2008 April

Users of the web site of “Modern Building Services” are being offered a 10% discount for a seminar to launch a new guide in the Knowledge Series of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. “Fan coil units : solutions for the 21st century” explains how chilled-water FCUs are a highly effective means of providing air conditioning for buildings. The event is on Monday 19 May at CIBSE's headquarters at Balham in South London.

Pumps last many years, and the rate of technological change is also measured in years. Glynn Williams discusses developments that have a major impact on the performance and energy efficiency of pumps.

As part of the programme of Hounslow Home to achieve the Government’s ‘decent homes’ standard for the London Borough of Hounslow’s 16 500 housing stock, Grundfos variable-speed pumps using differential-pressure control have been installed as part of two plantroom refurbishments.

Hepworth Building Products has extended its Hep2O range with the addition of a universal spigot elbow.

Proportional balancing and variable flow do not go together, but it is taking time for a more effective approach to setting up waterborne systems to be widely adopted.

The Purus connector for connecting and sealing pipes of different diameters is now available in the UK.

BSS Industrial offers its Boss cPVC piping system as an alternative to copper and steel. Installation is said to be simple, with no need for expensive tools.

Warrens has launch an own-brand range of products called Warrior. Some of the first products to be offered include gate, globe, check and ball valves.

Intaeco is a newly established company set up to supply plumbing and heating products with a sustainable-energy focus. Its product range is said to be of particular interest to the renewable-energy market and those with an interest in sustainable building practices.Intaeco is a sister company of Intatec, which specialises in anti-scale taps, showers and valves.

The flexibility and ease of installation of Victaulic’s grooved joint system for pipes is being used to good effect in the Beijing Olympic National Stadium in China.

Jean Christophe Carette shares the secrets of successful hydronic balancing.

The use of metal piping for water, waste and drainage applications has declined in recent years as more specifiers and contractors begin to appreciate the many benefits of modern plastic systems. Adam Turk looks at some of the reasons behind this and makes a surprising discovery.

Grundfos has added two new models to its IMpress range of pressurisation sets. These sets have intelligent micro-processor control.

The Terrier push-fit range of thermostatic radiator valves from Pegler can accept several different types of pipe, enabling installers to reduce the number of valves they need to consider. Possibilities include plain or chrome-plates copper tube to BS EN 1057 or PB and PEX plastic pipe to BS 7291 Parts 2 and 3. A simple tool enables pipes to be disconnected.

The Friaphon sound-attenuated drainage systems from Durapipe has been specified for a private opera house in the back garden of Martin Graham, who owns Longborough Festival Opera.

Is proportional balancing still the best approach to commissioning variable volume systems? Martin Lowe, technical manager at Marflow Hydronics, suggests a faster and more practical method.

As part of a major regeneration of the Rathbone Hospital site in Old Swan, Liverpool, A range of Oventrop valves have been installed, including Aquastrom T Plus multi-function domestic-hot water valves to avoid the risk of legionella bacteria growing.

To optimise the use of natural light in its stores, B&Q has installed the Synapsys IP (SIP) DALI system to integrate DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) lighting devices with the building-management system.

Simmtronic Specs3 fully addressable lighting-control systems are being installed by Haden Young in the Cat A fitout of 150 Cheapside — a 19 000 m2 corporate office development overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Hamilton Litestat has added to its GridIt wiring-accessories a 1 to 10 V grid module for use with analogue regulated fluorescent ballasts. This manually operated high-frequency ballast controller provides an effective and economical way to dim fluorescent lamps.

Greenstock now offers a long-life high-pressure-sodium lamp from Aura. It has a 48 000 h life, based on a 12 h switching life. Light output is said to be 22% higher than standard SON lamps at 147 lm/W, with a 15% depreciation over its life.

Cooper Lighting & Safety has added high-frequency control gear and triphosphor lamps to the Crompton Modulay range of recessed luminaires to improve energy efficiency.

Delivering to Code 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes requires a fundamental and joined-up rethink of how homes are designed and built. One example was in evidence at the recent EcoBuild exhibition. With Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, zero carbon, being the standard to be achieved by 2016, leading lights in the industry have been addressing the issue of how to achieve this requirement in an affordable manner. An impressive example of how the code can be met was very prominent at the recent EcoBuild exhibition at Earls Court in London with what was promoted as ‘the UK’s first affordable and commercial viable Code 6 house’.

Tony Barnes shares his experience of the application of ground-source heat pumps for domestic heating and reducing carbon emissions.

