March 2019

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PROMOTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

MARCH 2019

www.eibi.co.uk

In this issue Heating Technology Water Treatment & Management CPD Module: Smart Buildings Heat Recovery Systems

Heating technology Finding a balanced solution

A higher standard Why ISO 50001 makes a difference

Heat under our feet Recover heat from waste water


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PROMOTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

MARCH 2019

www.eibi.co.uk

In this issue Heating Technology Water Treatment & Management CPD Module: Smart Buildings Heat Recovery Systems

Heating technology Finding a balanced solution

A higher standard Why ISO 50001 makes a difference

Heat under our feet Recover heat from waste water

MARCH 2019

Contents 21

www.eibi.co.uk

39

FEATURES

12 Heating Technology

Are heating systems designed specifically with retrofit or new build in mind? Andy Green discusses considerations for both types of applications A University of Chester professor is attempting to change the world of domestic heating in Britain and make it much more sustainable (14) Danny Packham explains the developments in air heating solutions to meet ventilation and air distribution requirements (18)

Treatment & 26 Water Management

& Precision 31 Comfort Cooling Phil McEneaney warns that a failure to understand the difference between comfort cooling and precision cooling is resulting in poorly specified equipment

Recovery & 33 Heat Ventilation Recent tightening of ventilation regulations for schools presents a number of challenges for the design of systems. Stephan Lang considers the options

Bob Blincowe explains why a BEMS can monitor and control water supply, storage and distribution systems to maintain a healthy environment Ian Roberts considers how magnetic filtration can help provide long-term protection for commercial plant rooms as the ErP Directive drives change (28)

It’s time to reclaim the heat flowing beneath our streets to provide more heating and cooling, says Russ Burton (34) Now that the government is offering grants to manufacturing sites and data centres UK organisations should not miss an opportunity, believes Dr Richard Hodges (36)

The Danish city of Aarhus has succeeded in creating an energy neutral water cycle for around 200,000 inhabitants (30)

REGULARS 06 News Update

UK working towards domestic carbon emissions trading scheme while Scotland launches energy efficiency cashback scheme

21 The Fundamental Series: CPD Learning

10 The Warren Report

The Climate Change Levy has been a UK success story due to a clever combination of tax-saving incentives and the reduction of an organisation’s fuel bills

25 View from the Top

19 New Products

Among the products new to the market this month are a universal web platform for monitoring and control, and transparency in energy consumption through access to the cloud

Smart buildings are now a reality. Susan Logan seeks to define ‘smart’ and how you can make the most of the emerging technologies

Rahul Birla believes that building operators must equip themselves with the knowledge to keep ahead of the changing nature of our buildings

32 ESTA Viewpoint

Julia Szajdzicka believes disruptive technologies and a change of attitude from government are needed right now

38 Energy Procurement

Choosing renewable energy serves to distinguish a business as a market leader. Now is the time for businesses to shout about their green energy choices, says Ashley Phillips

39 Products in Action

The first application of a low GWP chiller at Gatwick Airport

42 Talking Heads

Getting certified to ISO 50001 pays dividends for those companies that adopt it. But John Mulholland believes that there is so much more potential for organisations wanting to cut costs

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editor’s opinion

Follow us on @ twitter.com/energyzine and twitter.com/markthrower1

Attitude before disruption

D

isruptive technology’ is a phrase that

managing director, ND Metering Solutions, says (see

is perhaps overused. The phrase was

page 32) that “so called disruptive technologies are

first coined by the Harvard Business

in fact the hope we need of preventing the massive

School professor Clayton M Christensen

disruption that the IPCC warns us about; the kind of

back in 1997. He separates new technology into two

disruption that would act like a positive feed back

categories: ‘sustaining’ and ‘disruptive’. Sustaining

mechanism.”

technology relies on incremental improvements

However, Christensen points out that large

to an already established technology. Disruptive

corporations are designed to work with ‘sustaining’

technology lacks refinement, often has performance

technologies. They excel at knowing their market,

problems because it is new, appeals to a limited

staying close to their customers, and having a

audience and may not yet have a proven practical

mechanism in place to develop existing technology.

application. Such was the case with Alexander

Conversely, they have trouble capitalising on the

Graham Bell’s “electrical speech machine.” But so

potential efficiencies, cost-savings, or new marketing

often now the phrase is applied to anything new in

opportunities created by disruptive technologies.

that first category.

It is not unusual for a big corporation to dismiss the

A few years ago the McKinsey Global Institute

value of a disruptive technology because it does

identified 12 emerging technologies that “have the

not reinforce current company goals, only to be

potential to truly reshape the world in which we

blindsided as the technology develops.

live and work.” Three of these technologies will

Unfortunately we do not have the time for large

have a direct bearing on how we use our energy.

corporations to wake up to disruptive technologies.

Near the top of the list was the Internet of Things.

But the technology to bring about lasting change is

Further down were energy storage and the growth of

already within our grasp. What we do need is a change

renewable energy.

in attitude from governments and corporations large

The adoption of disruptive technologies will be a major part of global attempts to heed the

and small. Then technology, and even disruptive technologies, can step in.

www.eibi.co.uk

the EiBI team editorial Managing Editor Mark Thrower tel: 01483 452854 Email: editor@eibi.co.uk Address: P. O. Box 825, Guildford GU4 8WQ Social Media Assistant Sam Jackson tel: 01889 577222 Email: info@energyzine.co.uk

advertising Sales Managers Chris Evans tel: 01889 577222 fax: 01889 579177 Email: chris@eibi.co.uk Address: 16-18 Hawkesyard Hall, Armitage Park, Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 1PU Russ Jackson tel: 01704 501090 fax: 01704 531090 Email: russ@eibi.co.uk Address: Argyle Business Centre, 8 Leicester Street, Southport, Lancashire PR9 0EZ Nathan Wood tel 01525 716 143 fax 01525 715 316 Email nathan@eibi.co.uk Address: 1b, Station Square Flitwick, Bedfordshire MK45 1DP

classified sales Sharon Nutter Tel: 01889 577222 Email: classified@eibi.co.uk

circulation

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s warning that we have only 12 years to limit global

MANAGING EDITOR

warming to a maximum of 1.5°C. Julia Szajdzicka,

Mark Thrower

Sue Bethell Tel: 01889 577222 Email: circulation@eibi.co.uk

administration/ production

THIS MONTH’S COVER STORY Danny Packham of Nortek Global HVAC UK Ltd explains the developments in air heating solutions to meet ventilation and air distribution requirements at a time when energy costs are escalating. He says that an extract-only ventilation system will create negative pressure environment, resulting in replacement air being drawn from adjacent areas via door openings and structural gaps. One alternative to an extract only system, is to introduce a ‘make-up air’ or supply air heating system that replaces the extracted air with conditioned fresh air. In this way, the environment within the building can be closely controlled, and never left to the mercy of external weather conditions. See page 18 for more details Cover photo courtesy Nortek Global HVAC UK Ltd

04 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

Fran Critchlow Tel: 01889 577222 Email: info@eibi.co.uk

publishing Directors Chris Evans Russ Jackson Magazine Designer Tim Plummer For overseas readers or UK readers not qualifying for a free copy, annual subscription rates are £85 UK; £105 Europe airmail; £120 RoW. Single copies £10 each. Published by: Pinede Publishing Ltd 16-18 Hawkesyard Hall, Armitage Park, Nr. Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 1PU ISSN 0969 885X This issue includes photographs provided and paid for by suppliers

Printed by Precision Colour Printing Origination by Design and Media Solutions ABC Audited Circulation Jan-Dec 2018 12,179


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Hotel contract for energy efficiency Forest Rock, a Leicestershire-based IoT software development and engineering business, has secured an ongoing supply contract with a leading hotel group. The deployed devices will deliver energy and operational efficiency savings for the hotel group through the effective and central management of the group’s individual air conditioning systems. Each hotel has between 50 and 200 air conditioning units throughout each of the 50 hotels, the efficient and centralised operations of these air conditioning systems is imperative to reduce the hotel group’s carbon footprint and aid in its drive for operational and energy efficiency. Forest Rock is installing the Procon Melco Jace 8000 which is an interface device that works with the Mitsubishi Air Conditioning Systems providing connectivity to M-NET centralised controllers. A single Melco Jace, or multiple units, dependent upon hotel size, will be installed in each of the hotel chains sites. The Melo Jace system will provide the utilities company with a cost-effective option for connectivity and operation of the Mitsubishi air-conditioning units. This will allow for changes to temperature from a remote location and also remote monitoring from a single seat.

COMMITTEE WARNS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

UK homes are not fit for the future The Government’s official advisors, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) is warning that the UK’s stock of existing homes is not fit for a future ravaged by the impacts of climate change, vulnerable as they are to overheating, flooding, and water scarcity. Around 4.5m UK homes overheat during even mild summers, 1.8m face serious flood risk, and on average UK homes consume more water than their European counterparts, making them extremely vulnerable to sudden shocks in national water supply. “As the climate continues to change, our homes are becoming increasingly uncomfortable and unsafe,” warned Baroness Brown, chair of the CCC’s Adaptation Committee. “This will continue unless we take steps now to adapt them for higher temperatures, flooding and water scarcity.” Yet neither are our homes helping in the fight to prevent such a future from coming to pass, with the CCC again condemning the UK’s housing stock for its woeful energy

Solar power for east coast port An installation of more than 4,000 solar panels on rooftops at the Port of Goole has recently been completed The £1m project, ran by the Association of British Ports (ABP), began in November 2018, and saw 4,341 panels installed across four rooftops. At peak generation times, the 1.1MW system will enable the Port of Goole to run solely from clean energy, with any surplus exported to the national grid. The install was completed by Custom Solar, which won the tender for ABP’s three-year solar roll-out programme in 2017. Custom Solar director, Gary Sucharewycz said the company has delivered over 6MW across ABP’s ports in the last 12 months.

06 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

efficiency levels. Housing is currently responsible for 14 per cent of total UK emissions, a figure which rose by one per cent in 2017 compared to the previous year. But if the UK is to meet its legally binding climate commitments, emissions from the UK’s stock of existing - and future - housing must be reduced to almost zero by midcentury. This, the CCC calculates, means emissions from housing must fall by at least 24 per cent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The government is not doing nearly enough to address the problem, the CCC contends. Since the controversial decision by former Chancellor George Osborne to axe the Zero Carbon Homes standard back in 2015, only

months before it was due to come into effect, the UK’s energy efficiency sector has been burdened with a decidedly under-powered policy regime. This, according to the CCC is “failing to drive either the scale or the pace of change needed.” A recent report from the think tank ECIU suggested that the decision to scrap the Zero Carbon Homes policy single-handedly is adding £200 a year to the energy bills of people living in new build homes. Meanwhile, cuts to energy efficiency retrofit programmes have similarly undermined progress across the existing housing stock, with insulation installations down by 95 per cent since 2012. As a matter of priority, the CCC is now calling on the government to focus on delivering on policy action across five key areas in a bid to ignite action in this oft-neglected policy area. Renewed efforts must be made to ensure all new homes meet existing standards, following concerns raised in the 2018 Hackett Review into the Grenfell Tower disaster, that compliance is weak.

Global companies begin to factor in climate change Companies behind some of the best-known consumer products — from soaps to sodas — are beginning to factor climate change into their business equation, according to a recent report. The survey of 16 major corporations by non-profit group CDP found that many are working to lower their carbon emissions, prepare for the effects of global warming on their supply chain and respond to growing environmental consciousness among customers. Examples include brewer AB InBev’s efforts to develop a variety of barley that needs less water and Unilever adjusting its detergent formulas so they work at the lower “eco” temperature settings on modern washing machines, the London-based group said. “We were surprised how much these companies were aligning themselves with changes in consumer preferences,” said Carole Ferguson, the report’s lead author. Consumer goods account for about a third of greenhouse gas emissions, meaning companies that make them play a key role in efforts to keep global warming below 2oC by the end of the century. But manufacturers like Nestle, Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble also face growing scrutiny from investors who want to know what business risks they face from climate change before deciding whether to buy their stock, Ferguson said. CDP ranked the companies surveyed according to how

strongly their business is threatened by climate change, what they are doing to prepare for it and how much information they disclose to the market. “Climate change is going to be disruptive to revenues and costs,” Ferguson said. “What I would want to know as an investor is what kind of strategy they have going forward.” In general, CDP found that European makers of fast-moving consumer goods are ahead of US rivals in preparing for climate change — a disparity also seen in other sectors, such as automotive or oil and gas. France’s Danone came first in the food and drinks sector, while Kraft Heinz came last out of nine; similarly Parisbased cosmetics company L’Oreal ranked second in the household and personal care sector, against New Yorkbased rival Estee Lauder, which came last out of seven.


news update For all the latest news stories visit www.eibi.co.uk

CLIMATE CHANGE RISKS

IN BRIEF

UK fails to follow lead set by France

Generator supplier changes name

Parliament’s environmental watchdog said it was “disappointing” that the Government had not followed the example set by France, making it mandatory for large companies to report their exposure to climate change risks and opportunities. The decision was revealed in the Government’s response to an Environmental Audit Committee’s (EAC) report on green finance. Ministers have, however, accepted the Committee’s proposal to improve pension fund governance. In its report, the EAC had called on the Government to clarify in law that pension schemes have a duty to protect long-term value and consider environmental risks. The Government is consulting on a proposal to ensure pension savers are given greater opportunities to engage with decisions as to where their money is invested. The UK’s top

Uninterruptible Power Supplies Ltd, a subsidiary of Kohler Co., and the exclusive supplier of PowerWAVE UPS, generator and emergency lighting products, has changed its name to Kohler Uninterruptible Power. UPSL’s name change is designed to ensure the company’s name reflects the true breadth of the business’ current offer, which now extends to UPS systems, generators, emergency lighting inverters, and 24/7 service, as well as highlighting its membership of Kohler Co.

25 pension funds, with assets under management worth £555bn, are failing to account for climate-related risks, according to the EAC. EAC chair, Mary Creagh, MP (above) said: “Structural incentives across the investment chain encourage a shortterm focus, which tends to neglect longer-term considerations like sustainability. We are pleased that the Government and regulators are acting on our recommendations to improve how pension schemes factor climate change risks and opportunities into their decision making.

“It is disappointing that the Government has not used this opportunity to follow France.” Momentum regarding climaterelated reporting is growing, following the creation – and subsequent recommendations – of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), which seeks to disclose climate information as part of mainstream financial statements. More than 500 companies have expressed support for the TCFD recommendations. But according to the Task Force, many businesses are failing to translate climate impacts – like profligate energy usage - into business risk. Recent analysis by the Asset Owners’ Disclosure Project reveals that 87 per cent of assets managed by the world’s 100 largest public pension funds are yet to undergo any formal climate risk assessment.

