2010 November

Daikin is applying pressure to the UK domestic heat-pump market to drive up sales — with the support of the Renewable Heat Incentive and the Government’s commitment to build more affordable homes.

A heating system that is not specifically designed for the characteristics and requirements of the building is unlikely to be effective and efficient. Frank Staniland explores the issues involved and some solutions.

CTC has been awarded Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) approval for its EcoAir range of air-to-water heat pumps. The products that are now BRE Global Listed for the MCS include units from 5 to 20 kW for commercial and domestic applications.

Big Foot Solar Systems offer the complete non-penetrative mounting system for photovoltaic panels on a flat roof.

Distributor BSS Industrial now offers the Durapipe Guardian dual-containment range of products as a service for customers working to AMP5 requirements. Water authorities advise that all pipework systems not located in a contained area, such as pipework near gantries or above public areas, should be dual contained. This is an increased safety measure and prevents the risk of potential contamination.

The new 150 mm version of Saint-Gobain’s push-fit cast-iron drainage system is now approved by the BSI to the BS EN 877:1999 standard for cast-iron pipes and fittings. This approval guarantees that the product is suitable for gravity soil applications at 0.5 bar. This 150 mm range complements the 100 mm range of push-fit socketed fittings and couplings.

SPX offers a new range of APV Compakva water heaters and district heating units for domestic water heating in social housing and commercial schemes.

Danlers’ heater boost switch for the control of electric heating loads automatically turns the load off after a selected time period has elapsed. There are four different time settings to choose from (15 min, 30 min, 1 h and 2 h). Pressing the button selects each timelag choice in turn. The switch is manufactured in the UK and is designed for use with immersion heaters, heated towel rails and other suitable electric heating loads. It is ideal for use in student accommodation blocks, hotels, military accommodation etc.

ABB has developed a free energy-calculator application (App) for the Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod. It enables end-users to calculate the savings they can achieve by installing variable-speed drives (VSDs) to control motors.

Britannia Kitchen Ventilation has installed new extract canopies and remote air-supply plenums to ventilate the busy production kitchen of Kettleby Foods in Melton Mowbray, which produces a wide range of chilled foods for the British market.

The Securitherm cool-touch range of TMV3 shower valves from Douglas Delabie has been tested and certified by BuildCert to the NHS Model Engineering Specification D08/TMV3. The cool touch is achieved by passing the cold supply through an outer water channel before it is mixed with the incoming hot water. In addition, the water-supply inlets have thermally insulated covers. The shower temperature is factory set at 38°C and adjustable between 20 and 41°C.

Schell’s Compact LC urinal control can be used with all urinal bowls, including stainless steel, and offers a range of precisely delivered and easily programmed flush programmes. The sensor and the reed switch that controls it are concealed — for aesthetic reasons and to prevent vandalism.

HygroMatik has developed a new rinsing and scale-collecting system for its HeaterLine range of heater-type steam humidifiers, which makes possible extremely low maintenance.

VES’s Colourfan range of high-efficiency small air-handling units is available as supply, extract and twin versions. There is a wide range of models for installing in ceiling voids, plantrooms and outside. All units are Part L2 compliant and have low specific fan powers. VES silencers and Ecobox heat recovery can be used with Colourfan units.

With the industry expecting an upturn in maintenance activity for schools, BSS Industrial is presenting its range of Boss Copperad fan convectors as an efficient and reliable method of heating for educational establishments. Features of these heaters include lockable access panels, pencil-proof grilles and low surface temperatures.

Armstrong has added larger-capacity models to its 6800 IVS range of variable-speed booster sets. All new models incorporate the soft-fill feature, an automated process that reduces the risk of hydraulic shock damage and water hammer by increasing the pump speed gradually to a fill setpoint.

GE Lighting’s Longlast spiral compact fluorescent lamps are available in 8, 12, 13, 15, 20 and 23 W versions. They are said to be one of the smallest long-life lamps on the market, with excellent lumen maintenance over their 12 000 h rated life. Simon Phillips, commercial director for EMEA at GE Lighting, says, ‘These lamps have been developed for new and existing installations and provide superb light output, for longer and with less energy required — ensuring that energy bills are reduced.’

BSS Industrial has added differential-pressure-control valves (DPCVs) to its BOSS range of valves. These valves maintain a constant differential pressure in hydronic systems and use minimal energy. They are applicable to radiator systems, manifolds, flat stations, riser balancing and fan coils.

Stokvis Energy Systems has standardised on Heatpak packaged boiler rooms with a standard specification for various heating loads to achieve rapid delivery to site — generally six to eight weeks. Heatpak units are relatively light, so they can often be installed on the roof of a building or alongside.

