The Australian Building Services 2009_1

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Adbourne PUBLISHING

www.adbourne.com 18/69 Acacia Road Ferntree Gully, VIC 3156 PO Box 735, Belgrave, VIC 3160

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Administration Robyn Fantin Tel: (03) 9758 1431 Email: admin@adbourne.com Marketing Tania Lamanna Tel: (03) 9500 0285 Email: tlamanna@bigpond.net.au

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Building Owners Caught Between

Energy Efficiency in buildings –

what is slowing us down?

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33 37

Lighting the way through the ‘green’

Tenants and Councils

Melbourne Office Neil Muir Ph: (03) 9758 1433 Fax: (03) 9758 1432 Email: neil@adbourne.com

Production Claire Henry Tel: (03) 9758 1436 Email: production@adbourne.com

State News

building rating maze

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Adelaide Office Robert Spowart Ph: 0488 390 039 Email: robert@adbourne.com

National Report

Air-conditioning Hygiene Do you know how much

Smart Metering can save you?

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Innovation with Integration Supporting Electronic Security Survival of the greenest Green building innovations IEQ: Green Stars for Indoor Plants How Green is my Chemical?

Quality versus quantity: developing

a resilient workforce

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Managing the Maintenance Dollar Benefits of Evaporative Cooling Work-life balance: the number one

factor in retaining staff

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Product News

DISCLAIMER Adbourne Publishing cannot ensure that the advertisements appearing in The Building Services Journal comply absolutely with the Trade Practices Act and other consumer legislation. The responsibility is therefore on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisement(s) for publication.

Adbourne Publishing and The Institute of Plant Engineers of Australasia reserves the right to refuse any advertisement without stating the reason. No responsibility is accepted for incorrect information contained in advertisements or editorial. The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or otherwise alter articles for publication.

All original material produced in this magazine remains the property of the publisher and cannot be reproduced without authority. The views of the contributors are not necessarily those of The Institute of Plant Engineers of Australasia or the publisher.

Adbourne Publishing seeks to provide a forum for expression of ideas and opinions from companies and individuals. By presenting these articles the publisher in no way endorses any particular ideology but gives the reader the opportunity to access a variety of different views.

Application for Membership

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NATIONAL EXECUTIVE PO Box 4182 Knox City Centre Vic 3152

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IPEA Office Bearers

TITLE President

NAME PHONE Michael Josephs 0412 978 548 mjosephs@tacpacific.com

FAX (08) 8362 9909

Vice President

Ian Patterson Ian.Paterson@colliers.com

Secretary

Barry Wilding (03) 9553 1011 barry.wilding@hydrochem.com.au

(03) 9553 1387

Treasurer

Roz White (08) 8297 4099 Roz.White@hydrochem.com.au

(08) 8297 4709

Public Officer

Barry Wilding

MELBOURNE EXECUTIVE PO Box 4182 Knox City Centre Vic 3152

You are cordially invited to become a member of the Institute by completing the details below.

This form will be passed to the respective division and following acceptance the Secretary will contact you. Current Membership fee is $84.00 and includes certificate, and 4 copies of the Institute Journal. I agree to abide by the current rules of the Institute.

Please provide the following contact information:

First Name

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Last Name

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President Vice President

Miron Krzywinski

(03) 9751 4111

Secretary

Barry Wilding (03) 9553 1011 barry.wilding@hydrochem.com.au

Treasurer

Jeff Fraser

(03) 9553 1387

Craig White 0408 544 599 Craig.White@hydrochem.com.au

(08) 8297 4709

Secretary

Les Gurney 0413 151 763 lgurney@aircomfortservices.com.au

(08) 8360 5253

Treasurer

Roz White (08) 8297 4099 Roz.White@hydrochem.com.au

(08) 8297 4709

Membership Officer

Ian Patterson Ian.Paterson@colliers.com

Meetings Coordinator

Peter Otten 0413 027 675 peter.otten@ap.joneslanglasalle.com

Cliff Harper

(02) 9931 9959

(02) 9931 9995

Journal Editor for IPEA Inc Douglas Lee – doug.lee@shell.com Contact Ph: (03) 9666 2868 Fax: (03) 9666 2872

Web Master Les Gurney – lgurney@aircomfortservices.com.au

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Country

SYDNEY EXECUTIVE PO Box A 720 Sydney South NSW 2000 Treasurer

City

Postcode

(08) 9327 3233

| Volume 1 – 2009 | The Australian Building Services Journal

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State

PERTH EXECUTIVE C/O 113 Mickleham Rd Morley WA 6062 (08) 9327 3200

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Street Address

President

Lynn Callcott

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ADELAIDE EXECUTIVE PO BOX 8053, Station Arcade SA 5000

President

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Forward form to: The National Secretary IPEA PO Box 4182, Knox City Centre, Vic 3152

National Report Greetings to all Members and readers,

members push through these somewhat difficult times, I ask that you be aware of those around you.

A special thank you to those supporting my re election as National President for the second year.

Our passionate state delegates continue to monitor and be actively engaged in promoting interesting site visits for our members on a monthly basis, covering building engineering best practice to the building integrated services that our industry is keen to embrace. We are lucky to have such a wide and diverse range of sites and technical evening from which to choose from.

Although we are all affected in some way through the Global financial situation; it is pleasing to see the industry enthusiasm and positive growth occurring all around Australia. Any slow-down we have experienced has been overshadowed by future potential projects and with that come a sense of vibrancy. Supporting this pattern are major industry identities getting behind and investing in Australia’s future.

So much activity does as I said dilute the reality that is now and the effects that lower than usual cashflows create. As our

Please use our website to keep you posted on the latest diary dates to ensure you don’t miss out on any events being planned for you.

I would like to express my appreciation to Roz White as National Treasurer for her

endless amount of energy and attention to the executive position. Thanks Roz. As always I look forward to seeing you all at some time, especially at any of the interesting technical or site visits.

Michael Josephs National President IPEA

State News Victoria

South Australia

This is the first issue of our journal for 2009. I am sure it will be an excellent edition as usual.

It was pleasing to hear that our latest journal is about to go into print.

Also, the committee is continuing with the membership drive to recruit new members to continue the expansion of our branch. If anyone is available to offer assistance on the committee we would be grateful.

There is a lot on offer for anyone seeking training or information updates with many seminars and presentations arranged by CIBSE, AIRAH and others. All industries ensure that all information is available and up to date for those interested so that the technical information the recipient may pass on is correct. IPEA assists and supports with promoting training programs and seminars that will benefit our members and readers.

Please view our web site www.ipea. org.au for National IPEA information.

I would also like to see the features and benefits of being an IPEA member displayed on our web page, so prospective members surfing the net or looking for information on IPEA type associations can locate this information easily.

I look forward to catching up with you all at our Christmas function.

Best regards, Craig White President – IPEA SA Division

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Best regards, Barry Wilding Secretary – IPEA Victorian Division

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If you require any state information, please do not hesitate to contact me at the following email address barry. wilding@hydrochem.com.au or my mobile 0419 306 963.

I believe that we need to prepare a professional membership information package, as a matter of urgency, so existing members can simply and easily provide these to prospective members.

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The committee would like input from our members as to what you would like on the agenda for 2010 with site visits or technical sessions. Any ideas are welcome.

Since our last meeting I have been actively promoting the IPEA to many of my clients, customers and associates, hopefully some of this work will result in increased membership over the next few months. Our biggest threat to our association’s survival, in my opinion, is membership. We must continue to recruit new young members, if we are to survive. Unfortunately, due to the Global Financial Crisis, many people and companies are cutting back expenses and association memberships are suffering.

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It has been very quite for the Victorian Division this year with little activity, presentations or scheduled meetings.

However this is expected to improve with the warmer weather approaching.

The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 3 – 2008 |

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| Volume 1 – 2009 | The Australian Building Services Journal

Lighting the way through the ‘green’ building rating maze Building owners, developers and occupiers face a complex mix of design, application and classification requirements to meet Australia’s two key ‘green’ rating tools for office buildings – Green Star and NABERS Energy. Brett Annesley, Philips Dynalite Segment ManagerEnergy Management, sheds light on the issues from a lighting control and automation perspective.

By optimising the environmental performance of office building lighting systems, significant energy and cost savings can be realised.

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nergy management and environmental performance are becoming increasingly significant across today’s commercial building sector. This is no surprise, considering Australia’s commercial buildings produce nearly nine per cent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. In an attempt to minimise carbon footprint and environmental impact, there is an increased requirement for ‘green’ functionality in commercial buildings, from the design phase through to construction, installation and operation.

Office buildings are one of the largest contributors to Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, with lighting systems representing between 10 and 30 per cent of the energy consumed. So it stands to reason that by optimising the environmental performance of office building lighting systems, significant energy and cost savings can be realised.

Assisting industry with energy-efficient and environmentally friendly office building design and performance are Australia’s two key ‘green’ building rating tools--the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) Green Star, and National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) Energy.

Interpretation of Green Star and NABERS Energy classification processes, and achieving the desired classification in a commercially viable and timely manner, represent real challenges for building owners, developers, managers and occupiers. Identifying

and understanding just how office lighting loads can be managed-and precisely what Green Star and NABERS Energy ratings demand lighting-wise--is essential to optimised environmental performance.

Know your NABERS While the Green Star and NABERS Energy rating tools share a common goal of energy-efficient and environmentally responsible performance, each has a different focus. The Green Star rating The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 1 – 2009 |

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environment) to give a total points score.

The Innovation category is not weighted.

A sum of the weighted category scores plus the Innovation points corresponds to a Green Star rating.

Both Green Star and NABERS Energy rating tools have been developed to empower commercial building owners and occupiers to realise truly effective energy management strategies and sustained demand reduction.

Here, lighting control and automation solutions play a significant role.

Intelligent lighting Intelligent lighting systems can earn building stakeholders credit points across both Green Star and NABERS Energy rating systems.

tool is a comprehensive rating system that is centred on the environmental design performance of a building, rewarding environmental leadership and innovation.

The NABERS Energy system is primarily concerned with evaluating the actual energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission performance of an existing building.

Originally known as the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating (ABGR) until it was renamed in May 2008, NABERS Energy ratings for existing office buildings are derived from the actual amount of energy (electrical, gas, coal and oil) a building or tenancy consumes over 12 months.

Buildings are benchmarked on a scale of one to five stars, with five stars being the least polluting. NABERS Energy ratings reflect both the quality of the building design and the management of its utilities.

While often used to rate existing office buildings, the NABERS Energy rating process can also begin during the design phase of a building. This requires the relevant stakeholders to enter into a NABERS Energy performance rating commitment agreement using an approved estimation model--this is mandatory for all projects seeking a NABERS Energy rating of four stars and above. After the building is completed and operating for 12 months with a minimum of 50 per cent occupancy, an assessment is carried out by an accredited assessor and a NABERS Energy rating is awarded. Importantly, a NABERS Energy rating of 4.5 stars is a mandatory prerequisite for obtaining a Green Star rating.

Going Green Star Green Star is an all-encompassing environmental rating scheme, which evaluates the environmental design and potential performance of a building.

Developed by the GBCA, the Green Star rating system focus is on sustainability with an objective to promote environmental design, while recognising the environmental performance of commercial buildings.

Green Star is made up of a series of selfassessment rating tools that address the overall environmental performance of office buildings. At present, these rating tools comprise Office Design v3 (assessed at the end of the design phase), Office As Built v3 (assessed at the end of the construction period), and Office Interiors v1.1 (can be assessed during design phase and postfit-out). A number of additional pilot rating tools are awaiting ratification by the GBCA. Moreover, a design, project or building cannot claim a Green Star rating unless it has been certified by the GBCA. Each Green Star rating tool addresses eight environmental impact categories-Management, Indoor Environmental Quality, Energy, Transport, Water, Materials and Land Use and Ecology.