Supermarket looks to racing cars for added efficiency Waitrose & Partners is to introduce a new design of shelf-edge strips which uses racing car technology to make its shops more energy efficient. Twin blades made of recyclable polycarbonate will be fitted to the front of its fridge shelving to reduce cold air being lost into the aisles, using the same techniques that channel airflow more efficiently around racing cars to enable them to corner at higher speeds. The Wirth Research EcoBlade will reduce energy consumption of the supermarket’s refrigerators by up to a quarter. It will also make aisles feel warmer

for customers and takes away the need to install fridge doors, while ensuring a constant shelf temperature throughout the fridges to maintain product quality. The EcoBlade, which will roll out in shops from this month, is the first in a number of projects on which Wirth

Research and Waitrose & Partners will be working together, looking at innovative ways to cut energy use in the coming years. Tor Harris, head of corporate social responsibility for Waitrose & Partners, said: “We know there is always more to do, but applying this design means we’re motoring forward in our efforts to reduce our impact on the environment. To deliver an energy saving of such significance through changing our shelf edging is fantastic and another example of how we continue to find innovative ways to achieve our goal to make our shops more sustainable.”

Food and drink ‘needs support for anaerobic digestion’ Leading water and wastewater asset management company, Alpheus Environmental, has called for more support for large-scale food and drink manufacturers who want to install anaerobic digestion facilities on-site. Analysis of existing funding and incentives found that it is more cost-effective for large-scale manufacturers to offset their energy usage by purchasing off-site renewable energy assets than produce energy from the company’s own waste. The opportunity cost to the UK is significant, with millions of tonnes of waste going to landfill and millions of litres of wastewater sent to drain that could otherwise be used to produce bioenergy, biosolid sludge products – which have multiple uses as a fuel source and soil

conditioner - and to feed large volumes of biogas to the grid. Current funding and incentives for anaerobic digestion projects favour farmers and small-scale food manufacturers and processers. However, there are less than 50 industrialsized factories housing on-site anaerobic digestion plants in the UK, marking an increase of 100 per cent since 2012 according to ADBA data. Steven Wilcox, head of business development at Alpheus Environmental, which is part of Anglian Water Group, remarked: “We meet with large-scale manufacturers who want to do the right thing and meet their sustainability targets, but at present the incentives simply aren’t there for them to choose anaerobic digestion.”

Homes heat retention boost Sustainable Building Services (UK) Limited is delivering a £2.1m scheme involving 220 occupied properties in Plas Madoc as part of Wrexham County Borough Council’s Re-roofing and Group Repairs Framework. The work entails roof replacements and the installation of external wall insulation. The properties were built in the late 1960s to a Lowton-Cubitt design. They feature steel frames, brick infill panels and concrete tiled roofs. The solid walled construction meant that they exhibited poor heat retention, so Wrexham CBC was keen to improve their energy efficiency.

CPD study day for ESOS assessors Energy-management training provider VESMA.COM is arranging a day of in-depth CPD study on four key areas of energy saving. The event, which will take place on 23 May in Birmingham, will cover compressed air, chillers, combustion and controls. The day is aimed at energy auditors and surveyors, energy managers and other end-user staff. It will be particularly relevant to people doing ESOS assessments for participants who were disappointed with the quality of audits in the 2015 phase. • Details can be found through a link at www.vesma. com/training

MARCH 2019 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 07


news update For all the latest news stories visit www.eibi.co.uk

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

LOANS TO SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES

Scotland to launch cashback scheme

Claim BREEAM Points with RHeco New energy-saving condensing gasfired unit heaters Reznor, part of Nortek Global HVAC (UK) Limited continue their tradition of manufacturing high efficiency warm air heating equipment with the introduction of the new highly efficient RHeco series of energy saving condensing gas fired unit heaters. Our ErP-compliant range includes the highly efficient RHeco series of energy saving condensing gas red unit heaters, which has been ErP compliant for years. The RHeco range provides the highest efficiency levels and substantially reduced CO2 & NOx emissions (under 25ppm). The units exceed the requirements of current Building Regulations L2, with thermal efficiencies up to 109 per cent to provide exceptional levels of seasonal efficiency. Also the extremely low NOx modulating pre-mix burner enables BREEAM points to claimed (when applicable). • For more information please visit www.nortek-erp. com or email erp@nortek. com

This April, the Scottish Government will launch a ‘cashback’ scheme, designed to top up its long-established, interest-free loans to small and medium-sized businesses that install energy efficiency measures. Companies taking up these loans will also receive 15 per cent cashback on the value, further incentivising them to implement measures to reduce their energy use and carbon emissions. The current incentive is open to companies from across all SME sectors. offering an unsecured, interest-free loan of up to £100,000 in order to install technology such as LED lighting, boilers, low-flow taps and insulation. Scotland’s minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse, said that the launch

of the scheme forms part of his Government’s Energy Strategy, which includes a pledge to funnel an extra £1.5bn funding per year into sustainable energy projects. “The Scottish Government is committed to supporting businesses across Scotland to improve their energy and resource efficiency as we seek to improve the energy efficiency of Scotland’s non-domestic premises,” Wheelhouse added. “The SME loan 15 per cent cashback incentive will give Scottish businesses the opportunity

to reap the benefits of reduced energy costs through investment in energyefficient measures, helping to increase competitiveness and drive growth while also reducing their carbon footprint.” The existing cashback programmes have saved an average of 24 per cent or £8,000 – on average annual energy bills. Over the last five years, the programmes have seen around 4,000 businesses given one-to-one support to find the best energy efficiency solutions for their operations. In total, these smaller companies have collectively saved around £36m on their energy bills. Since 2017 the Welsh government has partnered with the Carbon Trust to launch an interest-free loan scheme for businesses investing in energy-saving technologies.

Comprehensive energy solution for Leeds hospital Vital Energi and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust have entered into a 15-year partnership which will see Vital provide a full and comprehensive energy solution for the St James site and guarantee savings of £2.5m per year over the contract term. Vital were awarded the scheme which consists of a turnkey solution providing the design, build, operation, maintenance and ESCo services for the hospital. Leeds Teaching Hospitals are one of the largest in Europe, employing almost 18,000 members of staff, therefore reliability of supply was a key factor when deciding upon the solution. The Trust have a 20-yearold CHP gas turbine energy centre

which was due for replacement and therefore Vital proposed a more efficient and cost-effective solution. Vital identified that opting for a 4.5MWe CHP engine as an alternative to a replacement gas turbine would deliver greater efficiencies for the hospital, and provide a more costeffective energy supply. As the ESCo energy partner, Vital

have provided the finance for the £8.4m project which will eventually fund itself through the guaranteed savings of £2.5m per year, allowing for the hospital to benefit straight away without committing capital expenditure. The scope of works will see Vital operate the existing energy centre for a period of around 6 months before refurbishing it with newer and more efficient equipment, as well as adapting existing infrastructure to cater for the additional low temperature hot water which will be provided from the CHP. The build is set to be completed by June 2020 with Vital providing assurances by committing to delivering the energy savings from this date.

London estate residents set to trade solar power Consumers in a Brixton housing estate will soon be able to trade solar power among themselves as an EDF Energybacked, blockchain-enabled pilot project gets underway. Project CommUNITY will see EDF work alongside community renewables firm Repowering London and University College London’s Energy Institute on a peer-topeer trading platform using electricity generated from a rooftop solar installation at Elmore House. Power from the install will be used by the residents of Elmore House and stored in domestic batteries, ready to be shared between residents as and when it’s needed. Blockchain technologies will be used to track and trace

08 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

the power for transactional purposes, while a consumerfacing app is to be introduced to enable residents to access the trading platform and request power. The project is to start this month and run through to October 2019. Under current regulations customers are only permitted to purchase electricity from a single party, essentially prohibiting the development of peer-to-peer trading networks. However, Ofgem is considering changes to the regulatory framework as the power sector evolves. Xavier Mamo, R&D director at EDF Energy, said the firm was committed to unlocking the benefits that new technologies stand to bring to the sector.


news update For all the latest news stories visit www.eibi.co.uk

EMISSIONS TRADING AFTER BREXIT

UK could set up carbon trading system Should the UK Government leave the European Union at the end of this month without a fully agreed “deal”, all stationary installations currently participating in the European emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) based within the UK will need to continue to comply with the regulations for the monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gases. These regulations will underlie the new UK Carbon Emissions Tax. This Carbon Emissions Tax will be introduced on 1 April and the reporting period for stationary operators will be 1 April 2019 to 31 December 2019. The 2019 tax will be set at £16 per tonne. Subject to state aid approval, the scheme to compensate energy-intensive industries for the indirect costs of the EU ETS would remain in place to compensate for the indirect emission costs of the new Carbon Emissions Tax. However, on February 27 Claire Perry, the UK’s climate minister, revealed to a House of Lords select committee that the UK is also working to establish a domestic carbon emissions trading system after Brexit, which it hopes will be “linked” to the existing EU scheme. She promised that a consultation on plans for this scheme would begin in April.

The government plans to set up the necessary systems for the trading scheme to come into effect from January 2021. In other words, at the start of the next EU phase. This mirrors the “independent” trading scheme set up in Switzerland in 2008. This is now being fully merged within the main EU:ETS. Accounts administered by the UK in the EU ETS allowance registry and Kyoto Protocol registry will be blocked from the point of the UK leaving the EU. Operators wishing to retain access to their allowances after the withdrawal date are urged to open an account in another member state’s registry for this purpose, and should consider the amount of time this is likely to take.

Until further notice, the UK government will not issue or auction any 2019 EU ETS allowances. It remains possible for allowances to be purchased through the European Energy Exchange (EEX) auction platform and on the secondary market. Participants have been told to consider this when planning to meet 2018 compliance obligations. Last month, the Government confirmed that all 12,000 UK participants should report upon 2018 emissions by 11 March 2019, and have surrendered allowances for those emissions by 15 March. Clean Development Mechanism project developers with a UK Letter of Authority will also need a letter of approval from a different Designated National Authority.

Partners for battery storage Good Energy has selected two partners to work with on the design, installation, operation and maintenance of commercial battery storage projects. The partners, BELECTRIC and Powerstar, both specialists in renewable energy engineering, have been appointed following a tender and procurement process. Dr. Randall Bowen, sales and commercial Director of Good Energy, said: “Storage is one of the key enablers in the move from supplying to sharing energy. Not only does it help resolve the issue of variability in renewable power — a benefit to the grid — it benefits customers practically too.” Good Energy is in discussions with a number of its existing and prospective business customers with regards to how battery storage can help them take ownership of their power, enabling energy security, carbon savings and cost efficiencies. Having BELECTRIC and Powerstar on board allows for the progression of these, and alongside Good Energy’s developing selfgeneration, electric vehicle and smart propositions, it marks a significant step towards solutions for domestic customers, too.

People On The Move l Hamworthy Heating has completed its sales team with the appointments of Barrie Welsh, Terry Simmonds and Simon Dobson to continue their marketing leading technical expertise in the commercial heating industry. Welsh is Hamworthy’s new technical sales manager. Barrie has experience of man types of equipment from steam equipment, high pressure water heating and large space heating to industrial process plants and sizeable district heating schemes. In recent years, he has been managing district heating schemes. Simmonds joined the company from contractor Invicta Building Services where he was business development manager. He will be looking after customers in Kent, east

London and Essex. His colleague, Simon Dobson, has been in the industry for 20 years, working for heating contractors and specialising in commercial heating and ventilation in the last 15 years. He will advise customers as area sales manager in the East Midlands. l Boiler and water heater manufacturer Lochinvar has appointed Craig Jeffrey as area sales representative for Scotland. He will work alongside the company’s longestablished sales agent John McErlean. Jeffrey joins from the energy company Spark where he worked for five years in a number of roles including team manager and coaching and recruitment manager. In the

Mark Newton: joining Sontay

latter position, he was responsible for equipping other team managers with motivational, customer service and performance management skills. l Sontay, a manufacturer and distributor of field control devices,

has appointed Mark Newton as sales director. With over 20 years experience, Newton has a history of holistic sales expansion, brand development and generating company growth and has held director level positions for a number of companies within the lighting and switchgear market. “It is great to have someone with as much passion as Mark join Sontay,” commented Sandy Damm, managing director at Sontay. “Mark’s experience and knowledge of developing and growing teams makes him the ideal person to lead Sontay to thrive on the global stage. His enthusiasm and expertise will be invaluable to Sontay and we are excited to see the impact he will make.”

MARCH 2019 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 09


03.19

THE WARREN REPORT

Andrew Warren is chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation

If nobody complains it must be working The Climate Change Levy has been a UK success story due to a clever combination of tax-saving incentives and the reduction of an organisation’s fuel bills

T

his is the story of a government programme that really works. So, perversely, you seldom seem to hear any politician talking about it. Being of a naturally sunny disposition, my natural propensity is always to concentrate upon an initiative that really does what it says on the tin. One such is the Climate Change Agreement policy. The Climate Change Levy – effectively the UK’s original non-residential energy tax – is easily the longest-established instrument designed to affect the business sector to help meet the country’s statutory and binding climate change reduction commitments. Climate Change Agreements (CCAs) are deals negotiated with 51 distinct sectors of the economy, usually those that are more energy intensive than average, to help protect against over-exposure to international competition from the Levy. Each sector has its own umbrella agreement that sets out improvement targets. Precisely how the target is to be met is a decision for companies operating within each sector. And, yes, “peer pressure” really helps ensure each participating company delivers its agreed share of the saving. Agreements cover the main energy intensive sectors of industry. These are aluminium, cement, ceramics, chemicals, food and drink, glass, non-ferrous metals and steel, plus thirty other smaller sectors (including somewhat ironically mineral fibre insulation). Plus in agriculture, livestock units for the intensive rearing of pigs and poultry. When the policy was first

introduced, way back in Budget 2000, it was anticipated that by 2010, these agreements would be delivering a reduction of 9.1m tonnes of carbon dioxide. That forecast turned out to be far too modest. The actual savings levels that could be attributed to the agreements worked out at over 10.5m tonnes of carbon dioxide. That was some 13 per cent more than anyone had anticipated. As a result, changes were made to the initial 80 per cent discount from the Levy. The discount on electricity was increased to 90 per cent in 2013. This was prompted by the regular moans at the time from sectors that are particularly electricity intensive and exposed to worldwide competition. Conversely, the discount on other fuels was reduced to 65 per cent. Practically all measures accepted within Agreements have been based upon energy-saving investments that return the capital invested within 30 months. Operators holding CCAs must monitor and report their energy consumption against agreed targets across four two-year target periods, running from 2013 to 2020. At the end of each target period, operators meeting their targets are certified to continue to receive the discount.

