2011 May

Hager has extended is range of RCBOs with 10 kA breaking capacity to help electrical contractors meet the requirements of the 17th Edition of the Wiring Regulations. The company now offers a full range of single-pole 10 kA RCBOs with B and C type tripping characteristics.

A new pipe-jointing system from Uponor that can be used with its MLCP (multi-layer composite pipe) provides visual confirmation that a joint has been made through a transparent window. No tools are needed to make joints. The key to the security of these joints is a high-tension metal ring inside them. Constructed from high-carbon steel, the spring-like ring uses that same technology as the automotive industry used for ABS brakes.

Aereco’s demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) system is said to have much lower energy usage than conventional systems. These systems are much cheaper to install than MVHR systems and also to have low maintenance costs. As homes have ever-lower air-leakage rates, Aereco is promoting its system with the slogan ‘in our rush to seal up our homes form the cold, let’s not forget we have to live in them’ (illustration).

Hamworthy’s recently launched Fleet range of boilers includes wall-hung versions. There are eight models with outputs from 40 to 150 kW. All models have heat exchangers based on aluminium-alloy casting for high-efficiency condensing performance. They are suitable for working pressures of up to 6 bar.

Additions to Finder’s 18 Series of PIR motion detectors can meet the needs of applications with higher ceilings, higher loads and those requiring direct interface to a PLC or BMS. There are two versions, one for flush fitting and the other for surface mounting.

Daikin Europe’s EWAD~CZ range of air-cooled chillers with inverter-driven screw compressors achieve an ESEER (European seasonal energy-efficiency rating) of up to 6, with optional fan-speed regulation. Variable-speed operation makes the well suited to applications with variable loads, such as comfort cooling.

Glow-worm’s Hybrid domestic heating system is claimed to cut heating bills by up to 30% when replacing an existing standard-efficiency boiler and carbon footprint by up to 40%. Larger savings are possible if the boiler is an old heavyweight model. The Hybrid system combines a boiler and air-to-water heat pump.

Members of the Heating & Ventilating Contractors’ Association now have access to a tailor-made microgeneration certification scheme (MCS) for installers of renewable technologies. Thus benefit has been introduced as a result of a strategic alliance finalised by HVCA subsidiary Building Engineering Services Accreditation (BESCA) and independent certification body for the electrical industry NICEIC.

The launch by Dimplex of the EC Eau range of unvented water cylinders for heat pumps and solar-thermal enables the company to offer a complete solution for water heating using renewable energy. The range is made from 60% recycled materials and delivers mains-pressure hot water. A key design feature is the corrugated surface on the heat exchangers to maximise surface area and maintain a high usable volume of water.

Vent-Axia has been accredited for the Microgeneration Certification for its Thernamic series of ground-source heat pumps by the British Board of Agrèment. They are therefore fully compliant with the technology requirements of the MCS and qualify for payments under the Renewable Heat Incentive, which requires the installer and the equipment to be MCS certified.

Training organisation Logic Certification has launched a solar-PV designer course in response to growing demand from potential customers for solarPV but without the necessary experience to undertake the practical training. The course has been created for those requiring a fuller understanding of PV configuration and is intended for anyone involved in designing or managing solar-PV systems for others to install.

Remeha has introduced an indirect solar-thermal water-heating system for homes that can meet up to 55% of the annual demand for domestic hot water and all of it in the Summer. The Sola system comprises insulated flat-plate panels for installing on the roof and a cylinder with a special coil in the bottom to transfer heat from the solar fluid to the water stored in the cylinder. The panels have a sealed low-iron glass cover to improve energy collection from ultra-violet and infra-red light, even on cloudy days.

Plumb Center is taking its renewables roadshow to six strategically selected locations during September. Visitors will have the opportunity to interact with dozens of exhibiting manu­facturers, merchants and professional bodies. There will also be four theatre areas providing demonstrations of domestic and non-domestic technologies, explanations of grants, legislation and regulations and also explanations of qualifications and providers.

Despite drastic cuts in the Feed-in Tariff, Andrew Lee sees huge opportunities for Solar-PV in the UK

Mitsubishi Electric has expanded its commitment to renewable-energy technologies with the opening of a new training centre for renewable energy at its headquarters in Hatfield, Herts. The new centre enables the company to double the availability of training courses to 4000 a year. The company is also establishing long-term links with schools and colleges to fill the knowledge gap surrounding renewable technologies and capture the next generation of plumbing, heating, air-conditioning, air-conditioning and photo-voltaic installers.

