Multi-service chilled beams remove the need for suspended ceilings, resulting in greater room height and more usable space. But their benefits in refurbishment projects don’t stop there, as Terry Farthing explains.

As part of the comprehensive of the 2700 m2 Apollo office building in Ruislip, Space Airconditioning supplied equipment for a Daikin VRVII heat-recovery heat-pump air-conditioning system to replace a chilled-water fan-coil system.

Heather Jefferson explains how best to exploit the energy-saving potential of CHP plant in existing buildings to produce power, heating — and cooling.

The quality of lighting has been significantly improved and energy costs halved in the main distribution centre of RS Components at Corby by upgrading from high-pressure sodium to Venture Lighting’s pulse-start metal-halide lamps and Ventronic dimming system.

There are more benefits to be gained from controlling lighting than energy savings. The reductions in maintenance costs can be even more important. Mark Andrew explains how good lighting control can help slash maintenance costs.

The benefits of modern fluorescent tubes can be exploited without having to replace lighting fittings using Save It Easy components from ECSL.

The hot-water system servicing a prestigious hotel overlooking Loch Ness has been has been upgraded with an Andrews Hi-Flo LPG-fired storage water heater. It supplies the 15 guest room in the Inchnacardoch Lodge Hotel, the kitchen and all the hotel’s domestic hot water.

Despite the heating industry’s excellent response to Part L2 and L2a of the Building Regulations, which has seen the move towards high-efficiency boilers gather pace since April 2006, Graham Williamson argues that standard-efficiency appliances still have a major role to play in the non-domestic sector.

A windowless staff room in a Victorian school building has been transformed into a bright and attractive environment following the installation of two Solatube daylighting systems to replace flexible tubes that had been installed even though Solatube had been specified.

With the support of boiler manufacturer Glow-worm providing full training for all its engineers, Torfaen County Borough Council in South Wales achieved an almost perfect record for boiler servicing last year. All but a handful of its properties had their domestic heating boilers serviced on or before time — with a 99.9% independently verified score on a stock of over 7300 units.

Having waited for a school building in Coventry to be stripped of asbestos, Weatherite Building Service was able to install a new kitchen ventilation system at Westwood School.

Raychem electric underfloor heating systems have been installed in all 95 bathrooms of the Kempinski Hotel Charles V in Bruges, Belgium. The development involves the restoration and redevelopment of a former convent and a castle in the medieval city centre to create what will be Bruges’ only 5-star hotel.

Scorpion Power Systems has replaced a standby power system at the German Embassy in Belgrave Square, London, which was obsolete and unable to support the building’s growing infrastructure, with a technologically advanced power support system. It was the decision of Frank Bernhardt, engineer at the embassy, to replace the old generator with a back-up power system that would support operations facilities, telephones and essential services.

As part of the £10 million refurbishment of the student-union building at Brunel University, Kingspan’s pre-insulated ducting system was installed to distribute air throughout the building, including the student nightclub Academy.

Luminaires on 10 refurbished floors of the 36 000 m2 One Exchange Square building in the City of London are controlled under DALI protocol by Simmtronic systems using Tridonic ballasts. This 12-storey building has recently been acquired by KanAm Grund, one of Germany’s leading fund managers for open-ended real-estate funds and asset manager of international real-estate investment.

The newly refurbished dining room at Bolton Wanders’ training complex is heated by CM fan convectors from Dunham Bush. The units were selected for their small footprint, high heating capacity and low-noise operation.

To encourage more students to study science and engineering, the Confederation of British Industry has proposed a bursary of £1000 a year per student. The suggestion has been made against the background of a decline over many years in the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Its total cost is put at around £200 million a year.

Former heart-surgery patient Kevin Padmore, OEM sales manager for Wilo Intec (right), will be a Heart Runner in this year’s New York Marathon to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation. He will don his official BHF Heart Runners vest, along with French colleague Vincent Fleurier, to run the course on 4 November. He is aiming to raise at least £2500 to help the charity in its fight against heart and circulatory disease, the UK’s biggest killer.

Balfour Kilpatrick has been awarded a £10 million contact to supply and install HVAC, electrical and plumbing services for the Paradise Project in Liverpool. This large £920 million retail-led mixed-use development comprising over 30 buildings, each with its own distinct character.

The British Property Federation has backed Government plants to scrap the ‘Merton rule’, which requires a building to generate 10 to 20% of its energy through onsite renewables, on the basis that investing in inefficient onsite renewable-energy sources is simply not the best way to reduce carbon emissions.

