2013 May

JS Air Curtains Invisidor concealed air curtain provides protection from draughts while being discreetly hidden inside a column or bulkhead. The main body of the unit is fully embedded in the walls or ceiling next to the doorway, with the air outlets being the only visible part of the curtain.

The EcoMESH concept is based on intermittently spraying water onto a mesh placed in front of the heat-rejection surface. It reduces power consumption by as much as 30 to 40% and improves the performance of air-cooled chillers, dry coolers and condensers, and refrigeration plants.

The Desigo PXC50 freely programmable modular controller from Siemens combines flexibility with cost savings. The unit uses Native BACnet communication, and an IP-enabled version is available. Up to 52 physical I/Os can be connected via TX modules to the controller. In addition third party devices can be easily integrated using TX I/O open modules.

Hitachi Air Conditioning Europe is running a CPD-approved training course on the Eco Design Direct for Energy Related Products that came into effect at the start of this year and which applies to all air-conditioning units under 12 kW. The course is held at the company’s training centres in Maidenhead and Dublin. The course can also be held at customer locations by arrangement. For course dates and availability use the e-mail address below.

Bosch Commercial & Industrial Heating has developed a training course for gas absorption heat pumps. It is aimed at installers engineers and specifiers. This one-day course covers practical and theory work covering all aspects of the application of gas absorption heat pumps — including assembly, installation, flueing, control options, legislative requirements and typical suitability of what is a growing market in the UK.

Rinnai offers installers and contractors hands-on training for its continuous-flow gas-fired water heaters. There are courses at the fully equipped training centre at Rinnai’s headquarters in Runcorn or a training expert will visit a client’s premises or other convenient location. The courses are free and scheduled for a day or half a day, with lunch and refreshments provided by Rinnai.

Boiler company ATAG Heating has appointed McCallum Water Heating of Glasgow as sales agent for Scotland. Founded in 1878, McCallum is one of Scotland’s oldest-established heating-appliance manufacturer, distributor and repair specialist. ATAG believes that McCallum is ideally placed to further develop ATAG’s market penetration in Scotland.

Hamworthy Heating is taking to the road to showcase its diverse range of products for generating hot-water product. Customers will have the opportunity to talk to Hamworthy Heating’s sales engineers and hot-water specialists about products ranging from direct-fired water heaters to calorifiers and storage tanks — plus the recently launched solar-thermal solutions.

The market for commercial boilers has shifted in recent years away from floor standing units and towards wall hung appliances. John Bailey of Vaillant, explores the factors contributing to this.

Danfoss has announced the UK launch of its heating interface unit (HIE) for multi-dwelling developments served by centralised boiler plant or district-heating system. These units provide each property with localised control and metering of energy supplied by the central plant and used for space heating and domestic hot water. These HIUs have a long proven track record as part of low-carbon heat networks in residential developments across mainland Europe.

A 12% reduction in energy consumption is expected at a military training school following the installation of over a hundred Sabien M2G intelligent boiler-load optimisers. The return on investment is within 1.4 years. HMS Sultan is the home of the Defence School of Marine Engineering and the Royal Naval Air Engineering & Survival School.

Paul Sands of Stokvis Energy Systems considers the benefits of utilising plate heat exchangers in combination with fully modulating commercial boilers.

Low-water-content boilers are typically the first choice for commercial applications. Peter Gammon of MHS Boilers compares boilers with low and high water content to explain why they are so popular.

Installing heat-interface units in apartments as part of a community heating system rather than individual boilers opens up the potential for more efficient operation and the use of lower-carbon central plant. Neil Parry of Altecnic discusses how the technology enables consultants and engineers to deliver cost-effective and energy efficient centralised energy centres.

Refurbishment of the plant room at the 20-bed Molesey Hospital in Surrey has seen two Purewell Variheat 70 kW gas-fired boilers from Hamworthy Heating replace three gas-fired atmospheric boilers. Hot water is provided by two Dorchester DR-FC Evo30 direct-fired condensing water heaters. The project was one of more than 20 carried out by NHS Surrey to reduce carbon emissions and replace boilers and water heaters that were coming to the end of their economical life.

Marshall-Tufflex offers a commercial boiler-management system to eliminate dry cycling, typically cutting running costs by 20% — depending on usage pattern. There is no effect on the maximum flow temperature set by the boiler thermostat or building-management system.

