2015 May

Looking at the Model Format for Building Services Specifications.

Karen Fletcher considers  the future of Big Data in Building Services

With gas and oil boilers still being the dominant heating plant in most projects, it is essential that heating systems fully exploit their inherent efficiency argues Graham Rodd of MHG Heating.

The refurbishment of several buildings of the 13th-century Hexham Abbey in Northumberland into a heritage centre included the installation of three Remeha Quinta Pro 90 gas-fired condensing boilers. They are on a free-standing, in-line cascade system with low-loss header to provide heating throughout the refurbished buildings.

A containerised plant room that includes a biomass boiler has been supplied by Wood Energy to provide heating and hot water for a number of animal enclosures. They include the lions and the new Australian Rainbows exhibit that creates a tropical rainforest complete with parakeets.

Controlling relative humidity to protect the extensive artefact collection in the Downland Gridshell Building of Weald Down Open Air Museum was a key requirement of the replacement for an inefficient old boiler serving the building’s underfloor heating system. The choice was an Atag Q60S condensing combination boiler.

ICS Cool Energy responded to the failure of a boiler system at a primary school by having a temporary installation up and running within just two days. Russ Baker, sales director, said, ‘Our engineers attended the site to undertake a survey within 12 hours of receiving the initial call.’

The recent mechanical refurbishment of the sixth-form block of The Kingsley School in Royal Leamington Spa included the installation of new LPHW equipment manufactured by Mikrofill. The work was carried out by Evesham Mechanical Services.

Darren Finley of Ideal Commercial Boilers examines how the changes that will be demanded by Stage 2 of the Energy related Products Directive will also bring opportunities by forcing the industry to find better ways of sharing knowledge to achieve operational energy efficiency.

For reasons of affordability, reliability and practicality, condensing boilers are enjoying renewed popularity as the pragmatic solution to improved thermal efficiency — as James Porter of Remeha Commercial explains.

Following a 17% reduction in oil consumption during a pilot trial, Sidney Sussex College of Cambridge University has installed Sabien M2G boiler-load optimisation controls across its entire estate. The device was originally installed in one boiler house and energy-consumption data analysed by Sabien using the CuSUM method.

New buildings at Newport Girls’ High School in Shropshire have their heating requirements met by two Ethos boilers from Mikrofill. The extension to the school includes classrooms, multi-purpose sports hall/assembly room and changing facilities.

With the new requirements of the Energy related Products (ErP) Directive set to come into force from September of this year, Pete Mills, of Bosch Commercial & Industrial Heating explains how it sits alongside the Part L and encourages commercial heating engineers to make sure they are continuing to put best practice first.

Two R600 boilers from Elco UK’s floor-standing range have been installed in a bespoke packaged plant room for the Kier Group project in Hyde Park, Hayes. The boilers were specified by M&E provider Lorne Stewart and supplied to Packaged Plant Solutions, which designed the containerised systems.

Heating and hot water for a former police housing site in Edgbaston that has been redeveloped to provide accommodation for 30 dance students with pastoral care is provided by Mikrofill boilers. An associate school of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Elmhurst School for Dance teaches ballet to students aged 11 to 19. The site is owned by Calthorpe Estates and has been redeveloped by Shaylor Group.

There are many ways in which boilers can save energy and reduce carbon emissions in commercial buildings — especially modular boilers as Stuart Turner of Hamworthy Heating explains.

Trend Control Systems’ latest generation of room displays (RD) and room sensors (RS) are designed with industry-leading levels of functionality and user friendliness. They offer temperature sensing and display in °C or °F along with a choice of humidity and/or CO2-related information.

AmbiRad’s SmartCom intelligent energy-management controller is compatible with radiant-tube, warm-air and many other types of heating system. It is straightforward and easy to use and has a wide range of energy-optimising features.

Rinnai has developed controls for its Infinity range of condensing gas-fired continuous-flow water heaters that are compatible with the popular forms of building-management systems used in buildings. The technology seamlessly integrates the company’s hot-water systems into BMS protocols to provide ultimate control and maximise energy efficiency in large buildings, including multi-tenanted sites.

LG Air Conditioning’s tablet-like AC Smart Premium controller can control up to 128 devices — including air conditioners, heat-recovery ventilation systems and air-handling units. The home screen of this 25 cm touch controller shows the current state of the system including how many units are running and how many are not running. It also shows what scheduled events are due that day and at what times — and if a unit is faulty.

The Grundfos GO app can be used on smartphones such as Android and iPhones to provide comprehensive control of pumps. This app provides intuitive assistance and unlimited access to online tools. It also saves time in terms of accessing reports and collecting data.

To reduce costs, mechanical plant is often being configured with controls systems built in. Mark Stanton of Trend, argues that this is a false economy if it doesn’t match the main system and that a single building energy management system (BEMS) from a reputable supplier will be more resilient, compliant and sustainable.

Ian Ellis of Siemens UK explains why assembling your building controls as a single system can lead to a more usable, powerful tool for measuring, monitoring and controlling your building and its energy use.

Design Innovation won the KNX UK installation of the year award for the Great Minister House Show Home and Concierge in Westminster, London. The development of the show home led to the installation of KNX in 61 apartments and demonstrates how KNX can provide outstanding control when using multiple manufacturers.

BG Energy Solutions has launched a service to help businesses reduce their HVAC running costs by up to 24% by maximising the potential of their building-management systems. This auditing service is designed to help business owners and maintenance teams gain expert advice on an area of building management that is often misunderstood.

The Eye-Wi wireless lighting control system from WF Senate offers an affordable and easy-to-use alternative to complicated electrical installations. Each wireless luminaire is programmed using simple drag-and-drop menus on the Eye?Wi lighting control, and there is no limit to the number of luminaires that can be controlled. Luminaires can readily be reprogrammed.