Brian Taylor of national ventilation specialist SK (Sales) hauled in a catfish of 132 lb when Flakt Woods took four staff from two key distributors to chase the massive catfish on the River Ebro in Spain.

Building-services provider NG Bailey’s operating profit for the year to 2 March 2007 rose by over a third to just over £12 million from just under £9 million the previous year. Net assets rose from just over £68 million to nearly £83 million.

The Heating & Ventilating Contractors’ Association and air-conditioning specialist Daikin UK have signed a partnership to highlight their shared commitment to raising installation standards and promoting best practice across the UK contracting sector. The agreement is called ‘Striving for excellence’.

Ability Projects has won NG Bailey’s sustainability award for 2007 at its recent national-supplier conference in Leeds. The award was for the EC Matrix modular and electronically balancing fan-coil system for air conditioning.

Hurleypalmerflatt has been appointed as lead consultant and M&E engineer on the £1 million improvements to the Earth Gallery offices at the Natural History Museum in London.

Reducing waste on site, using sustainable materials and increasing skills in the workforce are some targets set out for the construction industry in a draft strategy for sustainable construction prepared by the Government and the industry.

Perth Concert Hall in Scotland, for which Buro Happold was building-services consulting engineer, has won the project-of-the-year category at the International Building Services Awards for 2007.

Climate-change minister in Scotland, Stewart Stevenson, wants to see new houses in Scotland meet Scandinavian standards, enabling householders to significantly reduce their energy user and bills.

Airedale Service has taken on its first-ever apprentices. They are Stuart Onyett, 19, and Shaun Woolacott, 17 — both of Kent. Their recruitment is part of a new grow-your-own policy adopted by Airedale Services. Adrian Trevelyan, Airedale service and maintenance manager, explains, ‘We have adopted this approach because of the difficulty of recruiting good services engineers where we need them and because we have to travel them into these areas.’

Briggs & Forrester has won a £7.5 million contract for the design and installation of mechanical, electrical and public-health services at The Pinnacle in Milton Keynes. The contract was awarded by Marriott Construction.

SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the building-services-engineering sector, has welcomed the Government’s plans for the implementation of the Leitch Review and the recommendations it makes for the sector.

Attitudes to safety within Balfour Kilpatrick have been boosted by the delivery of a behavioural safety training module to 2150 operatives of this multi-services contractor and its subcontractors.

Industrial-heating manufacturer AmbiRad Group and CA Building Products, which makes metal envelope systems for buildings, have joined forces to promote an energy-saving heating system for commercial and industrial buildings.

Promoting and delivering sustainable buildings is a key role, even a responsibility, of building-services engineers. Dave Cheshire and Hywel Davies share their ideas on what they should be delivering — and how.

Peter Roege discusses a new approach to improving boiler fuel efficiency by 30%

As an energy-service company, Dalkia has been managing energy and saving money for clients for many years. The current concern with climate change and carbon emissions simply puts a new perspective on its work.

Passive technology alone cannot meet sustainability objectives. Alison Nicholl explains why intelligence-based solutions are also needed.

Chris Wootton explains the benefits of intelligent buildings — and how to enjoy them.

To respond to the multi-tenanted patterns of occupancy of the 33-storey Bridgewater Place development in Leeds, Electrak has supplied a KNX intelligent lighting control system.

A range of passive infra-red occupancy switches for lighting control is made by Danlers. They are easy to install and can use existing wiring in a building. Applications include saving energy in offices, factories, schools etc.

Anders Norén explains how using a number of open protocols to bring together a host of building services is the key to interoperability.

The new Wembley Stadium is more than just a 90 000-seat venue. It is a huge building complex with a vast range of services that can interact with one another through the intelligent building system that has been installed.

The latest addition to the Siemens Desigo building-management system is the Desigo TX-I/O range of modules. They provide high flexibility, greater user friendliness and lower energy and capital costs.

Redstone Converged Solutions is installing converged IT and communications infrastructures for projects in Bristol and Leicester. A range of third-party systems will connect directly to the network — including security, CCTV surveillance, HVAC, audio visual and people counting.

LonMark has opened its first proficiency testing centre in the UK. It is at Echelon’s office at Watford and provides LonWorks training and examinations to enable participants to become LonMark certified professionals. This examination is recommended for any specialist engaging in the design, specification, integration or installation of Lon control networks.

The ‘click-and-go’ concept of the Lion controller for HVAC control and energy management from CentraLine by Honeywell dramatically reduces the time and cost of system installation and commissioning.

Trox has supplied chilled beams with design modifications to enable them to be easily maintained and cleaned to the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton. The beams will help the hospital meet increasing demands to reduce air-borne contaminants in clinical environments by not allowing room contaminants to migrate to and from the ceiling void or supply ductwork when they are cleaned.

