With increased pressure being placed on businesses to meet Government energy-efficiency targets, many companies are readdressing their heating needs. Graham Williamson, business director of commercial heating at Ideal Boilers, discusses the impact these legislative demands are having on the commercial heating market and advises how both the industry and businesses can prepare themselves.

Radiant ceiling panels have been supplied by Zehnder to heat the redeveloped Bovington Tank Museum in Dorset. The £16 million 5000 m2 extension houses a new display hall, reception, gift shop, visitor facilities and restaurant. This museum holds the finest and most historically significant collection of tanks in the world.

Lochinvar has supplied new gas-fired high-efficiency boilers to provide heating for Oxford University’s Keble College. The two EcoKnight EKB145 boilers are in the basement plant room of the main college building and provide space heating for the library, main dining hall and the fellows’ dining rooms. They were specified by SI Integrated Services & Design of Oxford.

With cleaner electricity generation on the way, electric space heating has a positive and secure future, especially as electric heating products are highly compatible with renewable technologies. Robin Wood argues the case.

Creda’s Eco-Response intelligent electric heating technology has been developed to help meet the requirements of Part L of the 2006 Building Regulations and give enhanced SAP scores. It is an integrated storage, direct-acting heating system with simple, yet sophisticated one-touch electronic controls. It is said to provide a good solution for housing associations and builders.

The need to achieve higher efficiencies for heating systems is driving a move towards lower flow and return temperatures in wet systems. David Shuttleworth explores the implications for heat emitters.

One of the key futures boosting the carbon-saving credentials of the Sainsbury’s supermarkets in Dartmouth and Alnwick are the 450 kW biomass boilers supplied by Remeha. They are the main source of renewable energy in these stores and use wood pellets made from forested trees.

Raychem electric underfloor heating has been installed to an extension to a large residential property in Suffolk. The extension comprised a garden room with glazed frontage, gym and shower facility. The work was carried out by Spectrum Electrical of Sudbury, a Raychem CertifiedPRO installer who was authorised to provide the customer with the manufacturer’s ex­tended 20-year total care warranty.

A church in Ireland is said to be effectively heated for the first time in its 300-year history following the installation of a Potterton Paramount two 80 kW condensing boiler and 22 low-surface-temperature radiators. Doolin Plumbing & Heating installed the system in St Coman’s Church of Ireland in Roscommon.

Smith’s Environmental Products reports that its online guide to installing its Space Saver fan-convector unit has become its most downloaded document. The 12 months from August 2008 to July 2009 saw 39 400 downloads of the Space Saver installation guide, along with 1956 users accessing the PDF online.

Making full use of low-carbon technologies for space heating necessitates a fresh view and a more holistic approach, says Ant Wilson of Faber Maunsell.

This luxury residential development at Southport in the north west of England is served by Evenheat underfloor heating. Royal Park comprises 24 apartments and three mews houses in a small landscaped park within easy reach of long sandy beaches and a bustling city centre.

Following an energy survey by the Government agency Resolve, a hotel near Bridgend has replaced two outdated heating and hot-water boilers with a modern Buderus system which is expected to pay for itself within two years. The agency recommended a complete new solution to meet the total needs of the 28-bedroom Coed-Y-Mwstwr Hotel in Coychurch.

BSS Industrial has added an LST version to its BOSS RIOpanel range of radiators.

Purmo’s vertical Kos V radiator combines a minimalist appearance with high heat outputs. These radiators have a flat from panel and closed, curved side covers.

The heating industry has made a strong response to Government legislation to encourage energy efficiency, and the specification of high-efficiency condensing boilers has steadily increased. However, to maximise efficiencies Graham Williamson, business director of commercial heating at Ideal Boilers, stresses that installers now need to take into account more factors than simply upgrading to a high efficiency boiler.

Philip Ord believes that if a building requires cooling, the same system should also be used to provide heating — reducing energy costs and carbon emissions.

Interest in renewable energy continues to soar as fuel costs rise and legislation to reduce carbon emissions from non-domestic buildings comes into force — and heat pumps have much to offer, says Karen Trewick.

Mitsubishi Electric has added two new models to its Ecodan range of air-source heat-pump space- and water-heating products. The Ecodan series is now packaged with a wider range of tank sizes and specifications and is also available as a standalone solution for situations where a packaged solution is not required.

With the UK catching on to Europe’s enthusiasm for wood-burning boilers,

George Fletcher explains how to get the best from this carbon-neutral technology.

Fan convectors can be up to 31% more energy efficient than panel radiators, according to research carried out by BSRIA for Smith’s Environmental Products.

Dunham Bush’s AM88 fan convector introduces preheated fresh air to the space at the appropriate volumes, irrespective of weather conditions. The same facility is also available with Avant-garde fan convectors, optimised for use with condensing boilers, and the recently introduced LST range of fan convectors.

The message of Creda’s ‘Here today...here tomorrow’ promotional campaign for its new TPRIII Electronic range of panel heaters with advanced central programming control is that it is the most sustainable solution for domestic heating in the future.

Burner specialist Riello has upgraded several ranges of oil-fired burners. They are the RL and RLS dual-fuel commercial burners and the RDB and R40 residential models. The new designs include new pump features in response to recent changes in UK fuel specifications.

Potterton Commercial has added two larger models to its Paramount Two range of wall-hung high-efficiency condensing boilers, which now offers outputs of 30, 40, 60, 80, 95 and 115 kW for commercial and larger domestic applications.

Wet underfloor heating can be provided in a depth of just 25 mm using Chelmer’s Ecomat with a self-levelling screed and special insulation board — making it ideally suited to the retrofit market. Its response time is 25 minutes.

Keith Sprague explains why carefully considering the heating requirements

of a building will bring long-term economic benefits.

By switching from an oil-fired central-heating system to an Ecodan air-source heat-pump system from Mitsubishi Electric, the owners of a 300-year-old house near Marlborough are expecting to reduce fuel bills by around £500 a year and halve carbon-dioxide emissions.

Providing a renewable energy heating solution in existing or new homes makes environmental sense but it can be costly. Heat-pump manufacturer Calorex and its strategic partner E.ON, has come up with the solution of delivering a fixed-price ground-source heat-pump installation package supported with grants from either the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) or Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT). This could mean, for qualifying installations, up to 85% of grant funding towards the supply and installation of ground-source heat pumps.