2008 March

With London South Bank University being a key centre for building-services engineering in the UK, it is appropriate that a major new development should seek to be a benchmark for sustainable future developments. Its designed emissions of carbon dioxide are little more than half of what are required by Building Regulations.

The Boots Group is systematically replacing steam traps in its energy centre at Beeston near Nottingham with Gardner Energy Managements’ GEM traps. This programme of work follows the successful installation of these traps on hot-water calorifiers. Since then, some 30 GEM traps have been installed on boilers, super-heaters and in the steam-distribution system.

Tesco is investing in none-invasive technology to check the performance and efficiency of refrigeration systems in its stores as part of its environmental programme to ensure that stores operate as efficiently as possible and the company’s carbon footprint is minimised.

The refurbishment of a building provides the opportunity to improve its energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. Kevin Pennycook explains how new guidance can help.

What could be the largest such CHP installation in the UK, with an electrical output of 3.2 MW, is up and running in Milton Keynes.

With the building-services industry continually faced with a chronic shortage of graduate engineers, CIBSE launched its student bursary scheme four years ago. It provides a means for companies and organisations in the industry to do their bit for the industry — including Modern Building Services, which supported a bursary last year, and we are continuing to do so this year.

Every one of the 850 staff of the Natural History Museum was involved in its ‘100 Days’ campaign.

The advice provided for the 100 Days campaign helped Bolton Wanders reduce the energy consumption for lighting.

Schools in Sheffield have been encouraged by the city council to adopted cost-effective energy-saving refurbishment measures, winning for the Sheffield schools project the award for low-carbon refurbishment of the year.

Involving staff at over a hundred site was the key challenge to be addressed by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

In an organisation with over 3000 properties, one man cannot make much of an impact, so Bob Jauncey built up an effective team at Marstons.

A host of measures for reducing energy consumption have been implemented by Medway Maritime Hospital

FaberMaunsell’s innovative approach to sustainable design won the new-build project of the year award.

Continuous commissioning by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust won the innovation of the year award.

Designed to use a third less energy than the target for a conventional new-build hospital is the new specialist Cancer Care Centre for Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust

The achievements of low-carbon projects, professionals and pioneers were brought into prominence at the first annual Low Carbon Performance Awards launched by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers in association with E.ON, one of the UK’s leading electricity and gas companies. The awards aim to reward actual low-carbon performance — not promise — and were presented by world-famous yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur (the only person not brandishing an award in our picture).

Following the securing of over £12 million-worth of new business, Inviron, a provider of building services and facilities management, has created 57 new jobs. They have come about in the 18 months since the company moved into its new offices in Washington and can be credited to a succession of major contract wins and a growing regional economy.

Building-services contractor Skerritt has won contracts worth £18.2 million to supply services for prisons at Nottingham and Swaleside in Kent.

The construction industry ended 2007 on a positive note, with modest growth set to continue during 2008 — according to the latest trade survey report from the Construction Products Association and the Construction Confederation. Although both product manufacturers and contractors reported that the growth in activity slowed during the final quarter of last year, output and sales volume remained solidly up compared to the same period a year earlier.

Looking to raise £2000 for the Anthony Nolan Trust by running in the London Marathon on 13 April is Simon Russell, southern divisional manager with Heatrae Sadia.

Trox UK, which specialises in air-distribution systems, has invested over £100 000 in extensions to its test facilities and buying specialist equipment.

Elmhurst Energy Systems, creator of the Design SAP software for energy performance measurement, has purchased the rights to the SuperHeat software product from Survey Design Associates. This move brings together two popular and widely used SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure for Energy Rating of Dwellings) products.

Balfour Kilpatrick has been awarded a £3 million contract to design, supply and install services for a new court building at Caernarfon Criminal Justice Court.

The health-and-safety division of Cyril Sweett has been appointed to the design and construction team of Tate Modern as co-ordinator for construction design and management.

The CIBSE/ASHRAE 2008 conference in Newcastle next month will tackle the major issues and burning topics that managers, clients, architects and planners all face in the challenge to produce green buildings.

Underfloor-heating specialist Giacomini (UK) has moved to larger premises close to its previous location on Westerleigh Business Park in Bristol.

LG is preparing to expand its Art Cool range of air-conditioning products into the residential and higher-end interiors market with a network of strategically placed dealers. The company is in detailed discussion with several companies, some new to the air-conditioning industry, but well versed in dealing with the more lucrative parts of the domestic market.