Credits/points are awarded across these categories, plus a separate Innovation category. The eight category scores are then multiplied by a weighting factor for each category (where weighting factor values are region-specific and take into account the issues affecting the local

By their very nature, lighting control and automation providers are in the business of energy management. With Green Star and NABERS Energy assuming greater importance to tenants and building owners, a key element of the role of lighting solutions providers is to advise and assist clients with obtaining star-rating credits for the lighting control systems they deploy.

From design through to installation, commissioning and operation, intelligent lighting systems can yield significant energy savings, and earn building stakeholders credit points across both Green Star and NABERS Energy rating systems.

Significant savings can be realised and specific credit points earned, by simply ensuring lighting is only activated when and where it is required within the office. Here, automated lighting control systems with presence sensing and zoning capabilities make a huge difference. Modern energyefficient practices demand more vigilance in avoiding illuminating unoccupied areas.

Smart lighting systems incorporating sensors can be configured to establish which work areas are in use, and keep these--and routes to these areas-illuminated, while shutting off lighting in unused areas.

Other energy-saving strategies rewarded under Green Star and NABERS Energy include ‘daylight harvesting’ and luminaire dimming functionality. Daylight harvesting involves maximising the use of natural light through clever building design, which in turn minimises the use of artificial light.

Often, natural light levels need only be enhanced with small amounts of artificial light. Automated lighting control systems with luminaire dimming functionality allow building owners to vary the amount of

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artificial light delivered to different areas of the building or floor. This kind of control flexibility means energy and money can be saved, while maintaining lux levels in accordance with Australian Standards, and most importantly, ensuring occupant comfort.

An important and often underestimated consideration in maintaining the NABERS Energy rating is accommodating changes within the building once constructed.

Over its lifetime, a typical office building will experience ‘building churn’, where tenancies change, staff numbers fluctuate and office activities vary. By ensuring lighting and energy-management systems can accommodate this reconfiguration of the office space, and adopting a scalable, distributed approach to lighting control, building owners can avoid wasteful and intrusive lighting refurbishments and extend the lifetime of their lighting system. Such scalable systems can also adapt to the construction of neighbouring buildings that block the sun, as well as climatic changes.

Measure and manage Further environmental benefits can be realised, and Green Star credits and enhanced NABERS Energy outcomes gained, by looking beyond the lighting control itself. Employing integrated lighting control systems that can incorporate thirdparty control elements, such as audiovisual, curtains, blinds and temperature control systems make practical and economic sense. They allow building owners to avoid duplicating infrastructure for individual control systems, which is wasteful and costly. This is especially so for new construction projects, where installers and building owners prefer to avoid installing, managing and operating a plethora of control systems.

manage it. Equipping new and existing lighting control solutions with metering and sub-metering functionality provides building owners with valuable insight into the performance of the system by monitoring the current draw of individual floors, departments or office sections. This helps building owners compare actual performance against NABERS Energy requirements and benchmarks. Metering is especially helpful during the commissioning stage, where lighting systems are tuned to operate within the Green Star and NABERS Energy guidelines. It allows operators to establish if the lighting system is performing as intended or malfunctioning in some way, and make the appropriate adjustments.

Commissioning office building lighting control systems is as important as design and installation. Anyone can supply the system components, but installing it, integrating it with other systems and commissioning it to ensure it operates as per the energyefficient design requires expertise. It is essential that the lighting control system professionals responsible for commissioning adhere to industry benchmark guidelines, such as those prescribed by the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). Doing so maximises the likelihood of achieving the required Green Star and NABERS Energy rating.

A ‘green’ future By evaluating multiple stages of the building design/construction process, the

Green Star and NABERS Energy rating tools go some way to ensuring ‘green’ lighting system designs are actually installed and become an operating reality.

In the building/construction industry there exist a number of inherent barriers that can delay or derail the implementation of energy-efficient solutions throughout a building’s evolution from design to construction. Developer/contractor/owner division and disagreements are common and often lead to ‘on-the-run’ changes to design, which the rating tools are intended to counteract.

The Green Star and NABERS Energy initiatives, coupled with growing corporate responsibility, is resulting in more and more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly solutions coming to fruition in office buildings across Australia. There is a growing market expectation for green buildings, with Government leading the way--all State and Federal Government buildings must have a four-star Green Star rating as minimum requirement.

This responsibility is one shared by lighting control and automation solution providers. Armed with a commitment to sustainable energy management and an in-depth knowledge of Green Star and NABERS Energy rating systems, lighting professionals can assist building owners in designing and implementing intelligent lighting control systems that minimise environmental impact, while maximising operational performance. n

From a NABERS Energy perspective, much can be done with existing office building lighting systems as well. Simply retrofitting luminaires can produce significant savings. By replacing T8 38W luminaires (common in many pre-2000 office buildings) with more advanced T5 28W, building owners can improve their lumen output, and increase light output ratios from approximately 0.6 to 0.8 and above, with less current draw.

It’s a proven fact that performance dictates behaviour. If you can’t measure it you can’t

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Simply ensuring office lighting is only activated when and where it is required can yield energy savings.

Building Owners Caught Between Tenants and Councils

By DEREK HENDRY

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uilding owners and engineers run a high risk strategy if a tenant’s lease does not adequately protect the property owner or building owner when the tenant performs “alterations” to their building.

Costly Tenants Building owners who allow tenants to perform minor building works in their buildings are bewildered when a council notice materialises forcing the building to undergo a fire safety upgrade of the life safety systems installed in the building.

Most problems arise due to the lack of expertise offered by “consultants” commissioned to look after a stakeholders interests.

Building owners should also be aware that most consultants when commissioned by a tenant will look after the tenant’s interests first and foremost, and will only work to a brief provided by them.

Legislation Australia’s eight state and territories have differing legislation controlling the construction of and alterations to buildings.

Legislation contained in Acts and Regulations are home spun, while the technical provisions are mostly uniform through the adoption of the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and Australian Standards.

Sometimes a tenant gains an advantage by ignoring these requirements.

One area of major concern contained in the building regulations for the manager is when proposed alterations exceed more than 50 per cent by volume of the building or where the building has fire safety deficiencies, such issues can trigger a requirement for the whole building to comply with all the current regulations (the whole BCA). The Victorian regulations stipulate a three year period for the 50 per cent calculation, other states have no time limits applicable. Some building surveyors include simple partition changes in the volume calculations, while others only calculate the volume associated with a refurbishment which includes significant modification to the building services.

If a tenant is authorised to apply for a construction approval and the “combined” alterations (other tenant’s alterations are aggregated) exceed 50 per cent by volume (in the last three years), then the building surveyor may require the whole building to comply with today’s regulations.

Upgrading an existing building which has inadequate fire life safety measures can be very costly, especially when lease restraints and other tenants are involved. The proposed works may even have to be abandoned.

General terms are used in this article to describe specific terminology under the various Acts and Regulations. Most jurisdictions have similar provisions governing building work and building usage in their legislation. The following examples can be used to garnish an understanding of Victoria’s terminology.

This generally leads to two significant problems for the manager.

Firstly the tenant is obviously very unhappy (may be a new tenant trying to renovate to move in) and secondly the municipal building surveyor is made aware of the situation if the application for a building permit is withdrawn.

Alterations to Buildings

If the original application was made directly to the council then the municipal building surveyor will already be aware that the building lacks significant life safety measures, but if the application is made to a private building surveyor (certifier) then legislation requires the certifier to refer “dangerous buildings” to the council for their adjudication or at least require the certifier to determine the adequacy of the buildings fire safety measures in assessing the application.

Tenants of buildings want to change their tenancies by either altering the building or their partitioning layout. Depending on house rules (lease requirements pertinent to building/ planning control) tenants must obtain the owner’s/ manager’s permission before applying for permits or commencing work. This is where the owner/ manager’s troubles might begin. Some managers and their representatives do not pay sufficient attention to the house rules, even when they exist. A lack of a quality control system basically means the occupier has a free hand to communicate with consultants, controlling authorities and contractors as they see fit.

A tenant has the potential to cause significant financial grief for the manager by not appreciating the statutory requirements applicable to a building when initiating an application for a building permit, or they commence building works or change the use of a building.

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When a certifier is assessing a building permit application and believes the building is unsafe or hazardous for the occupiers, regardless of the extent of the alterations, then the certifier has a responsibility to advise the council in writing if the application does not include the whole building to be brought into compliance with today’s regulations. The building in question probably complied when it was built, but lacks a number of the essential BCA life safety provisions that make a building safe to occupy under today’s standards.

Change of Use Dangerous times are ahead for a building owner who is not adequately versed with a tenants intention of changing the use of part of the building.

A tenant may have signed a lease with the owners/ managers agent for the same “occupational” use as the immediate past tenant. The problem for the building owner and current tenant is that the previous tenant illegally changed the use of the building. A change of use in a building causes the controlling authority (building surveyor) to determine whether the whole building is to comply with today’s regulations. This can cause a significant economic impact for most buildings, especially when the building has multiple tenants. Approvals must be obtained for a change of use and in most cases a new town planning permit is also required to be obtained before a building permit can be issued. The new use under the planning scheme may be prohibited, further carparking required or other conditions may be required to be complied with.

These further provisions may not be able to be accommodated by the building or the site.

As well as the circumstances mentioned above, the following activities can also action the upgrade of a building due to a change of use:

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Building owners/ tenants consultants making application for minor building approvals.

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Councils building/ town planning departments becoming aware of a change of use.

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Tenant advises the council (wants to opt out of the lease).

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Fire Brigade inspects the building and advises council.

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Insurance company advises owner of illegal use after inspection.

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A subdivision of the building is occurring.

It must be noted that a change of use is not just a “change of occupancy” (change of classification), such as changing a floor area from an office to a factory or a warehouse to a factory. A change of use may also include increasing the hazard within the building but not changing the occupancy. For example, a dress shop may have been the immediate past tenant (shop is classified as a class 6 under the BCA), whereas the new tenant who has just completed their fit out as a restaurant (a restaurant is also classified as class 6 under the BCA). The change of use within the classification – class 6 is a material increase in the hazard of the same classification eg.

a much higher standard of fire protection is required in the kitchen area when a sprinkler system is already installed in the building.

Experienced building surveying consultants can advise property owners of the ramifications they can expect under the Building Act and regulations relative to the existing conditions of a building.

The use and intended use, proposed and previous alterations to a building must all be assessed before advising a client to proceed with even a minor building permit application. If the decision is not to proceed then the owner must ensure the work is not performed illegally as this will only compound the owners/ managers and tenants problems when caught out.

Fire Orders A municipal building surveyor (the council) when made aware that a building is unsafe to occupy can place a fire order (notice) on the property owner to show cause why a building should not be brought up to the standard as stipulated in the fire order. Now that legal niceties have begun, the reality is the building owner is well and truly caught in the web. We all hope that building owners upgrade the fire safety installations in their buildings to meet today’s regulations, but for all sorts of reasons this may not have been done.

Councils become aware of buildings being inadequately fire protected through various means, which results in fire orders being issued on the property. Council’s awareness is raised by complaints from tenants; disgruntled employees, unhappy guests, neighbours and potential purchasers. Owner’s, Services Engineers, tenant’s and design consultants’ often have insufficient knowledge of the regulations when confronted with these situations.

Workcover investigations, minor fire incidents, illegal building works investigations and an essential safety measures inspection performed by either the council or the Fire Brigade can also trigger authority actions.

Tenants need firm guidelines relative to altering a building and the building owner should have a very good quality control system to protect everybody’s interests. n

The Hendry Group pioneered the private certification of building approvals in Australia. Derek’s nationally based Group (includes Essential Property Services) provides building control and essential safety measures audits. The Group’s monthly e-newsletter can be viewed on www.emau.com.au and BCA Illustrated (BCA Online with 3000 illustrations) on www.bcai.com.au.

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Energy Efficiency in buildings –

what is slowing us down?

By DEBORAH LEAROYD Honeywell Building Solutions

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e all know that climate change is making an impact on the world. We also know that we can do something about it now.