The complete refurbishment of the 60-year-old heating and hot-water system of a school in Plymouth has been achieved using equipment from MHS Boilers. Mount Wise Community Primary School is now served by two 100 kW Thision L wall-mounted boilers and a 500 l Thision WH hot-water generator. There is also a Pisces pressurisation unit and 300 l Gemini calorifier.

Buderus has added to its range of floor-standing condensing boilers the SB745, which is available in outputs of 800, 1000 and 1200 kW — making it an ideal choice for interruptible supply contracts. This boiler requires 30% less floor space than its predecessor and is 20% lighter. Factory-fitted frame rails are standard, so a jack or forklift can be used to accurately place the boiler into position.

The latest of Castleoak Group’s care homes to install Remeha boilers is Hurstwood View at Five Ash Down near Uckfield. Remeha has been providing heating solutions for Castleoak care homes using low-NOx condensing boilers to provide heating and hot water 24 hours a day every day of the year.

Giacomini offers two models of heat interface unit for delivering heat from centralised plant to communal properties. The G5 Eco Twin is designed for new builds and has two plate heat exchangers, one to provide space heating and the other instantaneous hot water. The G5 Eco Single is designed for the replacement and refurbishment market; it provides direct DHW for apartments that already have a cylinder or where a cylinder is preferred.

Alpha Heating Innovation has launched a range of commercial boilers comprising nine models with outputs from 200 to 900 kW. ARES Tec boilers incorporate self-contained modules, each with its own down-firing pre-mix burner, fan, ignition and safety controls to accurately match output to demand.

Hoval UltraGas condensing gas-fired boilers are available in capacities from 15 kW to 2 MW, compete with common-flue and optional pipework/header kits. Independent testing to DIN EN 676 confirms average NOx emissions of less than 40 mg/kWh — achieving the maximum BREEAM rating of three points relating to NOx emissions.

Realising the benefits of building information modelling (BIM) requires not just BIM itself but also a spirit of collaboration and co-operation — as well as suitably detailed BIM libraries of products. Stuart Turner of Hamworthy Heating shares his views and experiences.

Switching to low-carbon heating can be a potentially complex and costly process for both the domestic and commercial sectors. Darran Smith of Alpha Heating Innovation considers the issues involved in making the transition to low-carbon technologies and how traditional heating systems can still find a place in the low-carbon future.

Jeff House of Baxi Commercial Division considers the momentum being gained by biomass solid fuels in the drive to apply renewable energy solutions.

Why install several sensors when one can do the job of several. And why balk at the cost of wireless sensors when their total installed cost can be much less than an equivalent wired system? Alan Braybrook of Sontay explains what specifiers should be looking for when assessing value for money in HVAC sensors.

Honeywell Building Solutions has secured a 3-year contract to service and maintain business-critical systems at the Raithwaite Hall Country Retreat near Whitby. The contract includes fire, CCTV, intruder and disabled refuge alarms. The service agreement includes a planned preventive maintenance programme, regular system testing, emergency call-outs and replacement parts.

Allen Martin Conservation’s Eco Plus intelligent building-management system has a built-in web server and input-output devices to provide real-time monitoring controlled locally or from a web-browser interface anywhere in the world. The system also provides real-time monitoring via a touchscreen display, PC or the company’s popular Eco View display monitors.

Graham Lewry of Trend Controls answers readers’ questions about integrating the various devices that comprise a building energy management system (BEMS).

The IMServe Control 10 standalone programmable monitoring and control device is designed for building energy management in smaller premises with energy bills of around £6000 a year. It offers the potential to reduce energy use by up to 30% in retail premises, banks, police stations and schools. There are wired and wireless options.

Cistermiser has expanded the capabilities of its Sensazone system for washrooms to include the control of lighting and fans, as well as water. The original concept was to isolate the water supply to a washroom when it was not in use, helping to avoid the waste of water. To that capability has been added the control of lighting and fans.

Energy-management software from t-mac Technologies is now available to people on the move with its iPhone app. This app brings a clear, streamlined version of t-mac’s online software to the smartphone platform, enabling users to identify consumption peaks and resolve energy surges on the go. Metering data from mains utilities or sub-metering data from activity areas can be viewed, analysed and quantified.

Riegens Lighting has supplied luminaires from its Cirrus range equipped with DALI control gear for Nestlé’s extended product technology centre in York. Illusion luminaires, also with DALI control gear, have been used in refurbished offices.

Trend’s IQ422 controller has multi-browser support and is claimed to have the smallest footprint (116 x 158 mm) for a 12-point universal controller. The IQ422 is the second variant in the family of IQ4 main-plant controllers and builds on the success of the recently launched IQ41x series. Data can also be accessed via mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets, with information being presented in the correct format automatically.

