wheels can recover both latent and sensible heat, doubling energy savings compared with recovering just sensible heat. Cross contamination between the airstreams has been independently certified to be less than 0.04%.

MK Electric has introduced a range of easily fitted sensors to control lighting, which, on average, represents up to 40% of a building’s total energy consumption. Available as flush- and surface-mounting versions, they have external programming dials for adjusting time delay and lux levels. They incorporate a PIR sensor with 360° detection and a 6 m range.

Wireless telemetry specialist Radio-Tech has developed an energy-management system using the company’s wireless data-capture technology to provide 24/7 monitoring of remote assets and consumption of water, electricity and gas. Retrofittable pulse transmitters have a range of 2 km, or 12 km with a repeater. They can be used in the UK on Radio-Tech’s exclusively licensed 153.100 MHz band. Receivers are available to interface transmitters with existing building-management systems.

Aquatech Pressmain’s Nitropack HTHW sealed system-pressurisation unit has a normal operational range of 120 to 200°C, system volumes in excess of 250 000 l and fill pressures to 20 bar. Its applications cover a broad spectrum from primary boiler loops to large district-heating schemes.

Cylon has introduced a range of native BACnet-compatible controllers for fan-coil, chilled-ceiling and VAV applications. These controllers are certified by the BACnet testing laboratory as fully compliant with B-ASC requirements.

Weatherite Building Services offers a service to help owners of commercial property ensure that their buildings comply with the phase out of R22 and other HCFC refrigerants as part of the Ozone Depleting Substances Directive. At the end of 2009, virgin R22 refrigerant will no longer be available, and only recycled R22 will be available for servicing. It is estimated that over half of all cooling installations use R22.

A disposal infrastructure for batteries used in emergency-lighting products has been developed by Lumicom and G&P Batteries. The scheme is designed to help manufacturers and importers of emergency-lighting equipment meet their obligations under new waste-disposal regulations that come into force on 1 January 2010.

Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES), which provides integrated performance-analysis software for sustainable building design, has launched its VE-Gaia step-by-step smart navigation software solution. It offers a complete analysis workflow environment to guide the user through the process and facilitate analysis understanding.

Blue Box free-cooling chillers from Walter Meier (Climate UK) introduce free cooing at outdoor temperatures below 15°C, rising to 100% at 0°C. The Zeta Echos FC (pictured) and Kappa Evo FC offers cooling capacities from 45 to 1200 kW.

Lighting energy consumption for existing internal fittings with conventional control gear can be reduced by up to 10% simply by substituting Osram’s new Lumilux T8 Energy Saver fluorescent tubes and Dulux D Energy Saver compact fluorescent lamps.

Big Foot Systems — a market leader in non-penetrative roof supports — has launched a 1000 mm version of the Fix It Foot to add to the 250, 400 and 600 mm products. Fix It foot supports are recycled rubber components with excellent anti-vibration properties and at the same time recycling a mountain of car tyres!

Tour & Andersson has received ISO 9001 accreditation for its UK operation and OHSAS 18001 accreditation for the occupational health and safety management systems at its production facilities at Ljung in western Sweden.

Government grants are now available for public-sector and charitable bodies using solar technology from Mitsubishi Electric. Solar PV modules from the company are eligible for grants of up to 50% towards installation costs as part of the Microgeneration Certification Scheme.

Pegler Yorkshire has completed the first phase of its new state-of-the-art warehouse. With structural steelwork in place, directors from the group were on site to review progress and confirm that building is on schedule.

The first member of Philips Dynalite’s Dimension dealer accreditation and training framework is Morban, a specialist residential systems integrator based in Lancashire and Oxfordshire. Morban has worked closely with Philips Dynalite for three years to deliver cutting-edge home-automation solutions that combine lighting, security, audio-visual, environmental and communications/media systems.

Hoval’s newly created training centre at the Centre of Renewable Energy in Nottinghamshire is an advanced facility for specifiers and installers of low-carbon technologies, as well as for end users.

Kingspan Tarec has won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for pioneering a new method of manufacturing pipe insulation, which has resulted in a dramatic reduction of waste and significant increase in output. The company specified the design of a clean, innovative and highly efficient method of continuous production for its rigid phenolic pipe insulation.

Buteline, which supplies polybutene-1 (PB-1) plumbing solutions can now supply in smaller and larger sizes to its standard 50 m coil. Depending on pipe size, coils are now available in 25, 50, 100 and 200 m lengths. The smaller coils are easier to handle in confined spaces, and the larger coils are well suited to underfloor heating installations.

Designed to provide perfect indoor climate control, the Frese Optima pressure-independent control valve (PICV) combines three functions in a single valve housing. The Optima PICV limits flow from 0.021 to 0.83 l/s, regulates differential pressure from 16 to 400 kPa and offers full 5.5 mm stroke modulation to ensure design flow is achieved even under fluctuating system pressures.

Oxford Brookes University has significantly reduced its energy costs since installing Danlers electronic time lag switches in the communal areas of several residential buildings.

Havells Sylvania’s pocket-sized contractor guide for 2009 covers three well-known Havells Sylvania brands: Lumiance accent and display lighting; Sylvania Fixtures, commercial and industrial lighting; and Sylvania Lamps.

The Solar Trade Association has launched the ‘STA solar handbook’ and ‘Solar thermal benchmark commissioning checklist’. This handbook is to be published annually to provide the latest insight to changes taking place in the solar industry.