Benefitting in two ways In practice, every sector that delivered on its agreements – and not all did! – has benefitted in two very pertinent ways. Companies are saving on their tax bills. And they are saving significantly upon their fuel bills too. Consequently, across almost two decades there has been very little, if any,

‘Every sector that delivered on its agreements - and not all did! - has benefitted in two very pertinent ways’ 10 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

moaning from participants about the impact of these negotiated agreements. On the contrary, they have been saving everyone concerned a lot of money. Granted, in strict terms, it could be argued that all of these investments should have been undertaken anyhow. They all made perfect economic sense. But we all know that, in the real world, that logic doesn’t operate, This is far from what actually happens - or there would no need for the legions of energy management consultants who exist to persuade companies to do what is already in their financial interest to do. But is somehow not glamorous enough to attract attention to the boiler room from the boardroom, without just that extra push. Around the same time as the Climate Change Levy was being introduced, a Europe-wide emissions trading scheme was mooted. Inevitably, this has involved many of the same business sectors. However, unlike the CCAs, the EU:ETS has never succeeded in delivering the level of savings it had been hoped would occur. The traded price of carbon has simply stayed stubbornly lower than anticipated. Hence the reason why the UK government introduced its additional carbon price floor in 2013. This began at a rate of £16 per tonne of carbon dioxide, and increased in 2014 to £18.08 – where it is set to stay until 2021. Substantial compensatory finance mechanisms have been introduced for some, but by no means all, of those involved with the Climate Change Agreements. One of the main reasons why these Agreements have proven to be not just uncontentious, but actually genuinely popular, is that the overall concept is rather attractive. Avoiding, quite legally, paying more to the taxman is always so appealing: a genuinely juicy carrot. But the threat of suddenly being asked to increase the amount due to the taxman for the Climate Change Levy by four or more times, if you cannot demonstrate you are delivering the requisite energy savings, is a most effective stick. Crucially, decisions that affect any organisation’s expenditure on tax will be taken by people who wield significant influence. Possibly rather more influence even than those whose responsibility is simply to manage its energy. Powerful allies are always useful. 


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Heating Technology For further information on Baxi Heating visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 125

Specifying for new build and retrofit Are heating systems designed specifically with retrofit or new build in mind? Andy Green discusses considerations for both specifications in order to get maximum efficiency

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ndustry experts have long debated the pros and cons of creating new or retrofitting existing buildings, particularly in relation to what’s better for climate change. The amount of greenhouse gases emitted from manufacturing to transporting for a new build, for example, have a bigger impact on the planet than upgrading existing buildings. Nevertheless, with regards to energy efficiency in particular, it is widely appreciated that older buildings will generally not perform to the same standard as new builds. We often get asked whether our products are particularly suited to retrofit or new build jobs. The answer would simply be both. Many cast iron boilers can no longer legally be sold so more companies are having to upgrade their plant. However, we often see jobs where people take out these older non-condensing models, but then fail to use newer condensing versions to their optimum. As such, they end up spending a lot of money on upgrading but not on achieving the maximum gains available. Therefore, if you are replacing an old boiler working at a constant high temperature, consider introducing a variable temperature or weathercompensated controls strategy to optimise the boiler performance and achieve maximum efficiency. There is still a reluctance across industry to chemically flush and clean systems as it is seen as a costly and time-consuming exercise. Understandably, it can be difficult to do it while the building is occupied as downtime is critical. Of course, building managers want a quick changeover of the appliances otherwise they may be limited to a certain time of year for the works to be carried out. Another reason that flushing is avoided is due to systems having to be taken offline and the

In both new and retrofit soutions sizing the boiler to the load requirements is a key consideration

concern that it will cause the system to leak. Older systems also tend to be open-vented working at a low system pressure, which means pollutants can enter the system water. This is where it is recommended to treat the water within the existing system to protect it from corrosion. Plate-toplate heat exchangers also separate boilers from the existing system.

Like-for-like basis Often on retrofit jobs, people will replace boilers on a like-for-like basis. However, the original system will likely be many years old and over

12 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

time there may have been glazing and insulation improvements that could actually reduce the heating load requirement on the building. Also the usage of the building might have changed which affects the sizing of boilers too. By not reassessing the actual heat requirement, installers who just replace like-for-like in heat output requirements ultimately leave the end user spending more money than they need to, just because it’s the easy option. It is important that the boilers specified fit in the plant room and are easily transportable, as most old

It is important that the boilers specified in the plant room are easily transportable

Andy Green is technical directorcommercial at Baxi Heating

buildings will have their boiler rooms located in basements that are not necessarily easy to access. We also see a common oversight on retrofit jobs with regards to the flue termination of commercial boilers. When replacing one big old cast iron boiler with a cascade of modern condensing boilers, there are, of course, more flues to consider.

Sizing of the boilers As with retrofit, sizing of the boilers to the load requirement is one of the most important considerations when installing a new commercial heating system. The consultant or system designer will have to assess the heating requirements of the new building up front which will then lead to the boiler power that you need along with any hot water requirements. The building regulations state that you shouldn’t oversize a system by more than 20 per cent. However, a lot of buildings require some kind of redundancy on top of that. The Sirius three range offers outputs of 50-250kW and up to 1MW in cascade, with a modulation ratio of up to 9:1. This is an essential capability of modern condensing boilers and the benefits mean oversizing doesn’t become such an issue. Considering the comfort levels of the building occupants as a priority will lead to a successful new build install. Again, by defining a robust controls strategy you can make sure you are optimising the temperature at the same time as being efficient. Generally speaking the specification of boilers for either new build or retrofit needs to address four key questions: • who is using the building?; • when are they using the building?; • what are the regulations around emissions?; and • how accessible is the plant room? The answers to these questions are the main considerations for any commercial heating install. But it’s just very important to factor in any historic systems on retrofit jobs So, whether you are dealing with old building stock, or starting from scratch, it is important to approach the job pragmatically and from all angles, ensuring those involved are fully educated around the benefits of a clean and intelligent system. 


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Heating Technology For further information on University of Chester visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 126

Time for RISE to shine A team at the University of Chester has created a new concept of a hybrid heating system which uses off-peak electricity, and therefore takes pressure off the National Grid, as well as reduces carbon emissions

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rof. John Counsell, head of the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Chester, has created a new concept of hybrid heating system. Together with his colleague, Dr Yousaf Khalid, he has successfully computer-modelled the ‘Renewable Integrated and Sustainable Electric’ (RISE) hybrid heating system. It comprises an air source heat pump, a thermal storage tank (hot water), and an off-peak powered thermal storage boiler. RISE stores up energy during periods of low electricity demand from the National Grid, turning it into a dynamic supply of low-cost heat which is utilised only when required, making it not only cost effective, but a more environmentally friendly approach to heating a home. The research and development has been part of a collaborative project funded by Innovate UK in partnership with: • EDF Energy, for tariff design; • BRE, for regulatory compliance and standards; • Glen Dimplex, for innovation of the system implementation and the thermal storage boiler; and • Eastbourne Homes, for consumer requirements. In a similar way to hybrid cars using two sources of energy to provide power to the car, a hybrid heating system uses two sources for heating a house. One source is an ‘off-peak’ thermal storage boiler, based on Glen Dimplex’s Quantum Storage heater technology, that uses cheaper night time electricity to heat the bricks inside it. The hot water pipes in the house are passed through the off-peak boiler to warm the water for the house radiators providing heat during peak heating hours from 7am to 9am and 4pm to 8pm. During off-peak hours, the off-peak boiler charges itself and the heating is provided by the air source heat

The RISE configuration comprises an air source heat pump, thermal storage tank and boiler

pump. When the next peak heating time arrives, the hot water from the storage tank is circulated to the radiators and topped up with heat from the off-peak boiler. Hence this configuration avoids placing heat demand on the National Grid during peak times and thus reduces the need for network reinforcement.

Attractive to local authorities Dr Yousaf Khalid added: “The RISE heating system can be configured,

14 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

where the heat pump can be shared across several small dwellings (such as flats) while the off-peak boiler in each dwelling supports heating during peak hours. This helps with the capital cost of the system, which could make this particularly attractive to local authorities and housing associations. For larger dwellings, one heat pump with one storage boiler would be the normal approach. “So far, the results show that the RISE system can outperform

Professor John Counsell and Dr Yousaf Khalid in the Energy Centre at Thornton Science Park

a heat pump-only heating system in terms of carbon emissions, while being competitive in running costs with a conventional gas boiler heating system.” A prototype of RISE was developed and tested for a year in the Watford BRE Innovation Park in the BRE’s Prince’s Trust house. The Government has recognised a need to reduce the emissions created by heating our homes. According to the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy – which experts believe places increasing emphasis on decarbonising the UK - by 2050, the UK ‘will also likely need to fully decarbonise how we heat our homes’. Prof. Counsell said: “Everyone talks about decarbonising electricity, but no-one talks about how to decarbonise heat realistically, which is what ‘RISE’ is. At the moment, gas is the major fuel being used to generate electricity in power stations (as well as being used directly in people’s homes). Electrical energy efficiency of appliances and lighting since 2006 has contributed to the removal of coal-fired power stations. It has also reduced the free heat gains into the home and, consequently, we will see a rise in domestic heating gas demand that has the potential to result in low gas supplies and increasing electricity prices. “I believe that a long term affordable and secure heating supply to homes is essential to offset the increasing threat of fuel poverty in the UK. A novel heating solution is needed. The RISE project was developed and funded to take this challenge and deliver affordable electric heating.” The RISE hybrid heating system research continues, with a move to develop second generation prototypes of the control system and the off-peak boilers. The aim of the next phase of the project is to use these new prototypes for field trial testing, ideally throughout the local authority regions of the UK. 


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Are Your Organisation’s Profits Simply Going Up In Smoke?

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Heating Technology For further information on products and services visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter the appropriate online enquiry number

Boilers provide warmth for music

Four-strong range of boilers

The construction of an extensive new music school and performance arts centre at the renowned Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools in Wales, has seen the project team call on the capabilities of Stokvis Energy Systems to provide a modular boiler system to meet all of the building’s heating requirements. Oxfordshire-based QODA Consulting was the consultancy which took responsibility for the mechanical and electrical package while Narbeths, one of south Wales’ leading mechanical installers, fitted the custom-built Modupak solution. This included three R40 EVOLUTION boilers, together with a pair of Stokvis Econoplate BV units for HWS, consisting of plate heat exchangers, buffer vessels, circulation pumps and controls. A Stokvis Econopress pressurisation set was also supplied. Paul Young of QODA Consulting commented: “This is a large building that includes an auditorium, rehearsal rooms and sound recording studios. Because it is built into a hillside, the plant room is effectively within a lower ground floor. The installation of the Modupak went very smoothly, and the whole system was commissioned by Stokvis’ own engineers at the ONLINE ENQUIRY 127 beginning of October.”

Following publication of the new air quality assessment criteria in the recently published BREEAM 2018 Technical Manual for Non Domestic New Construction SD:5078, boiler manufacturer Strebel has launched the wallhung S-CBX boiler which it describes as the ‘next generation’ of ultra low NOx wall hung commercial gas condensing boilers. The S-CBX boiler is available in four nominal output models from 85 to 155kW delivering heat from 15-151kW across the range. The BREEAM 2018 air quality criteria for New Construction includes NOx emissions which have reduced from previous target levels to new limits of either 27mg/kWh (1 point) or to 24mg/kWh (2 points). The S-CBX boiler comfortably meets the lower end of these emission levels (below 24mg/kWh) as well as delivering excellent seasonal efficiency of in excess of 95 per cent in accordance with Part L of the Building Regs. Strebel offers low height frames as standard with the S-CBX boiler along with matched hydraulic pipework sets, low loss headers, plate heat exchangers and flue options. The S-CBX has a built-in cascade controller enabling up to 16 boilers to be configured ONLINE ENQUIRY 128 together offering over 2MW output.

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Upgrade for digital hot water sizing software Boiler and water heater manufacturer Lochinvar has upgraded its SELECT digital hot water sizing program. While the SELECT program has been available for almost 20 years, the 2019 version includes a number of new features along with the company’s current high efficiency gas-fired water heater products. It can be quickly and easily downloaded from the Lochinvar website. The user-friendly program covers 20 different building types, including educational facilities, hotels and industrial plant. Data is entered via a ‘virtual walkthrough’ process and default settings are included where appropriate. SELECT helps designers of hot water systems calculate the most suitable product(s) to meet peak demand periods and the volume of hot water needed for the building in question. Most traditional hot water sizing methods are based on indirect systems with an emphasis on hot water storage. The advantage of direct gas-fired water heaters is that they work on low storage, but with fast recovery rates and SELECT 2019 prioritises continuous output.

Panel heaters for students The SELECT program enables the user to choose any combination from a single water heater up to four units, but Lochinvar has noted growth in the number of large commercial projects requiring multiple heaters. The software, therefore, allows the ONLINE ENQUIRY 129 choice of up to six models. „

Soft landing for heaters at Wolverhampton judo club Infrared heating expert Tansun has recently aided Wolverhampton Judo Club update its ineffective heating system with a number of its infrared heaters as part of an upgrade of its premises. The club required a heating solution that provided instant heat which was both effective and efficient. To match the needs of the busy facility, Tansun’s Apollo 2kW and 15kW, Eclipse 1.5kW and Sorrento Ceramic infrared heaters in black were chosen for the installation. Tansun’s infrared heaters were installed around the site including the judo mat and parent seating areas, the changing rooms and the club toilets. The instant heat, powerful heat output and controllability of each of the infrared heaters allows them to be turned up and down when required,

including only heating half of the judo floor when necessary, and will generate energy savings. Tansun’s Apollo A1A infrared heater is the smallest of the Apollo range and was installed in the club’s judo area. The Apollo range was designed to solve heating issues in large and problem areas such as gymnasiums, warehouses, aircraft hangars and places of worship. The Eclipse zero light ceramic

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infrared heater was used in the club’s changing rooms as they are designed to not give off glare and are fitted with farinfrared technology, which is considered one of the most energy-efficient forms of infrared heating available. The Sorrento Ceramic infrared heater’s versatility made it the right choice for heating areas such as the club’s toilets as it features a superior long-lasting infrared lamp and a polished parabolic reflector that enhances the heat distribution. Kevin O’Reilly, senior coach at Wolverhampton Judo Club, commented: “We have 12 heaters installed around the building in the toilets, changing rooms, the judo mat and seating area and we are very pleased with the results.� „

Stiebel Eltron has been selected by leading student accommodation developer Unite Students to provide panel heaters across its high-profile development portfolio. The developments, located at major sites such as Skelhorne Street in Liverpool and Battery Park in Birmingham, will provide more than 1,500 units of industry-leading student accommodation. The CNS-NC panel heater provides estates managers with control through its “slave control� feature, which sees the units controlled remotely to minimise the costs incurred by students heating their rooms. Mark McManus, managing director of Stiebel Eltron UK, commented: “We recognise the challenges that universities and estates managers face in providing high-spec developments that are energy efficient and minimise costs incurred by overuse. It’s this thinking that has led to the development of the no control option, and to have Unite Students on board with the idea is a fantastic endorsement of the technology.� „

ONLINE ENQUIRY 130

ONLINE ENQUIRY 131

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COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL

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Heating Technology For further information on Nortek Global HVAC UK Ltd visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 134

Danny Packham is European product Manager – Warm Air and radiant for Nortek Global HVAC UK Ltd

Match heat and ventilation Danny Packham explains the developments in air heating solutions to meet ventilation and air distribution requirements at a time when energy costs are escalating

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n commercial buildings, good ventilation will keep bad odours, irritating pollutants and potentially harmful gases like carbon monoxide at bay. Plus, it prevents the formation of mould and/or mildew, which is vital for employee health and building hygiene – especially important when in a kitchen or food processing environment. When production processes get underway, air quality can quickly deteriorate. Raised levels of indoor air pollution may reduce productivity, as well as having negative effects on the comfort of the building’s occupants. Certain industries are prone to airborne particles that can make life very unpleasant. Automotive manufacturing processes, for example, produce oil haze that hangs in the air. In other industries, chemical processes may generate foul vapours. An extract-only ventilation system will create negative pressure environment, resulting in replacement air being drawn from adjacent areas via door openings and structural gaps. In winter, this will introduce cold external air into the building, creating discomfort for its occupants. One alternative to an extract only system, is to introduce a ‘make-up air’ or supply air heating system that replaces the extracted air with conditioned fresh air. In this way, the environment within the building can be closely controlled, and never left to the mercy of external weather conditions. Make-up air systems are doubly advantageous – they create even temperatures throughout a building and ensure that extraction systems perform efficiently. If make-up air is not provided, an extract system has to work harder and the capacity will be reduced, producing system inefficiencies. The result is negative pressure within the building as unheated air is drawn in from around the perimeter, causing uncomfortable draughts and drawing

Make-up air heating units provide an effective solution to the problem of maintaining both air quality and stable internal temperatures

dust and dirt into the production space. Similarly, existing heating systems are unable to operate effectively.

