March 2023

Controls need to go back to basics The first step towards smart buildings

Choosing the right heat exchanger Will it be shell and tube or plate?

A smarter future for water Metering is on the rise

Belimo proud winners of the Technical Product Innovation of the Year 2022

FEATURES

On The Cover

The most effective way to deal with future price increases is to prepare our buildings and make them as energy efficient as possible. With a robust energy management strategy in place that not only caters for the drive towards net zero but is also ready or enabled for the next energy crisis, building managers can develop a planned approach to understand where their energy is being used. The use of building energy management systems (BEMS) and data analytics can play a crucial role in the success of the strategy.

Graeme Rees, president of the Building Controls Industry Association, discusses the scope and potential of building controls and their ability to create truly smart buildings - provided we get the basics right first.

SEE PAGE 28 for more details

13

HEATING TECHNOLOGY

Innovating with hydrogen storage

Anne Wraith discusses the latest innovation in green hydrogen technology and its potential to decarbonise heating processes across multiple sectors

16

It’s all in the exchange

What are the lifetime costs? What about maintenance requirements? Matt Hale assesses the pros and cons of shell and tube and plate heat exchangers

18 Effective Integration of thermal stores

Neil Parry explains how network delta T can be maintained in the plantroom and how the subsequent thermal store stratification can be used to control the energy sources

20 Come together for the energy transition

Heat pump manufacturer, Mitsubishi Electric is calling on the construction industry to come together to address the UK’s need to transition to low-carbon heating

25 Energy saving in the City of London

Autoflame Service & Support partnered with facilities management company, BGIS, on an award-winning upgrade for The Leadenhall Building in the City of London

SMART BUILDINGS

28 For smart follow the basics

Graeme Rees discusses the scope and potential of building controls and their ability to create truly smart buildings - provided we get the basics right first

30 A tiny tool to help slash energy use

Chris Green examines how current sensors can be used to measure and track the energy being used by different parts of a site, such as the lighting circuit or HVAC

SMART BUILDINGS

34 Create digital added value

Together with Telekom, ZIEHL-ABEGG has developed an IoT platform based on Microsoft Azure to enable its customers to digitally transform. Simon Hirschmann explains

WATER MANAGEMENT

38 A smarter future in sight

Smart metering finally looks to be on the horizon in water, offering customers the prospect of more granular consumption information to help them use water more efficiently, says Karma Loveday

39 Good hygiene for humidifiers

Preventing scale build up in humidification is essential. John Barker examines the methods of preventing to ensure equipment is maintained at optimum performance

40 Take a new look at water quality

James Townley takes a look at an alternative methodology for preventing formation and water-side corrosion produced by the Association of German Engineers

REGULARS

10 The Warren Report

As the European Union’s carbon price tops €100 for the first time the UK will be forced to follow the example of the EU with its own tighter emissions rules

21

Follow us, ‘like us’ or visit us online to keep up to date with all the latest energy news and events www.eibi.co.uk

33 You are what you breathe

As the UK government fails to meet its own deadline to introduce clean air targets under the Environment Act 2021, Stacey Lucas examines the impact this will have on our health

Fundamentals CPD Series 20.8 Energy Purchasing

In theses times of turbulent energy prices, Chris Haines gives some wise words on the best strategies for purchasing your power

26 New Products

37 ESTA Viewpoint

Mervyn Pilley examines how the reorganisation of government departments might affect the energy sector, and why businesses need to know what further support they might get with energy bills

41 Products in Action

42 Talking Heads

From building refurbishments to new anaesthetics Hannah Callingham examines the many challenges the NHS faces as it moves towards its net zero target by 2045

Photo courtesy of Building Controls Industry Association

EDITOR’S OPINION

Action needed for next winter

Mark Thrower

Managing editor of Energy in Buildings & Industry

Who hasn’t had a conversation in recent months with friends and family about high energy bills? I’m sure we’ve all spent far too much time wondering when bills will start to come down. And taking a snap shot of whether people have cut down on their energy use, friends and family have overwhelmingly said they had. Efforts were being made to keep the heat off all day or for as long as possible.

But the results of my little unscientific, amateur snapshot of habits don’t seem to be borne out by evidence of an overall reduction in gas use in the UK. You would expect a reduction in overall energy use as homes and businesses cut back or find other sources of heating. But on page 7 we reveal that European countries

Energy in Buildings & Industry

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slashed their gas use from August to January, as every EU government launched emergency measures to contain the energy crisis created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This policy was assisted by unusually warm winter weather.

Overall gas use in the 27-nation European Union plunged by a staggering 19.3 per cent from August to January compared with the fiveyear average for the same period, according to data published by EU statistics office Eurostat. In contrast, Britain reduced consumption by less than 1 per cent. Dr Iain Staffell of

per cent

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Imperial College London lead author of the quarterly Drax Electric Insights report on energy consumption, said: “The UK is an outlier on the world stage, showing no signs of reducing its appetite for gas during a time of dramatically higher prices.”

From September through to end of November, Britain’s gas demand was 12 per cent lower than in an average year. However, demand was just 0.3 per cent lower than what would have been expected given the mild weather – implying that relatively few people and businesses have changed their behaviour in light of the gas crisis.

Intervention by European governments including, for example, small adjustments such as the closing of doors on French shops to cut air conditioning use through to Germany’s massive €177bn Climate and Transformation Fund, have been in stark contrast to the UK where the Government did not want to commit to any kind of energy-saving target.

Prices may start to decline in the coming months but unless there is a greater effort to reduce overall consumption we could be storing up major problems for next winter.

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Overall gas use in the EU plunged by a staggering 19.3

Technologyagnostic approach needed for decarbonisation

The Sustainable Energy Association (SEA) and Partners have published a report that advocates for a technologyagnostic approach to decarbonising buildings and tailoring solutions that achieve the best outcomes.

‘A technology-agnostic approach to heat and buildings policy’ brings together expertise from across the industry to explain why incorporating a diverse range of low-carbon technologies into heat and buildings policy is crucial to delivering Net Zero.

The SEA has been a longtime promoter of a ‘fabric first’, holistic approach to decarbonising buildings, and argues that government policy should be based on an evidenceled, data-driven, bottom-up and technology-agnostic route to Net Zero. This means the next stages of transitioning buildings to net zero includes deploying the best technologies, in the right circumstances, for the best results.

This report also delves into issues beyond the fabric, which includes the heating system, onsite microgeneration, flexibility and smart controls, urging adoption of the most appropriate and effective lowcarbon technology.

A number of primary benefits of this approach are identified, including:

● an accelerated route to net-zero buildings: How technology agnosticism will target and channel investments into a variety of low-carbon technologies for decarbonising buildings at an accelerated rate, whilst maximising the benefits of healthy and cost-effective buildings; and

● flexible and smart building energy systems: How a technology-agnostic approach puts more emphasis on the installation of smart and flexible technologies to reduce the costs associated with operating buildings and transitioning to Net Zero. ■

New Government energy efficiency taskforce ‘to support a step change’ in demand management

Yet another Government-backed energy efficiency taskforce is being formed, again to “support a step change in the reduction of energy demand through accelerated delivery of energy efficiency across the economy.”

Its role will be to “advise and work with ministers on delivery of the government’s ambition to reduce total UK energy demand by 15 per cent from 2021 levels by 2030, across domestic and commercial buildings and industrial processes.” This is the precise goal set by the Chancellor in his Autumn Statement last November (see EiBI Nov 2022).

Despite only meeting for the first of its scheduled monthly meetings during March, there is no guarantee that its work will continue into 2024. Formally sponsored by new Energy Secretary, Grant Shapps (right), its terms of reference do make clear that he “will review the role of the taskforce by the end of 2023.” He will then “decide whether it should continue.”

There are to be two co-chairs. These are long-standing junior energy minister in the House of Lords, Lord Callanan, described by Shapps as “excellent,” and Dame Alison Rose, CEO of NatWest Group. Coincidentally, when the Major government created a similar energy efficiency task group in the early 1990s, its chair was the then

head of NatWest, Derek Wanless. That time round, the task group existed for just under two years.

The 2023 taskforce will have a particular focus on the role of the private sector and the stimulation of investment. Its priority areas of focus will include to “stimulate the supply chain to address and increase investment, reduce skills gaps, accelerate pathways to accreditation, improve product manufacturing capability, and increase the wider availability of materials required to deliver high quality upgrades at pace”. In addition, it will be tasked with “identifying barriers and opportunities in existing market and regulatory frameworks to delivering the demand reduction ambition.”

The taskforce will not have a free hand. “When discussing and agreeing

solutions, the taskforce will work within the parameters of existing government funding envelopes and policy.” While all staff will be provided by the energy department, unusually it will apparently have immediate access to the two overall key Government figures. “The taskforce will share progress and seek input from the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer as required, through the co-chairs.”

The taskforce co-chairs are to be supported by “a steering group to be appointed in due course.” This will include “expert members” drawn from nine different interests, including “the energy efficiency, clean heat and industrial process sectors, alongside wider delivery bodies, business, academia, non-profits, local authorities, and the housing sector.” ■

EPCs ‘can overestimate energy demand by 344 percent’

Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) have come under fire in a report in The Times, which found that the certificates can overestimate actual energy use by up to 344 per cent.

This suggests homeowners and landlords may be wasting money on energy efficiency upgrades that will have a negligible impact on their energy bills and the environment.

Climate fintech company CarbonLaces compared the EPCs of more than 17,000 homes against their actual energy use and found that, on average, they overestimate by a factor of two.

The Times said: “The average metered gas and electricity use for all the properties studied was 125kWh per square metre a year - 91 per cent lower than what their EPCs claim (239kWh/m²/yr).”

The lower the EPC rating, the bigger the overestimation, the Times found. For properties with the lowest rating of G, EPCs say they use 656kWh/m²/ yr, despite the smart meters showing they use only 151kWh/m²/yr - a 344 per cent gap.

D-rated homes, the most common in Britain, were found to have a 52 per cent overestimation.

F-rated homes showed a reality gap of 161 per cent, while those

rated E and C had a gap of 90 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively. A and B-rated homes reflect the most accurate EPC ratings, but still slightly misrepresent true energy use.

The Times points out that inaccurate and unreliable EPCs could have widespread consequences. Landlords are already banned from letting properties with F and G ratings, and under government proposals would be prevented from letting any property with less than a C rating from 2025. There are also proposals that mortgage lenders have an average C rating in their portfolio by 2030. Without accurate EPCs these proposals could potentially have a massive effect on the housing market, particularly the already stretched rental sector. ■

GAS CONSUMPTION

Gas use in the European Union slashed by almost 20 per cent

European countries slashed their gas use from August to January, as every EU government launched emergency measures to contain the energy crisis created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This policy was assisted by unusually warm winter weather.