Improving the energy efficiency of a building is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Despite this knowledge, the average building still has energy escaping out of windows, radiating out of badly insulated pipes, being misused as lighting and services in unoccupied areas or being consumed in poorly performing central plant equipment. How do we fix this sad state of affairs?

Buildings make up 8%1 of greenhouse gas emissions globally. They provide one of the most promising areas for greenhouse gas abatement as the cost to implement energy efficiency measures in buildings is ultimately less than the cost of doing nothing. This is because the cost of improving energy efficiency is ultimately offset by the cost savings in energy usage which the energy efficiency project creates.

Energy efficiency projects can be implemented today with existing technology to provide a positive return on investment.

However, they are hard to sell as a key strategy in the overall climate change debate as they consist of a range of small and fragmented individual efficiency improvements which collectively can contribute to a significant energy saving across a building. They include things like installing energy efficient lighting; adjusting temperature set-points; or installing variable speed drives for your pumps and fans.

According to Amory Levins, cofounder and chairman of the non-profit Rocky Mountains

Institute “increasing end-use efficiency is generally the largest, least expensive, most benign, most quickly deployable, least visible least understood and most neglected way to provide energy services”.

One method of implementing energy efficiency projects is through an Energy Performance Contract (EPC). In an EPC, the savings generated by the energy efficiency improvements are used to finance the initial capital investment of the project and the performance is guaranteed by the energy services companies implementing the project. This means that the project can be implemented without up-front capital investment and without risk from the building owner.

Current barriers to the implementation of these projects are that building owners pass on the cost of utilities to their tenants, so there is little incentive for the building owners to reduce this cost. Building owners do not see energy efficiency as a high priority to address unless it impacts on their ability to gain or retain tenants.

Building owners are also unaware of how to go about implementing energy efficiency projects and of the ease with which these projects can be completed. Even with a positive return on investment, building owners are unlikely to take on any energy efficiency project unless their ROI payback periods are very short or they are well supported throughout the project.

Honeywell believes that this requires a push from government. There are three policy cornerstones necessary to drive energy efficiency projects in commercial buildings. You need a carrot, a stick and a helping hand. Without support in these

three policy areas, the great opportunities to improve energy efficiency in buildings and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions will continue to be missed.

Let us look at what the government could do to help.

Incentives and Capital Funds (a.k.a. “the carrot”) If government can provide direct support of energy efficiency projects through grants or loans, this helps drive activity in the market very effectively. These grants could be for all, or part, of the cost of implementing an energy efficiency project. They could also provide tax incentives. Honeywell has seen the improved take-up of energy efficiency opportunities in New Zealand after the NZ Electricity Commission introduced a scheme to partially fund energy demand reduction projects.

Regulation (a.k.a “the stick”) Introducing regulation will ensure that the government creates long-term behavioural change in the industry. Mandatory disclosure of energy efficiency performance of buildings ensures that buildings can be easily compared against their peers. For example, all buildings above a certain size should have a NABERS assessment which is updated annually and publicly available.

The government can then mandate energy reduction targets for buildings. For example, a 5% reduction in energy usage by 2011, 15% reduction in energy usage by 2015 or a 20% reduction by 2020 versus an established baseline like 2004. When the government uses its own purchasing power to choose properties only above a certain ABGR/NABERS rating, building owners are

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< more likely to act or risk losing those great long term government tenants in their buildings.

Project Facilitation (“the helping hand”) Sometimes the biggest barriers to implementing energy efficiency is that building owners don’t know how to go about doing it. There is a role for government to provide information, support and advice to building owners on implementing energy efficiency projects.

They can do this by identifying high profile opportunities to sponsor and promote successful energy efficiency projects to educate the market or they can lead by example by implementing projects with government owned or occupied buildings.

The Queensland Government Energy Management Strategy (GEMS) group is

a great example of this. This group has set clear energy reduction targets for Queensland Government Buildings and has established a team of people to help facilitate the tender, evaluation, selection, implementation and measurement process for government departments achieving those savings.

Measurement of Success Implicit in any discussion of energy efficiency in commercial buildings is the concept of base-lining energy usage.

Before implementing energy efficiency projects, building owners must have a good understanding of current usage patters. Are the necessary energy meters in place to provide the granularity of energy reporting needed? First step in understanding energy usage is to have the appropriate

amounts of metering and some sort of Energy Management System to capture and report on energy usage across the building or site. A system which provides a real-time view of what is going on and allows problems to be corrected as they happen is essential. Otherwise, if owners rely on the energy utility to send a quarterly invoice showing their consumption over the last 3 months, it is too late to fix any problems when they occur.

Another benefit of a robust measurement and management system is that buildings can be benchmarked against one another.

Each building is different but insights gained through benchmarking are valuable tools to ensuring that the building is performing as well as it possibly can.

Large property owners, such as trusts, may wish to take a portfolio view of their energy consumption. What may appear to be a small improvement to energy efficiency in one building can turn into a significant boost to the bottom line when applied across all buildings in the portfolio.

Persistence A one time improvement in energy efficiency gained through installing the latest plant equipment is great but this benefit can easily be eroded over time.

By having a robust Energy Management System which continues to monitor energy usage, compare to previous data and against benchmarks and a system which will alert owners to problems in a timely manner, the energy savings gained are retained and it is possible to stop the slow decline in the improvements already made. Energy efficiency is not a one-time investment. It requires continued vigilance to ensure that improvements fought hard for initially are maintained and new problems are identified and addressed in a timely manner.

Energy reporting software, like Honeywell’s Energy Management can give a more accurate overview of energy usage.

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In summary, energy efficiency is not a technical challenge. A range of innovative technology exists today to address energy efficiency. New technology is appearing in the market frequently. The real challenge of energy efficiency is at the policy level to change the behaviour of the industry and in management to maintain efficiency benefits over time. n 1 Vattenfall “Global Mapping of Greenhouse Gas Abatement Opportunities” Jan, 2007

Air-conditioning Hygiene

By JEREMY STAMKOS

Abstract This article has been written to provide those who maintain and operate Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning Systems (HVAC) better understand the importance of Air-conditioning Hygiene. Internal surfaces of a building’s air-conditioning systems are generally “out of sight, out of mind” and unless dust or other foreign debris is being blown out of the vents into the occupied areas, the cleanliness of the system goes largely unchecked.

This means that the majority of HVAC system cleaning in Australia is undertaken as a reactive measure in response to occupant complaints, poor indoor air quality or operational inefficiency issues. As there are many health and operational concerns from contamination within a building’s HVAC Systems, this article will highlight some of these issues, likely consequences and how to take a proactive approach to HVAC Hygiene.

O

ver the past twenty odd years, HVAC* Hygiene Services (aka “Duct Cleaning“) have become recognised as an essential service to improve Indoor Air Quality as well as improving the operational performance and efficiencies of HVAC systems. *Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Until now, unless air-conditioning contamination generally goes unnoticed until it is causing obvious operational issues, occupant health issues or blowing out into the occupied areas.

This has not been helped by the lack of local Australian Standards and guidelines that clearly define the minimum cleanliness levels for air-conditioning systems.

Although routine inspection intervals of certain air-conditioning components are listed in the existing Australian Standards, the determination of when cleaning is necessary is left up to the individual to decide.

Severe mould contamination in air-conditioning duct

The introduction of AIRAH’s HVAC Hygiene Guideline now provides building owners, Facility Managers, consultants, air conditioning contractors and HVAC Hygiene professionals clear guidelines to determine when cleaning of a building’s HVAC systems is required.

In some cases, poor Indoor Air Quality can be rectified by ensuring that the building’s air-conditioning system/s are designed, installed and operated to meet the minimum performance criteria for that building’s specific type and use.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) One of the most commonly overlooked contributors to poor IAQ is a building’s Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems. This is surprising given that studies have shown that more than 52% of all IAQ issues are directly related a building’s HVAC systems.1

Ensuring an air-conditioning system is designed, installed and operated to provide adequate air exchanges and outside air etc should allow for adequate dilution and purging of indoor air pollutants.

Although many common indoor air pollutants are generated from within the building, many pollutants are drawn into or created by the building’s ventilation systems.

The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 1 – 2009 |

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An example of this is contamination infiltrating an air-conditioning system via holes or gaps in the system between the filtration and the supply air fans. As this section of the air conditioning system is under negative pressure, contamination from outside the system can be drawn in through leaking access panels, deteriorated seals around air handling unit doors and any other holes or gaps.

Types of Contamination

Airflow restricted through coil due to high levels of dust and debris

The accumulation of contamination within an air-conditioning system can restrict air flows decreasing the operational performance of the system and lead to a build up of airborne indoor pollutants in the areas serviced including VOCs, dust, CO2 etc.

As well as accumulated HAVC contamination significantly impacting a building’s Indoor Air Quality, it also have many detrimental and costly ramifications costly plant refurbishment and cleaning to Sick Building Syndrome and Building Related Illnesses.

Air-conditioning Contaminate Infiltration & Filtration A variety of airborne contaminates constantly enter and are distributed by a building’s air-conditioning systems. Therefore it is extremely important to have adequate filtration in place to help to minimize contamination infiltration.

There are thousands of types of contaminates that can be found in air-conditioning systems from general nuisance type dusts to pathogenic microbiological contamination. Other types of contaminates found in HVAC systems may be lint, carpet fibres, building rubble, construction dust, paint flakes, spores, pollen, bacteria, asbestos fibres, rust particles, fibreglass, human skin and hair.

Contamination in air-conditioning systems is either resultant from infiltration from external sources to the system or generated from within the system itself.

General “nuisance” dust is often generated from normal everyday activities within the building or from fine dirt and dust infiltration from outside the building.

Examples of contamination sources from within the system include mould growth or deteriorating or damaged internal components.

Damaged or deteriorating insulation materials or rusted fans or electric heating elements can lead to contamination being blown out through the vents and into the occupied areas that the system services.

Although rust or insulation particles being blown out into the occupied areas of a building may be easily noticeable, it’s the often the contamination that is not visible to the naked eye which is respirable and can cause negative health effects.

Air-conditioning systems that have Outside Air and Return Air components will generally have filtration in place to help reduce the amount of pollutants from entering the system and being recirculated through the air-conditioning system.

Unless an air-conditioning system is fitted with very high efficiency filtration, fine contamination is still able to pass through and overtime, can accumulate in the post filtered components of the system.

Any filters that have been installed incorrectly or damaged will also allow contamination bypass and can lead to significant levels of contamination build-up within the system.

For the most part, having an adequate and properly maintained filtration system will help maintain overall hygiene of the system but there are many other ways that an air-conditioning system can become contaminated.

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Blocked filter that has been sucked out of place and allowing contamination bypass

Air-conditioning Hygiene (continued)

Unfortunately, now than ever, more cases are now emerging of litigation in regards to HVAC contamination fallout where building occupants are suing their employers and building owners for health damages.

When HVAC fallout does happen, those responsible for the maintenance of the HVAC system are not entirely sure what to do so they simply install a piece of “temporary” filter material above the problematic vent or grille hoping that overtime, the problem will eventually go away.

Temporary placement of filters above the problematic vent/s can be a useful temporary measure to protect the occupied area and it’s occupants until the cause of the “fallout” is identified but it does not mean that follow-up remedial action is not required.

When “temporary” filters are installed above the vents they are often forgotten about and eventually end up heavily “loaded” with contamination restricting airflows and compromising the operating efficiency of the system.

When HVAC system fallout occurs, the source should be identified and a remedial scope of works developed and carried out.

Decreased HVAC System Efficiencies General dust build-up in supply air duct Of particular concern are HVAC systems that harbour microbial contamination. Microbial proliferation or presence of mould within HVAC systems has the capacity to cause major operational deficiencies, excessive energy consumption, building related illnesses and even costly plant damaged and property remediation.

AHVAC contamination can lead to many serious concerns, it is crucial that the person/s responsible for the maintenance of the building’s HVAC systems are aware of the internal cleanliness levels of the systems.

“Fallout” When the accumulated of contamination within a HVAC system begins to spill out into the occupied areas of a building, it is often referred to as “Fallout”.