Breezair evaporative-cooling units installed in the St Helens factory of Remploy Household & Toiletries are reducing temperatures by around 8 K throughout the 3000 m2 production area. They were installation following consultations with CoSaf Environments.

Nu-Way has won the contract to supply renewable-heating equipment for the Northern Ireland Office at Hillsborough Castle. Wood pellets are the fuel for Ecoflex and EcoMass 750 boilers which will provide heating for this 18th-century mansion house, home to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

In what is believed to be the largest underfloor-heating contract ever let in the world, Warmafloor is to supply systems for the £8 billion Project Allenby/ Connaught, which will provide accommodation for over 18 000 military personnel at 200 sites in Aldershot and across the Salisbury Plain.

Contributing to the comfort of guests in the Dakota Forthbridge Hotel near Edinburgh is a top-of-the-range Daikin VRV heat-recovery air-conditioning system. The development cost £15 million and has 130 New York loft apartment style guest bedrooms and two suites. They are heated and cooled by FXDQ slim-line duct-mounted fan-coil units to achieve a design temperature of 23°C.

To improve the resilience of its emergency power supply and ensure sufficient reserve generator capacity in the event of equipment failure, Merlin Power Management has engineered and managed a project for the office of Cable & Wireless in Dock Street near the Tower of London. The work involved moving an under-utilised 640 kVA generator set from another London office and synchronising it with two other 640 kVA generators already on site.

The running costs of an installation of three pumps at a swimming pool in Coventry have been halved following the installation of Lenze SMD inverters. The pumps return heated water to the swimming pool at Coventry Sports Centre.

Alldales has completed the installation of inverter drives for fans in air-handling units at 77 ASDA stores in the UK. The rollout of the technology follows a pilot scheme of 13 stores which demonstrated the energy-saving potential of the technology.

The modification of boilers in schools in Worcestershire to use biofuels will reduce carbon emissions. Nu-way is working with Worcestershire County Council to convert burners.

Natural-ventilation for a new middle school at St Lawrence College, Ramsgate, is provided by a range of Passivent Aircool ventilators.

Air curtains are normally installed to keep the cold out, but the requirement was reversed at Cannington Cold Stores at Bridgewater, where Airbloc air curtains keep the cold in.

Electric underfloor heating using self-regulating cables has been installed to serve all the apartments in the Arvor development on the site of the former Westbay Hotel at Maenporth in Cornwall.

Historic photographic material and negatives stored in the Witt Library at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London are having their life substantially lengthened by dehumidifiers supplied by Calorex Heat Pumps.

The vast new dairy of Arla Foods at Stourton near Leeds can fill over 345 bottles of milk per minute with its 10 lines served by 16 milk silos, each with a capacity of 250 000 litres. The ventilation requirements of this 28 000 m2 facility are met by Colman equipment, using a mix of diffusers, grilles and displacement units.

Domestic hot water using solar energy will be provided for a home in Bristol using Vaillant flat-plate solar collectors as part of a complete solar system.

Oventrop Cocon 2 double-regulating and integral control valves have been used on 140 chilled beams serving the six storeys of the new headquarters of Prospect, a union representing professional engineering. The 2500 m2 Prospect House replaces an old warehouse behind the union’s previous premises in south-east London.

The installation of a Nordair-Niche variable-air-volume heating and ventilation system is delivering excellent air quality in the factory of Stannah Stairlifts at Andover, a building taken over by the company earlier this year and refurbished. The principal requirements were to be as fuel efficient as possible for this size of factory and for air to be controlled by removing smoke and welding mist produced during the manufacture of the company’s stairlifts.

Installing ABB drives for fans in a new HVAC system for BT’s call centre for 999 calls in Nottingham has contributed to reducing electricity costs by 23%. Gas usage for the site has also been reduced by a massive 88% by better control of the HVAC system.

HCP has installed over 1000 m of trench heating in the new 34 000 m2 headquarters of BBC Scotland at Pacific Quay, Glasgow. The project follows HCP’s successful involvement with the BBC Media Village project at White City in London.

Two flagship digital-technology buildings on the Middlesbrough campus of the University of Teesside are protected by CCTV, alarm and access-control systems installed by Secom. The systems were selected as part of the £3.75 million M&E contract for the £10 million Athena Building and the £12 million Phoenix Building — part of the university’s DigitalCity initiative.

Faced with having to install an air curtain overnight at a Dune shoe shop in central London without being able to inspect the site first and knowing only the width of the door, the contractor arrive on site with a Dimplex CAB15ER unit.

