2014 March

    

Maintenance, refurbishment, Remeha Commercial, boiler, space heating

When existing gas-fired pressure-jet boilers in Cambridge’s Shire Hall were found to be leaking, the go-ahead was given for a complete redesign of the existing heating system by the county council’s engineering services manager Roy Drayton. The new installation included three Remeha Gas 310 Pro 10-section boilers.

maintenance, refurbishment, Ecophon, lighting, acoustic control, Saint Gobain

Acoustic control and lighting are provided for Saint-Gobain’s head office in Binley, Coventry, by the company’s Ecophon Soundlight Comfort range. This major refurbishment is the first building in the UK to utilise this solution, which is the result of a partnership between Ecophon for the acoustic element and Philips for the LED lighting. The free-hanging acoustic panel has LED lighting built in.

maintenance, refurbishment, Coolmation, ventilation

Coolmation has extended its Service4Chillers maintenance business to cover ventilation equipment in commercial and industrial buildings. Service4Chillers comprises a team of experienced and well trained services and maintenance engineers carrying ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001 certification, CHAS, Safe Contractor and Construction Line accreditations.

maintenance, refurbishment, Amazon Filters, side stream filtration, sidestream

Amazon Filters has provided Chelsea Football Club with side-stream filters for chilled-water and condenser circuits as part of a project to upgrade the heating and cooling system. The overall aim of the project was to improve the quality of the ventilation air supply to the West Stand to improve the comfort of corporate-hospitality clients.

maintenance, refurbishment, Hamworthy, boiler, space heating, DHW

Hamworthy Heating is hitting the road with its ‘Cast-iron tour’ to demonstrate how to fight rising energy costs and reduce gas bills by up to 30%. The bespoke roadshow vehicle showcases an old atmospheric boiler installation alongside a modern condensing-boiler system. Visitors can be guided through the two systems, identify the faults and see where efficiency improvements can be made by upgrading boiler plant and improving controls.

maintenance, refurbishment, Mikrofill, boiler, space heating, hot water, DHW

Effective heating and hot-water services have been restored at the St George’s Hotel on the sea front of Llandudno following the installation of Mikrofill wall-mounted condensing boilers and its hot-water loading systems. The new equipment replaces dated horizontal calorifiers and inefficient cast-iron boilers — all of which had long been in need of replacing.

maintenance, refurbishment, AET Flexible Space, air conditioning

AET Flexible Space has supplied underfloor air-conditioning for the second phase of major refurbishment and services upgrades to Reading Bridge House in Reading. The project was designed to bring the building up to the BCO (British Council for Offices) air-conditioning standards.

maintenance, refurbishment, voltage optimisation, Marshall-Tufflex

Jeremy Dodge of Marshall-Tufflex describes how a simpler approach to voltage optimisation can deliver benefits more quickly and at less cost.

maintenance, refurbishment, Rinnai, DHW, hot water

Rinnai continuous-flow water heaters have been used by WTG Heating Engineering to create trailer-mounted solutions to provide an emergency service for a variety of sites — including schools, care homes and large apartments blocks. Jennie Marlow, director of WTG, says, ‘Other companies providing emergency heating and hot-water solutions tend to use large units that need craning in. Our compact trailers from Ivor Williams can get where they can’t.’

maintenance, refurbishment, Remeha Commercial, boiler, ErP, space heating

Meeting new EU targets

05 March, 2014

Following the EU announcement of an emissions reduction target of 40% by 2030, Mark Northcott discusses how businesses can achieve significant, affordable reductions in harmful greenhouse-gas emissions using tried-and-tested, energy-efficient condensing and ‘super condensing’ boiler technology.

maintenance, refurbishment, Mikrofill, CHP. solar thermal, DHW, hot water

As part of the CHP-based system and solar-thermal installation for updating heating and hot water at Rydale Swimming Pool in Pickering, Mikrofill has supplied boilers and energy-efficient hot-water cylinders.

maintenance, refurbishment, Baxi Commercial, boiler, space heating, hot water, DHW