Dust, debris or any other contamination falling out of a HVAC system’s vents or grilles is a sure way to raise health concerns amongst the building occupants.

Building occupants will react in different ways to fallout depending on the amount of fallout, the nature of the activities in the area, individual personalities and their perceived health risk from the fallout.

The one thing that is almost certain, when building occupants experience fallout, the property owner/managers will be continuously hounded until the occupants believe that their health concerns have been adequately addressed and that all measures have been taken to rectify the situation.

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Heavy build up of contaminates within a HVAC system has the capacity to severely compromise operational performance and dramatically increase the systems energy consumption. When airflow through the system is restricted due to contamination build up, the system will use more energy to provide less conditioned air into the space it services. The most common components of a HVAC system to accumulate significant contamination and restrict airflows are filtration systems, Heating and Cooling Coils.

Heating and cooling coils may become fouled with all types of contamination including dust, insulation and microbial growth. Even low levels of contamination on cooling coils may provide an ideal environment for microbial proliferation. Coil fouling is not always visibly detectable as the “face” or “air on” side of the coil may be visibly clean with the bulk of the contamination build up being deeper within the coil. Severe coil fouling will dramatically reduce the airflow through a system and in some cases airflows have been reduced to almost nil.

As well as increased operational costs, there are also comfort issues that may arise from the system not effectively delivering conditioned air to the occupied areas.

Regular inspections, pressure drop readings, coil cleaning and proper filter maintenance all help to keep HVAC systems operating efficiently.

Determining HVAC System Cleanliness Until recently, the decision to clean a HVAC system has been determined by many factors including the number of complaints received by occupants, nature/type of contamination, possible OH&S risk, duty of care, litigation exposure, financial position or simply the policy of the organisation etc.

With the development of the AIRAH HVAC Hygiene Guideline, those responsible can now make a decision based on a guideline developed by industry best practice.

The Guideline separates the building use classification into either General or Special Use due to the generally different levels of HVAC hygiene required.

The Guideline also clearly determines cleanliness inspection intervals for various HVAC components in accordance with other existing Australian Standards and minimum cleanliness levels required for each component.

As well as providing information on cleanliness inspection intervals and minimum cleanliness required for each HVAC component by building use classification, the AIRAH HVAC Hygiene Guideline also provides detailed descriptions and examples of how to determine the internal cleanliness levels.

Test methods are also provided for determining if a cleaning process has been successful as well as information on best practices for HVAC Hygiene contractors and HVAC cleaning projects.

A proactive approach to HVAC System Hygiene Regular inspections of the internal components of a building’s HVAC systems will help identify components or systems that may be harbouring significant contamination levels.

During any inspection, particular attention should be given to areas in the systems where moisture may be found such as Outside Air Intakes, Cooling Coils, Condensate Drain Pans and Humidifiers. These are the areas that are most likely to support microbial contamination and should be inspected regularly to ensure they are free from any visual fungal growth.

There are an ever-increasing number of diligent building owners and Facility Managers who are establishing HVAC Hygiene Programs that include regular cleanliness inspections and engaging specialist HVAC Hygiene service providers to assist them in their endeavours.

The AIRAH HVAC Guideline now provides building owners and managers with a comprehensive and well balanced document to work with.

Due to the lack of Australian based training and accreditation, choosing the right HVAC Hygiene contractor can be a difficult task.

When employing the services of any Indoor Air Quality consultant or HVAC cleaning contractor, it is crucial that the contractor can demonstrate adequate experience and knowledge in conducting these services.

Preference should be given to those who are able to provide evidence of industry specific training and qualifications and as equally important, are insured for undertaking the works required. n

Damaged fibreglass insulation in air-conditioning unit

References: 1

NIOSH –National Institute for Occupational Health & Safety USA

2

AIRAH HVAC Hygiene Guideline 2009

Jeremy Stamkos is the Managing Director of Enviroaiir Pty Ltd, Australia’s largest HVAC Hygiene services provider specializing in the decontamination and remediation of Commercial and Industrial HVAC Systems since early 1990.

Jeremy is currently the Regional Coordinator for Region 11 (Oceania) for the US based National Air Duct Cleaners Association.

Jeremy is also the President of the AIRAH* HVAC Hygiene Special Technical Group and Convener of the committee that developed the AIRAH HVAC Hygiene Guideline. *Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air-conditioning & Heating.

For further information, you can contact Jeremy on 1300 557 999 or info@enviroair.com.au

The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 1 – 2009 |

23

Do you know how much

Smart Metering can save you?

It’s easier than you think, writes GUENTER HAUBER-DAVIDSON, Managing Director of Water Conservation Group Pty Ltd

I

magine the CEO asking for your monthly expenditure and you’d just stare at him: “I’m not sure who keeps that data.”. Then he asks: “What about a breakdown of the individual transactions?”, and you get even more embarrassed answering: “We don’t keep that type of information!” Unbelievable? Yet, on the water and gas side (less often for energy) this would typically be the norm.

Few keep detailed readily accessible records of their monthly water, gas or electricity consumption, let alone weekly or daily.

Only a select few go down to the level of logging their water and energy consumption in minute intervals. What you don’t measure you cannot manage, though. So how do you obtain and keep information that is so critical to help you save cost, reduce your water and energy consumption to reduce your footprint and provide reliable data for your corporate sustainability reporting.

This article explains how smart metering can provide these answers and how the different technologies work.

In contrast, smart metering is the continuous monitoring, as opposed to taking discrete (automatic) readings, of a particular meter for improved water and energy management. It can be for a single meter, a few in close proximity or many dozens at a site.

How to Smarten up a Utility Meter For water meters, a common misconception is to believe that a whole new meter is required. Typically, this is not the case. All that needs to be done, is to insert a probe. It records an electric signal corresponding to the volume of water passing through allowing it to be captured, logged and processed.

The local BMS, mobile phone or radio technology, wireless modems, the internet and other data distribution technologies make it possible to bring this signal readily to a computer as water usage data. Similar applies for gas meters. Only for electricity monitoring, special meters are required.

What is Smart Metering?

Smart metering is the continuous reading of a water, electricity or gas meter displayed on a computer. It brings this meter to a PC near you. It turns simple monthly or quarterly billing data or individual readings into a continuous display. It permits to understand the underlying consumption patterns. This allows analysing abnormal consumption, and then acting upon it.

Especially for water meters, frequently its greatest benefit is the identification of leaks. Many leaks go unnoticed for years. A smart metering system is an insurance against leaks where the system automatically provides an instantaneous alarm.

Smart Metering or Automatic Meter Reading (AMR)?

Often the two terms are used synonymously. AMR is a subset of smart metering. It denotes taking a single automatic reading of a meter for billing purposes. Leak detection features may be included.

AMR can involve thousands of metres. Much of the system intelligence and complexity centres around gathering readings by simply walking or driving by.

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Figure 1: Turning a normal water meter into a smart meter is easy – as long as the right probe is found!

Data Upload Options The signal can be connected to a data logger for manual download (Option 3 in Fig. 2). A better alternative is Option 1 or 2. It automatically uploads data to a web server or the BMS to make it available online. Option 2 is suitable for just a few meters. If there are multiple meters, Option 1 is the way to go. It uses a small transmitter for a wireless sending of the pulse data to a central receiving unit. It then sends it to a web server or the BMS. In some cases, the site’s LAN can also be used for data transmission.

e.g. the next water bill (Figure 3). Anybody who needs to know can view and report on the water consumption.

It can even be used as an educational and corporate sustainability reporting tool where such information is displayed on public displays. Some leading in the green credentials sector are already doing this.

Figure 2: Smart metering connection options

Modern smart metering technology uses all available communication options from mobile phone technology GPRS to power cables, hard wiring to the existing building management system or using the local area network or (LAN or even WAN) (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Decision tree to evaluate possible connection options

Across the organisation this will lead to a central depository for this data. No more fumbling for near impossible to find utility bills. Data access for corporate reporting is greatly facilitated, which can even be incorporated into an automatic system. Reporting becomes so much easier and more robust offsetting if not outweighing a large part of the smart meter installation costs.

Continuous meter readings Seeing daily usage patterns allows users to understand their consumption. Abnormal usage patterns can be identified immediately and corrective action taken (Figure 3). Most systems even allow for an automatic alarming of such occurrences. It assists in establishing meaningful KPI’s. It is the key reason why smart metering, embedded into a comprehensive water and energy management program, typically saves at least 10% of the measured consumption.

Benefits of Smart Water Meters

Figure 4: Smart metering identified the leak (evident in the centre of the chart) triggering quick intervention. It stopped water wastage would have otherwise cost $20,000 per month!

The six main benefits of smart metering can be summarised as follows:

Compliance with building requirements

•

Distributed information of utility consumption data

•

Continuous meter readings delivered to the user’s PC

Frequently it is a requirement for a “green” building to have its consumption monitored via a smart meter and reported to achieve the desired level of certification.

•

Compliance with building requirements

Automatic meter reading

•

Automatic water meter reading and especially for water meters:

•

Insurance policy against undetected leaks

•

Cheapest way to pick up operational information

In special cases, where reading the meter is associated with high access costs this can be a significant benefit. For most other cases a marginal benefit that comes automatically as a part of smart metering.

Let’s look at some of these in greater detail.

Distributing usage information Providing water, power and gas usage data to all relevant people within an organisation is one of the greatest benefits. Facility managers, gardeners, cooling tower or even the pool operators can see their water consumption in near real time, adjust actions accordingly and get feedback the next day instead of waiting for

Leak insurance policy Smart water metering allows identifying leaks as soon as they happen and not months after the event (Figure 4). Where 10 or more sites are monitored for one organisation, it is almost guaranteed that the smart meter system pays for itself through this aspect alone. Hence, it can be considered an insurance policy with the premium spread across a number of sites. In fact, offering a leak insurance cover where smart metering is thrown in free of charge, are now discussed. > The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 1 – 2009 |

25

Do you know how much

Smart Metering can save you?

Picking up operational information Experience has shown that monitoring water consumption can be one of the most cost-effective methods to record other operational information. It is one of the easiest and simplest forms of recording occupancy patterns. By and large: No water = no occupancy, high water use (all other things being equal) = high occupancy. It provides interesting usage trends as well, although data privacy and security need to be respected.

Who should get a Smart Meter?

Anybody interested in cutting cost, their water, energy or gas consumption, corporate footprint and sustainability reporting.

Smart metering is inexpensive. Retrofitted per point costs are at the A$1,000 per point mark for multiple meters per site. Monitoring a single standalone meter may cost as much as A$2,500. Do it as part of a new building, or a major refurbishment and costs go down dramatically. Just remember though that the cost of monitoring a meter that measures e.g. $100 worth of water consumption is exactly the same as the cost for a meter that monitors $10,000 dollars worth of water.

Figure 5: Water consumption at a large site

Case Study 2: Predicting the water consumption for a cooling tower Water consumption in a cooling tower is strongly related to the ambient temperature. Once that relationship is established it can be used to provide an upper and lower band for the expected water and energy consumption (Figure 6). This is now used as an easy to observe operational indicator for when e.g. doors or windows are left open or when the efficiency of the cooling tower operation deteriorated.

Nothing can provide a better argument for the business case of smart metering than some of the examples listed below.

Case Study 1: Water Consumption at a Market Site As illustrated in Figure 6 the site showed quite a distinctive usage pattern including a significant base flow indicating leakage. Mid months this was addressed as the base flow dropped to zero.

However, it was also noted that the consumption peaks were far higher than what they had previously been. Smart metering provided this information and allowed to investigate the reasons which were traced down to a different contractor providing washing down services. Once his work practices were corrected water use returned back to normal at the end of the month.

Without smart metering both the leak and the water inefficient work practices are likely to have gone unnoticed for months causing costs in the order of $25,000/month.

