Energy-efficient ventilation for a prestigious apartment development in the heart of Preston is provided by Vent-Axia mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. Not only does this equipment help to meet the requirements of Part F of the Building Regulations but it also helps to control noise levels.

An 80% reduction in lighting costs is expected at Oxfam’s central distribution depot following the upgrade of existing 8 ft T12 fluorescent light fittings using Chalmor’s ReNew T5 upgrade solution. Lighting in the 2000 m2 warehouse is linked to BlueWave lighting controllers.

While people who work in buildings can play a vital role in reducing carbon emissions, they need constantly reminders to keep up their efforts — as Lisa Wilkinson explains.

Well designed and carefully controlled natural ventilation helps reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and achieve good environmental control. Richard Arnott explains.

Burners for the boilers in the £65 million bioenergy facility at Diageo’s Cameronbridge Distillery in Fife are to be supplied by Dunphy Combustion. Being developed in partnership with Dalkia, the facility will integrate on a commercial scale sustainable technologies, including anaerobic digestion and biomass conversion. CO2 emissions from the site are expected to be reduced by about 56 000 t a year.

Energy savings of up to 60% for maintaining temperatures in domestic hot water systems compared with recirculation are claimed for Raychem’s HWAT trace-heating system — even allowing for SAP fuel factors. These trace-heating systems can extend as far as the tap or shower so hot water is available instantly.

Intelligent facilities management is the key to the continuing long-term reduction of carbon emissions from buildings argues Keith Gilliver.

Four of Potterton Commercial’s boiler ranges are included in the Energy Technology List, so qualifying for Enhanced Capital Allowances. They are the Paramount two, Eurocondense two, Sirius FS and Sirius WH condensing boilers.

Remeha has supplied two biomass boilers to provide heating and hot water for the private apartments of Inverary Castle in Scotland, home of the 13th Duke of Argyll. They were made by Gilles and each has an output of 145 kW. They are fuelled by wood chips manufactured and supplied by the Inverary Estate itself — minimising incidental carbon emissions.

Energy savings of 55% are being achieved by InBev UK at its 55 acre brewery, canning and packaging plant in Magor, South Wales with Eco2save luminaires and lamps supplied by Ironteam Energy Solutions. InBev owns Stella Artois, Becks and Budweiser.

Contributing to the improved energy efficiency of a refurbished 1960s office 4-storey office block in Burngreave, Sheffield, is the application of Passivent natural-ventilation techniques. The systems ensure a fresh yet quiet internal environment in what is designed to provide a landmark building to act as a catalyst for the 10-year regeneration programme.

Grundfos energy-efficient pumps are playing a key role in helping the London headquarters of fashion retailer River Island improve its environmental efficiency. The M&E refurbishment includes geothermal heating and cooling.

If the UK is going to use energy more efficiently within buildings it must first remedy the huge losses made during power generation. David Shaw argues that we already have a tried-and-tested solution.

The 30-year-old solar-thermal system serving the swimming pool of Abbots Bromley School for Girls has been replaced with 32 Buderus panels. The previous installation was one of the earliest large-scale installations in the country, but had become outdated and inefficient and suffered panel damage and pipe­work deterioration over the years.

Solar-thermal energy supported by a ground-source heat pumps and a condensing boiler serve the new Rayleigh Weir fire station in Essex. MHS Boilers supplied 24 m2 of Auron DF evacuated-tube solar collector, a 1380 l solar buffer vessel and an Ultramax 85 kW wall-mounted condensing boiler and pressurisation management

Patrick Sherriff shares his experiences on how ground-source heat pumps provide energy-efficient heating and cooling for buildings.

Dimplex has extended its range of air-source heat pumps with units providing five outputs from 9 to 40 kW — all offering COPs that are said to be comparable with ground-source units. The largest units in the range offer a flow temperature of up to 58°C. Applications include communal systems for apartment developments and commercial buildings. Several heat pumps can be used in parallel to meet higher heating loads.

EcoCooling evaporative cooling has solved overheating problems at the University of Westminster with a much lower carbon footprint and using less than 20% of the energy that would have been required by a conventional air-conditioning system. Two EcoCoolers and an extraction system were installed to provide cooling for Fyvie Hall and its associated board room.

Stiebel Eltron has devised a leasing scheme for heat pumps to stimulate their installation by businesses, councils, hospitals, schools and churches. The scheme will reduce the initial capital cost by staggering the cost of buying and installing heat pumps. Stiebel Eltron has teamed up with Sinclair Financing & Leasing to run the scheme.

Greenwood Airvac’s Fusion HRV2 whole-house heat-recovery ventilation system has a specific fan power of 0.47 W/l/s and a heat-transfer efficiency of up to 93%. These performance figures are said to make the units the most efficient of their type on the market.