Dimplex has added three new products to its solar-thermal water-heating range. They are a cost-effective plate collector, a high-performance evacuated-tube option and a single-branch pump station.

Visitors to The Building Centre in London can see in operation at SOLARflo solar-thermal water-heating system from Andrews Water Heaters. It is based on evacuated tubes, and visitors can see how much heat is being collected on a display in the permanent stand of Baxi Commercial Division in the showcase galleries.

Hoval has marked the upgrading of its training centre at the Centre of Renewable Energy (CORE) in Nottinghamshire with an open day for students from Nottingham University Faculty of Engineering. 12 students visited the facility for a presentation and discussion with Hoval’s renewables experts followed by hands-on examination of fully functional heat pumps, solar-thermal systems, biomass boilers, photo-voltaic system and wind turbine installed at the centre.

Andrews Water Heaters and Potterton Commercial, both part of Baxi Commercial Division, offer an extensive range of LZC (low- to zero-carbon) products that can be integrated with more tradition plant-room equipment such as direct-fire water heaters and boilers to reduce running costs and carbon emissions for commercial buildings.

Between micro-installations and large-scale renewables are community-scale projects — with huge potential to help exploit renewable energy. Gambi Chiang explains how contract energy management can help develop this sector.

Heat pumps can deliver renewable energy 24/7, and there are few heating and cooling applications that cannot benefit from this technology. And with the Renewable Heat Incentive about to come into effect, the market is poised to grow faster than ever. Terry Seward puts heat pumps into context.

MHS Boilers has introduced a flat-panel solar-thermal collector that can be installed in the roof, on the roof or in a frame. The Solartron S2.5 from Elco has been designed to be very easy to install using only a cordless screwdriver, hammer and tape measure. These panels are available as horizontal and vertical hydraulically optimised versions, and each orientation is supplied with matching mounting systems and roof flashings. Collector fields can be created from multiple panels.

1125 MWh of electricity are expected to be produced each year by a 1.16 MW solar-PV installation in Somerset. The system was designed and installed by Solar SW using modules from A-Sun. Some of the panels are roof mounted, with the rest on the ground. Much of the electricity generated will be used on site, with the excess exported to the grid. The installation is expect to save 550 t of CO2 a year.

Monitoring of an installation of a Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan air-source heat pump in Hertfordshire has shown that it achieved an overall COP of 3.0 during December 2010, when the country faced long-periods of sub-zero temperatures. The trial shows that air-source heat pumps will work effectively under such harsh conditions and also highlights the importance of selecting rad­iators and heat emitters properly and ensuring that homeowners do know how to get the best from their system.

The most cost-effective reductions in carbon-dioxide emissions form biomass boilers is best achieved by supporting them with condensing boilers. Chris Miles and Stefan Gautsch explain why they are the perfect partnership.

Over the last few years heating engineers, specifiers and manufacturers have learned a great deal about the use of solar-thermal technology to produce domestic hot water for buildings and are now highly experienced in the area. Simon Russell looks at how to get the best out of a solar-thermal DHW system.

The Government has created a complex tapestry of incentives to try and boost the uptake of renewables across the built environment. Nick Stevenson likes the principle, but is cautious about the lack of detail.

Gas Sensing Solutions has introduced an EnOcean-compatible wireless CO2 sensor. Cozir uses room light to produce power and does not require batteries. Three readings are taken every 10 minutes and the values sent to a receiver so they can be used to control a ventilation system.

Swindon Marriott Hotel is enjoying a 30% reduction in kitchen energy costs following the installation of a Cheetah system by Food Industry Technical. The installation is expected to reduce energy costs by over £10 000 a year and achieve a return on investment of 14 months. CO2 emissions are being reduced by about 50 t a year.

To achieve good control of multiple-boiler installations, Hamworthy Heating has introduced the Merley boiler sequence controller. Using Siemens controls platform technology, the Merley can control up to 16 boiler modules, based on time and temperature requirements.

Ener-G has launched a tamper-proof building energy management system. Called E-magine, it is pre-engineered to provide fast installation and commission and ensure energy costs and carbon emissions for the life of an installation. The company reckons that E-magine can reduce energy consumption by up to 25% and save costs on capital purchase, commissioning and ongoing maintenance.