Airedale International Air Conditioning has taken a major step forward in energy-efficient chilled-water air conditioning with the development of a range of chillers based on the Danfoss Turbocor compressor combined with a series of energy-efficiency features engineered by Airedale.

There are many benefits in taking the assembly of piped services off site, as Cal Bailey explains.

Nathan Hudson believes that the most obvious ways of saving money on electrical-distribution systems are usually not the best.

Steve Buckley explains how the drive to cut carbon footprints has led to DALI lighting control becoming more relevant across the board.

Dynalite Europe has installed a lighting-control system incorporating its Mapview energy-management software to replace an existing system in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

Richard Forster delves into the issues comparing compact fluorescent and tungsten-filament lamps — and in doing so challenges conventional perceptions concerning efficiency and mercury.

25% has been lopped off the electricity bill of the main training centre of the London Fire Brigade in Southwark following the installation of Ex-Or lighting controls.

Megaman’s emergency pack for use with its integral compact fluorescent lamps incorporates an emergency module, batteries and an LED indicator to provide a system that is easy to connect.

For the first time in over a hundred years, the look and feel of general lighting solutions are poised to change as LED technology develops. Steve Landau sets the scene.

Ridi’s Aida-Vario range of suspended luminaires for recessed ceiling grids is designed to meet the requirements of CIBSE LG3a and LG7 lighting codes. These fittings can be lowered to maximise ceiling illumination or fully recessed.

Against the background of the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates for buildings, the CBI has launched a guide for business, with commercial real-estate advisor CB Richard Ellis.

Birmingham building-services provider JS Wright has completed the £4.6 million fit-out of the 14-storey Park Plaza County Hall Hotel near the London Eye. The 2-year project was the biggest in JS Wright’s 118-year history and has resulted in the company’s work in London accounting for 70% of its forecast turnover of £19 million for 2007/8.

Modern Building Services has launched a new service to simplify the task of matching the staffing needs of companies in the building-services industry and engineers. A new area on our web site enables engineers in the industry to post their CV and those looking for staff to access those CVs.

The extension of Enhanced Capital Allowances to include electrical systems may be one of the most important changes under the new system, according to property tax and finance specialist Davis Langdon Crosher & James.

Dalkia has reinforced its position in public-sector property manager by retaining its contract with the Welsh Assembly Government. This contract will allow Dalkia to provide flexible and effective services to the WAG, building on its long-term relationship with the Welsh regional government.

Buro Happold raised £1383 for the charity RedR (Register of Engineers for Disaster Relief) with a company-wide ‘wear red for RedR Day’ in February. This was the second time the price has run a RedR Day since the scheme started three years ago.

A number of top firms in the industry have signed up for a new flexible learning programme aimed at addressing the growing shortage of qualified building-services engineers, launched by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers.

Prêt a Manger has appointed specialist maintenance provider M. J. Quinn Integrated Services to look after air conditioning, refrigerated display cabinets and general refrigeration in its 160 shops throughout the UK

The UK’s first centre of excellence in low-carbon technologies for buildings is set to open at London South Bank University. The Centre of Efficient & Renewable Energy in Buildings will open in 2009. It will be a unique resource for teaching, research and demonstration of low-carbon energy technologies in the built environment.

Airwell has joined the VRF air-conditioning market with the launch of the Flow Logic range of inverter-driven systems. Three different core systems can be tailored to meet cooling needs from 11 to 134 kW and heating from 12 to 150 kW. They use R410A.

Lindab has added perforated ceiling diffusers to its Comfort range of air terminal devices. The range includes models with circular and square faces and a special swirl type for delivering very cold air.

Xpelair’s Digitemp air-conditioning units are self contained and can be installed against outside and outside wall with two 155 mm-diameter holes providing connections to the outside. They use R410A.

Johnson Controls has introduced to the European market a range of total building solutions for operating buildings effectively and efficiently.

Portakabin’s expertise in modular buildings has been utilised in the delivery of a 1800 m2 project for the Ministry of Defence within 30 weeks. The building includes a stylish barrel roof, large picture windows for increased natural light and a barrelled canopy.

Evinox is providing Belmont Homes with the Geminox Modusat for heating and cooling at Coast, its latest development in Hove. The Modusat units in the 68 apartments will be supplied with hot water from four Geminox boilers providing just 400 kW overall.

As part of a major upgrade of the UK headquarters in Redhill of global engineering, consulting and construction company Black & Veatch, the radiator heating system and boilers have been removed and replaced with Daikin VRV systems to provide both heating and cooling.

As part of the renewal of heating systems in the 152 buildings that make up Colchester Barracks, AmbiRad radiant heating has been installed in the large workshops and stores.