Sontay has updated its GS-CO2-1000 carbon-dioxide sensors to simplify specification and installation. Thee sensors have a non-dispersive infra-red sensor for measuring CO2 concentrations and have a self-calibration algorithm for long-term stability and accuracy. Outputs for temperature or temperature and relative humidity can be added.

Siemens Desigo RX controllers are now installed as standard in Trench Heating’s electronically commutated fan-powered trench heaters. Building on a relationship that saw Siemens provide HVAC controls to Trench Heating, this new OEM solution will see Desigo RX controllers factory fitted into pre-assembled units.

Standalone systems for controlling the various aspects of a building’s services and systems should be a thing of the past. Iain Gordon of the KNX UK Association takes up the story.

Distech Controls has introduced new BACnet and LonWorks controllers with live graphics colour displays. ECB and ECL 50 controllers enable users to view, edit and configure an HVAC system’s operating parameters. Colour-coded icons and highlights indicate alarms and over-ride conditions.

The latest generation of t-mac Technologies’ energy-monitoring and management hardware, known as G2, gives installers increased visibility into energy management through integrated displays and increased capacity. Built-in displays mean that installers do not need to rely on a laptop’s Internet connection to verify that wired and wireless sensors, meters and control devices have been correctly installed.

CP Electronics offers a gateway to provide a link between its Rapid lighting-control system and its An-10 wireless system. The Rapid — An-10 gateway incorporates a radio transceiver for 2-way communication between an An-10 system and a CAN port, for communication link with the Rapid system. A gateway can be configured using CP’s infra-red handset, with the settings simply uploaded to a PC program via an Excel spreadsheet.

The more detailed the information your have about a building’s energy consumption, the better equipped you are to manage it — which is where energy-monitoring software comes into the equation. Alan Hickman of Carlo Gavazzi takes up the story.

Network Rail has installed a Specs3 lighting-control system from Simmtronic to gain the maximum energy saving and lighting-management flexibility at its national centre in Milton Keynes. Known as The Quadrant:MK, the 37 200 m2 building brings together over 3000 people from across the country, creating a new centre for Britain’s railway operations.

Many lighting-control systems are not designed for the particular purpose or are not kept up to date with changing demands. John Aston of the Society of Light & Lighting looks into the problem.

Ian Ellis, president of the Building Controls Industry Association, encourages building owners and managers to consider the data from their BEMS as an asset — and to use it to save energy and reduce operating costs.

Lightsource Renewable Energy installed over a third of the solarPV capacity that came on stream in the UK in the first quarter of 2013, according to its interpretation of data published by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The report indicates that 350 MW(p) of commissioned solar capacity came on stream in the first quarter. During that period, Lightsource developed and connected 34 projects to the grid, with a capacity of 133 MW(p) — 38% of the total.

Lorne Stewart has been awarded a contract to provide facilities services to Virgin Trains for stations and ancillary buildings throughout the West Coast main line. This route serves Euston Station in London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow.

The recycling rate of waste lamps saw a 34% increase from 2011 to 2012, according to figures from the Environment Agency. This increase is greater than the combined increase of 27% from 2008, when lamp-recycling rates were first recorded, until 2011. In 2012, the tonnage of waste lamps recycled by all producer compliance schemes in the UK was 39.5%.

FETA president John Austin-Davies has stressed training as the most important aspect of delivering the requirements of what is being discussed regarding revision of EU F-Gas legislation. Speaking at the annual lunch of the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations, he said, ‘We talk about CO2 systems that are sub-critical or trans-critical, but we must focus on the point that is most critical — the competence of the people who install, commission and maintain systems with new technology and ensure their safety.’

Amtech is organising a 2-day conference on the practical aspects of implementing and engaging with building information modelling (BIM). It will place BIM in a real-life context and provide guidance for those companies that know they need to get involved but aren’t sure how to move forward.

Building-services engineering consultancy Kyoob is moving to larger premises and creating a new graduate position just a year after launching. Based in North Tyneside, the consultancy was launched by Keith Armstrong, Ed Miley and Philip Oliver (pictured alongside from left to right).

Pump manufacturer Grundfos Group has reported a 6.5% increase in turnover to £2.5 billion for 2012. The company is still experiencing modest growth in mature markets such as the UK, Denmark and Germany. Good growth was also seen in Eastern Europe, especially Russia. Strong performances were also returned from the Americas, China and other Asian Market, as well as from the Middle East.