Dalkia has prepared two ‘indispensable’ handbooks on carbon management. They are aimed at commercial and public buildings and industrial sites and are being introduced as part of CarbonCare, the company’s solution for sustainable energy services.

To help architects, contractors, developed and building-services engineers understand the requirements of the Building Regulations for smoke-control systems in residential buildings, SE Controls has updated its popular guide on the subject. It includes information on the latest systems, European product standards, design approaches and information on meeting the requirements of Approved Document B.

MITA has issued a new catalogue for its Aemsa wire cable tray. This 32-page catalogue is available as a printed version for downloading from the company’s web site (www.mita.co.uk). It includes full details of the wide wade of cable trays available, as well as quick-fit couplers, fixing methods and bracketry. There is also a section on creating fittings.

As well as comprehensive information on its products and services, Glow-worm’s updated web site also enables visitors to make an online registration of a new boiler’s warranty and access extended warranty cover and service contracts. There is also technical advice and a help section for frequently asked questions and problem solving.

Air-conditioning service and maintenance specialist Delrac ACS has updated its web site. It now details the company’s full range of services, alongside project descriptions that include work for Smiths Group and the Royal College of Music.

To highlight the responsibilities of users of fans in potentially explosive atmospheres under the ATEX Directive, The Fan Manufacturers’ Association has produced a 2-page leaflet.

Danfoss-Randall has totally revised its web site to provide comprehensive information on the selection of the correct heating controls for an installation. Although structured around Danfoss products, the information and advice can be readily applied to controls generally. Information covers the following types of controls: commercial and domestic TRVs; time controls; electrical and electronic thermostats; underfloor heating; automatic and manual balancing valves; motorised valves and other controls.

The 2007/8 edition of the directory and buyers’ guide of the British Pump Manufacturers’ Association includes an update on all current directives affecting the pump industry. The latest guide also includes a new-products section and a good selection of generic articles from association members.

The Construction Confederation has published a definitive DVD guide to help the industry cope with the changes to the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations (CDM 1007).

Vaillant’s ecoTEC exclusive condensing combination boiler can provide space heating and domestic hot water for larger domestic properties. There are two models, with DHW outputs of 32 and 38 kW.

Buderus has added to its range of commercial boilers available in the UK with the GB312 range of floor-standing gas-fired condensing boilers. Their modulating premix burners use a lower velocity of gas and air than normal, making it one of the quietest condensing boilers on the market.

A device that will automatically protect building risers from destructive surges and water hammer is available from Grundfos.

Honeywell’s BA295 compact backflow preventer ensures that contaminated water cannot flow back into the public mains supply. These valves are designed to meet all requirements of the UK Water Regulations Advisory Scheme and use the well proven RPZ (reduced pressure zone) principle.

Fläkt Woods’ MaXfan range for high-pressure commercial kitchen canopy extraction systems now has an electronic speed controller optimised for pressure. They are available for single- and 3-phase operation in diameters from 400 to 630 mm and static pressures up to 600 Pa.

The Lennox Aircoolair ducted split range of air-conditioning products is now available using R410A with capacities from 19 to 134 kW.

Airflow’s Duplexvent range of compact, commercial unit ventilators with heat recovery use counterflow heat-exchanger technology to achieve a recovery efficiency of 80%.

MHS Boilers now offers commercial-scale biomass boilers working in partnership with wood-heating specialist Econergy. Boilers are available with outputs from 25 kW to 1 MW.

Two new products from Xpelair are designed to provide energy-efficient ventilation in homes. They are the Xcell 270 mechanical-ventilation and heat-recovery unit (MHVR)and the Premier LV UltraDC fan.

The HydroFlame flame-effect fireplace from Smith’s Environmental Products combines a fan-convector heater served by a wet central-heating system and built-in thermostatic control. The flame effect is created by an energy-saving light bulb and specially developed ribbons moved by circulating air to give the impression of a real fire. Dual models also have an electric heating element.

LG’s Eco V energy-recovery ventilation units are designed to save energy in air-conditioned buildings and dramatically improve indoor air quality. A washable particle filter can trap particles smaller than tobacco smoke.

Monodraught’s Windcatcher and Sola-vent natural ventilation systems have been added to the Carbon Trust’s Energy Technology List of products that meet the Government’s relevant energy-saving criteria — so that their use in projects qualifies for 100% first-year capital allowances. Sola-vent combines the natural-ventilation functions of Windcatcher and bringing daylight into the building.

