2005 July

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Trend’s IQView touchscreen user interface for controlling building-management systems immediately ‘learns’ the structure of the Trend BMS to which it is connected and can then be quickly configured to give different levels of user access.

Simmtronic has expanded its SPECS3 range of addressable lighting controls for corporate development projects where DALI electronic ballasts are specified.

Open systems increase the complexity of building-management systems, making their commissioning a more demanding process. JOHN REID examines the issues.

According to the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA), the UK market has recorded its best year since it started analysing the building-controls industry in 1991. The total value of products, installed systems, and service and maintenance supplied by controls and BMS companies operating in the UK home market during 2004 equalled £489 million.

Building-management systems are the key to capitalising on investment in intelligent buildings says ANDY HAYNES.

A wide range of comfort and energy benefits are being provided by a new heating and ventilation system in the plastic injection-moulding plant of Collins & Aikman in the West Midlands.

Cofathec Heatsave has been awarded a national contract to provide a comprehensive range of maintenance and management services to the estate of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Refurbishment of lighting installations in 30 Territorial Army Centres and other properties belonging to the Reserve Forces & Cadets Association (RFCA) in the north of England is achieving significant energy savings — with associated substantial reductions in carbon-dioxide emissions. The work was carried out by Parkersell (Lighting & Electrical Services). Payback in terms of energy and cost savings is expected in two to four years.

‘Intelligent maintenance’ software which facilitates remote Internet monitoring and control of equipment and assets has been developed by t-mac Technologies.

As part of the refurbishment of All Saints Church at Leadon near Sunderland, an underfloor heating system has been installed beneath the central worship space, with radiators around the perimeter to minimise lateral losses.

Maintenance costs and downtime of a rehydrating unit at the Nottingham plant of Imperial Tobacco have been reduced following the installation of a Kal-Guard+ scale inhibitor from Watermatic. A payback of less than four months was achieved.

The REFCOM refrigerant database for tracking refrigerant movement from supplier to cylinder to plant has been successfully trialled by MacWhirter Air Conditioning, the first company ever to join the REFCOM scheme.

The flexibility of Mitsubishi Electric’s City Multi R2 heat-recovery air conditioning has been exploited in the modernisation of Elizabeth House in Woking, a 3000 m2 office development. The equipment has been installed to provide climate control for a huge open-plan area, whilst swapping heating and cooling between different rooms.

To help organisations and individuals avoid the risk of litigation, the head of technical and safety with the Heating & Ventilating Contractors Association stresses the vital role of guidance developed by HVCA.

A prefabricated modular plant room installed on the roof of new research facilities for Queen Mary College of the University of London was a key element of the refurbishment of the Wingate Institute.

When maintenance costs for community heating and heating in sheltered accommodation operated by Aberdeen City Council Housing began to escalate and written complaints were being received from wardens, a condition survey of the affected heating systems was initiated.

Richmond Hydro-Chem has developed a scheme to help clients protect against the risks of legionella.

Ladies, as well as gentlemen, are now benefiting from air conditioning at a prestigious outfitter in Salisbury. Chas H. Baker installed air conditioning in the gentlemen’s department some time ago. Now Domair International has specified and installed a Carrier XPower system for the ladies department. It comprises two ceiling cassettes, with outdoor units on a neighbouring roof.

Following the recent securing of its biggest-ever national maintenance and support contract with a leading financial-services provider, Pickerings Lifts has enhanced its maintenance and support programme — with the goal of offering best-in-class service for the UK lift industry.

To prepare St Lawrence College in Ramsgate for the new academic year, the site’s appointed specifier has again turned to Keston Boilers. The company has provided a rig comprising five boilers, two low-volume velocity headers. This is the third of five orders for prefabricated rigs.

The company which owns Powergen, e.on UK, has awarded a major facilities-management and service contract to the national facilities-management team of Inviron.

Outsourcing facilities-management responsibilities to a specialist company with an innovative attitude provides the opportunity to satisfy competitive cost criteria via efficiency benefits rather than service cuts. JAMIE REYNOLDS explores how.

Variable-speed drives are now well established in building services, and the early product generations are becoming ripe for replacement. It is not just at breakdowns that replacement should be considered; changing out in time can help prevent downtime. A new drive can also reduce energy consumption and save space, as NICK THORNE explains.

Preventive maintenance prolongs plant life, increase energy savings and saves money, so why do too few companies realise the benefits asksJOHN WRIGHT?

Problems attributed to maintenance failings are bad for business, which is why ANDY GREEN advocates a business-focused approach to maintenance.

A long-range microwave detector with an adjustable range of up to 60 m has been introduced by CP Electronics. The MWS4 can be applied to large spaces such as factories, leisure facilities and warehouses. It reduces the number of sensors required to cover an area, reducing installation and commissioning time.