Pipe Center, Wolseley’s specialist pipe and building-services distributor, has published an improved version of its product and trade-price guide. At 160 pages, it is 100 pages larger than the previous version and contains detailed product information and prices for all its key product lines, including pipe systems and supports, valves and materials, plumbing and heating, and tools and safety equipment.

Zumtobel’s document ‘Lighting for education’ includes comprehensive information on the design, sustainability, lighting performance and energy-saving requirements needed for the education sector. The guide offers specifiers impartial advice based on current and future regulations and, in particular, those related to energy efficiency.

Xpelair Ventilation Solutions has produced a new product and price guide covering its complete range of ventilation solutions to installers, contractors and specifiers. It is split into colour-coded sections to make it quick and easy to find the information required. It contains all essential product information for domestic, commercial and industrial applications — including product-range details, key features, specific model shots and costs.

Eaton switchgear and distribution boards have been specified and installed for the new £10.5 million Mersey Ferry Terminal. Delivery in a record four weeks was achieved for the low-voltage switchboard and a special low-voltage panel. Both have comprehensive metering to comply with the current Building Regulations and power-factor correction to improve the energy efficiency of the building.

The reliability of the Micronics non-invasive method of ultrasonic water-flow measurement has been demonstrated for 10 years at a pig-processing factory. It was that long ago that Hendy & Sons of Taunton, a long-established company of drainage and water engineers was asked to provide a control system for a submersible pump as part of abstraction agreement for the factory. A condition of the agreement was for 2 l/s of the abstractions from an underground spring to be fed to the local brook.

Among the highest services in the UK, in the Hafod Eryi at the top of Mount Snowdon, is heating equipment from S&P Coil Products. The new summit building replaces one once described by Prince Charles as ‘the highest slum in Wales’.

The large range of air-terminal devices supplied by Waterloo Air Products for The Westfield London retail development includes a comprehensive mix of standard and custom-made units. They include double-deflection grilles, high-capacity swirl grilles, linear slot diffusers, high-induction barrel slot diffusers, Hi-Flo jet diffusers, drum Jet diffusers and supply-air nozzle diffusers.

The £20 million refurbishment of the Kensington Hotel in central London, a member of the Doyle Collection hotel group, includes Extechnology’s UV-C technology to provide odour and grease control for the kitchen extract system. This hotel is an amalgamation of four grand Victorian townhouses and offers 150 rooms and suites. The 9-month renovation project has restored the building to its former glory, with its original ceiling heights and volumes reinstated.

The only restaurant in the City of London with Thames-side seating, High Timber, features air conditioning provided by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Europe MicroKX energy-efficient mini-VRF systems. They were installed by Adcock Refrigeration & Air Conditioning.

Addiewell prison in West Lothian features a BMS supplied by Priva Building Intelligence and installed by Campbell Control Systems. A consortium led by Kalyx was responsible for the design, construction, management and financing of this 700-place prison for the Scottish Prison Service.

Contributing to the BREEAM ‘Excellent’ score of 72% of Swindon Borough Council’s new Central Library is a Passivent natural-ventilation system. Designed by architects Nic Newland and Tony Currivan of Swindon Borough Council, the £10 million 4-storey redevelopment of the existing library was built by Willmott Dixon, with Roberts & Prowse as M&E subcontractor.

A venue as versatile in its application as the O2 in Dublin requires an equally versatile lighting-control system, which has been achieved by Andromeda Telematics with a KNX/DALI solution. Not only does it create lighting scenes appropriate to the eight standard formats of the main auditorium but it can also create scene control for other public areas and test emergency lighting — at the same time as reducing overall energy consumption by up to 60% with presence detection and lux sensors. Consulting engineers AECOM (formerly Faber Maunsell) specified Andromeda from the outset, which was then appointed by Andromeda to provide the lighting-control solution.

Radiant heating panels have been installed in ceilings of the £60 million Bristol Heart Institute to help control infection. HCP supplied 970 linear metres of panels.

A major extension to St David’s shopping centre in Cardiff include Philips Lighting LED luminaires in an illuminated wall running the length of the escalators linking the refurbished centre with the new St David’s 2 development to the south. The iColor Flex SLX LED luminaires prove the opportunity to create a range of scenes and animated displays.

BG Controls has helped the Environmental Energy Technology Centre (EETC) at Waverley near Sheffield to maximise its green credentials by controlling its natural-ventilation and underfloor heating and cooling systems. Built on the site of the redundant Waverley coal mine, the EETC is a low-carbon building designed around renewable energy.

To reduce energy and life-cycle costs, The Royal Academy of Arts in London has replaced aging air-conditioning and humidification plant with Hitachi Samurai chillers and Defensor Mk5 humidifiers from Walter Meier (Climate UK). They were specified by consulting engineers Peter Deer Associates and John Ellis, the academy’s environmental consultant.

Underfloor heating has been installed in the flagship green pub of JD Wetherspoon, ‘The Kettleby Cross’ in Leicestershire, as part of an overall strategy to reduce energy consumption. Thermo-Floor designed and installed the system.

The new opera house in Valencia, Spain, uses hundreds of valves from Tour & Andersson’s full range of hydronic valves for heating and cooling systems. The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia was designed by Santiao Caltrava and covers more than 40 000 m2 and is 75 m high — one of the largest such buildings in Europe.