Highly effective solution Make-up air heating units provide a highly effective solution to the problem of maintaining both air quality and stable internal temperatures. They deliver a balanced volume of replacement air into the body of the building. This creates a slight but uniform positive pressure throughout the internal space that inhibits the infiltration of cold external air and airborne dust. This principle not only allows the extract system to perform more effectively, but also provides costeffective heating. Without make-up air comfort conditions are difficult to achieve with cold draughts at low level and heated warm air rising to high level without any benefit to

18 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

building occupants at floor level. The Reznor packaged make-up air units such as PREEVA, IDF-BDX and RTU provide replacement air tempered to a pre-determined design temperature and maintain this temperature while extraction is in operation, while 100 per cent thermal efficiency provides reduced energy usage. Where extract rates vary, further energy savings can be achieved by using a variable air volume make up air unit. The volume of replacement air provided automatically adjusts with the changing extract rate thereby reducing both the electrical and gas usage. In summer, the make up air units also provide ‘free fresh air cooling’. Working together with Mitsubishi Electric, Reznor was able to develop a bespoke heating, ventilation and cooling system solution for McDonald’s Restaurants

McDonald’s has seen a 35 per cent reduction in energy consumption following the use of a bespoke heating, ventilation and cooling solution at 650 sites

Ltd that reduced running costs, was transferable across sites and improved customer experiences with a reliable, consistent and comfortable temperature inside all restaurants. McDonald’s were looking to create a comfortable environment for customers through a more energy efficient heating, ventilation and cooling system, The new air handling unit from Reznor is used for cooling, heating and ventilation and resulted in McDonald’s cutting their running costs by over £4,500 for each site, while reducing their carbon emissions significantly. The fast food giant also saw a massive 35 per cent reduction in energy consumption across approximately 650 UK restaurants following the installation of the unit developed by Reznor and Mitsubishi Electric. Dave Holden, building services consultant: UK & Ireland for McDonald’s said: “It is commercially critical for us to operate effectively all year round. When we started looking at replacing our air conditioning equipment we quickly realised we needed a bespoke system. We were coming at this with very specific requirements and off-the-shelf systems didn’t satisfy the need.” The innovative solution combined Reznor’s IDF Units with Mitsubishi Electric’s Air Source Heat Pumps, which were controlled by a building energy management system supplied by Powell Systems Ltd to achieve maximum operating efficiency. Following an initial trial in two restaurants, the results were impressive and saw an annual saving of £4,515 per year and on average 20 tonnes less CO2 emitted. The solution was designed to accommodate a variety of standard sized air handling units previously installed so that the replacement solution could be rolled out across all 1,200 restaurants. Intelligent combined heating and ventilation units are also a cost-effective and fuel-efficient solution for a variety of industrial applications, warehouse and logistics, bars and restaurants. 


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new products For further information on products and services visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter the appropriate online enquiry number

Web platform for monitoring and control Carlo Gavazzi’s UWP is an all new universal web platform designed for monitoring and control in building and or energy management systems. Applications such as lighting control with the latest DALI standard gateway (featuring tunable white light), HVAC control and a powerful energy management platform are all included. The customisable built-in webserver provides the opportunity to display data, build charts, set alarms and the control of the system, which can be accessed locally or remotely anywhere in the world without any additional annual licence fees. In addition, by leveraging its automation server functions, it is easy to exchange data with other systems via FTP, SFTP, FTPS, SMTP, Rest-API, MQTT, Modbus and BACnet. Exposing multiple opportunities for improved future proofing, performance and reduced inventory in applications such as offices, schools, retail spaces, and healthcare environments. By combining the capabilities of the company’s existing platforms, VMUC-EM (energy management), SB2WEB (HVAC & lighting), and SBP2WEB (car park guidance), in to one product makes for a more flexible solution, that can be easily scaled to fit many applications, large and small. “The development of the UWP meets the demands of our customers by providing a unified approach to controls services such as HVAC, lighting, energy management and car park guidance in one flexible and easy-to-use open platform,” said ONLINE ENQUIRY 102 Kevin Sheldrake, business development manager controls.

Full transparency through the cloud With the integration of the Belimo Energy Valve into the Belimo Cloud, users can create their own account in order to have full transparency about the energy consumption in the cooling/heating application – from anywhere and whenever they want. Access to the Belimo online services makes life easier and gives the security to always have the best settings for the devices. Integrated logic and sensors provide accurate coil performance data. Energy monitoring data is used to verify system performance during commissioning and acts as a baseline standard for system performance over time. Transparency on energy consumption for both heating and cooling can be achieved. Cloud connection can control, optimise, monitor energy usage and provide advanced system data reporting, driving product and system functionality. Enhanced communication allows for expanded system integration and BMS control with the addition of Modbus RTU and TCP/IP. Other integration possibilities include BACnet MS/TP and BACnet IP, Belimo MP-Bus, and one analog connection. The Belimo Cloud stores the entire history of the Belimo Energy Valve and its operating data in one location. It provides access to all data over the entire life cycle of the valve.

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“ Energy in Buildings and Industry and the Energy Institute are delighted to have teamed up to bring you this Continuing Professional Development initiative ” MARK THROWER MANAGING EDITOR

SERIES 16 | MODULE 09 | SMART BUILDINGS

Prepare now for smart buildings by Susan Logan, managing director, Ecoteric Ltd

S

mart’ is commonplace terminology for all manner of technologies from phones to cities. Definitions are somewhat arbitrary. This article will seek to find a reasonable description of ‘smart’ as it applies to buildings and explore the technologies, benefits and barriers when creating a smart building. As we get used to our lives being surrounded by the Internet of Things, increasingly we need to embrace the BIoT - Building Internet of Things. This is as much about process and working philosophy as technology but any organisation moving towards creating a smart building will need to embrace these three aspects. It is perhaps useful firstly to describe a conventional building. For many years, buildings have incorporated systems which require or provide a range of monitoring, data transfer and controls systems such as: • building energy management systems (BEMS) which control heating, ventilation and ventilation (HVAC); • fire and life safety systems such as fire alarms, sprinklers, fire suppression systems, smoke ventilation, gas and carbon monoxide monitoring etc.; • internal transportation such as lifts, escalators and moving walkways; • security systems incorporating alarms, occupancy detection, CCTV, access controls etc.; • voice, telecoms and entertainment systems, audio visual (AV) facilities for display and conferencing, intercoms, public address (PA); • data infrastructures including wireless access; • power networks monitoring, uninterruptible power systems and associated changeover, standby

generation and changeover controls, power factor controls and other electrical distribution controls and monitoring; • metering and associated monitoring; • lighting controls, such as occupancy based or daylight linked controls; and • condition-based maintenance systems. In a conventional building, each element of the building services has its own system and usually functions autonomously. These systems may be locked into a single manufacturer or product or some may be open protocol and accept other manufacturer’s products. The key point is that the systems will tend to be autonomous and have defined interfaces. For example, an office building has a ventilation system, a fire alarm system, lighting controls and access controls. In the event of a fire, the ventilation system is interfaced to the fire alarm so that it shuts down. The lighting controls bring the lights up to full output and access

controls release to allow evacuation. In this example, each system has an interface to the fire alarm system. Each system is commissioned separately, and the interface needs to be compatible with both systems served. The interface exists for a single purpose. These interfaces are reliable, easy to install, low cost and serve many buildings very well for essential life safety.

Variable occupancy patterns Consider however another example. An education building has a variable occupancy pattern. Close to exams, the building is highly occupied from early morning until late evening. Out of term time, the building occupancy is low, boosted occasionally by conferences and tends to be very low past 6pm. The BEMS is set to control the HVAC to set occupancy periods based on the highest level of occupancy and resetting is not difficult, but the BEMS team have no direct knowledge of the occupancy patterns and therefore do not realise Produced in Association with

MARCH 2019 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 21


SERIES 16 | MODULE 09 | SMART BUILDINGS

that significant energy savings can be made by varying the HVAC set periods. The access control system measures the number of occupants in the building and the times of entry and leaving. Linking the systems would allow the HVAC to go off or set back when the last occupant leaves. When the number of occupants is low, the system may allow ventilation systems to supply less fresh air. In this instance, more intelligent interfaces would be required. The latter example multiplied across many systems and for many purposes starts to define a smart building.

Use of multiple terms There are multiple terms that may be used to describe buildings which are smart, and of course it is not a binary definition, more of a spectrum or direction of travel. Many buildings will have integrated systems for multiple functions while retaining conventional “stand-alone” or single interface systems for other functions. Terms used may include ‘intelligent buildings’ or ‘smart buildings’. The point is that there is a level of connectivity that allows the buildings to adapt and respond to changing conditions. Estate services provider, Jones Lang Lasalle suggest: “To be considered an intelligent system, automation should be able to: monitor performance; detect inefficiencies; diagnose possible causes; make automatic adjustments; alert facilities management staff to issues that can be automatically corrected; and suggest possible tools and parts that may help staff members get the job done quickly.” (JLL, Smart Building Technology: Driving the Future of High Performance Real Estate).

maintenance, predicting when failures may occur, and matching system performance to maintenance needs; • better environment for occupants, such as responsive lighting, comfortable temperatures, adequate fresh air, good air quality, good acoustic environment boosting occupant satisfaction and staff retention; • better productivity through creating a good environment and adequate space available to perform tasks efficiently; • lower facilities management costs and life cycle cost improvement; • optimisation of space to reduce facilities costs; and • reduction of energy spend by matching demand to optimal charging periods. Some practical examples illustrate the benefits: • monitoring power use at peak and low charging periods and load shedding or shifting non-essential use to low charging times is possible now. In the future, it is likely that smart grid technology will shift loads, for example according to availability of renewable electricity generation. Smart buildings could be ready for schemes which minimise usage at peak times in return for lower fuel bills or financial incentives; and • daylighting is beneficial to occupants, but glare is detrimental to visual comfort. Automated blinds which respond to glare but open when the glare has passed allow maximum use of daylight creating a good environment for occupants and minimising lighting energy costs.

Performance benefits The objective of any smart building is to improve performance. Performance benefits can be considered in several different ways which may include: • better energy efficiency through matching system output as closely as possible to demand; • lower or more responsive

These aims all require information and control across multiple systems. Some require “real time” response. For example, responding to daily space requirements cannot be managed through historic data. Data management is at the heart of a smart building. At some level, there will be one or more data infrastructures which network systems, gather information, and have a central or distributed intelligence. The infrastructure may be wired, wireless or most commonly a combination of both. Most BEMS systems communicate through systems such as BACnet, KNX, LonWorks or Modbus, and will primarily be hardwired. Mbus, DALI and others are also used for specific applications in this case, metering and lighting. All these provide open access depending on configuration. In some systems, for example KNX, there is not just one single automation installation for all intelligence, but this intelligence is spread over individual system components. Wireless systems integrated into building automation include ZigBee, EnOcean, Z–Wave, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Thread, and Infrared.

Connected systems The different systems can be connected together, and many buildings will have a combination of technologies for example DALI lighting, Modbus enabled building services components, BACnet protocol BEMS. A depth of understanding of the limitations and complexity of

interconnection is needed, along with a robust conversation on which is best for the application. The integration of systems is however complex and requires cooperation between the facilities team or services designers and the IT team.

Consider business priorities If retrofitting, it is best practice to consider the business priorities such as space utilisation or productivity and focus on the key aspects that should migrate onto the smart building platform. Trying to integrate all services in a single project may lead to failure due to the sheer cost and complexity of the project. The data infrastructure is a critical factor. There is a massive increase in demand on most data systems due to trends in video streaming and conferencing, increased density of occupancy, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), security and surveillance. BIoT will add to the traffic creating bottlenecks and loss of speed unless the infrastructure is in place to support it. A scalable data infrastructure is essential. This will mean allocating space for hubs and vertical and horizontal cabling, all with space for expansion. At the end of the infrastructure resides the analytics which is the heart of the enterprise. This is perhaps the most important aspect as this is what determines what happens to the data collected and what decisions are taken as a consequence. The analytics are evolving and expanding rapidly and moving into the business market, alongside the more traditional BEMS providers. The focus of the business-based providers tends to be space utilisation and productivity as a priority with comfort, resilience and energy efficiency as secondary benefits. There is a good reason for this focus as the major cost to an organisation is primarily its staff, followed by premises. A smart building can meet all these parameters, but in terms of making a business case, there is no doubt that a project which promises increased productivity and reduced facility costs will appeal to the financial decision takers.

For details on how to obtain your Energy Institute CPD Certificate, see entry form and details on page 24 22 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019


SERIES 16 | MODULE 09 | SMART BUILDINGS

There are challenges that need to be carefully considered when moving forward in implementation. These include: • skill set. When considering a new building, the traditional design and construction team does not normally include a specialist in smart buildings. BEMS specialists are usually from a specific manufacturer and often not appointed until at best, the detailed design stage of the process. There can be a disconnect between those designing the data infrastructure and the building services data and control systems. It is likely that when setting out to implement smart building technology, an expert, ideally not tied to any particular solution, needs to come on board early in the process with enough knowledge and influence to evaluate technologies and advise on optimum solutions.