Anticipating ErP benefits

05 March, 2014

Like-for-like replacement of equipment in heating and hot-water system will often not be possible when the ErP Directive comes into effect. But why wait when the benefits are so positive, asks Andy Green of Baxi Commercial.

maintenance, refurbishment, GE Lighting, CFL, LED

Upgrading lighting can save energy and reduce maintenance cycles, without compromising on light quality. Mike Hall of GE Lighting takes up the story.

maintenance, refurbishment, Trend, BMS, energy management

Jaguar Land Rover’s 365 ha Gaydon Centre site in Warwickshire has achieved a 21% reduction in operational CO2 emissions since 2007, despite significant work to extend its facilities. Contributing to these savings has been a Trend BEMS, which achieved energy savings of 4.3 GWH in the five years up to 2012 and 1674 t of CO2.

maintenance, refurbishment, IMO Precision Controls, VSD, variable speed drive

Moving air costs money, and so does heating and cooling it — so adding inverter drives to ventilation systems can be very cost effective, as Garry Lewis of IMO Precision controls explains.

maintenance, refurbishment, Daikin UK, R22, air conditioning

With less than 10 months to go before the final ban on R22 refrigerant at the end of December 2014, building managers face an increasing need to replace all R22 systems. With an estimated 45 to 60% of all air-conditioning systems in use today still reliant on this refrigerant, the pressure is on to find a cost effective alternative, says Martin Passingham of Daikin UK.

maintenance, refurbishment, Cavendish Maintenance

In the last 10 years, energy prices have has risen by 140% and gas by 240%*. With prices still soaring, energy reduction in building operations is on the agenda of many. Alan Juggins of Cavendish Maintenance, explains how the rise in energy prices is changing the landscape of building maintenance.

Building Regulations, Part L, Stokvis Energy Systems, solar Thermal. DHW, domestic hot water

Helping to reduce energy and carbon emissions at Thomas Rotherham College in South Yorkshire is a solar-thermal system supplied by Stokvis Energy Systems to provide hot water for staff and public toilets. The system for this college for 16- to 19-year olds is expected to achieve energy savings of 2.6 to 3 MWh a year.

Building Regulations, Part L, NIBE, Travis Perkins, renewable energy

NIBE Energy Systems has significantly increased the distribution of renewable heating technologies with a new agreement with the Travis Perkins Group. In addition to the long-standing partnership with Plumbing Trade Supplies, NIBE’s full range of heat pumps, biomass boiler and solar-thermal systems will also be available from Travis Perkins, City Plumbing Supplies, Solfex Energy Systems and BSS outlets throughout the UK.

Building Regulations, Part L, Trend Control Systems, submetering, meters, sub-meter

With the latest revision to Part L of the Building Regulations set to come into effect, Chris Monson of Trend Control Systems, explains how sub-metering continues to play a vital role in increasing energy efficiency and why non-compliance represents a missed opportunity.

Building Regulations, Part L, Thermal destratification, Airius, space heating

Airius now offers a Designer version of its thermal destratification units. These units feature the same patented stator technology that is used in the company’s other energy-saving destratification fans.

Building Regulations, Part L, Bosch, CHP, boiler, space heating

Larger CHP units added to the range from Bosch Commercial & Industrial Heating extend the company’s offering to 19 to 400 kW of electrical output. The efficiency of the new units, which have electrical outputs of 365 and 400 kW can enable the initial investment to be repaid in as little as two years. The new models are compatible with primary and secondary exhaust-gas silencer to minimise noise levels during operation.

air conditioning, building regulations, Chiller, HFO, Part L, Star, Turbocor

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.

Building Regulations, Part L, LG, VRF, air conditioning

LG’s latest VRF air-conditioning system, Multi V IV, can achieve a 40% improvement in integrated partial-load efficiency, compared with the previous-generation Multi V III, to achieve an EER of 6.0 compared with 4.3. There is also a 30% improvement in system efficiency to 4.85 compared with 3.73, based on a 20 hp unit in cooling-only mode. Four innovative technologies in the new range are responsible for these substantial improvements.