Overall gas use in the 27-nation European Union plunged by a staggering 19.3 per cent from August to January compared with the fiveyear average for the same period,

according to data published by EU statistics office Eurostat. In contrast, Britain reduced consumption by less than 1 per cent.

Russia, previously Europe’s top supplier, cut off most deliveries to EU countries in the months following its February 2022 invasion of Ukrainetriggering an energy crisis in Europe of scarce supplies and record-high prices.

The energy-saving drive has helped

EU countries near the end of winter ensure their storage facilities are unusually full - increasing confidence that they will avoid shortages. In contrast, Britain closed its main gas storage facility at Rough in 2017. European gas prices have tumbled since December, although they remain almost double their 2021 rate.

EU countries appear on track to considerably overachieve their target to voluntarily cut gas demand by 15 per cent from August to March - one of numerous emergency efforts introduced by Brussels and national governments last year to save fuel and replace Russian supplies with alternatives ahead of the northern hemisphere winter.

Analysts said it was too early to deduce what had curbed demand in specific sectors, but mild winter temperatures and industry switching production fuels in response to high gas prices were among the other drivers.

Preliminary statistics suggest no similar reductions have been achieved in Britain. Dr Iain Staffell of Imperial College London lead author of the quarterly Drax Electric Insights report on energy consumption, said: “The UK is an outlier on the world stage, showing no signs of reducing its appetite for gas during a time of dramatically higher prices.” ■

Heat pump sales in Poland take off

Heat pump sales soared in Poland in 2022, surpassing every other European Union country, with a growth rate of 120 per cent.

According to the European Heat Pump Association, nearly one in three space heating units sold in Poland last year was a heat pump.

Air-to-water units saw the largest growth, with sales increasing by 137 per cent compared to 2021, reaching 188,200 sold. Ground source heat pumps also saw an increase of 28 per cent.

This growth is driven by factors including the lower operating costs as well as the Polish government fuelling this swell of support with subsidies up to 30 per cent.

PV panels to come to roof of college chapel

Cambridge City Council has given the green light for the university to install photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of King’s College Chapel.

The plans, which form one facet of the college’s strategy to decarbonise its operations by 2038, will meet 100 per cent of the energy needs of the Chapel.

Data sharing is a key challenge facing the property sector as it works to decarbonise, according to a study from the British Property Federation (BPF), which calls for clear, long-term policies, regulation and incentives to support the industry’s efforts.

The report, produced in partnership with JLL, “Towards Net Zero: Challenges, opportunities, and policy recommendations” states that access to data is a major problem, with property owners and occupiers referencing it as one of the top three challenges to decarbonising.

A lack of quality data makes it difficult to calculate accurate operational carbon and set realistic carbon reduction targets.

Policy and regulatory uncertainty and a lack of financial incentives to support

the retrofitting of buildings are hindering progress, the report states. Transitioning to net zero comes at considerable cost, and without robust evidence of a return on investment, many property owners lack the confidence to invest in major energy efficiency upgrades.

The report reveals that nine in 10 senior leaders surveyed by the BPF and JLL do not believe current government policy will deliver a net zero property sector by 2050.

To ensure the property sector can meet net zero targets the BPF has set out several essential policies. These include:

● mandate the sharing of energy consumption data between property owners and occupiers of large

commercial buildings, and set up a Task Force to explore the particular data challenges faced by owners of residential buildings; and

● confirm urgently the detail of the planned changes to the MEES regulations for both the domestic and non-domestic private rented sectors, and the details of the proposed new performance-based energy rating system.

Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, commented: “We urge the Government to adopt the policy recommendations in this report and to work with us to make sure we can deliver a net zero built environment by 2050.” ■

The potential combined annual output of the north and south slope PV panels is 128,062 kWh/year, with an annual CO₂ reduction of 27,188 kgCO₂. Through the panels, the entire energy needs of the Chapel will be more than fulfilled, with excess energy feeding into the college’s internal electricity network.

Call to boost onshore wind farm development

New research published by RenewableUK shows that more than ten times as much UK offshore wind capacity was installed in 2022 than was built onshore. The industry is calling for planning reforms to be implemented as soon as possible to enable more projects to go ahead onshore and offshore – even though a record amount of new offshore capacity went live last year – to meet energy security and climate change goals.

The analysis by EnergyPulse data analysts reveals that a total of 3,511MW of new wind capacity was added last year – enough to power more than 3.4m UK homes a year.

Data sharing a key challenge for property sector as it decarbonises

Government in the dark on the numbers of smart meters with a functioning home display unit

More than half of British households now have smart meters installed. But the Government admits it still does not know how many of these households still have a functioning in home display (IHD) unit. This is despite acknowledging that “research shows the majority of smart metered consumers use IHDs as their primary method of monitoring energy use,” according to junior energy minister, Graham Stuart.

Stuart was responding to a Parliamentary Question raised by the former energy secretary, Dame Andrea Leadsom (right). The Conservative backbench 1922 committee had produced a report expressing concern regarding the limited lifespan guarantee of many

Almost half of London’s commercial stock could be unlettable from 2027 due to changes in energy efficiency regulations, while almost 8 per cent could be unlawful for new lettings from April 2023.

Under the new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), set to be introduced next month, buildings

of the visual display units, installed in participating homes.

The MPs queried the decision by all energy suppliers to limit the display units to “just a one-year warranty period.” When these malfunction, the householder is expected to repair or replace at their own expense. The subcommittee concluded: “this is very low for a simple piece of consumer electronics that should not go wrong.”

Dame Andrea has asked Stuart “what estimate he has made of the number of households with smart meters that do not have a functioning in-home visual display unit for those meters.” Industry insiders now reckon that up to 1 in 8 such homes no longer has a fully functioning display unit. The decision to create this

12-month warranty limit was taken by the high-profile publicity campaign, Smart Energy GB, which itself is entirely funded by the energy supply companies. The 1922 committee wants the Government to “review this issue to ensure that customers are being provided with high quality and reliable equipment alongside their smart meters.” Stuart’s answer seemed to reject this request, concluding that the regulator OFGEM “is responsible for regulating suppliers against their licence obligations.”

However, OFGEM deny any responsibility, and have urged householders to approach the Energy Ombudsman with complaints. But the Ombudsman has also opted out of the issue, in turn ruling that they can do nothing, as this time limitation criterion has been freely entered into by the energy suppliers with the Smart Energy campaign. Placing the entire issue straight back into the Government’s court. ■

According to the analysis, nearly 43 per cent of commercial properties in London, rated D and E, could be non-compliant with MEES from April 2027.

This percentage, when combined with the 8 per cent of buildings already rated F and G, means that over 50 per cent of the city’s commercial stock may be unlawful to let under the proposed MEES changes.

The study also found that just over 26 per cent of properties are rated C, and could become noncompliant with MEES from April 2030.

Only 23 per cent of the stock is currently fully MEES-compliant under current legislation, with ratings of A+, A, or B.

These findings highlight the need for property owners and managers to take steps to ensure their buildings meet MEES requirements to avoid potential legal and financial consequences.

in England and Wales with an energy efficiency rating lower than ‘E’ cannot be let, even if they are in the middle of a contract term.

These findings from BNP Paribas Real Estate were based on a December 2022 review of eligible buildings, including those with exemptions.

Donna Rourke, head of ESG and sustainability at BNP Paribas Real Estate, added: “Many landlords are still in the dark about MEES changes. For others, there is a trade-off taking place with their occupiers on where the lease obligations lie in undertaking works. It’s crucial at this time to get works done and get it right, and given that there are such disparities between ratings, ensuring you consult with an expert is more important than ever.” ■

London offices face letting crisis as MEES standards loom

UK enjoys a bumper year as turnover and employment in green sector hit highest levels

The UK’s green economy enjoyed a bumper 2021, according to official new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) that confirms both turnover and employment hit their highest level since records began in 2015.

The ONS annual report on the Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy (LCREE) shows that revenues across the sector rose 30.8 per cent in 2021 to £54.4bn, despite considerable COVID-19related disruption. Employment also increased by 16.4 per cent over the period to 247,400 employees. Of these, almost half are employed in the energy efficiency products market.

Launched in 2015, the LCREE data set covers a range of clean-tech industries, such as energy-efficient products, low-carbon electricity, lowemissions vehicles and infrastructure, low-carbon heat, and low-carbon services. Data is based on a sample

of around 25,000 businesses that garnered a response rate of 65 per cent, with the ONS drawing on responses from more than 3,000 businesses that it classified as being

active in the LCREE. Consequently, some other analysts have argued the green economy is considerably larger than the ONS’ estimates suggest, given industries that are

key to decarbonisation but do not specifically work in low carbon energy could be incorporated.

However, the latest ONS data provides further evidence that the clean energy, electric vehicle, and energy efficiency markets in particular are continuing to grow rapidly. Each is comfortably outperforming the wider market.

According to the report, the turnover for businesses in the energy-efficient products market rose 27 per cent to almost £20bn, while the low carbon electricity sector saw revenues surge 36 per cent to just over £18bn. Low emissions vehicles and infrastructure also saw revenues grow by more than a quarter to over £9bn.

“The energy-efficient products group also had the largest LCREE employment in 2021, at 138,300,” the ONS said. “The low-emission vehicles and infrastructure group saw the largest employment increase, from 21,400 full time employees (FTEs) in 2020 to 36,500 in 2021.” In addition, the data reveals a boom in green construction with LCREE employment in the sector rising 19 per cent to 91,000 FTEs. ■

of conditions that have lead to the scheme’s poor performance and makes recommendations to coursecorrect.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is “seriously failing” to deliver on its objectives, according to a new report from the House of Lords environment and climate change committee, which brands the government’s heat pump installation targets as “very unlikely to be met”.

The damning verdict follows an inquiry into the scheme last year and the findings are reported in a letter from Baroness Parminter, (right), chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee, to the Rt Hon Lord Callahan, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The £450m BUS scheme, which provides £5,000 grants to UK households to upgrade gas boilers to heat pumps, has only used a third

of its £150m annual budget so far. Ofgem figures show that the scheme has issued £49.7m in vouchers, equating to 7,641 installations. Analysis contained in the letter says that if the current take-up rate continues, only half of the allocated budget will be used to help households switch to low-carbon heating systems, and a healthy market of installers and manufacturers will not be in place in time to implement low-carbon heating policy measures smoothly. Therefore, the government’s 2028 target of 600,000 installations per year is very unlikely to be met.

The report identifies a number

Problems identified included low public awareness of both the BUS scheme and the technology it funds, an undeveloped workforce, inaccessibility to low-income households, and inadequacies of the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating system.

A shortage of trained installers with the relevant heat pump skills was named as a major barrier to take-up of BUS, and low carbon heat more widely. As of 2019 there were an estimated 2000 heat pump installers, compared to 130,000 Gas Safe registered engineers. Government figures in the Heat and Buildings Strategy estimate that at least 12,400 heat pump installers will be needed by 2025 and 50,200 by 2030, to reach ambitious installation targets.