Communicate benefits Key to success is the ability of specialists to communicate the technical advantages and disadvantages of system options to a team and client who may not be familiar with the concepts and more critically the detail. It is essential to set out in layman’s terms, what the system capabilities are, the limitations, the ability to expand, the extent of open access, the future costs, security, availability of components and maintenance liabilities. Only then can an informed decision be made to go with a platform, system or system provider; and • privacy and security. Consider a conventional building where data trickles through small pipes which only connect at very limited interfaces. Now think of a smart building where data flows through a common large pipeline. If that pipeline is tapped, there is a much greater potential for a security breach which could cause major business disruption. At the same time, it is easier to protect a single pathway than manage multiple pathways. There is increasing awareness of surveillance through the devices present in our buildings, and, as these are connected, the potential vulnerability increases. The objective of surveillance is primarily to

gather data to predict behaviour. It could be considered benign, but any organisation considering or occupying a smart building would be well advised to consider how data could flow beyond the boundaries of the building or organisation and what the impact of that flow may be now, and in the future. Expert advice should be part of routine design and management activity. Maintenance of security of building services systems should be as important as physical and general data security. All security and privacy should be considered as part of business critical risk management and be proactive, anticipating and preparing for threats. In the future, as awareness of surveillance grows, organisations must be prepared to manage the fears and reaction of public and employees. For example, what would be the reaction of staff and visitors to being tracked as they move around the building? Openness and engagement are essential.

Evolution of technology Technologies are evolving rapidly, and our buildings can very quickly become outdated. The components that make up the architecture of a smart building will inevitably evolve and need to be changed within the design life of a building. It is therefore essential to build in the ability to replace outdated technology as newer systems become available. It is likely that wireless technology will continue to expand, although for the foreseeable future wired

backbones meshed with wireless will form the basis for most smart buildings. The limitations of speed, security and connectivity limiting wireless will inevitably be reduced in the future meaning that the mix of wireless and wired may well change. Wireless mesh networks will expand to accommodate the proliferation of devices that BIoT will bring. It would be prudent to design a new or refurbished building with easily accessed cabling routes. Provision should be made to install a new cabling system while maintaining the existing provision for data hubs that can be changed and adapted. And consideration should be made of how devices can be changed and added without disruption.

Ask the right questions To start the journey, ask the right questions: • What are my business or organisational priorities? For example, increased productivity; • What will address these priorities? For example, better air quality, better lighting, improved collaboration; • Who are the key people who need to be involved? For example, the facilities, IT, business manager, HR; • What is needed to improve? For example, better air plant, lighting controls, reorganising work space, new AV facilities; • How can these be integrated to bring about the desired outcome? For example, CO2 controls, air monitoring and feedback on air quality to the workforce, ability of the individual to control their lighting

levels, wayfinding to collaborative workspace; • What specialist advice is needed, and what defines best practice?; • What infrastructure is currently available? For example, BEMS, local lighting controls, access controls, data infrastructure?; • Can these be used or integrated, what are the limits on functionality? If not, what is needed to upgrade? If an upgrade or new installation, which system or systems best meet the needs?; • Should intelligence be distributed? What will be the effect of my project on data speeds and reliability?; • What is the timescale and budget?; • What are the threats to security and privacy and how are they going to be managed?; • What might we want to do in the future and what provision should we make now?; • What analytics are required to make best use of the data gathered?; and • Who will use the analytics and how? If all the above can be answered, the organisation will be well on the way to defining a smart building project. A smart building can be defined as one where there is an infrastructure which allows connectivity for multiple benefits in performance, and where data can be used in real time to react to changing conditions. There are great gains in environment, energy and productivity, and savings in facilities costs to be made. Along with the benefits, vigilance is needed to maintain acceptable levels of privacy and security. In a rapidly changing world, our buildings need to embrace the future.

Further reading • Anixter Global Technology Briefing “Smart Building Infrastructure Best Practices” provides good detail on risk management, network performance, space utilisation, workplace productivity and BIoT enablement. • For a useful overview of the open protocols, Schneider provides a useful overview, “Guide to Open Protocols in Building Automation” available at https://blog.schneider-electric. com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ SE-Protocols-Guide_A4_v21.pdf.

For details on how to obtain your Energy Institute CPD Certificate, see entry form and details on page 24 MARCH 2019 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 23


SERIES 16 | MODULE 09 | MARCH 2019

ENTRY FORM SMART BUILDINGS Please mark your answers on the sheet below by placing a cross in the box next to the correct answer. Only mark one box for each question. You may find it helpful to mark the answers in pencil first before filling in the final answers in ink. Once you have completed the answer sheet in ink, return it to the address below. Photocopies are acceptable.

QUESTIONS 1. What could be considered as one of the characteristics of a smart building? n All devices connected to the internet n Devices and systems connected to provide data, analytics and control n All devices hard wired n A combination of devices which are hard wired and wireless 2. Which of the options below lists three of the performance benefits of a smart building? n Energy efficiency, access control and AV facilities n Good space utilisation, lower facilities management costs and BEMS n Data security, integrated systems, good internal environment n Responsive maintenance, reducing energy spend, better productivity 3. Which of the terms below can be used to describe a smart building? n BYOD n BEMS n BIoT n IoT 4. According to Jones Lang Lasalle, which of the following are the three things that automation should be able to do? n monitor performance; detect inefficiencies; diagnose possible causes n make automatic adjustments; alert facilities management staff to issues that can be automatically corrected; keep records of events n suggest possible tools and parts that may help staff members get the job done quickly, monitor staff breaks, reorganise work space n Provide good daylighting, make automatic adjustments; diagnose possible causes 5. What may prevent successful implementation of a smart building project? n Security concerns n Privacy concerns n Lack of adequate skills in the team n All of the above

6. What are the possible consequences of increasing data traffic? n Bottlenecks and loss of speed n Scalable infrastructure n Increased density of occupancy n Security and surveillance 7. Which of the following would not be a benefit of a smart building over a conventional building when there are variable occupancy patterns? n The heating and ventilation could respond to the occupancy pattern n The heating, ventilation and lighting could respond to the occupancy pattern n The ventilation and heating could be controlled by setting the time periods n Space utilisation could be monitored and optimised 8. What is the closest definition of open architecture? n The ability of a system to expand n A system or infrastructure intended to make adding, upgrading, and swapping components easy n A system and/or and infrastructure intended to control and manage data n A collaborative use of design and design tools 9. Who would not be involved typically when implementing a smart building project in a new building? n Future facilities managers n IT specialists n Building users n Structural engineers 10. Which of the following features of a smart building is likely to improve the energy efficiency most? n The ability of the building to shift energy use to lower charging periods n The facilities managers being able to predict and prevent failures n The building being able to respond automatically to changing patterns of use n The space utilisation improving

Please complete your details below in block capitals Name.......................................................................................................................................................................... (Mr. Mrs, Ms)..................................... Business..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Business Address.................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ .................................................................................................................................. Post Code ...............................................................................................

How to obtain a CPD accreditation from the Energy Institute Energy in Buildings and Industry and the Energy Institute are delighted to have teamed up to bring you this Continuing Professional Development initiative. This is the ninth module in the sixteenth series and focuses on Smart Buildings technology. It is accompanied by a set of multiple-choice questions. To qualify for a CPD certificate readers must submit at least eight of the ten sets of questions from this series of modules to EiBI for the Energy Institute to mark. Anyone achieving at least eight out of ten correct answers on eight separate articles qualifies for an Energy Institute CPD certificate. This can be obtained, on successful completion of the course and notification by the Energy Institute, free of charge for both Energy Institute members and non-members. The articles, written by a qualified member of the Energy Institute, will appeal to those new to energy management and those with more experience of the subject. Modules from the past 15 series can be obtained free of charge. Send your request to editor@eibi.co.uk. Alternatively, they can be downloaded from the EiBI website: www.eibi.co.uk

SERIES 15

SERIES 16

MAY 2017 - APR 2018

MAY 2018 - APR 2019

1 Lighting Technology 2 Boilers & Burners 3 Compressed Air 4 Water Management 5 Combined Heat and Power 6 Drives & Motors 7 Underfloor Heating 8 Energy Purchasing 9 Photovoltaics 10 Heat Pumps

1 BEMS 2 Refrigeration 3 LED Technology 4 District Heating 5 Air Conditioning 6 Behaviour Change 7 Thermal Imaging 8 Solar Thermal 9 Smart Buildings 10 Biomass Boilers*

* ONLY available to download from the website after publication date

The Energy Institute (EI) is the professional body for the energy industry, developing and sharing knowledge, skills and good practice towards a safe, secure and sustainable energy system. The EI supports energy managers by offering membership and professional registrations including Chartered Energy Manager, as well as workshops, events, training and networking opportunities across the UK and overseas. It also produces a number of freely available knowledge resources such as its online Energy Matrix and energy management guide.

email address.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Tel No...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Completed answers should be mailed to: The Education Department, Energy in Buildings & Industry, P.O. Box 825, GUILDFORD, GU4 8WQ. Or scan and e-mail to editor@eibi.co.uk. All modules will then be supplied to the Energy Institute for marking

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Terms: in submitting your completed answers you are indicating consent to EiBI’s holding and processing the personal data you have provided to us, in accordance with legal bases set out under data protection law. Further to this, EiBI will share your details with the Energy Institute (EI) with whom this CPD series is run in contractual partnership. The EI will process your details for the purposes of marking your answers and issuing your CPD certificate. Your details will be kept securely at all times and in a manner complaint with all relevant data protection laws. For full details on the EI’s privacy policy please visit www.energyinst.org/privacy. • To hear more from the EI subscribe to our mailing list: visit https://myprofile. energyinst.org/EmailPreferences/Subscribe

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VIEW FROM THE TOP

Rahul Birla is sales manager, EcoEnergy Insights Europe

Smart is here and now Smart buildings are now a reality. Rahul Birla believes that building operators must equip themselves with the knowledge to keep ahead of the changing nature of our buildings

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mart buildings are no longer a nebulous, unattainable concept or a catchy phrase thrown around by architects and surveyors. Smart buildings are very much a reality, and the impact they can have on how businesses operate can be enormous, especially if the technology and data generated are harnessed in the right manner. What’s exciting is that technology is constantly evolving and there are numerous possibilities that open up, such as managing energy consumption, maintenance of equipment, occupant comfort, safety and security. A smart building, in short, is a building where the various systems – meters, sensors, heating, cooling, lighting, automation system, etc. – are connected/ linked. It centres on the concept that all the data being generated by the building devices is being collected and analysed constantly and sometimes in real-time. This helps to provide intelligent insights which leads to adjustments in the operations of the buildings, resulting in energy efficiency, improved thermal compliance and also healthier assets. Many buildings have systems today that operate independently and become inherently inefficient due to a lack of dynamic monitoring that would otherwise enable them to adapt effectively to different conditions or modes of operation. Smart technologies and solutions can facilitate better decision making and automation of responses. This then provides the building operator with greater agility to create an environment that provides continuous comfort, safety and security to its occupants, while at the same time saving money on energy and maintenance costs.

Life cycle less than five years One of the criticisms of the industry is that equipment and technologies are so fast moving that they can have a life-cycle of under five years before being replaced – sometimes before the value of the existing technology is realised. This is where proper advice is key, for example, first extracting value from a building’s existing technology before investing in something new. The use of data analytics will also help to make an informed decision on which new technology

of buildings so that they can predict issues and react with agility before it becomes a costly affair.

Operate business safely

Birla: ‘smart buildings are evolving , opening up possibilities for energy managers'

‘Having a static policy will no longer be sufficient’ to invest in and what will maximise value, rather than simply bringing in the most up-to-date equipment with no strategic plan. A further way in which building managers can see huge improvements in cost-efficiency is through monitoring the energy consumption, temperature, asset performance and other parameters with the goal of generating insights that result in some tangible outcomes. This can be achieved by having in place an analytics-led service that complements existing investments in energy infrastructure made by building managers. These services integrate multiple data-streams from which both short-term and long-range analytics outputs can be designed. These outputs can have several benefits for businesses, including energy reduction, maintenance cost reduction, food-loss prevention, policy adherence and asset availability. Positive savings results can be achieved with sites having basic meters, sensors and controls in place. In order to move to a more data-centric mindset, buildings need to incorporate sub-meters and other IoT devices that can generate more granular data and better insights into building operations. This will lead to a reduction in operational costs through better efficiencies and energy reduction. Buildings that are already well metered with controls and supporting infrastructure do not require new investment in instrumentation. They can start consuming the benefit of a data analytics-led programme very quickly. Monitoring and metering enable building managers to stay alert to the health

Every building services manager or facilities engineer is familiar with the measures required to operate their business safely and compliantly within their place of work. Some of these are sector agnostic and some are sector specific. Take the hospitality sector, for example. Food safety compliance is a key requisite for restaurants, hotels and indeed any building serving food. Through the deployment of meters and sensors around a large restaurant, building managers can understand the different levels of consumption of energy as well as the ranges of temperatures at different times of the day. From this data, they are able to detect when there has been a breach in food safety compliance, as well as calculate where greater efficiencies can be made. Some markets around the world are more advanced than others in terms of the sophistication of data use and application. The UK is, generally speaking, relatively advanced in terms of modelling and reporting building management data. However, there are also other factors to consider in the management of buildings. Of equal importance to the insights and actions that monitors, meters and sensors provide is the maintenance of equipment. It may sound obvious, but a poorly maintained and over-worked asset will be significantly less efficient than a recently serviced one. Capturing and analysing data can help to proactively pre-empt maintenance needs and to focus on assets that require maintenance, rather than servicing all the assets, which would lead to more costs. This results in a more condition based maintenance environment than a reactive one. Many customers create programs and goals based on meeting the minimum requirements of regulatory requirements. Future changes to regulations will be more and more stringent. Therefore, building operators should equip themselves to stay ahead of changing requirements. With business needs also constantly changing, having a static policy will no longer be sufficient.  MARCH 2019 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 25


Water Treatment & Management For further information on Trend Control Systems visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 135

The elixir of life

Efficient water management in large buildings is essential. Bob Blincowe explains why a BEMS can monitor and control water supply, storage and distribution systems to maintain a healthy environment

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egionella pneumophila bacteria are common in natural water sources such as rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, but usually in low numbers. However, they can also be found in purpose-built water system infrastructures and, unless conditions are kept within certain parameters, they can thrive in cooling towers, evaporative condensers, hot and cold water systems, and spa pools, achieving optimal growth at temperatures of 25-42°C. Proliferation can be encouraged by water stagnation and sediment build-up in water systems including fittings, pipework and materials and, once the bacteria proliferate, Legionnaires’ disease becomes a distinct possibility and can cause a potentially fatal form of pneumonia. Water systems are notoriously complex and it is vital, therefore, to control this risk by introducing and continually adhering to appropriate measures. One way of achieving better management and infection control is through the use of a BEMS, which can monitor and manage up to 84 per cent of a building’s energy consuming devices. In addition, the ability to monitor and control many different inputs/outputs (I/O) into the main plant area of the water system can be achieved by utilising unused capacity already on-site. A properly specified, installed and maintained BEMS will ensure that plant is operating correctly and will provide an alert if attention is required. Furthermore, the key to maximising the effectiveness of a BEMS is information – the more connected devices in a single building, multi-building site or multi-location estate, the more information is gathered and can be acted upon.