Figure 6: Predicting the water consumption for a cooling tower

Additional Features Smart metering is still a relatively young technology with plenty of ongoing developments. One recent example is overlaying a geographical information system (GIS) onto a smart metering website (Figure 7). The system now permits the operator to readily see the location of any smart meter. Each metering node becomes a hyperlink providing a map, aerial and photographs of the exact meter location making it easy to find. It also works in reverse. Clicking on any meter brings up the corresponding chart. >

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improve sustainability outcomes and reporting whilst reducing the organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ecological footprint. Best of all, it cuts costs saving so much money that it often pays for itself within months!

It allows all concerned to actively monitor consumption so they can readily intervene as soon as an abnormal pattern is observed or an exception alarm is raised. Water leakage in particular, is identified within hours. Such wastage going unnoticed for months on end becomes a thing of the past.

Figure 7: Example of merging technology: Smart metering combined with a GIS system

Understanding where, when and why water, electricity and gas are consumed helps to identify further savings opportunities and assists in setting and achieving realistic targets. As the advantages of smart metering become clearer to more and more decision makers it will not be long before we wonder how we could ever have attempted to manage water and energy consumption without smart metering! n

Conclusion Smart metering of water, electricity or gas consumption is no wizardry. If done correctly it can be simple and robust. However, its specific needs must be appreciated. Smart metering is much more than AMR, automatic meter reading. It can provide sophisticated usage information for water, electricity or gas consumption. It is a powerful tool to support an integrated water and energy conservation management system to sustain savings,

Guenter Hauber-Davidson (ghd@watergroup.com.au) is based in Sydney.

He is the Managing Director of Water Conservation Group Pty Ltd, a national consulting, engineering and contracting company specifically set up to do whatever it takes to help large water users save water.

WCG provides all that is required to reduce your â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wet Printâ&#x20AC;? including a Blue Design service, turn-key recycled water and rainwater harvesting solutions and customised smart metering.

Spiraflo Heat Exchanger Reconditioning

Damaged Spiraflo

As-new Refurbished Spiraflo

Teralba Industries have expanded their refurbishment options for Spiraflo Tubular Heat Exchangers. This includes S5.5 & S6, which were installed into many Heat Transfer systems and pasteurisers in 1970s and 80s.

Most Spiraflo Multi-annular Heat Exchangers sold over the last 35 years in Australia can be cost effectively retubed and reconditioned.

Reconditioning can include new spiralled tubing, new gaskets sets, high pressure cleaning and hydrostatic testing to applicable Australian Standards.

If a Spiraflo is unrepairable then a replacement Dimpleflo Tubular Heat Exchanger can be supplied with exact dimensions to fit into pipework or plant where the Spiraflo was.

Repair and recertification of existing heat exchangers to new condition is both cost effective and tax effective, as the repairs are fully tax deductible in most cases.

For further information, contact Teralba Industries Pty.

Ph: 02 4626 5000 Fax: 02 4625 4591

Email: sales@teralba.com Web: www.teralba.com

Innovation with Integration

By KRIS GREENWOOD

I

nnovation leading to increased productivity is the fundamental source of increasing wealth in an economy. In today’s economic environment, innovation has never been more important and acceptance of it, more critical.

Economists tend to focus on the process itself, from the origination of an idea to its transformation into something useful and finally to its implementation. Since innovation is considered a major driver of the economy, especially when it leads to increasing productivity, the factors that lead to innovation are also considered to be critical to decision makers.

The term “innovation” means a new way of doing something. It may refer to incremental, radical, and revolutionary changes in thinking, products, processes, or organizations and is often synonymous with the output of the process. A distinction is typically made between invention - an idea made manifest, and innovation - ideas applied successfully.

In many fields, something new must be substantially different to be innovative, not an insignificant change. In economics the change must increase value, customer value, or producer value. The goal of innovation is positive change, to make someone or something better.

System integration is the process by which smaller pieces of software are brought together to form a larger piece of software designed to solve a problem.

In Facilities Management, ‘innovation’ & ‘integration’ are two words that should be at the forefront of our thinking. We need to change the way we think if we are to successfully ride out any possible recession and in order to do that we need to put innnovative ideas into action and plan a financially sustainable approach to FM system implementation. Most hotels will already have a number of legacy systems in place and most of these systems will affect the management of the facility in some way. There may be a Finance system which is depreciating the assets and managing the supplier accounts; there may be a BIM system offering real-time outputs on key assets – and so the list goes on. All of this information is critical, but how many companies can gather this information together and run meaningful reports on the holistic impact of their facilities management? A Facilities Manager may not have access to some of the information, particularly that in a Financial system, and so how do they gather all the pieces of the FM puzzle together?

Innnovation is the first step. Assess what systems are currently in place and which ones are working successfully. These legacy systems should not be replaced if they give the required outputs. Rather, analyse what the missing pieces are.

For example, a Financial system will depreciate your assets – helpful, but not

altogether useful to a Facilities Manager who needs to manage the maintenance of these assets. In a Financial system, once the asset is depreciated, it is no longer of use and therefore deleted from the system, again not useful to the FM team who need to keep data history. Therefore, an operational Asset management system may be a missing part of the FM puzzle.

Once the needs analysis has been conducted, Integration is the next step.

When sourcing the new FM software options for your hotel, be sure that a key capability of your new system is the ability to integrate simply with your legacy systems. This is the only way the FM Team can draw relevant information from existing systems into their own to give them a holistic view of the facilities, assets and their management. Also ensure that your new system is flexible and adaptable and the supplier is innovative in their approach. Seamlessly modular systems are the way forward, additional modules that you can grow into as your needs grow, and always follow up supplier references to ensure they have a solid track record and are a true partner to your FM Team. n

For more information on FM systems and their fit for your business please contact: Kristiana Greenwood Director, FM Innovations Pty Ltd kgreenwood@fminnovations.com.au Website: www.fminnovations.com.au

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Supporting Electronic Security

By SIMON HENSWORTH BSc (Security Science), (ICCP-Advanced), GHD Pty Ltd.

on them. It is important to carefully consider what information is included on ID/swipe cards. For example, having names printed on ID/swipe cards may not be appropriate for customer service personnel who may be at risk of harassment, violence or blackmail by customers who can easily identify an individual by name.

Similarly, it may not be appropriate to put information on an ID/ swipe card that describes or infers where the card is from. If a card is lost or dropped, information on the card could assist an opportunistic intruder locate the site where the card can be used.

Access Control There are a number of issues that can affect the success of an access control system if it lacks proper policies and procedures, support by users, or is designed poorly.

S

ecurity technologies such as CCTV, access control and intruder detection, continues to play an everincreasing role in security. Security sometimes relies less on manpower as these technologies improve and become more widely accessible and user friendly.

However, security technologies can fall short if they are not given the proper support in the form of policies & procedures, security awareness, maintenance, design and supporting equipment and infrastructure.

Access Control Cards Swipe cards used for access control can be an important part of the access control system, used to segregate areas and authorise user access. However, what happens when a swipe card is lost?

If an organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff or guests do not have an appropriate awareness and appreciation of security they may not take the necessary actions to ensure that lost cards are reported and deactivated so they cannot be used by unauthorised individuals.

If an organisation does not have appropriate policies/procedures in place it may be some time before a card is disabled or denied access, potentially allowing an opportunistic intruder to gain access to secure areas.

Another common issue with swipe cards is that there is a trend toward using swipe cards for a double-purpose, e.g. also using them as identification cards. Some cards have the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photograph, company, and even company location or site printed

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Door propping can be an issue for access-controlled doors. In the absence of DOTL alarms (door open too long), if procedures become lax or if there is poor security awareness, people sometimes prop doors open with chairs or bins rather than using their access control cards every time they want to access a door. This can compromise access control and potentially allows anyone to access a propped-open door. Another common issue is authorised swipe-card-holders swiping their cards or holding access-controlled doors open for other individuals. This might seem like a friendly gesture but it also compromises access-control audittrails and provides potential unauthorised entry to what should be controlled areas.

Tailgating can be a problem with vehicular access-controlled autogates, especially in the absence of supporting policies, procedures, support by users, or adequate design. A slow activating (or slow closing) auto-gate may allow unauthorised vehicles to follow authorised vehicles through an access-controlled area. If procedures become lax or if there is poor security awareness, drivers of authorised vehicles may not notice, prevent or report unauthorised activity/entries. Sometimes automated gates are designed to be operated by a swipe card (or similar) on the outside only. Vehicles that are exiting may activate auto-gates by driving over a buried ground loop that senses the metal chassis of the vehicle over it. This type of design provides potential for unauthorised entry of vehicles if an intruder can activate the gate by throwing or placing a sufficient-sized metal object (like a metal bin lid) over the ground loop before entering with their vehicle.

CCTV There are a number of issues that can affect the success of a CCTV system if it lacks proper supporting policies and procedures, maintenance, or is designed or located poorly.

CCTV can often be compromised by vegetation. It is not uncommon to see external CCTV cameras that are poorly located, sometimes affected by surrounding vegetation. If nearby trees are not adequately maintained the view of the camera can be blocked or limited. If fixed CCTV cameras are not adequately fixed in position or are not regularly maintained they can slide out of position. It is not uncommon to see CCTV cameras in reception areas that appear to be located to overlook cash handling areas, which have slipped out of position and now provide a perfect picture of the floor.

Another potential issue that can affect CCTV is if it is located in an area where the camera is accessible, or not protected by housings or anti-climb devices. If the intended purpose of CCTV is to deter and detect, then this can sometimes be reversed because the cameras may attract intruders because they may be a target of theft.

lightning protection, an organisation or facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electronic security systems could be suddenly compromised. This could leave a site that is usually secure (due to comprehensive electronic security) suddenly quite vulnerable.

End Note Electronic security has the potential to enhance the security capability of an organisation, site or facility. Designed correctly and supported, it can empower security personnel so they can provide the same level of service that it could potentially take many guards to do in the past. Reliance on electronic security has grown as its capabilities improve. The growing reliance on electronic security increases the importance of ensuring non-disruption to the performance of security systems and the importance of support for electronic security via policies & procedures, security awareness, maintenance, design and supporting equipment and infrastructure. Security should be developed through a formal risk-based approach and input from licensed, qualified security professionals. n

Intruder Detection Intruder detection can also be compromised if it is not supported adequately. Intruder detection should be selected and designed carefully and be supported with policies, procedures and regular maintenance.

A potential issue with intruder detection is that it initiates too many unwanted alarms. This can be because the selected technology does not suit the application; it has been poorly designed or is not adequately maintained. It is not uncommon for intruder detection systems to be switched off due to the number of unwanted alarms. In many cases these problems could have been overcome at the design/selection stage or could be mitigated by regular maintenance. Sometimes it can be as simple as cleaning a lens, trimming a bush or re-fixing a reed switch.

Lightning Protection Lightning can be an ever-present threat to electronic security and electronic systems. It can be a higher risk as more reliance is put on electronics to perform security functions. Without appropriate

About the author Simon is a Senior Security Professional with global engineering consultancy GHD. GHD employs a team of 8 Security Professionals in their Perth Operating Centre and 22 specialised Security Professionals Australia-wide.

Simon has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Security Science from Edith Cowan University and is an ICA (International CPTED Association) certified CPTED practitioner (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design).

Simon has provided security solutions for many clients with major assets in Western Australia. Simon is involved in all aspects of security, security technologies, promoting security and security awareness.

Any views or opinions expressed in this article are those of the individual author, except where the writer specifically states them to be the views or opinions of GHD. Before undertaking any activity related to this article, it is recommended you consult a licensed Security Professional.

Simon Hensworth BSc (Security Science) (ICCP â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Advanced) GHD Pty Ltd T 61 8 6222 8640, E simon.hensworth@ghd.com.au

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Survival of the greenest

By ROMILLY MADEW Chief Executive, Green Building Council of Australia

In the past, going green provided a competitive edge. In the near future, it may be a matter of marketplace survival.

I

n the current challenging economic climate, it will be “survival of the greenest”, US corporate sustainability strategist Charles Lockwood told the audience at the Green Cities 09 conference.