Event organiser 3049 is planning a new industry event this Autumn. The Heat + Vent Northern Show will run from 26 to 27 November at the Lancashire County Cricket Ground at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Operon’s design division has been appointed M&E consultant for the complete redevelopment of the first three phases of Stockport College’s town-centre campus.

SummitSkills, the sector skills council for building-services engineering, has welcomed Government plans to expand and strengthen apprenticeships.

BSS Industrial has reached its £50 000 target with Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, helping families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness. Following this success, BSS has pledged to raise the same amount over the next 12 months.

Energy-service companies Dalkia and Honeywell Building Solutions have been appointed to help deliver a 25% reduction in the energy used by 42 buildings of the Greater London Authority.

The University of Warwick has appointed Hoare Lea Consulting Engineers to provide detailed design of mechanical, electrical and public-health engineering services for the Warwick Digital Laboratory. The practice will also supply specialist advice on building design, including virtual engineering and acoustic consultancy.

The enthusiasm for achieving zero-carbon buildings could result in ‘highly perverse outcomes’, according to Dr David Strong, chief executive of Inbuilt Consulting, speaking at last month’s Ecobuild conference in London.

he CHP system being supplied by Ener-g for the UK’s tallest residential building, Pan Peninsula next to Canary Wharf, is expected to cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 207 t a year.

Aermec free-cooling water chillers are providing energy-efficient cooling at 55 Baker Street in London by delivering free cooling without the need for glycol circulation in the primary chilled-water system.

Effective heating for the new 5000 m2 warehouse of Media Control at Kings Norton is provided by just four Reznor UDSA43 heaters to maintain a temperature of 19 to 20°C.

A biomass boiler provides heating and hot water for the first major district-heating scheme in Ireland. It serves a housing development in Dundalk, with heat-exchanger units from Alfa Laval linking individual dwellings to the system. The objective is to reduce emissions by 90% compared with other approaches, increase energy efficiency by 30% and reduce energy costs by 30%.

Temperatures of 40°C could be reached in the summer in the workshops of London Taxis International with heat generated from welding equipment in the metal-framed building with a corrugated-iron roof. The very uncomfortable conditions for the 28 employees have been massively improved using two Breezair evaporative coolers installed by Clean Air Systems.

Air conditioning for the common areas of a high-specification residential development in London is provide by Panasonic Urban Multi VRF systems.

Low-carbon heating and cooling of ventilation air for a development of serviced business units near Belfast is provided by passing air through a network of pipes in the ground. Using this system, the temperature of ventilation air can be raised by up to 9 K in winter and reduced by up to 14 K in summer.

To cope with sudden high demands for hot water at the Judgemeadow Football Development Centre in Leicester, two Lochinvar 320LBF balanced-flue water heaters have been installed.

Vaillant has supplied condensing combination and system boilers for the Shehnai Banqueting Suites in Reading, which are a prestigious venue for Asian weddings and events. Davinder Bhangra of AGAS installed the two commercial 46 kW ecoMAX condensing combination boilers and an ecoTEC plus 637 condensing system boiler.

Energy from the ground serves underfloor heating in the new Queens Park Pavilion at Caterham in Surrey. Built to replace a former structure destroyed by an arson attack, this £700 000 project offers local residents an energy-efficient sports and community centre with modern facilities.

Using solar energy to generate domestic hot water has contributed to the new head office of Charter Community Housing achieving a ‘very good’ BREEAM rating. Andrews Water Heaters designed a SOLARflo package for the project as a ready-to-install solution that included roof-mounted solar collectors and a twin-coil cylinder.

Seven new health centres in North Nottingham all use Grundfos Magna commercial circulators in their services systems. Installed by F. G. Skerrit of Nottingham, these were the first A-rated pumps on the market can use up to 80% less energy than fixed-speed counterparts.

A new infirmary at the historic Royal Chelsea Hospital is heated by a Flowcrete Isowarm underfloor system. It serves an area of 6000 m2.

The central plant serving this development of 238 apartments in Stevenage has been halved in size compared with using plate heat exchangers by using Geminox Modusat units in each apartment to store energy.

Gilberts of Blackpool has completed a contract to supply grilles and diffusers for the tallest building under construction in the Cty of London.

Trox has supplied a complete package of fan-coil units and diffusers for two British Land projects in London. The buildings are the 165 m-tall Broadgate Tower and the neighbouring 63 m-high 201 Bishopsgate. They will be connected by a glass canopy.

Durapipe’s SuperFLO pipework system has reduced installation time for chilled-water circuits in a new air-conditioning system at Audi’s car showroom in Manchester.