Modern boilers are very different from those of 10 to 20 years ago — and so are their controls and their capabilities for maximising the efficiency of boilers that are inherently efficient. Bob Walsh has the full story.

An innovative learning centre at the Royal Horticultural Society Garden Harlow Carr has benefited from a rapid, accurate and reliable approach to controls engineering with the assistance of Tridium’s Vykon HVAC software for creating control applications within a standard Tridium JACE controller. The 2-storey £3.3 million Bramall Learning Centre will provide free educational facilities for over 10 000 children a year. It is also home to the new Blundell Library, the principal horticultural library for the north of England.

The smoke-control systems required by legislation for multi-storey buildings can be integrated into a building-management system to save money and, potentially, lives. Allan Meek explains.

Building energy management systems have been around for over 30 years, but it has taken until very recently for there to be a nationally recognised qualification for those looking to make a career designing and installing them. Harry Barnes, who played a leading role in its development, explains the origins and significance of the new BEMS Diploma.

The pressure on businesses to reduce costs and carbon emissions has never been greater. The financial downturn and subsequent age of austerity has forced many to take a serious look at how they control energy use in buildings. Lisa Wilkinson asks what can really be achieved.

Clarkson Controls has completed the control system of the new purchasing office block of Defence Support Group Land Supply at MOD Donnington in Shropshire. The installation comprised BACnet control devices and products from several suppliers.

How can you control a building if you cannot work out what the controls are meant to do? Roderic Bunn has lots of experience of controls being the weak link in the chain of controlling building systems.

Venture Lighting’s Ventronic Global electronic dimming ballast uses DALI digital dimming, simple switch dimming or 1 to 10 V variable dimming. These ballasts have a very low power consumption and a power factor close to unity. They support lamp dimming up to 70%.

The first of Glow-worm’s next generation of intelligent controls is a wireless radio-frequency programmable room thermostat, the Climapro2 RF. This intuitive controller replace the Climapro RF and is a 2-channel wireless device with time and temperature control of central heating and hot water.

The KNX building control standard forms the basis of the lighting control system for the new terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Air­port in New Delhi, which has around 100 000 light fittings. The control system is based on ABB’s I bus KNX technology and was designed by Entelechy Systems and is regarded as an outstanding reference for KNX.

Julian Miller urges the energy manager to look beyond just delivering the right temperatures and think about using the optimum amount of energy to achieve that — and the key is the building energy management system

Why do schools in Worcestershire use at least 15% less energy than the national average — and save £330 000 a year in gas and oil costs into the bargain? Ian Ellis has the answers.

MHS Boilers offers a solution to the replacement of old atmospheric boilers in compact plant rooms with its ADI-Nox range. These boilers have outputs from 68 to 905 kW, and models up to 110 kW are only 305 mm wide. Even the largest model occupies only 1.2 m2 of floor area. The difference between flow and return temperatures can range from 10 to 15 K. A larger delta T can be achieved by blending in a low-loss header.

In response to the requirement in Part L2 of the Building Regulations to meter energy usage in non-domestic buildings, Wylex has launched a range of modified distribution boards rated at 125 A. The NHTN range can be fitted with a multi-function digital kWh meter within the enclosure.

Phase-change materials (PCM) store and release thermal energy during the process of melting and freezing, and the latest range of PCM solutions between -100ºC and +885 ºC offer new application opportunities.

VES Andover has extended its online store to Ireland, whereas it was previously only available in the UK and Northern Ireland. Called VES Direct, the service has several hundred registered users, and feedback has shown that many of them prefer to browse the VES Direct store or desk catalogue for products such as the T-Line 120 extract unit illustrated and simply order their kit for delivery direct to site. In response to this success the scheme is being extended to Ireland.

ABB has launched a 50-person energy-appraisal team that can, within half a day, provide a free no-obligation analysis of the energy-saving potential within a plant’s motor-driven applications. Using a drive and electric motor to control equipment such as pumps and fans can reduce their electrical consumption by up to 70%, with a payback of less than 12 months. About 65% of electricity consumption is by electric motors.

Danlers designs and manufactures a cost effective, long range, directional, passive infra-red occupancy switch which is suitable for applications such as corridors and storage aisles.

A free seminar on improving the efficiency of commercial HVCA systems is being organised by ebm-papst at its purpose-built client centre in Chelmsford. The half-day seminar on 7 June will be particularly beneficial to energy managers, facilities managers, architects, sustainability consultants and others involved in reducing the carbon emissions of commercial buildings.

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