High upfront costs are putting heat pumps beyond the means of many households, even with the grant. This, said the committee, made it impossible for low-income homes to benefit from the scheme.

High running costs are also putting people off in making the switch to

heat pumps. Market reform, said the report, could go some way in narrowing the price gap between gas and electricity and ensuring the cost of running a heat pump is affordable.

Baroness Parminter said: “The transition to low-carbon heat is fundamental in the path to net zero, given that 17 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions come from our homes.

“The government must quickly address the barriers we have identified to a successful take-up of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in order to help grow the take up of lowcarbon heating systems. It is vital they do so if we are going to meet our Net Zero ambitions.”

Speaking for the Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA), CEO Mike Foster said: “This report confirms just how far removed this committee is from the average member of the public.

”While we agree the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is failing, we want to see it scrapped, rather than see the recommendation of the committee to double-down on the flawed policy be supported.” he concluded. ■

Boiler Upgrade Scheme failing to deliver on its objectives, says committee

EU:ETS tightens its grip on polluters

As the European Union’s carbon price tops €100 for the first time the UK will be forced to follow the example of the EU with its own tighter emissions rules

February 21 2023 saw a remarkably unpublicised, but nonetheless landmark, moment in the battle against climate change. For the first time, the European Union’s carbon price climbed above €100 a tonne for the first time.

That means the price of carbon credits within the showpiece EU emissions trading scheme (EU:ETS) has risen fivefold in the past three years. Prices have accelerated by 20 per cent in the initial weeks of this year, as the EU has tightened rules to make the system more onerous for polluters. Carbon is at last at a price at which companies will start looking more seriously at investing in more expensive consumption reduction technologies. The emissions caps of the companies concerned, nearly 12,000 installations in Europe, have been calculated to be 60 per cent lower than their 2005 level.

EU:ETS achieving its goals

Almost 18 years after its launch, the EU:ETS is finally achieving what its progenitors always claimed for it. Having been heavily involved in its design, I recall that all our calculations were based upon a working hypothesis of around €34 per tonne. Which indeed is how the trade price went initially.

But by the time the great financial collapse of 2008 was occurring, the price of allowances had plummeted down to as low as €5 per tonne. Indeed, I recall even hearing anecdotally about some industries, desperate for liquidity, selling off to electricity generators what had become at that point perceived as surplus assets, for just a couple of euros.

Prices climbed again. But not by much. Even at the start of this decade, trades were taking place at only around €20. After all, it was as recently as November 2018 that the UK Parliament voted to give the Treasury permission to replace the EU:ETS with a new domestic Carbon Emissions tax

set at a maximum of £16 per tonne of carbon emitted from power stations and industrial sites.

Whimsical decision by UK

That tax was superseded by the whimsical decision by the Johnson government to set up a clone system. Unsurprisingly called the UK:ETS. To date it effectively has mirrored its counterpart, itself now covering 31 European countries – and acting as an inspiration to similar (albeit smaller) emissions trading schemes operating in parts of China, in the Pacific northwest of the USA, in Australia, and now in Indonesia.

Companies that couldn’t afford to hedge last year seem to be coming back to the European market, ahead of the April deadline to account for 2022 emissions. Industries that almost shut down completely last year are buying permits again now that energy is cheap enough for them to operate.

The rules are set to tighten further. A planned overhaul of the EU:ETS will, in 2024-2027, increase the rate at which the pollution cap shrinks each year to 4.3 per cent from 2.2 per cent now. The so-called Linear Reduction Factor (LRF) will then accelerate to 4.4 per cent from 2028.

On top of the LRF, the bloc will reduce the number of allowances by 90m in 2024 and 27m in 2026. By the end of the decade, the two together will translate into a 62 per cent drop in the pollution limit by the end of this decade from our initial 2005 level.

The shrinking caps and increasing price of pollution are well designed to accelerate the shift to clean technologies. However, these recordhigh prices have renewed calls from energy-intensive companies for interventions by governments to keep their costs in check. Hence, the UK government’s new proposals to offer support to 300 energy-intensive companies by “reducing the network charges that industrial users pay for their supply of electricity; cutting costs associated with maintaining

generating capacity; and looking at whether to increase exemptions on costs arising from renewable energy obligations from 85 per cent to 100 per cent.”

Penalties for imported goods

At present, with its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) the EU is concentrating upon introducing penalties for imported goods in these vulnerable sectors from countries without any comparable additions to reflect carbon emission externalities.

Due to begin in 2025, the chances are that the UK will perforce endorse a similar scheme. Whether the UK:ETS will expand as swiftly into other energy using areas already earmarked within the EU scheme - maritime, nonEuropean aviation, surface transport, even buildings - is not yet clear. But recent history does suggest this will indeed occur, albeit in all probability later and less effectively.

The UK has made it plain that its own climate policy will be more rather than less ambitious than those adopted by all other European countries. Under the terms of the Brexit agreement, we have also agreed not to diverge from EU policies that might provide a significant trading distortion advantage.

So I am prepared to bet that, shortly after 2025, we will have introduced a very similar carbon border “tax” to the CBAM. See if I am not right. ■

The UK has made it plain that its climate policy will be more ambitious than other European countries

Chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation

Andrew Warren

Heat-in-a-box combines electrolysis , low-pressure hydrogen storage and a pure hydrogen boiler

Remeha Quinta Ace boiler. The end-to-end system will be powered by solar PV and supported by H2GO Power’s AI-enabled optimisation software platform (HyAI), which has been specifically designed for hydrogen systems.

The technology works by feeding in hydrogen from the generation source which is exposed to the material inside the modular reactors within the shipping container. The material reacts with the hydrogen gas at room temperature and is chemically bonded. The material is then heated to slightly above room temperature and released at the desired pressure and high flow rate.

Maximised energy efficiency

Innovating with hydrogen storage

Anne Wraith discusses the latest innovation in green hydrogen technology and its potential to decarbonise heating processes across multiple sectors

Anne Wraith

Head of building services at Baxi Commercial Solutions

www.baxi.co.uk

Last month saw the UK’s first Hydrogen Week, a campaign that aimed to promote the role that hydrogen can play in achieving the UK’s climate goals.

Buildings and industrial processes account for around a third of carbon emissions across Europe, so anything that can be done at pace to reduce that figure must be taken seriously. Decarbonising heat is key to delivering net zero but switching to low-carbon alternatives can be a huge challenge when dealing with hard-toheat buildings or industrial processes that have been designed for higher temperatures.

Hydrogen is regarded by many as one of the energy carriers that can play a vital role in decarbonising heat in buildings, alongside heat networks, heat pumps and hybrid solutions that combine heat pumps with gas boilers. It is also seen as a viable alternative net zero energy carrier that can meet the needs of hard-to-decarbonise industry sectors and can be used for

mass storage of curtailed renewables – such as wind and solar photovoltaics (PV) – to use at times of peak demand for heat.

Potential for hydrogen for heat

The UK government is committed to increasing clean hydrogen production capacity to 10GW by 2030 and has detailed in its Hydrogen Strategy timelines of pilots to assess the potential of hydrogen for heat.

And across industry, stakeholders are coming together to innovate, develop and trial hydrogen-based technology that will deliver on government ambition. These innovation projects are critical to arrive at a net zero pathway for the UK and to form an understanding of the role hydrogen can play in helping to decarbonise heating across numerous sectors. To date our own involvement in government hydrogen pilots has centred around domestic use. Now we have partnered with H2GO Power to trial our world-first 100 per cent hydrogen commercial boiler in an industrial-scale demonstration of a unique containerised heating solution – heat-in-a-box. The trial will be hosted by Northern Gas Networks (NGN) at its Low Thornley test facility, near Gateshead.

The pilot sets out to demonstrate how the heat-in-a-box system can

supply heat for gas pre-heating in a safe and carbon-neutral manner, with the potential to supply renewable heating for other operations.

Pre-heating is an essential part of distributing gas. Before it can be transported to homes and businesses through the network, the pressure of the gas must be reduced. This process can cause it to freeze, so pre-heating takes place to allow the gas to flow. Traditional pre-heating units are highly energy- and cost-intensive, so over the last decade, the gas industry has been exploring a range of low carbon technologies capable of carrying out the process. Heat-in-a-box sets out to offer an effective and efficient solution to decarbonise this heating process.

End-to-end system

So how does the heat-in-a-box system work? Heat-in-a-box combines electrolysis, H2GO’s proprietary low-pressure hydrogen storage and our pure hydrogen

The system has been designed for maximised energy efficiency, minimal system maintenance and to secure carbon-free and safe operation. HyAI will be installed on NGN’s existing infrastructure to integrate it as part of the solution and optimise the overall system operation. In this way, the solution introduces the concept of a Smart Hydrogen-Gas Network (SHyGaN).

The pilot is funded in part through the government’s £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which aims to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative clean energy technologies and processes through the 2020s and 2030s.

Developing practical, cost-effective ways of storing hydrogen addresses both decarbonisation and energy reliability. It also helps maximise selfgenerated renewable electricity, in this instance from solar PV, making it a particularly interesting solution for multiple use cases.

As outlined, heat-in-a-box has the potential to decarbonise energyintensive heating processes across a range of industries including cement, glass, ceramics, chemical, food and drinks, paper and pulp. But equally, it can provide a solution to the challenge of delivering low carbon heating in off gas grid buildings, such as schools, public sector buildings, hotels and leisure centres, that currently rely on more carbon-intensive fuel for heat.

With no silver bullet for heat decarbonisation, it’s essential we ramp up deployment of all the feasible options if we are to support householders, businesses and industry through the energy transition. Projects like heat-in-a-box that bring together diverse partners in the energy supply chain, including those that directly touch consumers, will be best placed to help inform future policy decisions and make real transformation happen. ■

Remeha's pure-hydrogen Quinta Ace boiler is at the heart of the heat-in-a-box system

Are you paying for your neighbour’s energy waste?

The key to making UK heat networks cheaper and more efficient is creating smarter incentives. Dan Cookson examines the rise of motivational tariffs in heat networks

commissioned systems - everyone pays the price. To complicate things further, engaging with individual customers and accessing their properties to perform upgrades can be difficult, if not impossible.

Every degree counts

continuously seek to increase by driving return temperatures down.

Senior applications engineer – heat networks at SAV Systems

Dan Cookson www.sav-systems.com

In times of skyrocketing fossil fuel costs, energy shortages, and looming climate targets, it’s no surprise UK households are crying out for cheaper (and ideally, greener) forms of space and water heating. This demand is accelerating a national shift from individual gas boilers to district heating networks

utilising sources such as heat pumps, CHP, waste heat, and renewable energies. Today, heat networks serve around half a million UK customers, forming the foundations of a more affordable and democratic energy landscape.

