2017 August

Politicians make vocal cries that consumers should switch supplier. This has been a traditional refrain, but the reality is that energy supply and costs are entering the perfect storm bringing a headache for British business.

The 2018 Editorial Programme for MBS is now available for download in PDF format. 

Titan Products has modernised the enclosures for all its surface-mounted room sensors to provide a more attractive appearance while remaining at a size that will not draw attention, due to its non-reflective, discreet finish. The rest of the products remain the same — as does the price.

Dealing with obsolescence is a major concern for any industrial sector — and building controls is no exception. Stephen Payne, of BEG Ltd and KNX UK Vice President, discusses the key considerations when identifying technology for today’s building-services projects.

Seasonal efficiency is the new calculation used to measure the true efficiency of HVAC Systems, explains Nikki Goodman (marketing manager with Combat HVAC), rating the equipment on the day-to-day efficiency over the year.

Following recent success and expansion in the commercial market, All Seasons Climate Control, which supplies air-conditioning solutions, has created a new web site for commercial clients. The company supplies many large business and public buildings around London, including the Houses of Parliament, with site-specific climate-control solutions.

Rinnai, which specialises in continuous-flow water heating, has introduced a service to give contractors access via telephone or Internet to unlimited technical support and management. The service is free to installers, premises owners and facilities managers with Rinnai units or systems on side.

Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation (GDHV) has developed an approach to cooling and heating individual apartments in apartment blocks based on ‘energy loops’ in the building and heat pumps in the apartments. It avoids issues associated with distributing water at high temperature, such as overheating of common areas and losses.

New features in LG’s latest range of wall-mounted air-conditioning units include embedded Wi-Fi and compatibility within its multi-split range. The 10-year compressor warranty that already applies to its single split wall-mount units has been extended to include the multi-split range.

Andrews Water Heaters’ SUPAflo EVO range of high-volume gas-fired water heaters have a slimline size and built-in wheels, which can reduce installation time on projects. They are designed for commercial premises that require large volumes of hot water instantaneously and have a recovery rate of up to 9230 l/h.

A toilet cistern that collects condensate from air-conditioning units to flush toilets can secure two extra BREEAM and LEED points for a project. The Encore (environmental condensate recovery cistern) was developed by Graham Kelly and David Davis (pictured) of UK building-services company G&H Group. It is particularly applicable to hotels.

Trane’s Selector app enables users to easily select the appropriate unit to meet temporary HVAC needs. The app enables users to view the detailed features of the recommended units, carry out a basic load calculation for comfort applications and submit a request for a quote to the nearest Trane Rental Services location.

A streamlined user interface is one of the major improvements to the popular Calorex Delta swimming-pool environmental control unit. There is a comprehensive range of Delta units to suit pools of every size. Systems are designed to economically provide the environmental comfort and moisture-related structural protection necessary for a pool.

Doby Verrolec now offers a bespoke cutting service for its DobyGrip wire-rope suspension system; the steel wire is cut to a pre-specified length to reduce time on an installation. DobyGrip can be used to suspend a range of services such as cable tray, luminaire, heating and ventilation systems.

Daikin Applied (UK)’s range of chillers are now supplied with the capability of being monitored and controlled remotely using a web browser. Connecting a LAN or 3G/4G model enables the web data to be transferred. Called Daikin on Site, the software enables chiller systems to be integrated on this cloud-based platform.

Aspen Pumps, which specialises in condensate-removal pumps and accessories for air-conditioning systems, has introduced a range of chemicals for cleaning and maintaining HVACR equipment. Following extensive R&D, the Storm Chemicals range has been designed to offer effective and powerful deep cleaning for HVACR equipment to promote a healthy indoor environment and improve energy efficiency.

Stelrad now offers ‘coloured’ radiators from stock with the arrival of the Vita Column Concept radiator, a 600 mm-high traditional column radiator, in anthracite grey. They are available within 72 h of order. Until now, radiators have been available in up to 35 colours, but specially made with a delivery of up to eight weeks.

Rinnai has launched three condensing boilers for the commercial market. Infinity boilers have outputs of 50, 75 and 100 kW and are A rated under the ErP Directive, with efficiencies of 93%.

