2014 February

Steve Browning of Trend Control Systems examines why people treat energy use in the workplace differently to their own homes — and what measures can be put in place to combat this problem.

The 2014 catalogue from Sontay, which specialises in field controls and peripherals, includes a number of new products and provides a wealth of information for building-services consultants, contractors and systems integrators. Among the new products is the Multi-Sensor Platform range.

Rinnai’s Infinity continuous-flow condensing water heaters can now be integrated with building-management systems, bringing the prospect of high energy efficiencies for commercial buildings. Capabilities of the smart controller include on/off status and fault codes to facilitate first-time repair. The user can get a precise error code so the engineer will have available the correct parts and information.

Helvar’s DALI 478 controller has an integral power supply and can support up to 512 DALI devices over eight subnets. The controller is suited for applications where device addressing is not required — such as supermarkets, warehouses and other open-plan lighting installations.

Schwank’s ThermoControl Plus control system for its gas-fired infra-red radiant heating can be integrated with the company’s own building-management system and also supports other leading commercial BMS software and fire-alarm systems.

WEMS (Wireless Energy Management Systems International) has been awarded a significant contract by BT as part of a major programme to reduce electricity demand at peak times. The project will enable BT to reduce its electricity demand during periods of peak demand, enabling National Grid to use power more efficiently.

Wieland Electrics gesisFlex compact and pluggable room automation system is based on the KNX system. Its compact proportions and flat design lend it to use in raised floors and suspended ceilings. The system grows horizontally, not vertically, minimising the height requirement.

Food retailer Iceland has reduced energy costs by £4.8 million following the installation of Airedale’s ACIS control system in all its 800+ stores, an average of £6000 per store, as part of a major upgrade programme. The move followed the success of installations in 50 stores. In stores where the control system was installed but no changes made to plant, Iceland could compare and evidence energy draw before and after installation. Energy costs have been reduced by 10%, with an expected payback on the investment within two years. The new system provides tighter and more intelligent levels of control, coupled with free cooling and part-load efficiencies during off-peak and non-trading hours.

Not only can control systems provide a wow factor for prestige buildings, but they can also play an important role in corporate responsibility. Richard Hayward of Legrand discusses the shift in emphasis in building automation specification from wow factor to low carbon.

Mark Tallent of Crestron International makes the case for reassessing integration and asks if the industry is doing enough to exploit the potential of integrated building technology.

ADT Fire & Security has been specified by Suir Engineering to deliver an intelligent fire-detection and alarm system as part of the £15 million development of the new Mater Private Hospital in Cork, Ireland. This large and complex facility requires a reliable and robust system to reduce the risk of false alarms.

Legrands’ management system for guest rooms in hotels optimises comfort, energy efficiency and aesthetics. It is compatible with Fidelio, Suite and Opera reservation systems and is easy for guests to use. The hotel can it to control individual rooms, floors or the whole building.

The new G120P variable-speed drives from Siemens boost efficiency and cut costs. The range is available in both IP20 versions for panel mounting and IP54/55 versions for wall mounting. Installation and commissioning are straightforward, helping to reduce costs. The Siemens G120P variable-speed drive is suitable for applications that require an economical, energy-efficient and easy-to-operate drive for pumps or fans. It operates in a power range from 0.37 to 90 kW.

Heatrae Sadia has installed a 450 l Megaflo commercial cylinder at the Steve Willis Training Centre in Porchester near Portsmouth to provide unvented-cylinder training for the commercial sector. Since it opened in 2007, the centre has offered courses in unvented hot-water storage systems for domestic installers.

Hochiki Europe, which produces innovative life-safety solutions, has furthered its commitment to supporting and developing installed with the introduction of a systems partners programme. It is designed to help forward-thinking companies adapt and rise to the challenges presented in this rapidly evolving sector.

The number of Daikin UK air-conditioning systems eligible for Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECAs) has grown substantially with the recent addition of a further 20 Sky Air and split units being added to the Energy Technology List. The Carbon Trust, which runs the ECA scheme for the Government, recently increased efficiency thresholds so that only the top 20% efficient products are eligible.

BSS Industrial and RIOpanel have launched a series of marketing initiatives that will directly benefit heating contractors and specifiers with the introduction of the BOSS RIOpanel range of radiators for all commercial and domestic radiators. The range is available exclusively through BSS.