It will be those companies most adaptable – those that can develop new products, processes and technologies to save money – that will survive.

But building green requires more than just innovation in design, technology and process. Green building requires a shift in mindset.

Green Cities 09, the leading green building conference in the Asia Pacific region, played host to a number of leading green thinkers in March this year. Douglas Durst, one of New York’s leading green property developers said it simply: “we’re not just building green buildings. We’re building the best buildings we can.”

The green building challenge requires real commitment and courage, Durst said - and with it, a new way of thinking.

“The easiest way to build is to do what you did last time. But you can’t do that with green building. Each building requires a new design, unique innovations and systems - and a real commitment.”

This paradigm shift goes beyond thinking green during the design phase of a building. Eminent architect Ken Yeang argued that we must “look at the true lifecycle of everything we make” for green building to be truly successful.

Green design considers not only the environmental impact during a building’s construction, but those impacts during operation and at the end of the building’s life cycle too, Yeang said.

The challenge of green building is more than designing in new ways and retrofitting existing stock – it is about changing the way people use buildings, and the way they live.

With more than 50 per cent of the world’s population now living in cities – and this figure expected to rise to 70 per cent by 2050 – our challenge of sustainable, liveable, green cities has never been greater.

As Leader of the Opposition, Malcolm Turnbull, said at Green Cities 09, in the future “the world will no longer be a global village but a global city. Our challenge is to make our cities more human.”

Green Cities 10 | 21-24 February 2010 | www.greencities.org.au

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In an economic downturn, thinking green means more than changing the colour of your company’s logo. Thinking green means a long-term commitment to our planet and the people who live here. n

Green building innovations B

uildings have a great influence over the quality of our daily lives. From home to work, and from learning to leisure, buildings are fundamental to our way of living.

Buildings also have a significant impact on our environment. Residential and commercial buildings are responsible for 23 per cent of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions. That’s equivalent to 130 megatonnes of greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere each year.

concentrations of carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), release moisture into the air, and absorb heat and noise.

Preliminary results show a dissipation of VOCs and lowering of CO2 concentrations by as much as 10 per cent, depending on the plant species and their placement.

Australia’s National Interior Plantscape Association and the University of Technology Sydney are currently investigating the ability of indoor plants to improve the health, wellbeing and productivity of office staff.

Plants have even been known to increase worker productivity. One US study found a 12 per cent increase in productivity when people performed tasks in a room with plants. >

The Gauge, Docklands VIC

The good news is that a number of international reports state that buildings represent the single largest opportunity for greenhouse gas abatement, outstripping the energy, transport and industry sectors combined.

Australia’s property industry is now at the forefront of finding sustainable solutions to our global climate change challenges, and embracing innovative technologies and design practices which result in truly green spaces for people to work and live. Here are just some examples…

Green walls At The Gauge in Melbourne’s Docklands an organic green wall greets visitors and heralds the property’s sustainable aspirations. The first building in Australia to receive a 6 Star Green Star – Office As Built v2 certified rating, The Gauge is just one of a number of innovative properties that feature green walls to enhance aesthetics.

Green walls don’t just look great; they can also contribute to a healthy and positive work environment. Plants reduce airborne The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 1 – 2009 |

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Solar panels on the roof of 40 Albert Rd

Water recycling

Double-skin façades

Grey water is collected from basins and showers and is suitable for use for flushing toilets and irrigation without much treatment. Recycling black water from the sewer produces water that can be treated and used for irrigation, toilet flushing and in cooling towers. While recycling of blackwater in sewered areas is prohibited in some states, other governments recognise the opportunity offered by recycling water and actively encourage it.

The use of double-skin façades, sometimes referred to as a ‘building in a building’, has gained a lot of popularity throughout the world, particularly in Europe. In Australia, just a handful of buildings have embraced the technology, such as the Adelaide Advertiser and Sunday Mail building, which has incorporated a striking double-skin façade into its new headquarters, and 111 Eagle Street in Brisbane.

The Bendigo Bank Headquarters proves that green building practices are not exclusively the domain of inner city areas.

The 5 Star Green Star – Office Design v2 building includes water-efficient fixtures and fittings and a recycling plant that treats all black and greywater for toilet flushing. The recycling system saves an estimated 20,000 litres of waste water a day. Combined with a rainwater collection system, potable water use has been reduced by more than 50 per cent, saving around 3.5 million litres of drinking water each year.

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Double-skin façades incorporate two layers of glass separated by a significant amount of air space. These two sheets of glass act as an insulation between the outside and inside enabling the air to circulate between the cavity of the two façade skins, providing good air circulation, as well as improved thermal and acoustic performance.

Wind turbines Humans have been harnessing the power of wind since the Persians developed the first wind machines in 200BC. Today,

| Volume 1 – 2009 | The Australian Building Services Journal

wind turbines can be integrated into a building’s roof design to contribute to its energy requirements. Perth’s 2 Victoria Avenue, recently awarded WA’s first 6 Star Green Star – Office Design v2 rating, incorporates three 2.5kW wind turbines on its rooftop to provide green energy to a proportion of the building. The wind turbines are connected to the main grid and will help reduce the building’s demand for conventionally produced electricity.

Displacement ventilation Displacement ventilation is the practice of providing clean air at low levels and exhausting the hot polluted air at high levels to improve the ventilation and air quality of buildings. It uses the natural buoyancy of warm air to provide improved ventilation and comfort.

Although relatively new to the Australian market, displacement ventilation has been in use in the Scandinavian countries since the 1970s, where it is now seen as a proven technology.

Green building innovations School of Sustainable Development. With only a marginal cost increase, a large number of buildings are now using this technology to save on energy costs in the long-term.

Pollution controls Some buildings, such as the Szencorp Building at 40 Albert Road in Melbourne, use pollution detectors to measure pollutants like carbon dioxide and then automatically increasing outside air provided to office spaces to ensure that healthy indoor air is maintained.

40 Albert Road’s building management system integrates monitoring and verification, lighting, weather station, active and passive thermal control and security into one monitoring system.

Szencorp Building, 40 Albert Rd, Melbourne

Dual Channel Temperature Data Logger At the Green Building Council of Australia’s headquarters in Sydney – appropriately dubbed ‘The GreenHouse’ – a raised floor provides a displacement air system, providing better energy and ventilation efficiency and improved indoor air quality.

Heat exchange Instead of using cooling towers to reject heat from a building, a number of green buildings around Australia are using river or harbour water instead. At workplace6, the new 6 Star Green Star – Office Design v2 building in Sydney, this method of heat rejection is expected to save an estimated 4.8 million litres of water each year.

Building heat is rejected to the harbour via titanium sea water heat exchangers and pump systems in the basement. These pumps draw in the sea water while the specially designed titanium heat exchangers isolate the salt water from the rest of the workplace6 cooling system to avoid corrosion. Not only does this system save water, it also reduces the potential for Legionella that can grow and spread by cooling towers.

Regenerative lifts These lifts generate energy from the downward motion of the lift in a similar manner to the energy recovery in the Toyota Prius hybrid car.

Bond University was awarded innovation points for this technology in its 6 Star Green Star – Education PILOT application for the Mirvac

Inside & Outside Inlet & Outlet Before & After Fridge & Freezer T-TEC 7-3F Dual channel data logger with display that alternates between the 2 channels 10,500 logs for each sensor Range: -40 +85°C Both curves appear on same screen Operated by the T-TEC software with features like zoom, plot and statistics

Temperature Technology Tel: 08-8231 1266 Fax: 08-8231 1212 email: sales@ t-tec.com.au www.t-tec.com.au

Available from refrigeration wholesalers

Green building innovations (continued)

Santos Place, Brisbane

Brisbane’s Santos Place, which recently achieved a 6 Star Green Star – Office Design v2, takes pollution control a step further, by monitoring things such as material off-gassing of VOCs, which can adversely affect air quality and occupant health. Santos Place’s system monitors VOC levels on each floor and then increases the quantity of outside air supplied to the particular floor (when VOC levels exceed 0.7 ppm for more than 10 consecutive minutes) to help purge the contaminants from the floor.

< Temperature, humidity, daylight and lighting levels, air quality and occupation are all monitored in each of the 21 zones throughout the building. The building

management system has an extensive database and uses this to record variations and compute trends in all aspects of the building use and management.

As supplying extra outside air into a building can increase energy consumption (as it requires more cooling), a number of other initiatives were implemented to minimise this impact – including separate air-conditioning on each floor and a trigeneration system for low-carbon electricity and free cooling. n

IEQ: Green Stars for Indoor Plants

F

rom home to car to office and back again – we now acknowledge that most office workers spend up to 90 per cent of their lives indoors or in enclosed spaces while commuting.

But do buildings create a healthy environment for the people who work in them?

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development suggests that illnesses – such as asthma and respiratory problems, headaches and allergies – from indoor air pollution are now one of the most acute problems related to building activities around the world.

Australia’s building industry is increasingly focused on making buildings greener, which means not only ensuring higher standards of environmental performance, but also ensuring developments that improve the indoor environment quality (IEQ) for occupants.

IEQ refers to the quality of the air and environment inside buildings, based on pollutant concentrations and conditions that can affect the health, comfort and performance of the people who live and work in them – including temperature, relative humidity, lighting and acoustics.

Good IEQ is an essential component of any building, especially a green building.

CSIRO modeling based on US research into the affects of indoor environment quality on health and productivity has found that improving IEQ has the potential to save Australia’s economy up to $21 billion each year. So, good IEQ is nothing to be sneezed at!

What’s more, creating a better indoor environment can help building owners, managers, occupants, architects and builders to minimise or eliminate the negative health effects, liability, bad publicity, and costly renovations and repairs often associated with IEQ problems. Improving IEQ involves designing, constructing,

commissioning, operating and maintaining buildings in ways that reduce pollution sources and remove indoor pollutants while ensuring that fresh air is continually supplied and properly circulated.

The Green Building Council of Australia has been supporting the property industry in the shift to higher performing buildings since it launched the Green Star environmental rating system for buildings in 2003. Green Star evaluates the green attributes of building projects based on nine criteria, including energy and water efficiency, resource conservation, access to public transport and IEQ. Within Green Star’s IEQ category are credits designed to recognise and encourage developments which provide more fresh air, circulate fresh air around the rooms more efficiently, ensure daylight can reach more of the interior, and do not bring harmful chemical compounds into the building in paints, adhesives or carpets. >

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compounds, and Professor Burchett’s work has now shown that increased levels of VOCs can in fact cause the indoor plants to increase their capacity to clean the air. As levels of VOCs in the air rise, many plants can increase their role as air filters.

Professor Burchett’s work at UTS has found, for example, that indoor potted plants can reliably reduce total VOC loads by 75 per cent to below 100 parts per billion, the level identified as crucial by the World Health Organisation. This reduction takes place equally well with or without air conditioning, and in light or dark.

< Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are chemicals which evaporate easily into the air, and are frequently found in carpets and flooring, paints and sealants, and adhesives and fixatives. While many of us love the smell of a freshly painted room or new car, many VOCs can cause irritation, discomfort and what has become known as ‘sick building syndrome’. Since many buildings across Australia, just as across the USA, are built with air-conditioning as standard and so are ‘closed’ environments, we have essentially created our own personal gas chambers - a sealed space which we then fill with materials that can have serious impacts upon our health.

Green Star rewards projects which can demonstrate that the products used in the building have low levels of harmful VOCs or do not emit VOCs at all. Green Star also rewards projects which can demonstrate that products and materials used have low levels of formaldehyde – another chemical which can cause eye and skin irritations, headaches, asthma and other breathing problems, and is classified as a probable human carcinogen.

New developments around Australia are factoring IEQ into their building designs – introducing lots of fresh air to circulate around the building, and excluding materials and products which off-gas harmful levels of VOCs. Interior fit-outs and refurbishments are also focusing on ventilation rates and the materials used in renovations.

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However, many older or existing building owners and tenants have long been concerned that their options may be limited – they can either carry out localised works to improve the indoor environment quality bit by bit, or wait until a major refurbishment of the building is feasible.