Water stagnation can lead to Legionella build up in water systems

Utilising a BEMS for the management and control of water supply systems requires a number of key considerations and, perhaps, the most important concerns temperature. When configured to provide an automatic early warning system it can monitor, control, and inform about a range of conditions relating to the status of the water system, and alert designated personnel via email and text messages if quality conditions fall outside pre-defined levels.

Monitored and alarmed Domestic cold water (DCW) storage tanks should be monitored and alarmed to check that the water temperature stays below 24°C, as above this level legionella bacteria can grow. Furthermore, domestic hot water (DHW) flow and return temperatures should be monitored, and if they fall below 50°C for a prolonged period an alert can be sent and the problem resolved before there is any risk. In addition water stored in DHW and DCW tanks must be ‘turned over’ every 12 hours to guarantee a fresh supply. This process can be monitored and alarmed so that if an individual tank does not

26 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

‘By monitoring metering, tank level, and temperature a BEMS can provide a clearer picture of the system’ reach the correct turnover in 12 hours, an alert is issued. A BEMS can be configured to carry out this task automatically, using outputs connected to solenoid valves to ensure sections of pipework are flushed for a pre-determined duration. By monitoring systems such as metering, tank level and temperature, backflow prevention valves, filters and pumps, not only does a BEMS provide a clearer picture of the system, but also avoids costly wastage of water either through leakage or – if the tanks have gone over-temperature - through ‘dumping’. In the event that this does happen, in a wellmanaged system this water can be transferred into a ‘recovered’ tank for use in toilet flushing/laundry

Bob Blincowe is strategic account manager UK healthcare at Trend Control Systems

etc., rather than simply being dumped to drain. Identifying problems early can also minimise expense and hassle in the long-term. For example, in a complex flow and return system, if one room reports no hot water this is obviously not just an issue at the point of use, but also indicates that stagnation points exist in the system. Traditionally, this would result in an engineer tracing the cause of a ‘cold spot’ by trying to balance the system. However, by using temperature and flow sensors that are linked to a BEMS in each room, as well as the sentinel points at the inlet to each wing/ building/facility on the flow and return ring main, the problem can quickly be identified. The system can then be balanced, ensuring all rooms get hot water and, just as importantly, avoid stagnation in the system. BEMS can also facilitate highly sophisticated configurations and the addition of solenoid valves on the hot and cold inlets and mixed outlet can allow the testing and shut down of TMVs automatically, with control and reporting. Furthermore, through the adoption of ‘smart’ outlets such as infrared taps and mixers, and touch-free and electronically controlled devices for flushing and showering etc., the overall ‘connected’ result can be maximised. Apart from the time saved, there are other issues that are subsequently addressed such as unnecessary time taken to fault find, and disruption/access to patient rooms, consistency of result, automated logging of data and reports and alarms generated before an infection control incident. Through easy monitoring and management, a BEMS gives building managers the ability to identify issues quickly and easily and to optimise their systems. The more inputs into the system, the greater range of reports available and the greater control offered by the available outputs. The status of connected devices into a common graphical, real-time user interface or wider monitoring system can help integrate systems together, monitor specific activities and initiate any necessary changes. 


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eibi.co.uk/enquiries Enter 10


Water Treatment & Management For further information on ADEY’s Commercial Division visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 136

Filtering for protection Ian Roberts considers how magnetic filtration can help provide long-term protection for commercial plant rooms as the ErP Directive drives change

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ith the objective of improving energy efficiency, the ErP Directive has supported the introduction of more modern boilers. Although welcomed by the industry, the development has highlighted the problem and threat posed by corrosion to commercial heating systems. This is an issue not to be underestimated. Ensuring steps are taken to mitigate damage will help to maximise value in commercial plant rooms. It is also important we consider risk versus performance. When these are equally balanced, we are at compliance. However, tipping this scale to lower risk and raising performance is what you should be aiming to do. To achieve this, a best practice approach is most effective, and this will include the adoption of magnetic filtration as part of a complete water treatment programme. The problem is caused by magnetite which makes up around 98 per cent of system debris and is a direct result of corrosion that occurs when water circulates through boilers and pipework. However, magnetite particles are very small, measuring just eight microns (0.088mm) in diameter, which makes capturing them difficult. It also means they can travel easily around a heating system, deposit in low flow areas such as heat exchangers, base boards and radiators, cause erosion in turbulent areas, and clog up pumps. As part of the adoption of ErP, older, more tolerant but less efficient cast iron boilers have been replaced with more efficient stainless steel and aluminium models. These newer generation boilers cannot match the durability of cast iron units unless the proper protection is in place. They are smaller which means their heat cells are more prone to magnetite blockages while the

Magnetite makes up around 98 per cent of system debris and is a direct result of corrosion

small waterways, reduced from 50-60mm to as small as 8mm in some cases, are also susceptible to becoming blocked. While the industry has been quick to respond to these legislative changes, in the most part it has failed to react to the implications these advances in technology have on long-term system performance. This is leaving a large proportion of heating systems vulnerable to breakdown. There is now

Embracing technology One example of how magnetic filtration has made a real difference is at University College London. The university comprises 422 buildings, including academic sites, research laboratories, student accommodation and energy centres. In London alone, this translates to 320 boilers which started undergoing a substantial and complex replacement programme last year. Protecting these boilers is a significant and ongoing priority for the facilities team, and given what they serve, maintaining good performance is paramount, so UCL turned to magnetic filtration to help protect its investment. Currently more than 60 commercial filters have been installed ranging in size from 2” to 6”. This is part of a planned maintenance programme being rolled out over at least the next five years with the most affected systems being prioritised and treated first. Eventually all UCL systems will be protected by magnetic filtration.

28 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

Ian Roberts is managing director of ADEY’s Commercial Division

widespread adoption of magnetic filtration in the domestic sector, with installers very much in tune with the benefits it can bring. Replacing a boiler in the home is an expensive exercise but when you consider this in a commercial context, the associated costs will be multiplied many times. Based on our experience, we estimate that to protect a domestic boiler an investment of around 15 per cent of the capital cost is usually made but in a commercial context it’s more likely to be around 1 per cent. Historically, dirt and air separators have provided much of the protection for commercial systems. However, the mesh used to capture the magnetite particles is not small enough, leaving sludge to circulate round the system. Technology has now moved on and been replaced with a far more effective way of protecting expensive plant rooms. As the name would suggest, magnetic filtration has magnets as its core. These are usually powerful neodymium magnets which are tolerant to high temperatures and available in different sizes depending on the size of the system. The filter can easily be fitted to the pipe work and this can be done on a brand-new heating system or retrofitted. The filter will also need to be monitored, emptied and serviced as the sludge collects around the magnets. Some filters also offer greater flexibility, with both side stream and in-line installation being possible. Specifying magnetic filtration from the start will ensure investment in large and expensive systems is properly protected. There is a real need for more widespread adoption of the technology but for this to happen, greater awareness and education about its benefits must be understood and spread throughout the industry. Specifiers and facilities managers can talk to their contractors or maintenance teams to ensure the message is getting through. Perhaps the biggest problem is that many are still relying on older technology without realising that it is an ineffective way to capture magnetite. 


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B Building uilding Energy Energy Management Management SSystems ystems Connecting Connecting People People and and Buildings Buildings IQ™ VISION V ISION has has been been incredibly incredibly well well received received by by those t hose looking looking to to monitor, monitor, manage manage and and control control their their smart smar t buildings. Many hospitals and health b uil di n g s . M any h ospital s a nd h ealth authorities authorities are ar e already effectiveness off ttheir a lready using using it it to to enhance enhance tthe he e f f e c t i ve ne s s o h e ir changing and extensive estates. rrapidly apidly c h a n gin g a nd e x t e n si v e e s t ate s . vision, with IQ™ VISION v2.2 delivers State of the ar artt Building Super Supervision, system security, security, extended functionality functionality and an enhanced greater system user experience. IQ™ VISION V2.2

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Tr en d C Trend Control o Systems T o find out more or to view the demo To demo, visit trendcontrols.com eibi.co.uk/enquiries Enter 11

eibi.co.uk/enquiries Enter 12


Water Treatment & Management For further information on Danfoss Drives visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 144

From waste to power The Danish city of Aarhus has succeeded in creating an energy neutral water cycle for around 200,000 inhabitants. At its heart is power generated from an advanced sludge treatment plant

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y minimising energy consumption throughout the whole water cycle (water and wastewater handling) combined with maximising energy production from the wastewater facility it has been possible to create an energyneutral catchment area for 200,000 people in Denmark’s second largest municipality, Aarhus. This has been achieved without adding external carbon to the wastewater facility or using any external energy sources (e.g. sun or wind power). In recent years a few wastewater treatment facilities have started to achieve energy neutrality. The most common approach is to digest the sludge and use the gas from the digester to generate electricity and heat. The electricity and heat are typically used to meet the needs of the wastewater facility itself and the surplus, if any, is sent into the electricity grid or district heating system. If this is not possible, the gas can be cleaned and exported to the natural gas network or used as fuel for buses and other road vehicles. There are good reasons to adopt this sort of approach, as wastewater facilities are highly energy intensive. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), between 3 and 4 per cent of the total electricity consumed in the USA is used by water and wastewater handling facilities. The UN claims that the corresponding figure worldwide is nearer 8 per cent and the EPA also states that around 35 per cent of the electricity bills of local government relate to water and wastewater operations. Aarhus Water Ltd is a water service company in Denmark’s second largest city – Aarhus – with operations that cover both water and wastewater handling. Five years ago, it started a process aimed at optimising the energy efficiency of its treatment facilities, with a special focus on the Marselisborg catchment area. This is a relatively flat geographic region in the centre of Aarhus, which has around

In recent years wastewater treatment facilities have started to achieve energy neutrality

200,000 inhabitants. It is a traditional city area where water is obtained from a groundwater source and is, on average, pumped from a depth of 35m.

Reduction in leakages On the water supply side, energy savings have been obtained by reducing leakage to between 6 and 8 per cent from more that 14 per cent, and by splitting the city into pressure zones. It is anticipated that additional energy savings will be possible by optimising the pumping for groundwater, and by even more effective pressure zone management. The Marselisborg wastewater facility, which deals with household wastewater from the city, is a

30 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

conventional activated sludge treatment plant with mesophilic digestion. No FOG (fats, oil and grease) or external carbon is added to the process, and no solar or wind energy sources are used. The wastewater facility has been upgraded with more energy efficient equipment and, equally important, a comprehensive computer control system, which makes extensive use of on-line sensors. Key elements of the upgrade include: • securing energy-efficient bottom aeration by, among other things, ensuring regular maintenance of the aeration system; • installing high-speed turbo blowers; • installing a high-efficiency CHP

(combined heat and power) plant; • fitting Danfoss AC variable speed drives (VSDs) on all rotating equipment in the catchment area – a total of 290 VSDs. In 2014, these measures resulted in the production of 130 per cent electricity – that is, 30 per cent more than used for operating the process – and 2.1GWh of heat, which is used in the local district heating network. Overall, this equates to a total energy production of 192 per cent – 92 per cent more than the energy used by the wastewater facility. This energy covers 94 per cent of all energy used for water supply production, water distribution, wastewater pumping and wastewater treatment in the 200,000 inhabitant catchment area. Toward the end of 2015, the Anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) process was implemented for treating the reject water and an additional highly efficient CHP generator was installed. These steps are expected to increase energy production to the level where it will be sufficient to cater for entire energy needs for the complete water cycle in the Marselisborg catchment area. In the first eleven months of 2016, the wastewater treatment plant produced around 234 per cent, equal to 134 per cent more energy than needed for its own operation, which means that the catchment (water production and distribution, wastewater pumping and treatment) area was now energy neutral. In fact, there was an energy surplus of 7 per cent. Aarhus water is now in the process of upgrading the next catchment area, Egaa. This is a smaller area with 120,000 inhabitants. Performance similar to that achieved in Marselisborg is expected, even though the Egaa facility is only half the size of the Aarhus one. In conclusion, it has been proven, that based only on traditional processes and household wastewater, it is possible to make the whole water cycle in a catchment area completely energy neutral, without adding external carbon or using wind or solar energy. A further bonus is that the return on investment period has been found to be less than five years and so Aarhus has been able to reduce water prices. 


Phil McEneaney is head of sales at Stulz UK Ltd

Comfort & Precision Cooling For further information on Stulz UK Ltd visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 141

Poor knowledge equals risk to your business

replacement compressor may be needed after as little as three years, if the unit is run day in, day out, as comfort units are not designed for this level of continuous operation. Precision cooling units with EC fan technology can also offer further savings in running costs, however. It is a “false economy” to prioritise Phil McEneaney warns that a failure to understand the difference between comfort capital outlay when specifying aircooling and precision cooling is resulting in poorly specified equipment conditioning units: If you install a solution that isn’t appropriate for oorly specified cooling There are significant risks the technical environment, you will technology can result in associated with inappropriate have issues. Effectiveness needs to erratic climate control; use of comfort cooling units, be the primary consideration, along increased operating which installers need to be with the long-term operating costs. expenditure, and costly aware of. Unlike comfort air It is important to note that comfort disruption to IT operations. With conditioning units, precision cooling systems also perform ‘oil emerging trends such as 5G, IoT, units feature strictly controlled return cycles’, which override the set automated vehicles and digitisation and accurate dehumidification temperature controls and can lead in the industrial sector, there will to intermittent falls be a dramatic increase in remote in temperature. edge data centres and small, While this is less localised server rooms – reliability of a problem in will be critical. But are installers of server rooms, this cooling solutions prepared for these can present issues developments? A lack of awareness in environments of the differences between comfort such as laboratories, cooling and precision cooling where precise is impacting the reliability of IT temperatures infrastructure, resulting in serious are critical to the consequences for businesses. integrity of the Around half of businesses testing processes. A lack of awareness currently install comfort cooling in Precision cooling of the differences small server rooms instead of the units do not need between comfort correct precision cooling. This is a this operating cooling and precision cooling is impacting common mistake; there is a need feature and the reliability of IT for education on the importance therefore do infrastructure of precision cooling in delivering not present an resilient IT operations. We are operational risk in unit will have a typical ‘sensible frequently called in to replace this way. heating ratio’ of between 0.5 and 0.6, inappropriate units installed in Other differences while a precision unit will have a technical spaces. are also important sensible heat ratio of 1. Comfort cooling units are to note – for comfort designed for cooling people in offices Remove the moisture cooling applications, and retail environments. This type it is less important Comfort cooling units, which are of cooling technology is intended for the filter to be highly effective designed to remove the moisture (tolerance +/- 5 per cent relative to operate for short periods of time in removing small particles; dust produced in retail and office spaces, humidity), as too much humidity (of around five hours per day, five circulation has no detrimental effect can use up to 50 per cent of their can lead to condensation and days per week) and the typical life in a non-technical environment. In energy for dehumidification. This is corrosion, while too little can cause expectancy for a unit is around five server rooms and technical spaces, it an important difference – precision static charges, data loss and damage years. Precision cooling, on the other is crucial to prevent particles being air conditioning units convert more to hardware. hand, is designed for use in technical blown or sucked into technical than 95 per cent of the energy used If you are removing moisture environments, 24 hours per day, equipment, as this can shorten the exclusively into cooling capacity. from the air, via a comfort system, seven days per week, and the typical lifespan of IT assets. Therefore, the technology required you must be aware that the air will life span is much longer – usually Ultimately, rooms subject to to achieve this pays off quickly in become drier and this can lead between 10 and 15 years. high thermal loads need constant terms of lower operating costs. to static build-up in the technical Comfort cooling units as part of climatic conditions in order to work A comfort cooling unit rated at space. These static shocks can be their design are designed to cater 10kW, with a sensible heat ratio of quite powerful and lead to failures of reliably. Fluctuating temperatures, for ‘latent heat’. Environments that humidity and dust jeopardise both 0.5, will only deliver 5kW of sensible sensitive electronic equipment. We are populated by people (as opposed function and data stocks. Precision cooling. A precision cooling unit, have seen instances where comfort to technical equipment) produce cooling technology is specifically with a heat ratio of 1, on the other cooling units have been specified, this type of heat, which contains designed for server rooms and hand, will deliver the full 10kW. and the client has had to purchase moisture, while technical spaces technical environments where This means you may need to specify additional equipment to add (such as server rooms) radiate pure reliable thermal optimisation and two comfort cooling units to deliver moisture to the room. heat – referred to in the industry as high availability are crucial business the same capacity as one precision Other factors also contribute ‘sensible heat’. A comfort cooling imperatives.  cooling unit. to increased expenditure and a