Climate Center, a leading supplier of cooling equipment, has established a technical team to support customers on major air-conditioning projects. It will provide specialist advice for customers during the tendering and installation stages of projects.

Siemens Fire Products has appointed its first ever gold partner, Senseco Systems. Steve Thomas, business-development director with Senseco is pictured (left) receiving the award from Derrick Hall, head of Siemens Fire Products at the Siemens Crystal Building in London.

The Automated Building Controls Group has a new name ABEC (Automated Building & Energy Controls). The company has five offices, and the change reflects the increasing importance of energy at the heart of building performance and the key role building controls have to play in driving efficiency for clients’ cost and carbon savings.

ADT Fire & Security has upgraded the fire-detection cover at Victoria Junior School in Feltham from an analogue to digital addressable system with the MZX Technology solution. The new system provides smoke and heat detectors and sounder and sounder/beacon bases. The design is applicable to the risk from both a fire detection and false-alarm management approach. It includes both audible and visual alarms to comply with the Equalities Act of 2010.

Cofely is to build, operate and maintain a new energy centre at Rampton Hospital in Nottinghamshire. Under the Carbon Energy Fund framework contract, Cofely will guaranteed specified carbon and energy savings, which are projected to save around £112 000 a year.

Fire-proof cable cleats made by Ellis have been installed throughout the 23-storey BP4 tower at Canary Wharf, London. Designed specifically for protection with fire-protection (FP) rated cables, the Phoenix cleats are made from 316L stainless steel and are fireproof and corrosion resistant.

SAV has helped refurbish four council-owned blocks of flats in Southampton with the supply of 416 of its 3-Series FlatStation heat-interface units. They are a key part of replacing electric underfloor heating and point-of-use water heaters with community heating served by gas-fired condensing boilers on the roof.

Energy-efficient Remeha boilers are playing a key role in helping to reduce carbon emissions at Liverpool University by 36% by 2020, compared to 2005. The latest installation is the replacement of two aging dual-fuel pressure-jet boilers serving the School of Veterinary Science’s large- and small-animal hospitals and main administration building.

The new University Hospital Sant Joan de Reus building in Spain is one of the greenest hospitals in the country and has a BMS to aid energy efficiency. The building features an extensive range of building-control peripherals and field device products from Sontay. The system was designed and installed by Controlli Delta Spain and features BACnet protocols.

When the plant room at Cheltenham racecourse needed upgrading, local contractor Mechanical Installation Heating Services (MIH) called in Hamworthy Heating and its area sales manager to help evaluate the current system and propose a solution. The main grandstand accommodates some 6800 people in bars, restaurants and private boxes. The old, inefficient blown-gas boilers were coming to the end of their operational life.

A replacement installation of Turbomiser chillers at Swansea Civic Centre is believed to have the longest pipework run ever used on a Turbocor-based air-conditioning project. The project uses two 420 kW ‘split’ Turbomisers installed by Cool-Therm in the building’s plant room. They are connected to air-cooled condensers some 70 m away on the roof.

Kingspan Insulated Panels has launched Kingspan Energy, a solar-energy solution provider to enable companies to benefit from the lower energy costs and environmental credentials associated with solarPV solutions — without the risks involved in the capital outlay, installation or maintenance.

Panasonic’s redesigned K2/K1 wall-mounted VRF air-conditioning units are lighter and smaller. They offer cooling capacities from 2.2 to 10.6 kW and heating from 2.5 to 11.4 kW. The smooth front panel is easy to keep clean, and noise levels are as low at 28 dB(A) for some models.

Airflow Developments’ Aura Smart ventilation unit is just 29 mm deep and uses a 2-speed axial fan. Applications include domestic toilets, en-suites and bathrooms. They can be surface mounted vertically or horizontally. Flow rates are up to 37 l/s with noise levels as low as 21 dB(A).

Toshiba Air Conditioning’s Series 4 outdoor condensing units are around 11% lighter (up to 8 kg) than previous models and up to 10% more efficient. For example, the SEER for the 2 hp unit has been raised from 5.89 to 6.14. The lighter weight enables units to be stacked two high to save space.

Powrmatic’s CECx Calecon destratification fans are designed to reduce the fuel consumption of space-heating systems by as much as 15% by displacing warm air in the roof void of a building and redirecting it to the working zone. These units also improve comfort by creating a uniform temperature throughout the occupied zone.