Recent research carried out by the National Interior Plantscape Association and Professor Margaret Burchett at the University of Technology Sydney, however, would suggest that help is at hand, and in the form of an inexpensive, sustainable and easy solution. Pots of indoor plants such as Zanzibar (Zamioculcas), Peace Lilies (Spathiphyllum), Mother-in-law’s Tongue (Sansevieria) or Parlour Palm (Rhapis) have the ability to ‘scrub’ many of the VOCs from the air, cleaning the air we breathe as well as decreasing carbon dioxide levels, increasing oxygen levels and adding to the sense of tranquility with their greenery.

Professor Burchett’s work, which has been developed over many years, demonstrates that many of these plants can significantly reduce levels of harmful chemicals by breaking them down and converting them into less harmful substances which can be stored in the soil. Indeed, the research reveals that although the plants put oxygen back into the surrounding air, it is the soil content and size of the plant pot which can dictate the effectiveness of the removal of pollutants. Microbes and bacteria in the soil convert the chemicals into less harmful

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Furthermore, the new research shows just how effective potted plants can be in removing indoor carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Larger indoor plants, in larger pots, can deliver increased benefits when concentrations of pollutants rise. Further research is being carried out into rates of VOC removal, focusing on particular chemicals and length of exposure to such pollutants.

In the meantime, the Green Star credit which recognises and encourages specification of indoor plants for the interior of office buildings or tenancies (found in Green Star – Office Interiors, IEQ category) will continue to play an important role in clearing the air. Projects which can demonstrate that they have introduced a certain number of indoor plants, of a particular size or larger, across the office floorspace can be awarded Green Star points towards their overall rating.

The Green Building Council of Australia has worked closely with Ambius Australia (formerly Rentokil) to ensure that the research behind its rating tools remains relevant and robust, and the credits relating to indoor plants and pollutants recognise and encourage best practice within the Australian market.

The message is simple: clean air and healthy spaces are not the preserve of new buildings. Existing buildings can also reduce levels of harmful pollutants, increase oxygen levels and promote a greater sense of wellbeing, by ‘greening’ their buildings from the inside out. n Articles supplied by Green Building Council Australia www.gbca.org.au

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The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 1 – 2009 |

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How ‘Green’ is my Chemical?

By Brian Clark Janitech Australasia

Once upon a time when you pictured green, you pictured rolling grassland, not cleaning chemical.

However with climate change and the green revolution, all that has changed and chemical manufacturers are striving for a new, greener image with environmentally friendly products. But just how green are they?

www.cleaningconsultant.com.au

T

he first thing to understand is that environmental impact is a lot more than just the ingredients.

It’s a holistic approach to sustainability centred around protecting people, protecting natural resources and protecting the environment. With this in mind, let’s look at 3 products that that are locally advertised as being ‘green’ and have a closer look at just how ‘green’ they are. The first is from the USA, the second manufactured in Sydney and the third from Brisbane. For the purpose of the study we will work on 1000 lt of chemical per month (12000 lt per year) being shipped from the place of manufacture to Melbourne and then 100 km to the customer.

1. Label / Marketing Claims – Many green chemicals purport to have ‘natural’ ingredients, but the same could be said of Sarin Gas. Other label claims include ‘Bio-degradable’, ‘Non Toxic’ and ‘meets all VOC requirements’.

Unfortunately for consumers, there is no Australian Standard describing what is ‘green’ and without some sort of validating independent certification, label claims are meaningless. It should also be noted that the product may be ‘green’ but the manufacturing facility or their other products may be the planet’s worst nightmare.

2. Packaging & landfill – There is a lot to be said for innovation in packaging and it’s effect on the environment.

The US Product is packed in 1 gallon 3.8 lt plastic jugs while the product from Sydney is packed in 5lt plastic containers. The Brisbane product, on the other hand, is a super-concentrate,

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and is packed in 640g collapsible plastic spout pouches and initial start-up kits incorporate re-usable dispensing and application system.

In all cases the plastic containers are stamped with recycling marks.

However, few facilities currently recycle plastic containers and the majority will go straight to land fill. As you can see from the chart, 1000 lt usage per month in conventional packaging can generate over 3500 bottles to landfill and considerable bulk. It should be noted that the amount of nonsustainable, oil-based plastics used in a standard chemical container is many times that of the Brisbane product’s plastic smart packs, which are a strong plastic bag with a screw-top spout.

3. Freight – 90 % of detergent intermediate is water. So in essence, we are freighting a lot of water around the globe. And water means weight and bulk, which when multiplied by the distance travelled from factory to consumer, has a massive effect on non-sustainable fuel burned and the resultant CO2 produced. The figures in the comparison table compare the CO2 produced by all three products using a web-based calculator. As you can see, the US green product, which travels the furthest, produces more than 2.3 tonnes of CO2 per year in transport alone compare to less than 5kg from the Brisbane product.

4. Handling – protecting people. The lighter the package, the less the strain when lifting and handling. If all are packed 4 per carton, the 3.8 lt US and 5lt Sydney product weigh approx 16

kg and 20 kg. The Super concentrate from Brisbane weighs less than 640g, which would equate to less than 2.6kg for the equivalent of 20 litres of standard product. Storage requirements are also important aspects when handling chemical. In bulk shipments, 1000 litres of product per month would weigh just over 1 tonne including packaging and take up approximately 2 cubic metres of storage space. The equivalent quantity in Smart pouch super-concentrates weigh only 128 kg, while the storage space required (remembering how small cleaning cupboards are) is approximately 10 % of the bottled equivalents.

5. Approvals – In the absence of comprehensive government regulations or relevant Australian Standards, consumers are being bombarded with green-wash marketing, often

based on irrelevancies. However, there are a number of independent ‘notfor-profit’ green certifying agencies, including Green Seal™ in the USA and GECA™ (Good Environmental Choice Australia), who offer fee-forservice certification and, reportedly, have stringent standards. GECA, for instance, looks not only at the product, but also at the facility and the total operation and environmental impact of the manufacturer. A GECA approval can be a costly and time consuming process, but it’s certification mark offers consumers some protection from greenwash marketing. The Green product from the USA carried no approval marks, while both Australian products examined had GECA approval.

6. Efficacy – The final test of any chemical is how well it cleans, its compatibility

with surfaces or fibres and its free rinsing characteristics. No matter how ‘green’ your cleaning chemical is, poor cleaning properties can lead to excessive use of water for multiple applications, increased waste water to sewerage and degradation of the material being cleaned, leading to more frequent refurbishment.

Choosing ‘green’ chemical based on label claims may make you feel good but the overall environmental impact may not be any different, or even worse, than the local product you are using now.

However, the impact is considerably lessened by innovation in packaging and formulation that minimises the weight, volume and packaging factors. If you really want to make an impact look for innovation, look for independent and buy products that are close to source. n

Fig 1: Companies like Brisbane based Earth Renewable [www.earth-renewable. com] demonstrate real Innovation in manufacturing, formulation, packaging, dispensing systems are essential elements in reducing the environmental impact of cleaning chemicals.

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Quality versus quantity:

developing a resilient workforce

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he economic downturn presents a great opportunity to review your talent strategy and refocus staff on your organisation’s core mission. Think strategically about how to staff critical management and front line roles that impact innovation, revenue and client satisfaction, even if job cuts are unavoidable in other areas.

By JON BARTON Construction and Property Practice Leader, LINK Recruitment

In the economic downturn many organisations have been forced to do more with less. Although this may include operating with a smaller workforce, there are steps employers can take to develop a resilient workforce by attracting a small number of quality candidates.

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After a decade of boom markets, the task of recruiting talent in an economic downturn needs new tactics, as rapid changes in labour supply make recruitment complex and challenging.

Rigorous evaluation, selection and induction processes are crucial.

Employers seeking specialist skills should consider partnering with two or three specialist construction and property recruiters, as a significant number of employers have used the downturn as an opportunity to performance manage their weaker staff. This means that finding good employees isn’t necessarily any easier than it was this time last year. If anything, the downturn has made things more difficult. Companies are stripping down to core teams of A-grade professionals and it is very difficult to attract these passive jobseekers.

To recruit the top performing staff, employers need a search and selection strategy. A recruiter has access to passive jobseekers as well as candidates on the market because they have been retrenched. For example, a good recruiter will call project managers at the beginning of projects to ask if they need to recruit employees, and then call them again at the end of the project to see if they are seeking a new role themselves now that their current project is winding up.

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It is essential to use a specialist recruiter with industry experience because you need someone who is always networking in the marketplace. They should be gently tapping people on the shoulder to ask if they have considered moving and alerting them to the excellent opportunities available at your organisation.

Other tactics for developing a resilient workforce include equipping staff with the survival skills they need to excel in their role in difficult conditions. Training staff on how to manage stress and develop personal and professional resilience will help increase productivity and boost moral.

Rewards and incentives are also important when asking staff to do more with less.

Many will have taken on increased workloads so make sure you recognise this. Extravagant rewards may not be within your budget, but the power to link rewards to future revenue and profitability is. Negotiate creatively with employees to determine how they want to be rewarded.

A team that is well selected, equipped, motivated and led will overcome most obstacles, but it will take tenacity to dig in against recessionary forces. Make sure you communicate openly with your staff to ensure they are aware of the key role they play in ensuring your organisationís success both now and when the good times return. n

LINK Recruitment has offices in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. LINK Recruitment’s Construction & Property team is made up of highly experienced industry professionals and covers specialist areas including civil construction, construction, rail, property and development. For more information visit www.linkrecruitment.com.au or contact Jon Barton on 02 8915 7100.

Managing your

Maintenance Dollar

By TONY ROLLAND Director, Thermoscan Inspection Services Pty Ltd

T

he maintenance engineer needs to manage his meager “allowance” very carefully to ensure the effective operation of the plant and facilities in his care. Therefore, any technique that will save him some money has to be given consideration.

He has at his disposal a number of maintenance philosophies, each with varying degrees of success.

The “If it ain’t broke don’t touch it” is very popular but of course achieves limited success.

A second proposition is the “Full product utilisation” approach – when it breaks it has been fully used. This also has limited success.

Clearly a more efficient method of using your meager “allowance” is to carry out Preventative, Predictive and Proactive maintenance inspections.

The Thermoscan camera and operator are able to pinpoint the location of the thermal abnormalities and prepare a formal report with the thermal images and photographs of each observation –

Preventative maintenance inspection.

By using The Condition Monitoring extension plots of the component temperatures over a period of time, enables the engineer to predict when faults are about to happen –

Predictive maintenance.

In the report a “Repairers Comment” section is included. The maintenance engineer is able to observe the repairs made and components used. Then implement actions to prevent recurrences.

Proactive maintenance.

Let’s consider some applications:Inspections of the electrical reticulation system. I’m sure many of your are aware of this process.

Can you see the problem here?

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Managing your

Maintenance Dollar

They only found it because they were conducting their annual inspection. The terminal snapped off when they started the repair.

Sometimes we can’t even get to the board!

About 90% of the electrical abnormalities we observe cannot be seen with the naked eye!

On the other hand some problems are clearly visible – this was 321°C, and burnt.

This is contrary to the Electrical Safety Act – Regulation 12

Should the engineer buy his own Equipment and do the job in house?

The identification of this problem saved the customer at least 2 days unscheduled downtime and $2,000,000.

He can buy a hand gun to measure temperatures!

He can buy a low cost imager!

The hand gun produces no image so the operator is unsure as to the exact location of the fault.

He can see a “hot spot” but not the severity!

This one even more clearly visible – this was 812°C, and badly burnt.

812.1°C

And, what else do we find? You never know until you open the door……

And, the image is low resolution

Compared to the previous two techniques the thermography operator sees the thermal images as shown earlier. He can clearly see the “hot spot”.

The fault image and the accompanying photo are recorded and noted in the subsequent inspection report. Refer to the report page above.

This problem would never be seen by a hand gun. And an untrained thermographer would not understand the image and miss the fault.