P

MARCH 2019 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 31


ESTA VIEWPOINT

For further information on ESTA visit www.estaenergy.org.uk

Status quo is not an option We are way off target on climate change to reach global targets. Julia Szajdzicka believes disruptive technologies and a change of attitude from government are needed right now

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appy with the status quo? If you are then you need to change! Have you ever left something critically important to the last minute and then spent a nail-biting time wondering if you left it too late? The same is happening with climate change. It seems unreal that 20 years ago I studied the science of climate change and yet today some very important people still don’t seem to get it. As the American physicist Richard Feynman said: “We are a bunch of cells, thinking about a bunch of cells…. But we are also a bunch of cells that has moved around a lot of other cells. In fact we’ve moved stuff around so much that we are putting our own existence in jeopardy.” Sound familiar? Well of course it does. We have known what we are up to for a long time. However, we are currently way off target on climate change, and 80 per cent biodiversity loss means there’s only 20 per cent left that isn’t us and our farm animals. How much further are we 32 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

going to push our luck? Since the IPCC announced the need for a 1.5˚C upper limit to the increase in global average temperatures since pre-industrial levels, hesitation and confusion caused by climate change deniers has been replaced with more wide-scale acceptance of anthropogenic climate change. But by now it is way past the time for embarrassing silence when someone in the meeting mentions climate change, and way past the time when, for example, the UK should be on the same page as Ireland and have an A* rating on all new buildings in place. That’s not to say that a lot of people, businesses, government departments, university departments and entrepreneurs are not getting on with it. We have seen our rise in GDP decoupled from CO2 emissions thanks to the much faster than expected rise in renewables and energy efficiency measures, but much more systemic change is required. And such change is being persistently demanded by business, which needs

Julia Szajdzicka is managing director, ND Metering Solutions, and member of ESTA’s automatic Monitoring & Targeting group

governments to create the level playing field that will enable us all to operate in a way that is conducive to a sustainable future. We know only too well in the UK how bad uncertainty is for business. The kind of change needed by businesses that are rising to the challenge of climate change, would facilitate more of what is often called “disruptive” technologies and services, because they are deemed to disrupt the status quo. However, this view depends on which side of the fence you are standing on. So called disruptive technologies are in fact the hope we need of preventing the massive disruption that the IPCC warns us about; the kind of disruption that would act like a positive feed back mechanism, and vastly increase our ability to restore our living systems to the balance we need in order to survive and maintain civilisation. Changing the way we think is critically important to what we are trying to achieve. There are barriers in our institutions and they aren’t just carbon-intensive business interests. Every sector needs to adapt and act on climate change. So every government department needs to review their responsibilities and embed action on climate change at every level, with very strong overall leadership to coordinate a systemic approach. We have known what we need to do for much longer than 20 years. We now have more than enough technological answers and even more businesses wanting to get on with it. The impetus that the IPCC’s 1.5C˚ announcement has given us encourages us all to be the change we need, change that is needed urgently to maintain enough of the status quo of our civilisation, so that we can restore the eco systems of which we are a part, and on which we rely totally, for everything we have, including ourselves. This ‘global’ way of thinking is permeating across ESTA’s groups with further discussions being thrashed out in ESTA’s Cognitive Energy, sub group where behaviour change, energy efficiency and sustainable approaches are being debated from a business mindset. The challenge as always is continued traction in an environment coping with constant distraction. As we are encouraged by the IPCC announcement, I encourage you to enter the debate, get involved and have your say? Reach out and engage with us at an upcoming event and help to deliver the future for energy in the UK and beyond. Your input would be welcome. 


Stephan Lang is business development manager with SAV

Heat Recovery Systems For further information on SAV visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 138

Meeting the schools challenge Recent tightening of ventilation regulations for schools presents a number of challenges for the design of systems and the types of product used. Stephan Lang considers the options

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n August of last year a new version of Building Bulletin 101 (BB101) ‘Guidelines on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools’ was published, following a long consultation period. The main significance of this document is that it demands better control of draughts, temperature and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels – as well as reiterating the noise criteria of the previous version. And, of course, energy efficiency is also an important consideration. It is this need to control all of these parameters simultaneously that presents a challenge and determines the types of ventilation products that can be used to ensure compliance. In particular, the necessity of controlling both CO2 levels and temperature independently of each other is proving difficult with traditional system designs. Failing to control temperature adequately may result in draughts that are unacceptable in the new BB101. For example, a recent ventilation design for a school in Scotland was initially designed to use a ‘mixed air’ system, which mixes stale warm air with incoming air so that the temperature of the incoming air is increased slightly. However, computational fluid dynamics modelling showed that with an outdoor temperature of -2°C (not uncommon in Scotland) such a system would not provide BB101compliant control of both draughts and CO2 levels at the same time. Meeting the requirements of one would inevitably lead to compromising the other under such conditions. It is this consideration that is now leading many ventilation designs to use mechanical ventilation with heat exchangers, as was the case with the school mentioned above. With the right design these units enable independent control of indoor air quality and supply air temperature to ensure compliance with BB101. However, not all

mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems are equal. Preventing draughts requires effective control of both the temperature and velocity of the incoming air – and this needs to be achieved while maintaining CO2 at acceptable levels (daily average of no more than 1,000ppm between 9am and 4pm). If there is an increase in activity in the space, resulting in higher CO2 levels from exhaled breath, this can lead to a demand for higher levels of incoming air to reduce the CO2 concentration. Such an increase in air velocity risks causing draughts in cold outdoor conditions unless appropriate control is included. Providing appropriate control requires a heat exchanger, two fans that can be controlled independently of each other and, in centralised ventilation systems, appropriately

positioned dampers in the ductwork, with diffusers and CO2 sensors in the ventilated spaces. These requirements may be met by introducing additional components to a centralised system (thereby increasing cost) or opting for decentralised units that incorporate all of these components as standard. Another requirement of BB101 is to avoid overheating in summer, using criteria based on CIBSE Technical Memorandum 52 ‘The Limits of Thermal Comfort: Avoiding Overheating in European Buildings’. This necessitates the use of temperature sensors and sophisticated control. The system should also be able to exploit nighttime cooling opportunities and boost airflow during the day without creating draughts. Again, this may be achieved by a suitably designed centralised system with extra components, or with a decentralised

unit that includes them as standard. As well as the need to control indoor air quality (IAQ) from indoor pollutants, there is growing concern about the impact of poor outdoor air quality on the IAQ within school buildings. A recent study of London schools by University College London and the University of Cambridge found that a significant proportion of indoor air pollution is due to outdoor air pollution – in some cases leading to illegally high indoor air pollution. This means that, in city and town centres at least, any incoming air needs to be filtered to higher levels than has traditionally been the case; ideally to ensure compliance with the new ISO 16890 standard that came into force on 1st July 2018. It is also important that both incoming and outgoing air are filtered to protect the heat exchangers from pollutants, thereby maintaining optimum heat exchange and reducing maintenance requirements. The options available for ventilating school spaces range from manually opening windows through to balanced mechanical systems, with numerous variations in between. The requirements of BB101, particularly the need to control temperature and IAQ independently of each other, now favour the use of mechanical ventilation systems with heat recovery. With increasing pressure on reducing pollution within classrooms and the requirement to maintain low internal noise volumes, mechanical ventilation systems will soon be a requirement within city centres and other urban areas. In designing such systems, account needs to be taken of all of the control parameters discussed here, which often necessitates additional cost for extra components such as sensors, dampers, attenuators etc. An alternative is to opt for a decentralised system using individual units in each space, which incorporate all of the required components and controls. 

MARCH 2019 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 33


Heat Recovery Systems

Russ Burton is group chief operating officer, SHARC Energy Systems

For further information on SHARC Energy Systems visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 139

The heat beneath our feet A huge amount of wasted heat is used in the waste water pouring out of our buildings. It’s time to reclaim the heat flowing beneath our streets to provide more heating and cooling, says Russ Burton

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t is an under appreciated resource, but there is a continuous stream of heat pouring out of virtually every building in the land. Heat that is bound up within the wastewater that we discharge from our laundries, waste from industrial processes, pour down the sink after washing and cooking and flush down the toilet. Wastewater carries around 25 per cent of a building’s daily energy consumption straight down the drain. Across North America and the EU, the volume of wastewater is 330bn litres every day. If we could capture the heat, we could replace 1.5bn MWh of natural gas consumption. Discharged wastewater typically reaches around 21ºC, much higher than other regenerative heat sources such as air source, well water or ground source geo-exchange, and is readily available in urban areas where these alternatives are more difficult to access. The opportunity is now there to recover this heat and use it to provide a high percentage of heating and cooling within buildings or, excitingly, as a significant contributor to district heat networks. SHARC Energy is supplying wastewater heat recovery systems that fully support the new generation of heat network systems being developed worldwide (60ºC outflow, 40ºC return). Technically, the specific solution varies, though the principle remains the same. In all cases the wastewater is intercepted and diverted to a wet well, where, in SHARC’s case the waste water is filtered through a patented clog-proof system, allowing the warm effluent to feed a proprietary heat exchanger that transfers heat into a primary heat pump feed. The ‘dirty’ water is, of course, kept completely separate from the clean water and is returned to the wet well to re-join the solids and feed back into the sewer. The heat from the wastewater is now captured in the clean water and a

For larger scale applications an energy centre can be installed and managed and maintained under a design, build and operate arrangement

heat pump, which boosts the water temperature to around 60ºC for distribution to the heat network to be used for space heating and hot water. The use of heat pumps is highly energy efficient and can typically achieve 350-400 per cent efficiency depending on application. In the case of sewage heat recovery this can be increased to 500 per cent. For large scale installations where a number of buildings are involved or a heat network is in place, SHARC will install an energy centre on site with the SHARC Equipment managed and maintained by SHARC personnel under a design, build and operate (DBO) arrangement. The first installation by SHARC in the UK was at Borders College

34 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

Wastewater heat recovery has now proven itself across a wide range of projects

near Galashiels and has now been successfully operating since spring 2016. In partnership with Scottish Water Horizons and Scottish Borders College, SHARC Energy supplied an energy centre that makes good use of the 900mm trunk sewer connecting to the treatment works about 500m from the site.

Thermal modelling work Following a period of due diligence with the Scottish Water Horizons team, involving thermal modelling work to prove that there would be no detrimental effect on the biological treatment processes within the sewage works, SHARC was granted a sewer connection licence to access the sewer and draw off the required resource to run the

system. In operation, a seasonal Coefficient of Performance (CoP) across the year of 3.9 is being regularly achieved, with certain periods of the year delivering as high as 4.8. Two 400kW capacity Carrier heat pumps are used to create a peak capacity of 800kW, with 1.2GWHrs of thermal energy feeding the site each year. 1000m of pre-insulated buried heat network pipes were installed around the campus to connect the SHARC heating supply directly into the low loss headers located in the College’s five plant rooms around the site. Over the full year, Borders College will achieve 150 tonnes of carbon savings against annual targets. For smaller scale applications, such as blocks of apartments, student accommodation or hotels, the company have developed the PIRANHA system, a fully integrated heat pump wastewater heat recovery solution that connects to a buildings wastewater discharge. Just launched in the UK, Piranha has been developed by SHARC in Canada, with the most recent installation at the Lake Louise Inn, a 200-room facility in the Banff National Park, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Piranha system focuses on the laundry room, intercepting the wastewater before it leaves the premises, the recovered heat then heating incoming water for future laundry loads. The installation was commissioned in September 2018, and has achieved a daily heat output of 375kWh, with typical COPs of 4.8. Lake Louise Inn’s laundry room is propane heated, and over a twoweek test period the Piranha system reduced their propane requirement by an estimated 1,063 litres, the equivalent of 1.64 tonnes of CO2. Wastewater heat recovery has now proven itself across a wide range of projects. With the opportunities emerging from the rise and rise of district heat networks to incorporate renewable energy sources, this is a technology whose time has come. 



Heat Recovery Systems For further information on Ricardo Energy & Environment visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 140

There is a widespread belief that industrial operators are missing the potential of heat recovery

A helping hand for heat recovery Now that the government is offering grants to manufacturing sites and data centres UK organisations should not miss an opportunity to cut emissions and costs, believes Dr Richard Hodges

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round the world, industrial processes release vast amounts of heat as waste to the atmosphere. Where this heat can be recovered is a significant opportunity to improve process efficiency, reduce costs or even generate new revenue streams. It also needlessly adds to the stock of national emissions. The challenge and opportunity of industrial waste heat recovery is becoming well recognised internationally. In the UK, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) announced in October 2018 the launch of the Industrial Heat Recovery Support (IHRS) programme. This is a grant funding programme open to manufacturing sites and data centres who would like support to

scope out and implement projects to recover and utilise surplus heat.