York International has extended the scope of its service operation to form York Energy Solutions, a specialist team to provide energy and cost-savings opportunities for clients. Where required, York will also take over responsibility for reducing energy consumption.

Legrand and Tenby have combined expertise to create a system of wiring accessories ‘that will completely redefine the market’.

Faced with being unable to suspend a kitchen ventilation canopy from the roof in a school in Telford, Weatherite designed a special self-support system made from stainless-steel hollow section.

Summer temperatures of 35 to 45°C in a hotel kitchen have been reduced to around 23°C following the installation of Breezair evaporative cooling from Seeley International. Specified by Aircon Services, the Breezair system has dramatically improved conditions for staff in the kitchen of the George Hotel at Dorchester-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.

Major reductions in packaging waste and more efficient working on site for the lighting installation on a large London project have been achieved by a re-usable packaging system devised by Thorn Lighting.

Energy-efficient hot water for a luxury-apartment complex in London’s South Quay is provided by plant fired by six Nu-way fully modulating gas burners. The equipment was specified by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and the boilers were supplied by HRS Hevac.

Cardiff & Vale NHS Trust is on course to increase the efficiency of chiller plant by 30 to 40% and reduce wear and tear following the installation of a liquid-pressure amplification system from Excalibur LPA. The system has been installed in the University Hospital of Wales site at Heath Park and Llandough Hospital on Penlam Road. The plants serve critical areas and represent a comparatively high proportion of electrical consumption and load.

Cooling for this massive, predominantly concrete building with its south-facing glass wall in Yorkshire Sculpture Park is provided by two Carrier Aquasnap chillers. The machines provide 38 kW of cooling as chilled water for the air-handling system. The chillers are very small and quiet and are sited in a service area to the rear of the gallery, screened by trees.

The long pipe runs possible with Toshiba Super Digital Inverter heat-pump split systems have been fully exploited for air conditioning a restaurant in Leeds.

Hamworthy’s Masterflue MF system, teamed up with a Wessex M660 boiler installation, has provided a trouble-free heating and domestic-hot-water installation for Medivir UK at Chesterfield Research Park in Saffron Walden. The company specialises in drug research and development.

Hydrocarbon refrigerants are used in three rooftop chillers installed at the Department for Transport Great Minster House building in Westminster. Each has a cooling duty of 127 kW.

A combination of underfloor heating and efficient boiler with effective control has reduced gas bills so much at the headquarters of Osma Underfloor Heating that British Gas investigated why.

The delivery of a prefabricated plantroom to a school in Walsall has enabled a major project to be completed outside of the summer-holiday window.

The first Daikin water-cooled VRV-WII air-conditioning system in the UK has been installed by Adcock Refrigeration. The 10 hp system serves the administration block of the Castle Mall Shopping Centre in Norwich and was supplied and commissioned by Space Airconditioning.

Aberdeen’s renowned climate has been exploited in designing low-energy ventilation as part of the £7.9 million extension and refurbishment of the 100-year-old His Majesty’s Theatre in the city in designing building services for this Grade A listed building dating from the early 1900s. Average ambient temperatures are 17 to 18°C, which have been exploited through the extensive use of displacement ventilation.

Building–services contractor Briggs & Forrester has a long-term commitment to training and development. Its latest intake of trainees includes 12 at the head office in Northampton and a further three at the offices in Hitchin and London.

Young plumber Thomas Pearson has been named Apprentice of the Year at the National Apprenticeship Awards. He was presented with his award by Olympic gold medallists Sir Matthew Pinsent (left) and Garry Herbert (right), having beaten over 500 entrants for the award.

York International claims to be the only HVACR company to have won a 2005 Climate Protection Award from the US Environmental Protection Agency. The company was recognised for its pioneering work and ongoing development of energy-saving technologies applied to chillers — specifically electronic variable-speed drives, with their dramatic energy-saving potential.

Goodmarriott & Hursthouse, one of the UK’s oldest electrical-engineering companies, has been bought by Imtech, the European-wide technical-services provider.

The demand for hydrocarbon refrigerants (HCs) is growing, according to BOC. Mike Dennis, business director for special products, believes there is more scope to grow in the HC market than almost any other refrigerant sector.

The acquisition by Watts Industries of Electro Controls has extended its UK offering of HVAC and building-management-system controls.

Northampton-based contractor Briggs & Forrester has taken its sponsorship of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club a stage further by advertising on the players’ match shirts.

Following the completion of the first phase of redevelopment, Waterloo Air Products has rationalised its product range to concentrate on the manufacture of grilles, diffusers, VAV equipment and active chilled beams.

A web site aimed at simplifying project partnership contracts has been developed by the Association of Consultant Architects. It is targeted at constructors, consultants and specialists and presents contractual material in an accessible and user-friendly way. It also offers facts and guidance on using the association’s partnering contracts, as well as providing tasters, case studies, answers to common questions and other free downloads.