Building Regulations, Part L, Dimplex, heat pumps, ground, GSHP, renewable energy

A Dimplex ground-source heat-pump system is providing low-carbon heating and passive cooling for a new building at SciTech Daresbury in Cheshire. Vanguard House, a 3600 m2 3-storey office and laboratory facility, was designed to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating and does not use any fossil fuels.

Building Regulations, Part L, Ideal Commercial Boilers, space heating, DHW

Darren Finley of Ideal Commercial Boilers, looks at how the new Building Regulations and the demands of the forthcoming ErP will offer challenges and opportunities for manufacturers by creating demand for innovative solutions and giving them the chance to lead the way in intelligent product development, problem solving and new ways of sharing their expertise.

Building Regulations, Part L, LENI, lighting, LED

With Part L regulations taking effect in April, many want to know the most efficient way to be compliant. Dan Wills of Helvar talks us through the methods of calculating compliancy with Part L and the role that lighting control will play.

Building Regulations, Part L, CIBSE, Hywel Davies

Now that the complete Part L 2013 has been published, what do the changes mean for the building services sector? Hywel Davies of CIBSE considers the 2013 updates.

Building Regulations, Part L, B&ES

The new version of Part L of the Building Regulations was a missed opportunity to deliver the improved building performance the country needs, says Bob Towse of the Building & Engineering Services Association.

Baxi Commercial has been awarded a bronze Investors in People award for the motivation, support and development it provides to employees at its Erdington site in the West Midlands. The company received the standard award three years ago, and has now exceeded the 63 evidence requirements on this occasion to claim the bronze award.

BSRIA, Andrew Eastwell

Andrew Eastwell, soon to retire as BSRIA’s chief executive, has been appointed honorary professor in the School Of The Built Environment at Herriot Watt University. Having had a long and distinguished career at BSRIA, he has gained a wide range of industry experience and knowledge which will be put to good use in supporting the school’s recently established Royal Academy of Engineering Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Design. His appointment will strengthen the existing links between the school and BSRIA in the exchange of research and knowledge.

B&ES Wales

The Building & Engineering Services Association now has a set-up in Wales following the launch of B&ES Wales. The formal launch was at The Sennedd, the Cardiff home of the National Assembly of Wales, during an event hosted by assembly member Jane Hutt, Minister for Finance in the Welsh Government.

phase-out. HFC, refrigerants

The use of HFCs with high global-warming potentials is on course to be banned in new air-conditioning appliances and refrigerators by 2022 to 2025 after draft rules informally agreed with EU ministers received the support of environment MEPS. The move paves the way for the overall use of such HFCs to be reduced by 79% by 2030.

JS Wright

J S Wright has secured a contract worth about £5 million to service 546 new homes as part of the second phase of Indescon Court in the Millharbour area of London. The family-friendly development by Galliard Homes is due to open in June 2015 and will also include a 120-bed 3-star hotel, retail space and a business centre — along with a green area and children’s playing area.

The construction industry is a stronger position heading into 2014 than at this stage last year, according to the Glenigan Index for January, which was up by 4% year on year, driven by continued rises in infrastructure project starts. The value of main contracts awarded in the final quarter of 2013 was 21% higher than the previous year.

Pick Everard

Pick Everard is aiming for 18% renewable energy in its sustainable building-services strategy for the £36 million redevelopment of De Montfort’s University’s Fletcher complex, a new campus base in the centre of Leicester being created for the Faculty of Art, Design & Humanities. Construction is due to start in summer 2014, with the first phase scheduled for completion in September 2015.

25 years on for AMP

05 March, 2014

AMP, an independent air-conditioning distributor with its headquarters in Welwyn Garden City and branches in the Midlands and Bristol, is marking its silver-jubilee year with a substantial investment in training. All main centres have training facilities, and the company has pioneered with a strong emphasis on technical training.

