Lisa Gingell believes that there are plenty of drives to encourage businesses to adopt innovative approaches to reducing their energy consumption and bills.

As part of the £2.35 million refurbishment of the main house of the Theatre Royal in Bath, one of the major priorities was improving energy efficiency — an objective that was achieved using Priva building-management technology. As an historical landmark and a Grade 2 listed building, the project was subject to particularly stringent building restrictions, especially not damaging the building’s delicate fabric. The existing energy-management system was also chaotic, with two ‘satellite’ theatres having been opened over the last 20 years, both locally controlled — making it difficult to tweak heating and ventilation controls in real time.

Seamless integration of energy-harvesting wireless technology in IP networks creates whole new possibilities for building automation, as Graham Martin explains.

The first of Glow-worm’s next generation of intelligent controls is a wireless radio-frequency programmable room thermostat, the Climapro2 RF. This intuitive controller replaces the Climapro RF and is a 2-channel wireless device with time and temperature control of central heating and hot water.

To ensure better control, comfort of building occupants and increased energy efficiency, operators of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems should make certain they have accurate information from high-quality field devices, says Gerry McGilley

Helvar’s latest range of control panels for its DIGIDIM range of lighting-control products refreshes the look of existing plates while retaining build quality and functionality. The new panels have larger buttons and restyled faceplates to give increased aesthetic choice. Each panel enables the user to control the system by recalling scenes at the touch of a button.

Real-time displays played a key part in helping central-Government buildings reduce their energy consumption — and can do the same for you if the information is properly used, as John Taylor explains. You can also view live data from Government buildings.

David Fisk wonders if viruses and worms might infect building-management systems — especially those using operating systems that are no longer supported.

Better controls would do more to reduce energy consumption for lighting than pushing efficiency requirements for lamps and luminaires to unrealistic levels, agues Liz Peck.

Before you embark on a major project to reduce energy consumption, do you know where you currently use energy? That is the vital starting point, as Nik Ashworth explains

Trend’s IQeco range of controllers for air-conditioning terminal units have features such as soft addressing and barcode identification for faster set up and commissioning, which can save days on larger projects. These controllers are designed to achieve a high level of energy efficiency. There are four models to meet the control requirements of virtually all fan-coil and VAV units. They are available in fixed-function form with 40 control strategies or as fully programmable versions. Fixed-function units can be converted to fully programmable.

The thousands of PIR detectors required for the effective control of lighting in various areas of the MediaCityUK development at Salford Quays was significantly reduced by the selection of Theben HTS KNX units with a square detection pattern. The square pattern of the detection field is determined by the design of the lenses and internal sensor, making it possible for KNX specialist EnTech to plan the installation without overlapping detection fields and redundancy.

Wireless sensor technology from Sontay has enabled the speedy retrofit of HVAC controls at the head office of Bedford Pilgrims Housing Association in Bedford. The work was carried out by systems integrator AES Control Systems of Northampton with minimal disruption to the day-to-day running of the building and will help reduce energy consumption and increase the flexibility of use of the building for many years to come.

Building controls add long-term value to commercial buildings, but only if clients are prepared to give a clear brief to specifiers — and stick to it explains Ian Ellis.

CP Electronics has installed lighting controls in the refurbished Worcester Royal Infirmary building, which is now part of the University of Worcester. The brief was to provide easy and accurate adjustment of light levels, which is particularly important in places of learning which have to cater for traditional teaching and high-tech presentations.

Teletask’s Domotics integrated control and automation system for houses, flats and smaller commercial premises comprises a comprehensive portfolio of controls products and integrating software modules that can work with virtually any electrical equipment, appliance or system. It has evolved over the last 26 years and offers simple installation and programming procedures, easy adaptability to meet changing needs, high reliability and cost effectiveness — coupled with ergonomically and aesthetically pleasing user interfaces.

Hywel Davies gives an insight into what the Building Regulations have to say about controls for building services.

Why is it that so many, if not most, building and energy-management systems fail to deliver. Dr Cedric Rodrigues suggests a host of reasons — and solutions.

Lighting energy costs are being reduced by 20%, representing £30 000 a year, for a 50 000 m2 distribution warehouse in the Midlands with the installation of lighting-control systems from Ex-Or. The payback is three years A high-street retailer took over this warehouse early in 2010, and the lighting system was refurbished by M&E contractor Imtech G&H.

The redevelopment of the 90-year-old North Stand of the stadium of Leicester Tigers rugby club was achieved with the assistance of Tridium’s Vykon HVAC control-engineering software. The 10 000-seat Caterpillar Stand provides the Rugby Premiership champions with more capacity for supporters, function rooms and hospitality areas.

WEMSinternational, which specialises in wireless energy management systems, has opened its first energy centre in Stockport. Opened by Stockport MP Ann Coffey, its will manage the energy consumption of clients across the UK by controlling WEMS wireless building-and-energy-management systems at each site.

Phil Barnett explores the reasons why typical building-management systems frequently fail to deliver their intended benefits and looks at the opportunities presented by web-browser-based solutions.

A Priva BMS is at the heart of a new purpose-built, energy-efficient facility for JZ Flowers, a leading producer of floral bouquets for UK retailers. Located on the outskirts of Hull, the 5600 m2 packing house contains a myriad of energy-saving innovations, all controlled by the latest Priva hardware and software technology.