Not tapping into potential There is a widespread belief that industrial operators are not tapping into the potential to recover and reuse heat and are therefore not enjoying the financial benefits. This could be because of a lack of knowledge and information about the potential to do this at their sites, or because of the relatively long payback periods when specific projects are identified. The IHRS programme has been developed to address these barriers by providing grant funding for feasibility studies and for the actual implementation of projects to recover and reuse heat. The programme is open to manufacturing sites located

36 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

‘All activities in the lifecycle of a heat recovery project are eligible for grant funding’ in England and Wales whose activities fall under Standard Industrial Classification codes 1033. It is also open to data centres in respect of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and ancillary systems. All activities in the lifecycle of a heat recovery project are eligible for grant funding. This means that grant funding is available against the costs incurred when carrying out feasibility studies, preliminary engineering, detailed design, and

Dr Richard Hodges is principal consultant, infrastructure & utilities, Ricardo Energy & Environment

capital project delivery. In all, there is £18m of grant funding available; £4.2m for feasibility studies and preliminary engineering, and £13.8 for detailed design and capital delivery. Applicants may receive up to 50 percent of grant funding against the costs of feasibility studies, preliminary engineering and detailed design. Up to 30 percent is available for capital project delivery. There is a continuously open application window running until the end of September 2019. Applications received are not assessed continuously but during assessment windows, each of two months duration. Crucially, this means that all applicants wishing to access this grant funding must make their applications by the end of September 2019 at the latest. Moreover, BEIS is front-loading the availability of grant funding towards the earlier assessment windows. Qualifying industrial and data centre companies should embrace this programme. For those requiring assistance, we are here to help. Ricardo worked closely with BEIS in defining the scope, eligibility and assessment criteria of the programme, so we understand what a successful project would look like. Our CHP (combined heat and power) and heat experts have a comprehensive range of skills and experience key to scoping out and implementing heat recovery opportunities. These include knowledge of industrial processes and heat recovery technologies, generation and audit of mass and energy balances, due diligence of technical proposals, and project financial appraisal. These skills are key for identifying and progressing technically sound projects which can be implemented efficiently and generate long term cost and carbon savings. Most of all, we are impartial. We are not a technology supplier, so our advice is technology neutral and based solely on each solution’s technical and economic merits. Moreover, our technical competencies and impartiality can be applied to industrial heat recovery projects globally. 


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Shout it from the rooftops Choosing renewable energy serves to distinguish a business as a market leader. Now is the time for businesses to shout about their green energy choices, says Ashley Phillips

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apid advancements in technology and important policy changes have been making energy managers’ lives interesting - and challenging – for quite some time now. And while the pace of change may initially have caught some businesses off-guard, most won’t be surprised to learn that it’s not likely to slow during 2019 or beyond. Nor will the focus lessen on driving carbon reduction and sustainable practice in our industrial sector. The reason for this is simple: Business and industry have a crucial role to play in securing our low-carbon future, with nondomestic consumption accounting for two thirds of power use globally. The commercial benefits of CO2 reduction are numerous and significant. For example, RE100 members consistently outperform their peers financially and 88 per cent of members cited economic reasons for joining the initiative1. The fact of the matter is, while the main driver of industrial decarbonisation over recent years has been a legislative and governmental focus on climate change, it isn’t just policy makers who are pushing businesses to ‘go green’. The UK public grows ever-more engaged with the issues surrounding CO2 production and climate crisis. This is further demonstrated by the findings of our 2018 consumer survey. It told us that almost three quarters of consumers prefer to buy from brands that use renewable energy2. From consumer demand through to talent retention and from better control over energy costs through to supply chain resilience, adoption of green energy represents an opportunity for businesses of all types and sizes. Organisations like the RE100 have long recognised the importance of businesses making an environmental commitment. Now, a new Leadership Paper3 published by The Climate Group in association with CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) draws on the best practice already being implemented by the RE100 collaborative to lay out a framework that can guide more businesses towards leadership in the transition to renewable energy. Such businesses are now being encouraged not only to make more 38 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

The UK public is growing ever-more engaged with the issues surrounding CO2 production and climate crisis

environmentally sound energy choices but also to make those choices more actively, more transparently and more publicly.

Why is this important here in the UK? Despite all the arguments in favour of decarbonisation, progress towards our climate commitments has now stalled, according to the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). 2018 marked the tenth year since the Climate Change Act came into force since the creation of the CCC. Over the decade before, leaps and strides were made towards the UK’s decarbonised future. However, with the legally binding targets of the fourth (2023-2027) and fifth (2028-2032) carbon budgets still ahead, our nation is no longer on course to meet our obligations under the Paris Agreement4. The year ahead will therefore be critical. The CCC is calling on policy and decision makers to act with urgency and the UK’s industrial sector has a central role to play here. Businesses can help to drive change by declaring their green intentions and setting targets that are ambitious, clearly defined, and achievable within their specific set of circumstances. Their action will send clear messages to policy makers and encourage others to join the energy revolution. Moving momentarily away from the bigger picture, actively choosing renewable energy also serves to distinguish a business as influencer and

Ashley Phillips is managing director Ørsted Customer Solutions UK

market leader, boosting business resilience during what are quite uncertain times. It’s important to acknowledge that, despite the best of intentions and the increasing benefits of renewable choices, there can sometimes be internal and external factors that can affect a business’ ability to choose green energy. These range from an organisation’s appetite for risk, through to market structure, availability of capital, capacity to understand market opportunities, and geographic diversity of business operations. Each business will be affected by a unique and often evolving set of circumstances. So how can your business take its next step towards a better energy future, secure better energy prices for the long term, and take a more active and enduring role in the UK’s transition to renewable energy? It may begin by making a commitment to sourcing 100 per cent renewable electricity from a trusted source, by optimising how energy assets are used on site, or it may involve longer-term investment through a corporate power purchase agreement (PPA). The RE100 reports cited above provide us with straightforward evidence that companies embracing the opportunities created by the clean energy transition are already reaping the benefits. They are the leaders in their sectors. With so much at stake for our individual businesses, our wider industry and our planet, isn’t it time we all worked together to ensure the UK develops the services, infrastructure and technology we need for our better energy future? 

References 1. Making business sense: how RE100 companies have a lead on their peershttp:// media.virbcdn.com/files/98/2d0162fd0066457aRE100andCapgeminiReport.pdf 2. 73 per cent of UK consumers would choose retailers that use renewable energy. Ørsted consumer attitudes survey 2018 https:// orstedbusiness.co.uk/-/media/WWW/Docs/DCS/ UK%20DCS/Collateral/Consumer%20Sentiment%20 Survey%20Report%20v3.pdf 3. RE100 Leadership Paper http://media. virbcdn.com/files/ef/f8e97377fa5493beRE100LeadershipPaper.pdf 4. 2018 Progress Report to Parliament https://www. theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/CCC2018-Progress-Report-to-Parliament.pdf


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Products in Action

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Finding the Finance For further info visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No.143

Gateshead Council beats carbon reduction target Thanks to funding from Salix a council in the north east has made impressive carbon reductions across its entire estate

Gatwick Airport installation is a first for ultra-low GWP chiller The first UK installation of Carrier’s new ultra-low Global Warming Potential (GWP) AquaForce 30XAV chiller operating on the company’s PUREtec HFO R-1234ze refrigerant has been completed at Gatwick Airport Ltd. Selected as a replacement for an ageing air-cooled screw chiller, the project is part of a major upgrade at Jubilee House, the administrative offices of Gatwick Airport Ltd. Carrier, a world leader in high-technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions, is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies. Carrier’s AquaForce 30XAV with Greenspeed Intelligence was selected by Gatwick Airport Ltd as a solution to help meet the airport’s strict environmental policy, set out in its Decade of Change vision and Cooling Strategy beyond 2020. The new policy includes goals to transition away from high Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants and targets to reduce carbon emissions by 50 per cent, energy consumption by 20 per cent, and securing 25 per cent of its energy from renewable sources. The chiller uses refrigerant R-1234ze with a GWP rating of less than 1, has low sound output and high resilience due to its dual refrigeration circuit. Carrier’s Greenspeed Intelligence system delivers high efficiency by matching cooling output with ONLINE ENQUIRY 105 the load using a fine-control inverter.

Air handling units for flagship store

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ateshead Council have exceeded their targeted 35 per cent reduction in carbon emissions between 2009 and 2016 and are on track to achieve further reductions across the council’s estate, some of which has been financed using their Salix Recycling Fund. The energy efficiency projects financed through Salix are set to save the council an estimated £742,000 and 3500 tonnes of CO2e annually. Using Salix funding, the council has financed an impressive 69 energy efficiency projects including pipework insulation, LED lighting, and Building Energy Management System (BEMS) installations and have used their £1.15m recycling fund to finance over £3m in energy efficiency projects. The council also applied for Salix one-off loans to fund larger scale projects, such as the Gateshead International Stadium, highways lighting (including zebra crossings and parks) and several schools around the area. Gateshead Stadium, home to Gateshead Football Club, is used for athletics events and also Gateshead College sports students, schools and the public. This meant that the building services required needed to be high quality and flexible to meet the needs of users.

Derek Luke, senior mechanical engineer at Gateshead Council said, “Although Gateshead International Stadium is an important part of our portfolio, the costs associated with consistent maintenance and modernisation outweighed the ever-reducing capital available to meet that need. Salix was the ideal mechanism to plan and fund energy efficiency works that allowed the investment needed to bring this local and national asset up to date.” The project has allowed inefficient services to be upgraded, ensuring a modern internal environment, saving money and mitigating the need to re-build. All the stadium’s internal lighting has been replaced with LED equivalents that are adjustable where necessary. Heating and ventilation have been upgraded in the sports hall to include significant recirculation of the treated air while automatically adjusting to higher summer temperatures as well as non-sports use. The BEMS has also been upgraded and optimised to achieve closer control and significant savings have been made in contrast to previous settings by controlling the heating pumps to avoid excessive run times. • Visit salixfinance.co.uk for an in-depth case study on Gateshead Council.

Air Handlers Northern Ltd recently supplied nine air handling units to Norstead, a division of Metnor Group, for IKEA’s flagship store in Greenwich. The project was designed by Waldeck in Sheffield and air volumes ranged from 1.7m3/s to 12.5m3/s. The double-stacked supply and extract units were made to a tight delivery schedule and all units incorporate thermal heat recovery wheels along with directdriven plug fans. Four of the larger units incorporated a two-stage evaporative system provided by Air2O. One of the larger units (left), handling 10.5m3/s, was witness tested by the customer for air volume and pressure drop compliance. The heating and cooling coils in the units all had PIC valves and energy meters fitted by Air Handlers. ONLINE ENQUIRY 112

MARCH 2019 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 39




TALKING HEADS John Mulholland

John Mulholland is founder and principal consultant at Mulholland Energy

Does ISO 50001 make a difference?

Getting certified to ISO 50001 pays dividends for those companies that adopt it. But John Mulholland believes that there is so much more potential for organisations wanting to cut costs

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t takes some effort and cost to build an Energy Management System (EnMS), to get everyone involved and then go through a certification process. So is it worth the effort? Does the application of ISO 50001 make a difference? An answer to that can be found in two case studies on 3M and Schneider Electric. Both organisations have sites across the world and are pro-active in energy management. For both companies some sites are certified to ISO 50001:2011 and some are not. All sites achieved savings but those with ISO 50001 saved 62 to 65 per cent more energy than those that didn’t. The Energy Management System Standard, ISO 50001:2011, was published in June 2011 and the rapid take up since then has resulted in more than 90 countries with over 22,800 certifications by December 2017. In August 2018, a revised version was published: ISO 50001:2018. This new version adopts the High Level Structure (HLS) common to other management standards. It removes some requirements and adds others. It also makes some requirements less prescriptive. Between 2015 and 2017 the growth rate for ISO 50001 was 90.8 per cent but the number of global certifications is only 22,870 (to December 2017) compared to 362,610 certifications for ISO 14001 which sets out the criteria for an environmental management system and has been running since 1996. In the future there will be companies who will hold ISO 50001 but not ISO 14001 and vice versa. However, there will be many who will hold both these standards. So by 2030, the number of global certifications for ISO 50001 has the potential to grow from the current 22,870 to more than 300,000. So the journey has just begun. Many people new to ISO 50001 are surprised to learn that there is no central register of organisations certified to ISO 50001. While ISO publishes the numbers of certifications they do not publish the names or organisations holding current 42 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MARCH 2019

‘ Up to 65 per cent more energy is saved at sites operating to ISO 50001’ certifications. So an organisation can claim to hold accredited certification to ISO 50001:2011 but there is no way of checking if this is true. If ISO knows the names of organisations then why is there no accessible list?

Sharp increase in certification There is evidence in Europe that there was a sharp increase in certification in 2015/16 which may have been stimulated by the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS). Article 8 of the EU Directive on Energy efficiency mandates ‘large undertakings’ to conduct mandatory energy audits every four years across all 28 EU Member countries. However, an available route to compliance in most countries is by holding ISO 50001 certification on the compliance date. Another sharp increase in ISO 50001 certification is expected this year in the run up to Phase 2 of ESOS compliance date of 5 December 2019. However, there is evidence that Government tax breaks can also encourage

Mulholland: 'certification to a standard ensures consistency and continuity in energy management'

take up. Examining the countries with the greatest number of ISO 50001 certifications supports this. At one point Germany held over 50 per cent of global certifications to ISO 50001:2011. It now stands at 36.3 per cent with 8,314. The UK follows some way behind on 3,078 and France in third on 2,307. So why is Germany top of the country leader board? The answer is that the enlightened Germany government gives green tax breaks to German companies holding certification to ISO 50001. Furthermore, German companies have access to grants for renewable projects only if they are certified to ISO 50001. There is some logic to this thinking. Why install relatively expensive renewable energy generation if the organisation is ‘leaking’ energy by poor energy management practices and from the lack of investment in energy efficiency? In other words, sort out the demand side (by applying ISO 50001) before applying high cost renewable generation. If every country in the world followed Germany’s fiscal incentive example, the number of global certifications would increase at least three fold. It could mean 1m certifications worldwide by 2030 instead of the likely 300,000. We know from 3M and Schneider this is likely to result in up to 65 per cent more savings compared to business as usual. This could have a substantial impact in reducing energy consumption, costs and carbon dioxide emissions. However, a little known fact about ISO 50001:2011 is that the words “carbon” or “carbon dioxide” are never mentioned in the entire standard, it is all about reducing kWh consumption. However, reducing kWh naturally leads to reduction in carbon dioxide emissions as well as costs. Could ISO 50001:2018 make a significant difference to reduce carbon emissions? The answer is ‘yes’ for three reasons. The first is that most of the direct controllable carbon emissions by organisations are from their energy use. Second, ISO 50001 is a global standard and already is being applied in 95 countries. Third, evidence from the case studies of 3M and Schneider, shows that up to 65 per cent more energy is saved at sites operating to ISO 50001 compared to sites which don’t. And unlike various company initiatives where energy performance waxes and wanes certification to a standard ensures consistency and continuity in energy management and thus benefits the company and the wider environment. 


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