Armstrong Fluid Technology’s Compass range of circulators is designed for light-commercial and domestic applications. The company’s energy-saving Design Envelope technology, previously offered for much larger pumps, has been applied to the Compass range, which has ratings from 5 to 45 W.

Big Foot Systems is promoting its support systems for building-services on rooftops with a new-look company brand and ‘Simply a better way’ marketing campaign. The company reports a doubling of its core business every year for the last four years and is using the campaign to highlight its non-penetrative support solutions.

The EcoDim range of luminaires from Luxonic incorporates controls to adjust output according to the amount of natural light available, thereby achieving significant energy savings. They also include PIR detectors to turn the fitting off if the space is not occupied or dim the light as opposed to turning if off completely.

Discrete Heat’s Thermaskirt heated skirting board for wet heating systems has 50% greater heat output per unit area than conventional radiators, according to research by the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. The extensive experiment evaluated the capacity of radiant baseboards to work with heat pumps in buildings.

Tridonic’s TALEXXconverter TOP incorporates protection functions to ensure the long life of LED light sources. For all models in the series, the current range can be adjusted in small steps from 350 to 1750 mW, depending on the wattage.

The size of Ener-G’s 50 kW CHP unit has been reduced by 30%. The E50 gas-fired system has the same efficiency (90%) and reliability as its predecessor, while matching previous ease of service and maintenance, and quietness of operation.

Heatrae Sadia’s Megaflo range now includes a unit designed specifically for installation with a system boiler. Megaflo Eco SystemReady is mainly aimed at the new-build market. It is a pre-plumbed and pre-wired unit, but does not include a circulating pump and controls as these are already incorporated into the design of a system boiler.

HFO1234ze, which has a global-warming potential of just six, is the refrigerant used in Star Refrigeration’s latest range of Indigochillers. These chillers use Turbocor compressors to achieve very efficient and quiet operation.

The Primus electronic ballast from b,a,g, Electronics can be used with T5, T8 and TC-L fluorescent lamps in single- and twin-lamp configurations, including one- and 2-lamp 70 W T8 fittings.

Marco’s fast-fix side coupler enables two lengths of steel-wire cable tray to be coupled and secured in just a few moments with a single turn of a screwdriver. The design of the MCSSC can be installed from within the tray, helpful in confined areas.

Xpelair Ventilation’s Xcell Stratum low-profile heat-recovery unit is available in four models with heights from 170 to 350 mm to suit a variety of applications and ventilation needs in new builds and refurbishments. Made from B1-rated EPP structural material, these units are considerably lighter than those with metal cases. The high U-value means there is no cold bridging.

S&S Northern’s redesigned gas-interlock systems have a panel with a touch button control to turn off gas, water and electricity; it replaces a key system. The Merlin 1000S, 1000S+ and 1000SW+ (pictured) replace products with a GD designation and are designed for laboratories in schools, colleges and universities.

Mitsubishi Electric now offers in the UK a range of packaged energy-recovery air-handling units with throughputs from 3500 to 15 000 m3/h. There are five models in the Lossnay Kanzen range with COPs from 4.88 to 5.69 and EERs from 5.45 to 6.15. Those five standard sizes enable the company to target just over 40% of the office sector.

Bosch Commercial & Industrial Heating’s new web site provides those operating in the commercial sector with a user-friendly portal to find product benefits, technical data and literature. The web site highlights the differences between the key product ranges to ensure that the most suitable products are specified for a project. It also enables investors to research a recommended system to give them peace of mind.

Newey & Eyre has published an extensive guide to steel containment solutions for cables. It covers everything from wire basket, cable trunking and cable tray through to channel support systems and catenary wire kits, accessories and fixings. All products are available for delivery or collection from branch.

Elco UK, formerly MHS Boilers, has launched a new web site. It covers the full range of products and includes recent case studies and example installations. There is also information on the latest service and maintenance offers.

The Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES) has published new guidance on low-energy ventilation for residential buildings in response to new requirements in the Building Regulations for energy efficiency and which now stipulate target emissions and CO2 rates for residential buildings.

Schneider Electric’s Energy University is a free online educational community that provides all the latest information and professional CPD-approved training on energy-efficiency concepts and best practice to help electrical professionals keep up with key industry trends. It is available 24/7.