Double-edged sword

Despite these benefits, the communal nature of heat networks can be something of a double-edged sword. When they are performing well, all users benefit from lower costs and a smaller carbon footprint. But when there are weak links in the chain - such as homes with unbalanced heating circuits, poor insulation, or badly

One of the key performance indicators of a heat network is the temperature of the water returning to the energy centre – and every degree counts. Higher return temperatures increase heat losses, reduce plant efficiency, shorten pipe lifespans, and raise overall running costs. Conversely, lower return temperatures improve the economy and longevity of the entire system, allowing operators to invest in upgrades and pass savings on to customers.

However, while operators dictate their supply temperatures and can reduce them during lower demand, the return temperatures are determined by the individual users. In an ideal scenario, dwellings receive hot water at around 60-70°C, extract as much heat as possible, and return it at a modest 30-40°C. The difference between the supply and return temperature, Delta T, is a critical number that operators

In response to this challenge, some heat networks have introduced motivational tariffs - a relatively new concept in the UK, but one with tremendous upside. These tariffs minimise costs and emissions via a two-pronged approach: penalising customers for higher return temperatures while offering discounts for lower return temperatures. Operators may also include separate charges for water volumes drawn from the network and peak demand charges based on maximum flow rate. The result of these combined elements is a more transparent and equitable network for all users.

Discount for customers

Under a motivational tariff model, a network operator may set an average annual return temperature of 35°C. Then, a customer averaging 30°C would receive a discount (based on total megawatt-hours consumed), while another averaging 40°C would receive a penalty charge – and a clear incentive to improve their efficiency. Through digital metering, both customers and operators can

access real-time temperature data and cooperate to make upgrades that benefit the entire network.

In addition to enhancing performance, motivational tariffs are cost-effective for operators, who can use penalty income to fund discounts for more efficient customers. In the spirit of fairness, the operator may also choose to cap pricing variations so that bills cannot rise or fall by more than a set percentage.

Highly successful abroad

Motivational tariffs may be new to the UK, but they’ve already proven highly successful abroad. For example, in Denmark – often the poster child for social innovation – motivational tariffs have been used for over 20 years, during which time average return temperatures have dropped by an incredible 10°C. In one case, an operator paid out €270,000 in annual tariff payments but realised more than €679,000 worth of efficiency gains,

Helping Heat Networks deliver their promise

illustrating the incredible value of uniting customers in a common goal.

Today, some 64 per cent of Danish households are connected to district heat networks, and around 60 per cent of operators utilise a motivational tariff. In the UK, heat networks currently supply 3 per cent of buildings - but the figure is expected to climb to 18 per cent under the government’s 2050 net-zero target.

With more consumers seeking low-cost alternatives to gas boilers and oil heaters, district heat networks present an obvious and intelligent path forward. And with motivational tariffs, users can enjoy all the unique benefits of a communal system while still being rewarded for efficiency – resulting in cheaper, greener, and fairer heating for everyone. ■

For more information contact info@sav-systems.com

+ 44 (0)1483 771910 or visit sav-systems.com

Motivational tariffs don’t just reduce heat network costs and emissions; they fundamentally change the way users think about their energy

HEATING TECHNOLOGY

It’s all in the exchange

What are the lifetime costs? What about maintenance requirements? Matt Hale assesses the pros and cons of shell and tube and plate heat exchangers

Matt Hale

International sales & marketing director at HRS Heat Exchangers

www.hrs-heat exchangers.com

For simple non-viscous fluids, the choice of heat exchanger normally comes down to a choice between plate heat exchangers (PHEs) and shell and tube designs. The proponents and manufacturers of both types of heat exchanger make strong cases for the use of each technology, and the suitability of each type of heat exchanger, but ultimately the heat transfer situation will determine the best heat exchanger for the role. However, there are several considerations that are not always taken into account when evaluating the advantages of shell and tube and plate heat exchangers. First, it is important to understand the difference between the two designs, as this will then make it easier to understand the differences in costs, operational efficiency and

maintenance.

As the name suggests, a plate heat exchanger consists of a series of pressed metal plates separated by gaskets. The service fluid (which provides the heating or cooling effect) and the product (the material to be heated or cooled) flow through the gaps between alternate plates. In contrast, a shell and tube design features a tube (or series of tubes) running through a shell. The product flows through the tube and the service fluid through the gap between the tube and the shell.

Capital costs not clear cut

Advantages of plate heat exchangers include their simplicity and high heat exchange performance (when used with simple fluids). However, the capital costs of the two technologies are not always clear cut. Neither are the differences in pressure drop created by the two designs, but tubular heat exchangers are generally capable of operating at higher temperatures. While PHEs often require less space than tubular units, the exact size difference depends on the design of the tubular unit being compared. Heat

exchangers which use corrugated tube technology (like HRS tubular heat exchangers) to increase thermal efficiency can provide equivalent heat exchanger performance in a smaller package than traditional smooth-tube designs.

Another claimed benefit for PHEs is that they are easy to dismantle and clean but removing lots of separate plates and their corresponding gaskets is not particularly convenient. It also ignores the fact that welldesigned tubular heat exchangers are less likely to need regular dismantling

to allow for deep cleaning, and that this can be facilitated by the use of removable tubes.

A number of manufacturers of PHEs will claim that their designs will operate for years without the need for maintenance but will also admit that cleaning (which often involves similar levels of disassembly to servicing) depends on the viscosity, fouling and scaling potential of the product. In other words, admitting that real world performance is much less impressive than the theory. In contrast, corrugated shell in tube heat exchangers are specifically designed to reduce fouling, meaning that their performance parameters are based on real-world operational situations.

Total cost of ownership

Obviously, the total cost of ownership (a combination of the capital cost and operational costs over the working life of the unit) is a major factor when considering which type of heat exchanger to invest in. Proponents of PHEs will claim that they provide the lowest cost of ownership, but they rarely mention one of the biggest maintenance costs involved in running plant heat exchangers – gasket replacement.

The gaskets between each plate are an inherent design feature of PHEs but are prone to failure, particularly when operating at high temperatures. This is particularly true where operation involves a large number of repeated heating and cooling cycles, which stress both the gasket material, but also the metal plates which are often just 0.5-0.6 mm thick. Even when they do not fail, regular gasket replacement is often part of the standard service requirement. This means that the price of gaskets needs to be considered in the overall cost of ownership, along with the down time and direct servicing costs. Because the majority of shell and tube designs are of welded construction, there are no internal gaskets to fail or replace. Where removable tubes are used, O-ring gaskets are the norm, making them much easier and cheaper to replace than the bespoke gasket designs required for plate heat exchangers.

Steel and tube heat exchangers contain fewer gaskets and these are normally simple O-rings

Once the cost of gasket replacement is factored in over the life of a plate heat exchanger, then the total cost of ownership assessment swings back towards shell and tube heat exchangers. With much simpler routine maintenance and cleaning, and no need for the regular replacement of expensive, bespoke gaskets, more and more users are appreciating the benefits of shell and tube heat exchangers. ■

One element of plate heat exchangers that is often overlooked is the cost of gasket replacement

HEATING TECHNOLOGY

Effective integration of thermal stores in district heating

Neil Parry explains how network delta T can be maintained in the plantroom and how the subsequent thermal store stratification can be used to control the energy sources

Neil Parry

www.armstrongfluid technology.com

District energy is truly energy source/technology agnostic. Any number of renewable and non-renewable energy sources and types can be integrated into the LTHW system. District energy also ‘sees’ waste heat from processes as ‘just’ another energy source that can be utilised on the network. The use of these multiple sources can be phased, based on the grid demand, their availability and/or the carbon intensity of each source at any given time. It is also important to remember that heat energy can be utilised by an absorption heat pump, for example, to create chilled water for a district cooling network. In this way, all that is required is a temperature differential and heating or cooling can be utilised. Should wind energy be abundant, then the electricity can be used to run heat pumps or perhaps electric boilers. For district heating, heat pumps can raise the flow temperature to say 55°C and then another technology can be used to lift the 55°C higher if required by the buildings served.

Multiple energy sources

The challenge facing those designing, operating and expanding district energy schemes is how to employ and combine these multiple energy sources, given their different operational criteria. The key to optimising these outputs is effective integration of thermal stores, be that on the network or inside/outside of the plant-room/energy centre.

First, the thermal store should allow energy sources to ‘run on’ after the demand has dropped and maximises their use as they refill the thermal store. The thermal store is also crucial in the sizing of the energy sources. In a district heating network, the peak demand period is extremely short, so it does not make sense to use the peak demand to calculate the energy source size. The energy sources can

be sized below peak and the thermal store utilised to bridge the difference. The thermal store should be hydraulically connected in such a way that it can augment the source output thereby increasing total output to meet the peak. Once the peak is over, the thermal store can be replenished by the energy sources during the lower demand times.

Bi-directional pipework

To do this optimally, the thermal store needs to be connected in a ‘two pipe’ arrangement (see Figure 1). One pipe into the top of the store, from the flow and one into the bottom of the store, from the return. The pipework connecting the thermal store is

therefore bi-directional. The flow can ‘fill’ the store (hot), or the return (cool) can ‘fill’ the store. This method creates stratification within the store. Control is such that flow cannot circulate through the store, safeguarding the operating delta T and ensuring that the amount of energy for the given volume is maximised. There will be a small area in the store where mixing will occur but the goal is to prohibit mixing and ensure the wide delta T of the network is maintained in the vessel. It is therefore common to see thermal stores with anti-mixing baffles and diffusion connections in the store. There is another reason for wanting to maintain a clear stratification layer within the store. Once achieved,

this layer can be used to control the connected energy sources. The thermal store should be equipped with multiple temperature sensing points down the side of the vessel, five probably being the minimum for a single vessel. The readings from these temperature points can be sent back to the BMS and used

to control the energy sources. As an example, if the stratification layer is detected by the temperature points to be in the middle of the vessel and its direction of travel is downward, it can be surmised that the demand in the building is less than the output of the currently operating energy source(s).

In other words, the thermal store is ‘filling’ with hot water. At this point, any connected carbon intensive energy sources that are running should be switched off and only renewable, LZC or waste energy source utilised.

Stratification in the vessel

Once the stratification layer starts to rise in the vessel i.e. the demand is now greater than the supply and the hot water in the vessel is being utilised, then the waste energy and possibly the LZC sources should be utilised.

The stratification layer continues to be monitored and once/ if it nears the top of the vessel, then the more carbon intensive sources can then be switched on.

This ‘control by stratification’ is applicable to any number or variety of energy sources. However, we would recommend a slight change to the philosophy when solely utilising heat pumps. Heat pumps should have their run-time maximised wherever possible. Therefore it is best to have as many heat pumps running for as long as possible, rather than cascading them as would be applicable for other or mixed energy sources. Only once the stratification layer has reached the bottom temperature point would all the heat pumps be switched off and only when the top temperature point is reached, should the heat pumps be switched on. ■

Global head of district energy for Armstrong Fluid Technology

Figure 2: Thermal storage, energy ‘give and take’ during a 24 hour period. Picture courtesy of CIBSE Heat Network Design guide

Figure 1: thermal store hydraulic connections (single and double stores).