Bus cover: 42.8°C

42.0°C 42 40 38 36

Switch Panel: 39.6°C

34 32.0°C32

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120.0°C 120 100 Red Phase: 141.6°C

Blue phase: 57.3°C 80 60 40 25.0°C

The facility was able to be shut down and the internal fault clearly identified, after the switch was opened.

•

Thus, to achieve a detailed examination of the facilities in his care, the engineer should engage a thermography consultant.

•

This is the by far the most thorough and efficient method.

The consultant has the expertise and knows how to identify thermal abnormalities

•

In health or legal matters you would choose a specialist practitioner with the required expertise needed to manage your problem.

•

Further, the maintenance engineer should also consider the “Qualifications” of the service provider.

•

Is the provider accredited to an acceptable Australian Standard? In addition, are his operators trained to recognisable levels?

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Does the provider of the particular inspection service work in the selected area, or does he “practise” his expertise over a number of disciplines – being a partial expert in each area?

•

Many of the “new breed” of thermographers work as part of a larger organisation covering a number of NDT disciplines.

•

Now, with even greater emphasis being placed on “risk” insurance and increasing premiums.

•

The insurance companies are insisting upon maintenance inspections – especially by accredited service providers with certified expert operators.

Thus, to achieve the greatest return on your meagre maintenance dollar, Preventative, Predictive and Proactive inspections should be conducted by Accredited, Certified and Expert practitioners. n

TONY ROLLAND is the Director of Thermoscan Pty Ltd, the largest Consulting Thermography company in Australia. He can be contacted at tonyr@thermoscan.com.au

The Benefits of Evaporative Cooling Less water usage Still many processes, particularly in industrial applications, use the cooling water in a so called once-through systems. Thermal polution and waste of this precious resource are not favouring the environment, hence other cooling systems should be considered.

Evaporative cooling reuses over 95% of the cooling water, which is a major advantage.

Less power generation required Still many processes, particularly in air conditioning applications, use air cooled equipment to reject the process heat. This results in a very high electrical energy consumption and first cost.

Evaporative cooling requires considerably less energy and first cost investments in the cooling process. Since we all aim to reduce the global warming effect and the exhaust of ozone depleting gasses, reducing the generation of electrical power leads to a healthier environment.

Less sound dissipation Evaporative cooling equipment as such has, compared to other cooling systems, a lower sound level. The low cooling water temperature generated by evaporative cooling allow the chillers in the process to be smaller as well, and hence generate less sound.

We all experience an increase of the noise level in our daily life, hence all measures should be taken to limit the sound dissipation from cooling equipment in general, and chose that equipment that results in the lowest overall sound level.

Less occupied space Because of its compactness, evaporative cooling equipment requires less footprint than any other heat rejection system. As a consequence less floor space is required. Evaporative cooling equipment can be installed inside the building, often a requirement by the architect. Evaporative cooling equipment, contrary to air cooled equipment, does not necessarily makes our living environment uglier.

Use true closed loop cooling Evaporative cooling equipment with a true closed loop implies that the water cooling the closed loop is not in contact outside the evaporative cooler with other devices like for instance heat exchangers. By keeping the water which is in touch with the atmosphere within the evaporative cooler, it cannot get

contaminated by bacteria located in hidden areas in the piping or other equipment. Moreover, closed cooling systems have usually lower spray water temperatures than the cooling water in open systems. The lower the temperature, the lower the growth rate of bacteria.

Use true hybrid cooling systems Hybrid cooling systems incorporate the best of two worlds: evaporative cooling in the summer, to benefit from the low water temperatures and less system energy consumption, and dry cooling in the colder season, saving water during a major part of the year. Operating these type of systems in a controlled way result in a reduced risk for bacteriological contamination.

Installing a finned coil on top of the evaporative cooling equipment is one step in that direction, however it is not walking the whole mile. True hybrid systems operate 80% of the time in dry mode, and provide all the benefits related to energy consumption and risk control.

Use state-of-the-art water treatment Unfortunately many evaporative cooling systems are not equipped with a proper water treatment package; this may lead to scaling of the heat transfer section, resulting in decreasing efficiencies, to corrosion of the equipment, which results in a much shorter equipment life, or to uncontrolled bacteriological growth, which may lead to legionnaireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease outbreaks. Proper water treatment is designed to take into account the material characteristics of the evaporative cooling equipment and the sometimes varrying characteristics of the make-up water. The right decision at the beginning can avoid trouble in the future.

Use a single supplier A single supplier takes full responsibility on the evaporative cooling installation. If something would go wrong during operation, a situation that occurs frequently in case of different suppliers of cooling equipment, water treatment and services, he has nobody to point at. Moreover a single supplier will design and implement every equipment and service such that it focuses at maximising operational efficiency and reducing operational risk throughout the equipment life. n Information supplied by Baltimore Aircoil (Aust) Pty Ltd. www.baltimoreaircoil.com The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2009 |

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Work-life balance:

the number one factor in retaining staff

By MARIAN MACDONALD

N

ew research shows that work-life balance is the key factor in attracting and retaining staff and is even more important than salary.

With unemployment in Australia at record lows and skills shortages creating a ‘war on talent’, employees are demanding the implementation of successful work-life balance strategies from their employers.

In his address to The Safety Conference, Sydney last year, Converge International CEO Dr Lindsay McMillan will explain how businesses can benefit from increased productivity and reduced turnover with the right work-life balance strategy.

Australians have the dubious honour of working the longest hours of any OECD country, with 20-25% working more than 50 hours each week. Yet recent Converge International research shows that 47% of workers rate work-life balance as very important and another 32% see it as important.

An imbalance between work and life can result in declining quality of life, loss of community, erosion of relationships and resentment.

“If workplaces are to avoid harvesting this kind of negative atmosphere then they really need to take serious consideration of these trends and begin concerning themselves with negotiating and transforming the current pattern of ‘work-life collision’ into one of ‘work-life balance’,” says McMillan.

He lists the five key aspects of work-life balance as: wellbeing; satisfaction; workload; security; and relationships. The hard part is striking the right balance between these aspects. Everyone’s situation is different, so every employee’s idea of work-life balance will also be different and there’s no ‘one-size fits all’ solution.

The Converge International research has highlighted four key mechanisms for incorporating flexibility into an organisation: • Hours – flexible working hours can include part-time, job sharing, flexible start/finish times or compressed work weeks.

• Leave – Everyone receives annual leave, but more creative options include study leave, bereavement leave, parental leave, unpaid leave and holiday purchase.

• Location – flexible options include working from home or giving an employee the opportunity to transfer to a different work location.

• Carer Assistance – at some stage in their life, almost everyone will need to assume a carer’s role. Often this role is temporary and by offering employees flexible options such as carer’s leave, work-life balance of these employees is enhanced.

It’s not enough to just spend the time and effort required to research an appropriate work-life balance strategy, there needs to be a cultural shift within the organisation. Many workplaces fear such practices interrupt the day-to-day running of a business and that employees who take advantage of work-life balance strategies are lacking in commitment.

For this reason, senior leaders in a business need to lead by example and champion the cause. This shows all employees that they can switch over to work-life balance initiatives without risking their career progression.

“The skills shortage is not just an economic reality but also a demographic reality due to shifts in population, generations, perspectives and expectations. Although it may be an imagined ideal for many employees today, work-life balance needs to become tomorrow’s reality as the sustained future of the workforce depends on it,” says McMillan.

“Any employer who is serious about signing up the best talent available, maintaining low levels of staff turnover and securing their business for tomorrow will recognise the need to do something about work-life balance now.” n The Australian Building Services Journal | Volume 1 – 2009 |

51

Liftronic’s experienced service team performs preventative maintenance at regular intervals to ensure that lifts under its maintenance program are both safe and reliable.

Philips Dynalite looks to a bright future Following its recent acquisition by Royal Philips Electronics, the newly named Philips Dynalite is looking ahead to bigger and better things. Now a Philips Dynalite key element founder and of Philips Managing Director, Lighting’s John Gunton Lighting Electronics Business, Philips Dynalite has been designated a ‘Centre of Design Excellence’ and is tasked with developing smart engineering control solutions for Philips worldwide.

“Our advanced lighting control technology, strong research and development focus, and extensive distribution and dealer network truly complements the Philips Lighting portfolio,” said John Gunton, Philips Dynalite Managing Director and founder of Dynalite.

“The additional resources provided by our new parent company will strengthen our engineering team to ensure fast-tracking of R&D and the delivery of new products to market sooner.”

Philips and Philips Dynalite share a genuine commitment to energy management solutions, and have plans to drive the global shift towards sustainable lighting technologies. With a proven track-record of working together, Philips Dynalite has recently teamed up with Philips to deliver a sophisticated energy management lighting control solution at the new landmark office building of PetroChina, China’s largest oil and gas producer and distributor.

“Going forward, the integrated offering available from Philips Dynalite will include fixtures and lamps in addition to ballast control, dimming and control functionality,” Gunton said. “This broader solution-set, featuring fully integrated best-of-breed components, will provide compelling lighting solutions for not only energy management applications, but also the hospitality, home automation and architectural lighting sectors.”

Supported by this injection of resources and technology, Philips Dynalite will continue to

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manufacture from its headquarters in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1989, the company also has offices in China, UK and the MiddleEast, and is represented by the powerful Philips Dynalite Dimension distributor and dealer network in over 40 countries.

According to Gunton, Philips Dynalite will maintain the high level of service and support its partners and customers have come to expect. “On a day-to-day basis it’s business as usual,” he said. “However, we look forward to expanding our portfolio of solutions and embarking on an exciting new chapter of our 20-year history.” www.philips.com/newscenter www.dynalite-online.com

Excellence in Customer service is Liftronic’s principal priority backed by high quality spare parts and industry experience Liftronic’s service team is a sound choice for your vertical transport maintenance.

For more information on Liftronic Pty Limited products and services contact the Liftronic offices on 1800 663 922

“Liftronic Pty Limited elevate your expectations for creative lift solutions”

HOW TO SAVE A MARRIAGE Thermoscan® Inspection Services can save a marriage!

Consider this scenario.

It’s Friday afternoon and the Facilities Manager is due home at 5:30pm this evening for a romantic anniversary dinner at a swish restaurant.

Unfortunately at 4:55pm, just before he leaves, the main switch on the Main Switchboard fails stopping his building dead. That is really bad.

Liftronic Pty Ltd Creative multi level building designs demand a creative approach to moving people throughout their space. Liftronic Pty Limited an Australian owned and operated vertical transport supplier uses it’s 2 5 years of experience in the market to supply a range of vertical transport options for its clients.

Liftronic not only offers a large range of standard and customised lift and escalator products but provides high quality modernisation and service products as well.

Fine examples of Liftronic’s product range may be seen in many major shopping centres, bulky goods developments, museums, and railways stations across Australia.

These products are cost effective, technically diverse and made to withstand the rigours of public use.

Liftronic Preventative Maintenance Property owners and managers are aware that the quality, presentation and reliable operation of lifts and escalators in high-rise buildings have a direct impact on the overall value of their investment. They are equally mindful that the safety of their passengers requires critical attention and that it is their obligation to ensure that lifts and escalators comply with code requirements.

| Volume 1 – 2009 | The Australian Building Services Journal

Because of his position our Facilities Manager has to remain on site to organise and supervise the repairs and restoration of the hotel’s operations.

Can you imagine the consternation at home when he phones home to say he will be delayed.

There is a strong possibility that had a regular Thermoscan® inspection regime of his plant and facilities been undertaken, the potential failure may have been discovered and repaired, averting this catastrophic failure.

Our Facilities Manager could then have attended his romantic anniversary dinner and happiness would have prevailed.

BRISBANE P 61 7 3878 1444 F 61 7 3378 0908 E theoffice@thermoscan.com.au SYDNEY P 02 9824 5103 F 02 9824 5108 E alanw@thermoscan.com.au MELBOURNE P 1300 132 517 F 1300 132 518 E office@thermoscan-vic.com