Daikin’s VRVIII heat-recovery air-conditioning system is said to feature a number of industry firsts. They include continuous heating during the defrost cycle for increased comfort and new brazed connections for the condensing unit and the branch selector box for refrigerant containment, reducing the risk of leakage compared to flared connections.

Vent-Axia has launched a weatherproof version of its Sentinel on-demand ventilation system for external installation. Weatherproof Sentinel offers the same performance as the established internal range.

Reliance Water Controls has improved its tenant valve assembly (TVA) with the addition of a pressure gauge. These valves also include pressure reduction, isolating and double-check valves and reduce installation time. These valves suit all multi-unit buildings, such as apartments and offices, and also prefabricated buildings.

HygroMatik’s HDS adiabatic cold-water humidification system can vaporise large quantities of water for very low energy consumption — at the same time as providing a free-cooling effect.

LG’s Multi V Sync VRF air-conditioning system can deliver simultaneous heating and cooling from just one outdoor unit. This heat-recovery system allows indoor units to be designated or switched between heating and cooling as required.

An air-quality sensor for VES Andover’s range of air-handling units measures carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds in rooms or ducts and provides a signal that can be used to adjust air volume and other functions. Such demand-controlled ventilation can reduce energy consumption by up to half.

Carlo Gavazzi has added a new model to its range of energy meters for industrial and domestic applications. Applications include import and export energy metering and cost allocation.

The Jet range of overdoor heaters from Thermoscreens comprises models with heating outputs of 3, 4.5 and 6 kW with the ability to switch between three heat and two fan-speed settings. They can also circulate air during the summer when heating is not required.

Thorn’s AquaForce II range of fluorescent luminaires is resistant to water and corrosion and can provide effective general lighting in kitchens, showers and changing rooms, breweries, abattoirs and garages.

Lochinvar has introduced a commercial version of its CP-M modulating condensing boiler. These condensing pre-mixed wall-hung boilers can have additional on-board options, including control of up to four different zones.

A new range of lighting connection products will provide electrical contractors with additional solutions and help them save time on commercial and industrial installations, according to manufacturer Flex Connectors.

Screwless connection technology is a core feature of the latest PCE turbo-twist range of plugs and sockets.

Viessmann has played a part in the reduction of carbon emissions by the Household of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. The reduction of 9% included the contribution from the installation of a carbon-neutral heating system at Highgrove. 9m2 of Viessmann Vitosol 200 vacuum-tube solar collectors supplemented the woodchip and biomass burning boiler. The system was configured by TESA (Western) Ltd and includes energy and carbon monitoring ability.

ADEY Professional Heating Solutions is stepping up production of its new environmentally-friendly de-scaler and sludge remover Detox Powercleanse.

LG’s training academy has announced a full and comprehensive Autumn programme of courses. They cover all VRF products and their installation, splits and multi-splits, Art Cool, commissioning and service.

Marco Cable Management is best known for its Apollo uPVC trunking systems, including its latest Apollo 60 Cat 6 range. Perhaps what is less well known is that Marco is the UK’s largest manufacturer of wire mesh tray.

Titon, one of Europe’s market leaders in ventilation, has launched a CD-based Part F System 1 calculator that assists fabricators or builders in calculating the background ventilation requirement for domestic properties.

Vulcathene has extended its purpose-designed chemical drainage system with the launch of improved access pipes and expansion fittings.

New R410A 4-port multi units, designated 4MXS68F (heat pump) and 4MKS75F (cooling only) have been introduced by Daikin Europe.

Coventry Rugby Club is one of the oldest and most prestigious in the country. Elson water heating has joined in its sponsorship, and the players’ shorts will carry the Elson logo next season. Geoff Ward, Elson’s technical director, and managing director Mike McDonald (centre left and right) — both mean rugby players themselves — join Coventry players to model the snazzy new shorts.

Lenze has taken out cost and complexity from vector-based motor control in the new SMV frequency inverter.

Rinnai UK, manufacturer of a comprehensive range of energy-efficient water heating and space heating gas appliances, is pleased to announce the appointment of Hyco Manufacturing Ltd as distributor for its 26i, 16i and 16e continuous-flow gas water heaters, and also its models 308 and 556 space heaters.

To enable the thermal energy used by individual buildings on the Guys campus of Kings College London to be identified, Micronics clamp-on ultrasonic meters have been installed on the LTHW networks. The meters are currently read manually, but the longer-term plan is for them to be read automatically by the university’s building and energy-management system.

Cottam & Preedy has extended its reputation for innovation in the field of valves with the CP961 Multi — a combined isolation valve and flow regulator. This valve is much more versatile than a simple isolator and incorporates a technically engineered flow regulator for precise control of water volume.