Heat pump maker issues low-carbon challenge

Heat pump manufacturer, Mitsubishi Electric, is calling on the construction industry to come together to address the UK’s need to quickly transition to low carbon heating – as it launches what it believes is the widest range of commercial and residential heat pumps on the market.

Achieving the Government’s ambitious target of 600,000 heat pump installations a year by 2028 will require a tenfold increase in the number of installations over the next five years. This presents a significant opportunity for businesses throughout the supply chain to help customers in the transition to lowcarbon heating.

Mitsubishi Electric is adding to its renewable heating range to support this ambitious target. The most recent

products include two new commercial heat pumps with the MEHP-iS-G07 heat pump chiller from the company’s Italian factory, and the new scaleable Ecodan CAHV-R air source heat pump, which updates the popular CAHV-P model and uses R454C refrigerant, with a lower GWP (Global Warming Potential) of only 148.

“In the commercial sector, there is now a strong case for renewable heating and businesses are aware of the need to move from gas, with many actively planning this in their annual budgets,” explains Philip Ord, director of commercial products. “The heat pump industry is therefore pushing against an open door but we need to give specialist support to the whole supply chain on just how this is practically achieved.”

Heating accounts for almost a third of all UK carbon emissions, so changing how we heat our buildings is now critical to tackling climate change and reaching net zero.

Although modern heat pumps have been available for over a decade, the renewable heating market is still in its infancy. However, the ambitious targets and the need to tackle the climate crisis are why the industry needs to come together and find ways to apply heat pumps as quickly as possible.

“We need to quickly transform the landscape for heating by decarbonising the way we provide heat to homes and businesses,” Martin Fahey, head of sustainability, adds. “We also need to make sure that we use the right products for the right application, and this is where education, training and support play such an important role”.

“The age of the heat pump is upon us and the products are available now,” concludes Philip Ord, “The challenge is how we work together to increase the number of renewable heating engineers and ensure that every building can benefit.” ■ www.mitsubishielectric.com

process to set up and commission.

Low-carbon heating and hot water equipment manufacturer Lochinvar has launched what it claims is the UK’s most powerful heat pump water heater.

The Amicus Aquastore has an output of 8kW and 455 litres of hot water storage capacity in a compact monobloc package combining heat pump and storage vessel. It can deliver up to 65ºC hot water in both efficiency and hybrid modes and up to 490 litres in a peak hour with a 50ºC temperature rise.

The new product is aimed at the burgeoning low carbon replacement market for gas-fired water heaters in commercial buildings and is designed to minimise disruption by avoiding the need for wholesale changes to existing heating and hot water systems.

Its space saving monobloc construction means it is easy to manoeuvre into position and offers plenty of options for positioning –another important consideration for replacement projects. It is also a straightforward ‘plug and play’

“Water heater replacements are often distress purchases, which means the end user needs something relatively easy and quick to install,” said Lochinvar’s heat pump technology manager James Cooper. “The beauty of the Amicus Aquastore is that we can offer that quick response but also provide a solution that dramatically reduces the customer’s energy usage and carbon footprint without the need for a more complex, disruptive and expensive installation.”

The Aquastore is the latest addition to the extensive Amicus range of air source heat pumps (ASHPs) which has models delivering domestic hot water capacities from 7.7kW up to 210kW for a wide range of projects including large residential; medium and large commercial; and industrial applications.

The Amicus heat pump range employs the innovative principle of Enhanced Vapour Injection (EVI) to improve output and efficiency. This is a two-stage compression process with inter-cooling that produces a superheated vapour that boosts capacity and efficiency. As a result, Amicus units can achieve a Coefficient of Performance (COP) up to 4.4 and are 25 per cent more efficient than standard scroll compressor driven systems. They are also capable of operating in outside temperatures as low as minus 20°C. ■ www.lochinvar.ltd.uk

'Most powerful' heat pump water heater designed for replacement market in UK

For details on how to obtain your Energy Institute CPD Certificate, see ENTRY FORM and details on page 24

Energy Purchasing

Purchasing energy in a challenging market

By Chris Haines, managing director, GLEG Ltd

The sharp fluctuations in energy commodity prices since 2020 have created significant business challenges that are impacting production costs, product pricing, cashflow, profitability and credit availability. This extreme price volatility makes it imperative for businesses to manage and limit the impact of future energy commodity price fluctuations to effectively manage financial performance and profitability.

In this article we will analyse in detail what has caused the record low and record high prices in UK and European energy markets over the last three years, the current market landscape, energy procurement challenges and options of how businesses could look approach future energy buying to mitigate future business risk of buying energy too soon or too late.

Pre-Covid-19, electricity commodity prices typically ranged between 4p/kWh and 6p/kWh, whilst gas commodity prices typically traded between 1.5p/kWh and 3p/kWh. Since 2020, UK and European energy prices have traded at record lows and record highs. Figure 1 summarises how UK electricity prices have developed since 2018.

In August 2022, electricity prices were trading above 60p/kWh and gas above 20p/kWh. Businesses paying energy commodity prices

up to twelve times higher than normal pre-Covid rates has caused energy to have a material impact to business performance. Figure 2 highlights the impact on businesses comparing a typical pre-Covid electricity commodity price with electricity market prices in August and September 2022.

Exposure to higher prices

Many business energy contracts run from October to September therefore, businesses with a renewal due on 01.10.2022 with no contract in place were exposed to market prices up twelve times higher than normal preCovid energy prices.

UK energy markets have seen

extreme volatility since the beginning of 2020, with prices trading at record lows and record highs within a 30-month period. Record low prices were initially driven by the Covid-19 pandemic and reduced global energy demand through 2020. 2021 saw global economic recoveries cause increased energy demand and limited global gas supply. The surge in global gas demand caused UK and European energy prices to increase through the second half of 2021 due to Europe’s worryingly low gas storage levels heading into winter.

Winter 2021 was mild; towards the end of December 2021, it was clear Europe did not expect to have any gas supply issues over winter. Energy prices did begin to fall early in 2022 however this changed on 24th February 2022 when Putin began his invasion of Ukraine. Since February 2022 large risk premiums have been built in to future contracts, with businesses having to pay large premiums to guarantee fixed price

Fig 1. Development of UK electricity prices since 2018

Energy Purchasing

at premiums to European gas prices as Asia requires LNG at short notice to cover gas demand fluctuations. This change following Europe’s policy to reduce dependence on Russian gas and LNG demand has increased with European countries willing to pay a premium to ensure LNG cargoes dock in European countries.

contracts. Summarised below are the main reasons for the surge in UK and European energy prices through 2022 and why prices have fallen through Q4 2022 and Q1 2023.

Russia's political weapon

Approximately 40 per cent of European gas supply came from Russia. Speculation that Putin may see this as an opportunity to use Russian gas supply as a political weapon and reduce gas supply caused both spot prices and curve prices for delivery out to 2027 to increase significantly.

At the end of 2022 the amount of gas delivered from Russia to the EU fell to historically low levels, reaching around 20 per cent of pre-war levels. Russian gas exports to the EU reduced before the war, resulting in already low gas storage levels at the beginning of 2022. Markets were worried if winter 2022 saw high gas demand due to cold weather Europe would see gas shortages.

The controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline was completed in September 2021 and was designed to supply Germany with cheap Russian gas in addition to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Following completion, the pipeline has stood idle and in February 2022 Germany halted certification for gas flows to begin.

In September 2022 both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were attacked close to Denmark, causing natural gas to escape to the surface

of the North Sea rendering the pipelines inoperable. This has caused full Russian gas flows to Europe to be unlikely for the foreseeable future.

The response of the EU in implementing gas saving measures and sourcing alternative gas supplies – particularly by tapping LNG markets – bolstered the accumulation of gas to meet immediate demand and storage needs over the summer of 2022.

Europe has received LNG shipments on a regular basis which has helped European and UK gas storage levels

remain close to 65 per cent full at time of writing. The US LNG terminal at Freeport, Texas, which closed due to a fire in June 2022, has recently started to load LNG cargoes that will see further LNG availability to Europe. Increased LNG exports from USA helped Europe locate extra gas to meet the supply gap left by Russia.

Gas demand fluctuations

Historically, while Europe has a consistent supply of cheap gas from Russia, Asian gas prices would trade

In addition to paying a premium, Europe has also been helped by reduced LNG demand in China. China’s zero-Covid policy has led to reduced gas consumption in industry. China poses one of the biggest threats to future European energy prices despite increasing the use of coal powered generation to ensure security of electricity supply.

As China continues to exit its zeroCovid policy, increased industrial energy demand may see LNG gas demand rebound through 2023.

By November 2022 the EU had replaced nearly 80 per cent of natural gas supplies from Russia, how the EU achieved this included quickly building new liquified natural gas infrastructure, implementing significant energy reduction policies and intra-country energy supply policies ensured there was no supply issues. 2022 saw the EU’s gas demand approximately 12 percent lower than the average period 2019 to 2021.

Reducing domestic demand

Examples of European countries proactively reducing reliance on Russian gas exports includes Netherlands increasing LNG import capacity by 100 per cent, reducing domestic demand by over 20 per cent and surplus gas being sent to EU countries including France and Germany.

Germany reduced its heavy reliance on Russian gas by reducing nearly 15 per cent less gas in 2022 compared to the annual average from 2018 to 2021. German gas storage levels remain above 71 per cent in February 2023 compared to being close to 30 per

Fig 2. The impact on businesses of electricity prices before and after the Covid pandemic

Fig 3. Gas and electricity commodity prices forecast in February 2023

In 2022 the EU's gas demand was around 12 per cent lower than the average in 2019-2021

Energy Purchasing

cent at the same time in 2022. Spain, who initially were reluctant to work towards a pre-determined energy reduction target agreed to an 8 per cent reduction in gas usage by introducing policies which included limiting air conditioning and heating temperatures in large and public buildings. Buildings affected included airports, theatres, cinemas, shopping centres and stations with temperature thermostats not set above 19 degrees Celsius through the winter months and not set below 27 degrees Celsius in the summer months. By implementing the above measures Spain reduced gas consumption for the period August 2022 to November 2022 by 15 per cent for the average level of consumption for the same period between 2016 to 2021.

Strong storage levels

As Europe heads towards the final month of the official winter period, European gas storage levels remain very strong for this time of year. At the time of writing European gas storage levels remain just under 65 per cent full. While weather forecasts may change, there is a good chance European gas storage levels will be in an excellent position ahead of summer 2023 and end winter at levels above 50 per cent full. Robust storage levels at the end of winter will provide the market with some stability and reduced risk that storage will be at the required 90 per cent full ahead of the winter 2023 season.