Retrofitting controls to existing services can deliver significant benefits without the capital cost of a new installation. John Mercer of CP Electronics explores this principle with reference to retrofit lighting control.

Rinnai continuous-flow water heaters can be fully connected with building-management systems across multiple platforms — including popular protocols such as Modbus and BACnet. No longer need water heaters be isolated in lonely plant rooms.

Metering is a valuable tool in the search for cost savings in commercial buildings, but it has to be applied the right way, says Alan Hickman of Carlo Gavazzi.

Swamping users of building-management systems with unnecessary features and technology is likely to lead to a poorly operated building with excessive energy consumption. Malcolm Anson of Clarkson Controls explains why it is better to take a straightforward approach to controls.

BCIA president Steve Harrison brings together ideas from several industry thinkers on how Internet technology is impacting on building controls and what this means for installers and end-users.

This solar PV installation at Travis Perkins’ new regional distribution centre near Warrington is expected to achieve a financial benefit of around £21 600 in the first year alone — made up of a reduction in energy bills of £9800 and £11 800 from the Feed-in Tariff. Over the next 25 years, the system’s combined benefit is predicted to be around £907 000.

The potential for solar energy has received a boost with the Government confirming that planning permission will no longer be required for all rooftop solar up to 1 MW, both solar PV and solar thermal. The previous limit was 50 kW. The new limit covers buildings the size of a large warehouse or distribution centre — roughly the size of a football pitch.

GI Energy, which specialises in sustainable energy, has extended its offering with the launch of GI Managed Services to help customers ensure they get the best out of their carbon-friendly heating and cooling systems.

A renewed surge in planning approvals suggests stronger growth ahead for the construction industry in the UK, according to the latest figures from industry analyst Glenigan. Project approvals for the first two months of the year rose by 36%.

Building-services contractor SPIE has opened its new northern hub in the Venus Building at Manchester’s Trafford Quays. The move brings together six teams that were previously spread across the north west of England.

The problems that can be caused by cooking oils, fats and disposable wipes being put down sewers led to Thames Water calling in Lanes Utilities to remove a 10 t ‘fatberg’ from a sewer under streets in west London. The 50 m-long fatberg was so heavy that it weakened the sewer to the point that it began to collapse when Lanes engineers tried to remove it.

Distributor BSS Industrial has completed the expansion of its Magna Park national distribution centre in Leicestershire. It gives customers access to £50 million-worth of stock and guarantees next-day delivery by 7 a.m. when ordered from any BSS or Hire-It branch before 5p.m.

Cofely has been awarded a contract by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to provide services across its estates. — including Kew Gardens and the 190 ha Wakehurst Place. The partnership will see Cofely delivering a wide range of M&E and fabric maintenance.

James Cannon, director of Ransom Wood Estates, shows off the 1.2 ha solar farm at Wood Business Park, Mansfield, which was officially switched on by Dr Patrick Candler, CEO of Sherwood Forest Trust on Earth Day 2015 (22 April), making the business park self sustaining for power.

LJJ has been awarded the M&E design and installation contract for a new containment level 2 (CL2) facility at The Pirbright Institute, a national centre for preventing and containing viral diseases of farm animals and those that can spread from animals to humans. The facility is designed have a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.

Mitsubishi Electric has sponsored All Beans No Monkeys, a team of four men which will row the Atlantic Ocean later this year when it takes part in the Tallisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. The 4800 km course stretches from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean.

Weatherite Group has opened a state-of-the-art performance-testing centre, strengthening its position as a provider of data-centre cooling systems. The test centre will enable customers to see their chosen cooling equipment in operation and also monitor, interrogate and review prior to its installation.

Daikin UK has invested £1.1 million in its new training centre at Woking. It is equipped with the latest range of fully operational products from the company so that engineers can gain hands-on experience. The wide range of courses on offer includes product selection, installation, servicing and maintenance.

The latest development at MediaCityUK in Salford is dubbed ‘Tomorrow’. This £20 million project totals over 90 000 m2 and fronts onto Broadway. It features a 112-bed hotel, enhancing the offering at MediaCityUK as a visitor destination. There are also new offices and studio space to meet the increasing demand for the fast-growing creative and digital industries.

Legislative issues continue to be major concerns for members of FETA (Federation of Environmental Trade Associations). One of the most significant, as highlighted by FETA chairman Mike Lawrence at the association’s annual lunch last month, is refrigerants — including the final phasing out of HCFC with its ozone-depleting potential and the growing pressure on HFCs because of their global-warming potential.

AEME, Overclean and Ductclean UK have invested over £300 000 in the development of a training centre dedicated to training in ventilation cleaning and hygiene. It is at Dunkeswell in Devon and was formerly opened by the president of the National Air Duct Cleaners Association of America, Bill Benito.

G&H Building Services is carrying out the £1.2 million contract for full M&E works for the Premier Inn situated above a row of shops in Brixton’s high street. The work for the 90-bed hotel includes air conditioning, heating and lighting. The contract was awarded by building contractor JJ Rhatigan & Co.

Utilitywise, a leading UK energy and water consultancy, has acquired t-mac Technologies. The purchase is in line with Utilitywise’s strategy of broadening the services it offers in response to customer needs. T-mac’s proprietary technology and software enables clients to monitor and reduce energy consumption, making savings and helping them comply with Government legislation.

The Government continues to drive the industry’s adoption of building information modelling (BIM), according to this year’s NBS National BIM survey. This is the fifth year of the survey, which tracks attitudes to and adoption of BIM.

Hurleypalmerflatt has been appointed by Henry Boot Development to develop the energy centre for the Aberdeen Exhibition Conference Centre (AECC). It will be a biogas ecosystem of technologies.