A direct LED replacement for a 60 W incandescent light bulb has been introduced by Philips Lighting. It consumes 12 W and is dimmable. Its light output is 806 lm, and it is suggested that these lamps will save about £75 each over their life. It has received an award from the American Lighting Association as the best LED replacement lamp in the US A19 class, and is available in Europe as the Master LEDbulb in the commercial and MyAmbiance in the domestic sector.

Waterloo Air Products has received Eurovent certification for all its active and chilled beams, confirming their quality, performance and energy efficiency. The certification applies to the ABM/300 series.

Fujitsu’s Airstage V-II VRF system for large buildings comprises outdoor units from 8 to 48 hp and 11 types of indoor unit as 49 models with cooling capacities from 2.2 to 25 kW. The outdoor units are 20% lighter than the previous equivalent model, and total pipe length can be up to 1000 m.

To cope with the severe environmental conditions that soil and waste pipes on the rebuilt Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare are exposed to, Polypipe Terrain solvent-welded plastic pipes and fittings have been installed. The piping system carries waste from the pier’s holding tank and under the boardwalk to the main seafront drains.

The running costs of fans in air-handling units at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham have been reduced by £9000 a year, a saving of over 40% on the previous £21 000 cost of running the fans in these AHUs. There is an associated reduction of 32 t of CO2 emissions a year. The payback was 2.5 years.

A biomass boiler from Euroheat provides heating for the refurbishment of a church in Herefordshire into a community centre. The 65 kW HDG wood-pellet boiler serves underfloor heating. There was previously no heating in the St Peter’s Church in Peterchurch at all.

The installation of a VRF air-conditioning system with heat recovery to replace an inefficient gas-fired central-heating system qualified for a grant from the Carbon Trust for 25% of the capital cost. The system uses equipment from MHI’s KXR inverter range to provide simultaneous heating and cooling and achieves a COP of up to 3.4 in the 2-storey Stratum House, Telford.

To achieve adequate ventilation in classrooms with single-sided ventilation in a new school in Lancashire, Monodraught Windcatcher natural ventilation systems have been installed. The Windcatchers are helping the school meet the requirements of Building Bulletin 1010 and Part L2A of the Building Regulations. The Windcatcher systems were specified for Lostock Hall County Primary School by Lancashire County Council architects department and property group.

The redevelopment of a luxury Hilton hotel in Cheshire has chosen Lochinvar to provide equipment for its new spa. The Doubletree by Hilton is a restored 18th century manor house in landscaped gardens on the outskirts of Chester. The refurbishment involved upgrading the 110 guest rooms and adding 30 more bedrooms and a spa.

One of the largest hotel developments in Europe, the 1021-room Park Plaza on the site of the former County Hall Annexe in London has its pumping requirements met by a complete turnkey solution from Grundfos. The £350 million project includes 2700 m2 of flexible meeting space on three floors, including the Westminster Ballroom that can accommodate 1400 people theatre style or 1000 for dinner.

Energy-efficient air conditioning installed by Weatherite for a secondary school in Walsall is based on Mitsubishi Electric equipment and includes a Lossnay unit to transfer energy between exhaust air and supply air to reduce operating costs and increase energy efficiency. Weatherite designed, supplied and installed the system at Barr Beacon Language College.

To protect its new communications rooms against power cuts and to maintain power quality, Cancer Research UK appointed Shenton Group to provide a complete turnkey solution — including a generator, UPS and all installation work and commissioning. The new facility supports the London Research Institute of Cancer Research, where innovative basic research is carried out to improve the understanding of cancer.

Tour & Andersson is supplying valves for the Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport project in Egypt. The contract includes balancing valves from 150 to 250 cm, alongside 251 STAG valves for pump hookups to save time and labour during installation and commissioning. It was the capability of T&A to provide balancing valves that can save installation time that contributed to installer Delta Construction Company choosing these valves.

A Ciat Cristopia thermal-energy storage system and Powerciat water chiller have been specified for a new branch of Mauritius Commercial Bank, which is expected to use 30% less energy than a conventional building of the same size. The new building is in the high-tech Ebene Vyber City in Port Louis.

The latest project carried out by air-conditioning contractor Tollhurst for Cordek, a major manufacturer and supplier of specialist expanded-polystyrene products for the construction industry, is the installation and commissioning of a Fujitsu Airstage V-II VRF air-conditioning system. Tollhurst has looked after all Cordek’s air-conditioning requirements since 1999. This latest project involved removing a mixture of split systems from the 200 m2 offices and installing 13 Fujitsu fan-coil units of various styles.

To minimise the occurrence of false fire alarms and reduce installation time in the new Nido 33-storey student-accommodation tower in London, Protec AlgoTec 6000Plus multi-function loop-driven detector sounders have been used throughout. This building in the Spitalfields area houses 1200 students and also provides retail units, office space, residential apartments and a number of leisure facilities.