The UK and Europe has been extremely lucky through winter 2022; weather has been mild and windy, causing reduced demand for gas via heating and electricity generation. Wind generation has accounted for over 50 per cent of the generation mix in the UK through January 2023. On some days here in the UK, gas has accounted for less than 20 per cent of the UK electricity generation mix. However, weather forecasts can quickly change. A hot European summer may see increased demand for air conditioning but more of a risk is winter 2023 (October 23 to March 2024). A spike in gas demand due to cold weather in Q4 2023 may pose supply risks if gas storage levels reduce significantly and the risk of supply shortages increase.

While the UK government has provided help to businesses through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, this support is temporary and will reduce or end on 1st April for most businesses impacted by the increase in energy prices.

The reality is nobody can be certain how global gas and electricity

prices will be trading through 2023, 2024 and beyond. With the extreme volatility businesses must look at risk management for future energy procurement. Buying too soon could see saving opportunities missed if markets fall and not buying early enough could see businesses exposed to large price increases as witnessed through 2021 and 2022. There is as much risk to businesses being over-hedged as there is being under-hedged in the current market. A long-term, controlled risk managed approach to energy is advised to all businesses where energy is a significant cost to the business. UK energy prices have fallen since the highs of autumn 2022 and have continued to fall through 2023. At the time of writing UK energy prices are trading at similar levels last seen prior to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. However, current prices remain between two and three times higher than pre-Covid levels.

Individual business strategy

Fig. 3 summarises gas and electricity commodity prices in February 2023. Markets reflect cheaper prices for contract delivery further out on the curve. How businesses approach future energy management is dependant on individual business strategy and risk appetite. Upside risk for electricity based on August highs is 60p/kWh and for gas is 20p/ kWh, approximately four times higher than February 2023 prices. Electricity

prices are still treble pre-Covid prices and gas over double pre-Covid prices, highlighting there is opportunity for prices to fall further if market fundamentals continue to benefit Europe.

A business' risk appetite

The most important element with respect to risk management is to establish and assess the “Risk Appetite” of your business. No longer do energy prices have an immaterial impact on your business cashflow or profitability. If market fundamentals change to more unfavourable conditions ahead of next winter, premiums may be increased into energy commodity prices. It is unlikely government will provide similar support levels to businesses impacted next winter as they have this winter.

Below summarises contracts available for businesses with a typical annual usage of 100,000kWh or more, highlighting the pros and cons of different buying strategies.

Standard fixed price contracts guarantee a unit rate and budget certainty for the contract duration, however during a falling market there is a risk the contract is locked in too soon and lower prices are missed.

A flexible purchasing contract allows businesses to have multiple transactions and opportunities to purchase and sell. Below provides two strategies, one which is aggressive and risky, and the other a long termcontrolled approach to risk, providing

some budget certainty but also flexibility to react to future market changes.

Businesses who are exposed to energy prices in 2023 can leave either 100 per cent or a proportion of volume to the spot market, which is offering better value than paying a premium to guarantee a rate through summer 2023 currently.

While this is risky, spot prices have outperformed fixed prices through winter 2022. Day ahead prices are being driven by short-term supply demand fundamentals such as grid demand, renewable generation available, LNG schedules and temperature forecasts. To access spot prices a flexible contract is required. If market fundamentals change businesses also have the option to buy out any remaining volume.

This strategy may be effective in the short term, with the current market backwardation, prices are currently trading considerably cheaper for delivery from 2024 to 2027.

Leaving volume to trade on the spot market provides the highest risk and zero budget certainty; spot prices have averaged c20p/kWh for electricity over the last twelve months even with market spikes, considerably lower than market prices to guarantee fixed prices for a period.

Bespoke flexible energy contracts allow businesses to implement a predetermined hedging strategy. Gas and electricity prices for delivery beyond 2024 are trading considerably lower than contracts due for delivery in 2023 and 2024. An example is to buy an initial 25 to 50 per cent of volume for delivery from 2025 to 2027 to provide some budget security and eliminate a proportion of volume from future market volatility.

This buying strategy and approach to future energy buying is not to chase the market bottom for all volume but to provide a controlled, long-term approach to protect businesses from future exposure to high prices but also to provide an opportunity to buy some volume as late as possible if prices do continue to fall, balancing the upside risk with the downside potential summarised in the tables above.

Businesses can sell volume back to market at a profit if markets increase, releasing volume to then re-buy later at a lower price. With an approach to energy procurement where risk is pro-actively managed and exposure to future market increases is minimised with volume purchased in incremental hedges provides a long-term controlled buying strategy, minimising risk of exposure to extreme energy market spikes as seen through 2022. ■

New heat pump range for commercial applications

Ideal Heating has launched a range of monobloc air source heat pumps to help improve energy efficiency and reduce reliance on natural gas within commercial buildings.

Available in six outputs and seven models (14kW, 14kW (single phase), 18kW, 26kW, 32kW, 50kW and 70kW), the ECOMOD range provides a minimum A++ Energy related Products (ErP) efficiency rating and high co-efficient of performance (COP) rating of up to 4.85. R32 refrigerant ensures a low global warming potential (GWP).

The heat pumps also include an inverter-controlled compressor that can control the building temperature based on specific requirements of the space,

further enhancing the efficiency of a building.

Ideal ECOMOD heat pumps can be used alone or cascaded to meet the heating requirements of larger commercial buildings. They can also be installed alongside other Ideal solutions, such as the EVOMAX 2 and the IMAX XTRA 2 commercial condensing boilers, to build a low carbon hybrid heating system.

The range output models are light and compact units in comparison to similar products, making installation and delivery easy. All products also come with a fiveyear warranty – when commissioned by Ideal Heating and noise levels as low as 68dB(A) – the equivalent of a quiet refrigerator.

how pre-existing equipment was performing, Autoflame Service & Support conducted an energy audit. This included gas samples being taken from the flue and analysed utilising Autoflame’s patented Emissions Calculator software. The site’s current performance was calculated and compared with the projected emissions, fuel usage and overall energy savings generated by the installation of innovative, intelligent equipment.

Burners aid to energy savings at London landmark

Autoflame Service & Support partnered with facilities management company, BGIS, on an award-winning upgrade for The Leadenhall Building in the City of London. The results include a predicted £60,000 per year in energy savings, emissions savings of 180 tonnes of CO per annum and a return on investment in two years.

BGIS approached Autoflame Service & Support with the brief of delivering energy savings while improving efficiency and emissions reductions.

The boilers in The

Leadenhall Building are located on the 47th floor with no defined roof, so everything that was installed would have to withstand seasonal variations in conditions within the plant room.

Compared to the site’s existing burners, an increase in operational reliability was a key part of the brief, on par with a reduction in energy costs and emissions. However, there was the added benefit of compliance with the Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD).

To understand the site’s energy requirements and

Autoflame Service & Support installed a custommade, high efficiency Limpsfield burner. As standard, these are multi-fuel firing and hydrogen-ready, guaranteeing minimum of 4:1 turndown ratio on gas with a performance of 3 per cent O throughout the entire firing range.

Fitted on top of the burner, a pod-mounted Autoflame Mini Mk8 MM combustion controller reduces fuel consumption alone by 5-7 per cent over traditional linkage systems and can reduce CO emissions by 10 per cent, says Autoflame.

Safety is increased via comprehensive control over the 7-inch touchscreen.

Autoflame’s exhaust gas analyser, the Mk8 EGA EVO, has also been installed. This enables precise and intelligent combustion via the 3-parameter-trim of O, CO & CO. ■

www.autoflameservice.com

means we can cater for many commercial buildings. For example, our 14kW single phase unit is suitable for sites without access to three phase electricity, such as care homes or community halls, while all units can be cascaded to meet the needs of larger spaces, making them a versatile and cost-effective choice.” ■

www.idealheating.com

Temperature sensors for use across the HVAC sector

ATC Semitec is now stocking a comprehensive range of robust and cost-effective temperature sensors which are widely used across the HVAC market.

Offering fast response times (Tc ≤ 1s), with high levels of accuracy this range of sensors offer both accurate temperature control and energy savings within boilers, central heating systems, domestic and industrial water systems, and heating /air conditioning systems. They are also suitable for use as coolant sensors in e-vehicles.

At the top of the range is the ATC Semitec BTS5 – a composite design temperature sensor with a miniature thin-wall stainless steel tip offering a Tc ≤ 1s. Rated for use from -40°C to 150°C, these sensors have an NTC thermistor located in the very end of the thin-wall, stainless-

steel tip. This helps to minimise response times while coping with the higher pressures in district heating systems where slower sensors can limit system performance.

If a pipe clip sensor is preferred, the company is offering the IP67 rated BTS3. Also offering a Tc ≤ 1s, the NTC is housed in a miniature metal probe to optimise its thermal response.

These clip sensors can simply and quickly be attached to the waterpipe, without the need for drilling holes, draining the water system or making special couplings for conventional probe sensors. They can be used with pipe diameters from 13-28mm or available with a flexible mounting bracket system which enables it to be strapped into place. ■ www. atcsemitec.co.uk

Chris Caton, product director –commercial product management for Ideal Heating, Groupe Atlantic UK, ROI & NA, said: “The range of outputs available

AIR CONDITIONING

Digital solutions to optimise air conditioning performance

Clivet’s Digital Business Unit has developed a series of digital solutions, to optimise comfort and consumption related to air conditioning in different sectors from residential to commercial and industrial.

For the residential sector, the proposed solution is Clivet Smart Living, an integrated comfort and energy management system for residential applications with the following elements:

heating, cooling and domestic hot water production. It is suitable with an extensive range from hybrid heat pumps such as

pumps available in cased, uncased, split and monobloc versions;

system with active thermodynamic recovery and electronic filtration, which was awarded

can be connected to photovoltaic panels to power the system dedicated to comfort and supply energy to all domestic applications for life;

room;

compact with an elegant design, appealing to every architect;

certified;

and control system, allowing full synergy management of all connected elements to maximise comfort and efficiency;

management of the entire system via smartwww.clivet.com

Luminaire for industrial and pharmaceutical production facilities

Thorn Lighting

pharmaceutical production facilities, all of which demand high-quality illumination delivered by a robust and durable luminaire.

to chemicals and heat against dust, dirt, steam and water.

rounded corners and the impermeable join between Duoproof cover and steel housing also result in

maintenance cycles.

Other features include:

www.thornlighting.com

SMART BUILDINGS

Only when building controls are correctly set up can the scope of their use begin to broaden

Smart only follows from the basics

Graeme Rees discusses the scope and potential of building controls and their ability to create truly smart buildings - but it all depends on getting the basics right first

Graeme Rees

President of the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA)

www.bcia.co.uk

Let’s assume the energy crisis ensures that prices remain volatile for the foreseeable future. The most effective way to deal with future price increases is to prepare our buildings and make them as energy efficient as possible. With a robust energy management strategy in place that not only caters for the drive towards net zero but is also ready or enabled for the next energy crisis, building managers can develop a planned approach to understand where their energy is being used. The use of building energy management systems (BEMS) and data analytics can play a crucial role in the success of the strategy.