Why are so many building-management systems inadequate — perhaps 90%. Catherine Kidd has the answers.

Trend Control System has introduced an intelligent window-control package that can be fully integrated within its BEMSs to maximise the benefits of natural ventilation. The use of WindowMaster’s MotorLink technology allows window positions to be controlled and monitored extremely accurately. Figures show that natural ventilation can achieve a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions compared with mechanical ventilation.

T-mac Technologies’ BMS Dashboard Software enables businesses to reduce their energy consumption across multiple sites with increased control, making the effects of a BMS much more apparent to their staff. Many new features have been included in the software to help companies manage and profile their energy. The software is easy to use and has additional preference options designed for better comfort in a building.

Two members of the KNX UK Association, KNX Consultants and Ivory Egg, have been playing a major role in training potential members of the UK team for the WorldSkills 2011 competition at ExCel in London from 5 to 8 October. Young electricians Scott Wigmore and Chris Young undertook the KNX basic-certification course, required for KNX Partner status, under the guidance of Ben Lewis of KNX Consultants. Training took place at the offices of Ivory Egg, a registered training centre for KNX technology.

Retrofitting a wireless building-management system to student accommodation in Bradford is expected to reduce energy consumption by 31% and achieve a 2.4-year return on the investment. Kexgill Student Group, which operates some 600 properties across the UK, worked with Siemens to install the Synco living controls system in a building comprising 14 individual flats to help ensure consistent temperature delivery and optimised energy use according to the needs of the occupants.

Why do schools in Worcestershire use at least 15% less energy than the national average — and save £330 000 a year in gas and oil costs into the bargain? Ian Ellis has the answers.

Julian Miller urges the energy manager to look beyond just delivering the right temperatures and think about using the optimum amount of energy to achieve that — and the key is the building energy management system

The KNX building control standard forms the basis of the lighting control system for the new terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Air­port in New Delhi, which has around 100 000 light fittings. The control system is based on ABB’s I bus KNX technology and was designed by Entelechy Systems and is regarded as an outstanding reference for KNX.

The first of Glow-worm’s next generation of intelligent controls is a wireless radio-frequency programmable room thermostat, the Climapro2 RF. This intuitive controller replace the Climapro RF and is a 2-channel wireless device with time and temperature control of central heating and hot water.

Venture Lighting’s Ventronic Global electronic dimming ballast uses DALI digital dimming, simple switch dimming or 1 to 10 V variable dimming. These ballasts have a very low power consumption and a power factor close to unity. They support lamp dimming up to 70%.

How can you control a building if you cannot work out what the controls are meant to do? Roderic Bunn has lots of experience of controls being the weak link in the chain of controlling building systems.

Clarkson Controls has completed the control system of the new purchasing office block of Defence Support Group Land Supply at MOD Donnington in Shropshire. The installation comprised BACnet control devices and products from several suppliers.

The pressure on businesses to reduce costs and carbon emissions has never been greater. The financial downturn and subsequent age of austerity has forced many to take a serious look at how they control energy use in buildings. Lisa Wilkinson asks what can really be achieved.

Building energy management systems have been around for over 30 years, but it has taken until very recently for there to be a nationally recognised qualification for those looking to make a career designing and installing them. Harry Barnes, who played a leading role in its development, explains the origins and significance of the new BEMS Diploma.

The smoke-control systems required by legislation for multi-storey buildings can be integrated into a building-management system to save money and, potentially, lives. Allan Meek explains.

An innovative learning centre at the Royal Horticultural Society Garden Harlow Carr has benefited from a rapid, accurate and reliable approach to controls engineering with the assistance of Tridium’s Vykon HVAC software for creating control applications within a standard Tridium JACE controller. The 2-storey £3.3 million Bramall Learning Centre will provide free educational facilities for over 10 000 children a year. It is also home to the new Blundell Library, the principal horticultural library for the north of England.

Modern boilers are very different from those of 10 to 20 years ago — and so are their controls and their capabilities for maximising the efficiency of boilers that are inherently efficient. Bob Walsh has the full story.

Ener-G has launched a tamper-proof building energy management system. Called E-magine, it is pre-engineered to provide fast installation and commission and ensure energy costs and carbon emissions for the life of an installation. The company reckons that E-magine can reduce energy consumption by up to 25% and save costs on capital purchase, commissioning and ongoing maintenance.

To achieve good control of multiple-boiler installations, Hamworthy Heating has introduced the Merley boiler sequence controller. Using Siemens controls platform technology, the Merley can control up to 16 boiler modules, based on time and temperature requirements.

Swindon Marriott Hotel is enjoying a 30% reduction in kitchen energy costs following the installation of a Cheetah system by Food Industry Technical. The installation is expected to reduce energy costs by over £10 000 a year and achieve a return on investment of 14 months. CO2 emissions are being reduced by about 50 t a year.

Gas Sensing Solutions has introduced an EnOcean-compatible wireless CO2 sensor. Cozir uses room light to produce power and does not require batteries. Three readings are taken every 10 minutes and the values sent to a receiver so they can be used to control a ventilation system.