A packaged plant room made offsite by Ormandy is playing a key role in the early stages of The Academy Central residential development on the site of the former University of East London in Barking. Taylor Wimpey, in partnership with London & Quadrant is building 936 residential units, a mixture of apartments and houses, to Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. The temporary plant room enables parts of the site to be occupied before the main energy centre is completed and which has been carefully designed to incorporate components such as boilers and pumps from the temporary plant room.

Wilo has supplied the pumps for the rebuilding of the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, a contract worth about £250 000 to the company. The scope of the contract included delivering water to taps and showers, running the heating and air-conditioning systems and providing the necessary water sources for specialist departments, including, for example, cooling water for the radiology centre.

Goals Soccer Centres, which operates 37 5-a-side football centres throughout Great Britain, has boosted its post-match facilities with the installation of cellar coolers to keep beers, wines and soft drinks in just the right condition. The J. & E. Hall JCC cellar coolers were installed by React Cooling Services of Birmingham in centres from Aberdeen to Plymouth.

Trox active multi-service chilled beams with architect-inspired design elements and a host of special features for energy efficiency and occupier comfort have been installed in one of the greenest commercial buildings in Wales. 3 Assembly Square on Cardiff Waterside has a BREEAM (2006) ‘Excellent’ rating, with a score of 75.52, six months ahead of completion.

Durapipe’s PLX pipework system has been installed to carry fuel from storage tanks to backup generators at the new Whiston Hospital on Merseyside. This secondary contained pipe-in-pipe system was used in sizes 100/160 mm, 90/160 mm and 63/110 mm to transport fuel and in a 90 mm single-wall version for the filling lines for the fuel storage tanks.

Smoke ventilators and roof-access hatches that can also double up as smoke ventilators have been supplied by Bilco for a new sixth-form college in the university area of Stoke on Trent. The project includes three motorised hatches to provide access to the roof and two smoke ventilators.

Dimplex is promoting its air curtains as an effective way of reducing the energy consumption of buildings by creating a stream of fast-moving air that prevents treated air (heated and cooled) escaping through open doorways. With a view to the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, Dimplex suggests that specifying air curtains or upgrading them to more efficient units can provide a fast and easy way to reduce the energy required to maintain a comfortable indoor environment.

The lighting energy consumption of the Bridgnorth plant of Novelis, a leading manufacturer of rolled aluminium, has been halved following the installation of Venture Lighting’s Uni-Form Pulse Start 200 W lamps into existing low-bay luminaires. This saving is being achieved in the first phase of the project, and the company is now looking to relamp the rest of the facility.

Designed to achieve an excellent NEAT rating (the NHS equivalent of BREEAM), the Iveagh Centre in Belfast for children with learning disabilities incorporates Lochinvar gas-fired boilers, water heaters and a solar thermal packaged.

Titon’s HRV1 Q Plus whole-house ventilation system is helping housing on a development in Liverpool comply with Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. These units have a heat-recovery efficiency of up to 91% and have been installed in 164 houses and bungalows in a Bellway development of private and affordable housing in Edge Hill. Titon also supply all the ventilation ducting for the development.

The first application of CA Group’s SolarWall technology in the education sector is for the refurbishment of the sports hall of Firth Park Community College. The project includes a 218 m2 SolarWall transpired solar collector which is expected to reduce the building’s energy consumption by over 43 MWh a year and reduce CO2 emissions by over 10 t.

Samsung air-conditioning systems installed in the Shane Warne Suite and private boxes at Hampshire County Cricket Club’s Rose Bowl in Southampton were specified as offering the best value for money. The systems installed include high-efficiency DVM Plus III (VRF) heat-recovery systems, energy-recovery ventilators and cassette-type split systems from the CAC range.

An estimated £39 000 a year is being saved by Portsmouth City Council following the installation of Ex-Or lighting controls throughout its civic headquarters to eliminate the unnecessary use of lighting. The annual energy con­sumption for lighting has been nearly halved from 1259 MWh to 655 MWh, representing annual CO2 savings of 326 t.

A 7-month trial of a Mitsubishi Electric ground-source heat-pump air-conditioning has shown a COP of 6.27, rising to 7.14 by recovering heat when there is a simultaneous demand for heating and cooling. The installation provides heating and cooling for the headquarters in Hoddesdon of civil-engineering and building contractor VolkerFitzpatrick and comprises seven City Multi WR2 condensing units and a close-loop ground array of 36 boreholes 100 m deep.

Dimplex’s Lab M range of air-source heat pumps for space heating is now registered under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). The MCS is the key to accessing Government grant funding under low-carbon initiatives. The Lab M range is now eligible for funding under the CERT (Carbon Emissions Reduction Target) scheme. Certification is also likely to be a required of the Renewable Heat Incentive, which is proposed to come into effect from April 2011.

The lower flow temperatures associated with heating systems using renewable energy are not incompatible with radiators, as Chris Harvey explains.