It is often said that if you are watching a game of football and you haven’t noticed the referee it means they are doing a good job (VAR might have made that almost impossible in recent years, but we won’t get into that!). Building controls are like that as when they are done very well, nobody really notices. If you are

inside a building and feeling too hot or too cold then you notice it because you are uncomfortable. Unlike an impressive example of architecture, a well-designed and maintained system is not ‘visible’. What people do notice when building controls are not done well are their energy bills going up.

Building performance gap

Something a lot of BCIA members see on site visits is a performance gap. A building has been designed for a particular purpose, systems have been commissioned, installed, and are set to work. The building is

then handed over to the end client as designed, but over time the use of the building has changed, and these changes have not been taken into account by adapting and fine-tuning the systems for the new occupants. If the sensors are not reading the right readings, and we’re not confident the correct commands are being made, then we are wasting the true potential of the technology available to us.

In a recent roundtable discussion I was asked “how smart is it possible for smart to really be?” My answer to this was the same as it always is. For smart to be truly smart we have to get the basics right.

The smart analytics packages that we can deploy now are only truly beneficial if we avoid the rubbish in/rubbish out scenarios. We must ignore those who masquerade data packages as a quick fix, choosing to either overlook or dilute the essential requirement that the underlying building control systems - the sensors, actuators and devices - are installed and maintained correctly. If all the data that is collected from a building is incorrect, then it is useless. If the temperature sensors are positioned incorrectly, for example under a photocopier, the reading won’t be right. If data analysis is based on the assumption the temperature control valves are open when they

are in fact closed, again, the data is skewed. Systems must be set up correctly, mechanical plant needs to be sized correctly, and there is a lot that can go wrong if we don’t get those basics right. That is where good control starts.

Once we have got the basics right the scope of building controls begins to get much broader. Where we were once only thinking about heating, cooling and ventilation, we can now incorporate things like lighting levels, lighting controls, occupancy levels and room booking.

When we are confident that we are on a firm footing with the correct set up, then there is real cause for excitement as everything becomes digital. So much can now be done remotely, including predictive maintenance and the ability to make necessary adjustments.

Constant source of learning

Data in buildings provides a constant source of learning. The systems available now, with remote connectivity and analytical tools, can be checked thousands of times in one hour, whereas years ago they would perhaps be checked annually by one person with a toolbag.

Retailers were initially ahead of the curve in using data to their advantage because retail science is all based on data. Where are people spending most money? Which area of a shop has the highest footfall? In office buildings, data can now tell us where footfall is concentrated, particularly areas that are less busy. This is where data analysis begins to pay for itself – and more. I have heard it suggested that for every pound that is spent on energy in a building, £10 is spent on the equipment over the lifecycle of the building, and £100 is spent on the staffing, operations and productivity of the business. This comes from a “serve the people, not the building” approach, but if we serve the building correctly we can also serve the people and much more cost efficiently too.

There is a value proposition for a huge range of players in this market, including facilities management providers and mechanical contractors, such that the data provided by buildings does deliver genuine value when structured, presented and used appropriately. The alternative is that we will be left with a massive pool of data that people will occasionally look at on a chart but generally ignore. Once the realisation is there that there is value in that data, and acting upon it brings significant benefits, then that is when we will all start to win. ■

If all the data that is collected from a building is incorrect, then it is useless

SMART BUILDINGS

A tiny tool to help slash energy use

Chris Green examines how current sensors can be used to measure and track the energy being used by different parts of a site, such as the lighting circuit or HVAC

to shut the power off to install them and, if you use self-powered wireless sensors, they can be installed with minimal disruption to a site.

Energy prices are higher than ever, and we’re all paying more for the energy we’re using at home and in business. As a result, we’re all interested in reducing that wherever we can.

Whether catering for hundreds of employees or no more than a dozen, a working office environment will have numerous energy needs - lighting, environmental control systems such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), catering facilities, fire/security systems and more.

In-house IT systems can run whole rooms full of power-heavy servers running 24/7. Even the coffee machine in the break room is using power. And that’s just an office – factories, warehouses and other facilities have unique and wide-ranging energy requirements.

Without knowing where energy is being used, it can be difficult to know whether energy saving efforts are actually making a difference. For example, taking simple steps like emailing staff and asking people to turn lights off when they leave a room might sound like a good idea. But a month later, has it made a change?

Did your staff actually do anything differently? Did it reduce your energy bill? When all you have is a meter reading it’s difficult to know what measures have an effect.

No changes to circuitry

The first step in making improvements is knowing where you are. You need an accurate way to measure where the energy is being used, by what and how much. This is where CT clamp current sensors come in.

CT clamps attach around the outside of live conductors, such as the wires going to different circuits in a fuse box. They can be installed in a live circuit, without requiring any changes to the circuitry. You don’t even need

The data collected can be passed straight to the cloud for analysis and storage, without any local IT resources or administration required. Using 3G/4G, even the data network on the site can be bypassed, providing an entirely standalone monitoring system.

These allow you to measure and track the energy being used by different parts of a site, such as the lighting circuit, HVAC, or manufacturing machinery. Once you’re collecting this data, you can really start to see how and where your energy is being used.

Weekend air conditioning use

Some things might become immediately apparent, such as discovering the office air conditioning is on every weekend or noticing the type of lighting being used in one area is less efficient than the rest of the site. Other things might be less obvious but become clearer as you collect and analyse the data.

An accurate picture of how your site uses energy can be hugely valuable when planning energy-saving measures and determining their value.

Motion-activated lighting might be an energy saving measure, but until you know where energy is being wasted, it’s difficult to know. Nobody wants to spend money installing smart lighting, only to learn it doesn’t

save any energy at all. By tracking the energy used by individual fused circuits you can not only see where there is potential to reduce energy, you can also see the effects of any measures taken in real time.

Tracking on a machine level

Some manufacturing machinery has a “start up” process which uses a lot of time and energy. By monitoring and tracking the energy on a per-machine level, you can calculate the costs of the start-up. By tracking the energy usage over a period of time, you can determine exactly when to shut this machine down and when to let it stand by. It might be possible to perform some tasks at different times, when the energy is charged at a lower rate. Or there might be more efficient

ways to make use of non-grid power sources such as solar panels and heat pumps.

Effects of the upgrade

When deciding whether to upgrade to more efficient equipment, measuring the true values of the energy used by the equipment can help create an accurate return on investment calculation, as well as showing the data to demonstrate the effects of the upgrade.

And it’s not just about saving energy – monitoring energy consumption can be a valuable part of a preventative maintenance schedule. Equipment which suddenly starts using more or less energy is often an early sign of a malfunction or unseen wear and tear. By monitoring the energy consumption of all equipment side by side you can be quickly alerted to any device which is behaving strangely.

Careful consideration of how we use energy is more important now than ever, both for economical and environmental reasons. We all want to get to the most efficient point possible, and the first step is knowing where you’re starting from. CT Clamp current sensors, combined with the right software to store, analyse and display the data they collect, are your first move towards understanding your starting point.

When your site is being monitored with CT Clamp current sensors, you can really see where improvements can be made, and watch it happen in front of your eyes! ■

Technical sales manager, Pressac Communications Ltd

Chris Green www.pressac.com

CT clamps attach around the outside of live conductors, such as the wires going to circuits in a fuse box

You are what you breathe

As the UK government fails to meet its deadline to introduce clean air targets under the Environment Act 2021, Stacey Lucas examines the impact this will have on our health

our health, but the economy too. So, what is PM2.5?

The government committed to set targets under the Environment Act to bring forward at least two new air quality targets for one of the most harmful pollutants, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in secondary legislation by 31st October 2022. This duty sat within the environmental targets framework outlined in the Environment Act (Part 1).

The proposed PM2.5 air quality targets were:

● Annual Mean Concentration Target (‘concentration target’) - a maximum concentration of 10µg/m3 to be met across England by 2040; and

● Population Exposure Reduction Target (‘exposure target’) - a 35 per cent reduction in population exposure by 2040 (compared to a base year of 2018).

The failure to meet this important deadline is hugely disappointing especially at a time when the evidence is piling up to show that toxic fine particulate matter impacts not only

Particulates are classified according to size, either as PM10 (particles of ≤10µm (micrometres) diameter) or PM2.5 (particles of ≤2.5µm diameter which are 200 times smaller than a grain of sand). These particles can get into the lungs where they are absorbed into the blood stream and transported around the body lodging themselves in major organs like the brain and heart.

Air quality targets

In July 2021 the government’s Department of Health and Social Care’s independent Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) provided health evidence to Defra designed to inform the department’s development of air quality targets under the Environment Act. It concluded that new evidence

indicates that PM2.5 pollution can have a harmful effect on people’s health at lower concentrations than had been studied previously and that on ‘health grounds’, the committee strongly supported a reduction of PM2.5 concentration, ideally to (or below) the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guideline value of 5µg/m with an interim target of 10µg/m

In September 2020 the Clean Air Fund, a philanthropic organisation, commissioned CBI Economics to calculate the economic benefits of clean air in the UK. The report found that the UK economy could benefit to the tune of £1.6bn each year if it were to achieve the guidelines set by the WHO for ambient air quality. The study is found that reductions in the concentrations of PM2.5 provided the largest impact on deaths prevented and working years gained because it is more prevalent across the UK than other pollutant.

Impact on the UK's health

Seven years ago a major report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) examined the impact air pollution has on the UK’s health – with 40,000 deaths a year linked to exposure to outdoor air pollution. The report ‘Every breath we take: the lifelong impact of air pollution’ also highlighted an often

overlooked area, indoor space. It highlighted a need to quantify the relationship between indoor air pollution and health calling for a coordinated effort to develop and apply any necessary policy changes. The report concludes that exposure to air pollution has a high cost to our health service and to business with these costs adding up to more than £20bn every year.

It came as no surprise that following the government’s failure to publish PM2.5 air quality targets, the RCP and many other leading health organisations wrote an open letter to the then Secretary of State Dr Thérèse Coffey urging Defra to bring forward targets under the Environment Act as soon as possible, with a more ambitious commitment to reduce pollution from PM2.5 to 10µg/ m by 2030.

Monitor particulate matter

At Sontay we are seeing an increasing number of specifiers coming to us for sensors that monitor particulate matter, not just inside their buildings but outside too. If levels inside reach a critical point ventilation is needed to take this polluted air away, but if the outside air is also high in particulate matter, it will need to be filtered before it can be used in a building.