Grundfos Pumps’ Scala2 fully integrated water booster pump can deliver water to up to eight outlets over three floors, even with multiple taps and showers running a the same time. These units combine the pump, motor, tank, sensor, drive and non-return valve in one neat package.

Waterloo Air Products has launched a larger barrel slot diffuser to give architects and building engineers greater flexibility in designing air-movement systems. The CSB 25 barrel slot diffuser is described as offering a stylish, multi-directional answer to optimising airflow in large spaces.

Logic4training has launched the ‘Ultimate guide to careers in gas, a practical and clear guide to starting and developing a career as a gas engineer. It is aimed at anyone wanting to enter the heating sector — from school leavers, apprentices and college students to career changers and those wanting to upskill from related industries.

Kingspan Insulation has released a new installation guide for Kingspan Kooltherm FM ductwork insulation and Therma Duct insulation. It covers all aspects of the installation process for rectangular, circular and flat-oval ductwork applications — from initial preparation to TICA-recommended methods of insulating flanges, stiffeners and connections.

The BPF Pipes Group has published guidance for the discharge from unvented hot-water storage cylinders into plastic pipework systems (soil stacks). It can be downloads from the BPF web site.

As part of its ongoing investment into the commercial heating market, Remeha has launched a new, enhanced, fully responsive web site. The web site provides a valuable and easily accessible resource for building-services consultants and specifiers, M&E contractors and end-user clients.

Holophane has published a brochure on industrial lighting solutions to provide comprehensive guidance on energy-efficient lighting design and control for typical industrial environments — from the car park through to production areas. Its scope includes the use of PIRs and control systems to conserve energy, capture data on energy savings, operational efficiency and flexibility.

The causes of overheating in homes are addressed in new guidance from CIBSE. Addressing what the industry had identified as a gap in its knowledge, CIBSE has created Technical Memorandum 59: ‘Design methodology for the assessment of overheating risk in homes’ to set a standard by which overheating can be assessed using a standard methodology.

Bus operator Stagecoach has achieved aggregate gas savings of around 20% at 24 bus depots following the installation of wireless BEMSs by Aimteq. The investment is set to achieve a return of less than two years on a region-by-region basis.

Drainage ventilation with no roof protrusions has been achieved at the €130 million Monselice Hospital in Italy using Studor Maxi-Vent air-admittance valves to cap as many stacks as possible. The valves fit discreetly within the roof space. The architect’s vision was for a ‘wave-effect’ building with no roof protrusions to mirror the sinuous lines of nearby hills.

Grundfos Pumps BIM library was put to good use when the company and GMS, a major supplier of commercial and industrial water-heating products, worked together to create the best solution for a project using a BIM 3D model. The project was for an extension to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh and included 10 calorifier packages incorporating Grundfos pumps.

With the key to the effective use of a building-management system being the effective collection, monitoring and targeting of data to analyse usage, eSight Energy’s eSight software provides an effective solution. Collected information is automatically composed by the software at defined intervals, ensuring that up-to-date readings are available to users and can be analysed and reacted to quickly if necessary.

Well over 200 Dunham-Bush System LST radiators fitted with SAV/Danfoss PT 40 flow- and pressure-monitoring thermostatic valves have been installed at Manor Grange luxury care home in Corstorphine, Edinburgh. The home focuses on caring for people suffering from dementia from age 65 upward and provides support for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Luminaires from Thorn Lighting have played an important role in the overall design of The Charter Building, a 22 600 m2 high-specification design-led workspace in Uxbridge. It is just 100 m from Uxbridge Underground Station. The project involved the original building, that was once the UK headquarters for Coca Cola, being stripped back to its structural frame, floor plates extended and a penthouse floor with access to a roof terrace added.

The installation of an air curtain at high level about the entrance door to Porter & Rye’s steak restaurant in Glasgow has prevented the influx of cold air whenever the door was opened. The recently opened restaurant occupies the ground floor of an elegant Georgian building on Argyle Street and incorporates a mezzanine floor. It is in an exposed location, with cold air channelled along the street from Kelvin Grove Park directly towards the entrance.

Contributing to the energy efficiency of the BREEAM ‘Excellent’-rated new headquarters of Tata Technologies at Tachbrook Park, Leamington Spa, is ventilation equipment supplied by Gilberts. Designed by architects Webb Gray, the 5800 m2 £20 million building will house engineering services that are focused on R&D into emerging technologies for automotive, aerospace and industrial machinery.