Cool-Therm

Cool-Therm has launched a company to specialise in the design and management of low-carbon high-efficiency air-conditioning systems and energy audits. The service is available from the company’s four locations in Bristol, Cardiff, Reading and Wolverhampton. Called Cool-Therm (Consultants) Ltd, The company also offers F-gas compliance support for end users and facilities-management companies, plus air-conditioning and chiller service and maintenance project management.

FM professionals are highly committed to maximising the use of energy in buildings but still lack metering and monitoring tools to establish accurate baselines and track progress — according to a survey by the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) and the National Energy Foundation (NEF) into experiences and expectations of improving the use of energy in buildings.

Supermarket, PassivHaus

The first PassivHaus supermarket in Germany is expected to achieve 30% energy savings compared to conventional supermarkets. It is operated by the Rewe Group and has a heating demand of only 12 kWh/m2/a as waste heat from the refrigeration system is enough to cover space-heating needs of the well insulated building envelope.

Polypipe Terrain, pipe, plastic, pipework

Polypipe Terrain is marking 50 years’ manufacturing PVC drainage pipes, fittings and plastic piping system with a competition inviting the construction industry to join the company at the Monaco F1 Championship in 2015. The track is where former British racing driver John Surtees won the F1 Championship in 1964.

CIBSE Awards

There was a double accolade for the Cheshire Oaks store of Marks & Spencer at this year’s Building Performance Awards of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. Not only did the project win the category for ‘New build project of the year (value over £10 million)’, but it also received the top award of ‘Carbon champion of the year’. The services were design by Sustainable Design Solutions and installed by Balfour Beatty Engineering Services.

Sudlows is to design and build a new data centre for power-distribution operator Electricity North West. The £1.7 million contract will see Sudlows deliver a highly resilient, state-of-the-art facility to support the critical infrastructure of this energy operator.

Kier Construction

Work on the £242 million redevelopment of Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire has started on site. The project is led by Kier Construction and includes 10 new wards providing accommodation for 210 patients within a new secure environment.

Castle Building Services

Castle Building Services, based in Hebburn, has announced its largest single contract win to date. The £29 million office development in Glasgow is believed to be the largest speculative development currently underway outside of London. The 12-storey St Vincent’s Plaza is designed to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating with a B Energy Performance Certificate.

B&ES

Market conditions continued to improve in the second half of last year, according to research carried out among members of the Building & Engineering Services Association. More firms reported an increase in orders and enquiries compared with six months earlier, while half reported a rise in turnover.

Remeha Commercial, Ener-G, CHP

Remeha Commercial has formed a partnership with cogeneration specialist Ener-G to offer CHP systems with an electrical output of up to 90 kW as part of a one-stop shop for commercial heating. These CHP units use natural gas and can be teamed up with Remeha condensing boilers.

Ecoflam, burner

Burner manufacturer Ecoflam has moved to new premises in Worcester to accommodate continued growth and the introduction of an expanded product range. The move to tailored premises makes possible a streamlining of the spare-parts business and the capability to offer more finished products with shorter lead times.

KGN Pillinger, dosing pot

KGN Pillinger, well known for their range of bespoke water pumping equipment, and more recently the development of stainless steel fabricated products, has launched a range of chemical dosing pots.

Panasonic, heat pump, space heating, Aquarea

Panasonic’s 5 kW Aquarea mono block heat pump is described as ideal for new-build projects that are designed for low energy consumption. There is no need for a separate indoor unit as the mono bloc enclosure contains all components in a single unit. They include the heat exchanger, 7-speed hot-water circulation pump, safety valve, pressure gauge and a 3 kW electric heater to provide backup in extreme cold weather.




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New Sustainability Director for Wates Group

Wates Group, a family-owned development, building and property maintenance company, has appointed Cressida Curtis as its new Group Sustainability Director.

Domus Ventilation appoints new contractor sales managers

Ventilation systems manufacturer Domus Ventilation has announced the arrival of three new Contractor Sales Managers.