Big Foot Systems has supplied an extensive safe-access solution for the Zemos Research Building at the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany. Rooftop plant includes four heat pumps and three dry-air coolers on the flat room. The planners required a non-penetrative solution to provide safe access.

Hoval boilers fitted with Riello dual-fuel low-NOx burners have been selected by Skanska for the New Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire. The precise matching of boilers and burners will ensure optimum energy efficiency with low NOx emissions. A key element of being specified for the project was the ability of Hoval and Riello to supply BIM-compatible product information for incorporating into the model.

Klima-Therm has delivered two high-performance high-efficiency air-handling units developed by Italian manufacturer Rhoss for the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Hampshire Hotel in London’s Leicester Square. The ADV Next Air Systems incorporate a number of energy-efficiency features and deliver cooling, heating and ventilation for the hotel.

Helvar’s iDim Orbit DALI sensor package is fully IEC 60669-2-5 compliant, thanks to the use of Wago push-in cage clamp pluggable connectors. The standard guarantees safe operation within manufacturer’s instructions and allows Helvar’s lighting system to be specified for a wider range of projects and applications. These pluggable connectors are up to 50% quicker to install than screw types.

The ISO 50001 energy management standard faces its first revision six years on from its introduction. Alan Hickman of Carlo Gavazzi UK, looks at the benefits of ISO 50001 and outlines how an energy-management system can be put in place.

Specifying a building-management system (BMS) at the beginning of an energy-reduction initiative frequently provides the most effective route to optimised usage — but the installation of BMS at a later stage can still deliver major benefits, says Gareth Barber of BG Energy Solutions.

Belimo has expanded its product range with the addition of innovative sensors to complement its actuators and valves, optimise system performance and improve energy efficiency. The sensors can be seamlessly integrated into all major building automation and control systems.

The hardware of building management system and the Internet of Things is merely an enabler for software, as Simon Garratt of Schneider Electric explains.

Carlo Gavazzi’s WM20 smart modular power analyser offers faster communication for building automation networks using Modbus, BACnet over RS435 or TCP/IP and Profibus, along with superior functions such as load monitoring measurement and comprehensive alarm management. — all in a compact plug-and-play modular format that streamlines installation and simplifies inventory management.

Reznor’s SmartCom intelligent energy-management controller is compatible with radiant-tube, warm-air and many other types of heating system. It is straightforward and easy to use and has a wide range of energy-optimising features.

Indoor air quality has a major influence on the health, comfort and wellbeing of a building’s occupants. Graeme Rees of Trend Control Systems explains how a building energy management system can optimise comfort conditions and help keep people healthy and happy.

Priva has published a guide that shows how it is possible to future-proof heritage buildings with the same control-based techniques found in modern structures. The guide explains in clear language how Priva’s technology — which is in use at sites such as St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Rosslyn Chapel — is delivering significant energy savings, improved indoor climate conditions and greater visibility of energy use.

Controlco, a BMS company that has been established for 17 years, has created a new brand, including a forward-thinking web site. The new image is described as ‘capturing the DNA of Controlco and showing a true reflection of the extensive capabilities and valuable services offered to new and existing customers’.

Malcolm Anson, president of the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA), explains the need to highlight the valuable skills that our industry stalwarts bring and why trade associations are doing more to recognise them.

MGE motors used by Grundfos Pumps have an efficiency rating of IE5, the highest energy-efficiency level for electric motors. They offer 10% energy savings compared to less-efficient options, with reduction in payback time of about 25%.

City commuters are increasingly cycling to work to keep fit, beat traffic jams and reduce their travel costs. This has directly resulted in an increase in demand for changing facilities in the workplace, including showers. Chris Meir of Andrews Water Heaters, explains how businesses can cater for cyclists whilst remaining energy efficient.

The launch of Toshiba’s latest 3-pipe heat-recovery VRF air-conditioning system, SHRM-e, builds on the success of the SMMS-e VRF system, which had an ESEER (European Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating) of over seven for all capacities. Developments in key technologies in the latest system include the compressor and intelligent control system — supported by incremental improvements in almost all system components. R410A is the refrigerant.