Despite the lack of legislation, the industry is already taking its own steps to improve indoor air quality in buildings. A building certification programme called RESET is placing real focus on the comfort and health of a building’s occupants. There are two certification levels, RESET Certified and RESET high performance. RESET relies on data gathered over three months to assess air quality and see if a building meets air quality targets. It also includes standards for indoor environmental quality (IEQ) sensor performance, calibration, installation and data reporting.

Defra published its Clean Air Strategy in 2019. According to Michael Gove, the then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural affairs the publication of the strategy demonstrated the government’s determination to improve air quality. He stated: “We have an opportunity to set world leading standards on everything from marine conservation to clean air strategies, and to set a gold standard for environmental protection.”

But it seems that a golden opportunity has been missed. Not only has the government missed its own deadline, but its targets lack ambition which means that our health and the UK economy will continue to be impacted. ■

The industry is already taking steps to improve indoor air quality in buildings

A building certification programme called RESET is placing real focus on the comfort and health of a building's occupants

Commercial and marketing director at Sontay

Create digital added value in the revolution

Together with Telekom, ZIEHL-ABEGG has developed an IoT platform based on Microsoft Azure to enable its customers to digitally transform. Simon Hirschmann explains

Simon Hirschmann www.ziehl-abegg.com/en

With the ZAbluegalaxy cloud application, Ziehl-Abegg is offering its customers the opportunity to jointly go down the path of Internet of Things and create digital added value within the framework of Industry 4.0 applications.

People, machines, components and products are directly connected with each other. Data availability in real time, complex data analyses or prescriptive analysis options create a better decision-making base for one’s own business activities.

The Internet of Things (IoT), called IIoT in the industrial sector, is not a purely technological revolution. It is a business revolution that is developing through technologies and databased models. ZIEHL-ABEGG started the journey early and is constantly finding new ways to create longterm additional benefits with the IoT platform. Connected devices make it possible to exchange, collect and evaluate information and to react intelligently to each other. Until now, hardly any information was collected or made available in different IT systems. Mostly, this information was only evaluated manually. Adjustments were then made to bring about

improvements. Digitalisation is now fundamentally changing this process. Maintenance, for example is one such area. It’s easier to predict the future with connected devices. There are four different approaches for maintenance. Beside maintenance there are many different areas which will develop in the same directions with IoT.

Digital transformation

Ziehl-Abegg now offers an entry into this digital transformation with ZAbluegalaxy. You get a ready-touse solution that has been specially developed for HVAC/R (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration) applications not excluding lift systems. It offers a fast and economical entry into digital value creation and new business models.

ZAbluegalaxy provides all the necessary components as an external service. It offers maximum availability and scalability, including a proactive concept for security, compliance and data protection. Due to the connected devices via cloud platform ZAbluegalaxy the operator is able to decide based on real time data.

ZAbluegalaxy is a pre-configured cloud application that can be used to connect and clearly manage all devices and machines. The sensorbased data from the networked devices and machines are stored in data banks. The cloud-based services provide comprehensive functions for administration, management and monitoring of the networked things. With the collected (historical) data and the data available in real time, extensive analyses can be carried out.

Visualizations create a transparent overview to understand product utilisation under real conditions. The information generated from this provides a new, much richer decisionmaking tool which in turn enables better quality decisions to be made.

Machines, components and produced goods are equipped with sensors and intelligent components (systems with computing power) all connected to each other via the internet (IoT). They communicate constantly. Not only with each other, but also with other systems in production, sales, development or with customers and suppliers.

Independent decisions

The next step in automation will be autonomous systems. Machines and components can then not only repeat work steps with the help of central control, but they can also make independent decisions through the application of AI. Central control

ZAbluegalaxy is a pre-configured cloud application that can connect and manage all devices and machines

then becomes decentralised selfoptimisation. Today, the operator decides based on realtime data in future intelligent systems decide by themselves.

Customer's circumstances

ZAbluegalaxy forms the basis on which further functionalities can be developed and integrated. Together with Ziehl-Abegg, the applications can be adapted to the customer’s circumstances. Individual design of the user interfaces is also possible.

IIoT is fundamentally changing business processes and changing the way companies communicate. The sensor-based data is not only used to optimise existing functions and processes (e.g. changing maintenance intervals through predictive maintenance), but new business models can also be developed and new value creation opportunities opened up. An end-to-end digital value chain creates clear advantages:

For example, by using sensor-based data in research and development, a manufacturer can achieve continuous improvement of its products and shorten development times, e.g. by implementing a digital twin and feedback loops.

With the data available and the flexible adaptation of the necessary measures, a higher service efficiency is achieved. This lowers the costs for complaints and reduces the number of warranty cases. ■

Head of product management electronics & motors; Air Movement Division at ZIEHL-ABEGG

There's no end to the energy challenges

Mervyn Pilley examines how the reorganisation of government departments might affect the energy sector, and why businesses need to know what further financial support they might receive with energy bills

it through good old fashioned trade event activity.

As I come towards the end of my fourth year at ESTA there continues to be no end to the major changes, challenges and crises going on around us. While things have at least calmed down a little at the top of the political chain with no change in Prime Minister or Chancellor for a few months, there is certainly no shortage of things going on relating to the economy and, importantly from the ESTA viewpoint, the energy sector.

Post-Brexit trade debate

As I write this column the Prime Minister has achieved an agreement with the EU to address the Northern Ireland protocol. However, it would appear that there is still some way to go before devolved Government restarts at Stormont. It would appear from this action from the Prime Minister may indicate a desire, at least from him, to move the post-Brexit trade debate forwards. This will be something on my mind as I visit Rimini at the end of the month for the K.ey energy show to help UK suppliers of energy efficiency solutions find potential overseas clients and suppliers. If we believe that the UK leads the way on the technology and innovation front then we need to prove

On the energy front, the price of gas has been dropping and Ofgem has announced a drop of £1,000 in the price cap. At the same time energy bills are still likely to go up as the support from Government drops although, again as I write the column, the debate about whether the support will go or be retained is still raging. It is likely we will have to wait for the budget for confirmation. There is still an urgent need for businesses in all sectors to understand what support, if any, they are going to get after the end of the month.

The way the wind is currently blowing it does look very likely that there will be many more business failures this year. One such failure, Britishvolt, is going to be purchased by an Australian company. For the workforce this is good news albeit it would appear that the business will not be producing EV batteries. This will still leave the UK significantly under prepared for the much-needed scaling up of battery production to meet the transition to EVs.

Energy efficiency taskforce

On the positive side, the joint chairs of the new energy efficiency taskforce have been named and its terms of reference published. The Government has also announced that it is putting out to tender an energy advisory service for SME businesses. I am very pleased that this is happening as it also gives me a chance to reconnect the dots with both the SME Energy

Alliance and Commercial Energy Efficiency Alliance projects. There is going to be a great deal of work needed from all sides to scale up the energy efficiency work being undertaken in the UK and a hard pressed SME sector will certainly require a lot of hand holding. We are looking forward to playing a very active part on behalf of our members at the taskforce.

BEIS breakup

Another positive step forward, at least in part, was the breakup of BEIS into four departments. In previous lives I used to have a lot of involvement with the Department of Trade & Industry and then Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. When I joined ESTA in 2019 I remember stating, to whoever would listen, that shoehorning energy into BIS to create BEIS was true madness as all that would happen would be that energy would not get anything like the attention from Government it deserved. The ‘Business’ part of the department,

mainly in the form of trade deals post Brexit, was hogging the limelight. I was certainly proved right and unfortunately all the events of 2022 proved how little policy focus energy had received. It did mean a great deal of urgent catch up was needed, much of which is still going on.

Reverse 2016 change

What I am really struggling to understand is why the 2016 change was simply not reversed by recreating DECC instead of making things ultra-complicated by a) creating four departments out of one and b) putting the words ‘security’ and ‘net zero’ in the title. Far too many people don’t really understand Net Zero and HMG has proven on many occasions that it doesn’t get the fundamental truth that energy efficiency is, as the first fuel, both a supply and a security issue. History will tell us how successful the changes proved.

I hope readers won’t mind me repeating my call last month for help on us getting case studies relating to behaviour change focused energy efficiency projects. We know just how important behaviour change is in relation to energy efficiency and as part of the evidence we are gathering to convince everyone of this the more case studies we can get together the better. It doesn’t matter what format they are in or even how old the case study is, if you are happy for us to feature your efforts as part of our EnCO programme then please get in touch with me at mervyn@estaenergy. org.uk ■

Executive director of ESTA (Energy Services and Technology Association)

Mervyn Pilley

There is going to be a great deal of work needed to scale up energy efficiency work in the UK

WATER MANAGEMENT

A smarter future in sight

Smart metering for water looks to be on the horizon, offering customers the prospect of more granular consumption information to help them use water more efficiently, says Karma

Loveday

out in water company WRMPs, there are promising activities going on in a range of related areas that show a growing appreciation of the need for better consumption data for facilities managers and other business customers going forwards. These include:

⬤ Leak alerts and continuous flow – Thames Water is starting to showcase the opportunities smart metering offers. It is the water company most advanced with its smart rollout, with around 36,000 of its 200,000 business customers now fitted with AMI meters and with 11,000 more being added a year. A whopping 25 per cent of smart metered business sites are showing continuous flow, amounting to 22Ml/d;

As the old adage goes, if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Poor quality water consumption data is one of the main reasons building managers and other business customers struggle to use water as efficiently as possible.

The shortcomings with water consumption data collection and water metering are well versed. The challenges range from major structural issues such as underinvestment in meter stock by water wholesalers, to practicalities, such as accessing hard-to-reach meters to simply ascertain a read. While there have been improvements, problems persist. At present, around 20 per cent of non-household water meters have not been read for at least a year.

The picture across the country is complex and lacks consistency. Not only is there a range of metering technology types and ages in play, from ‘dumb’ to fully smart, varying by customer type, geography and many other factors. But in some instances, different parties are

collecting consumption data for their own specific purposes (wholesalers to detect leaks, for instance, and retailers/intermediaries/customers to validate bills), which can lead to multiple loggers being attached to the same meter without any of that data being shared.

However, there are a number of new drivers and initiatives in play which, together, look set to forge a brighter future for customers who want to manage their water consumption more closely.

Heatwaves focus minds

In January, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed there would be a new statutory water consumption reduction target of 9 per cent by 2038 for the non-household market specifically. The 2022 heatwaves and drought may well have focused

policy-makers’ minds: businesses currently consume 3,000 mega litres of water per day (Ml/d) – around a third of water put into supply. Another hot, dry spell could see drought conditions return in 2023, despite winter rainfall replenishing most water levels.

This policy target has sparked a number of other actions that will see water companies (wholesalers) put greater focus on managing consumption in the non-household market. Water regulator Ofwat has just published details of the methodology it will use to set prices and service levels for 2025-2030. For the first time, it has created an incentive that will see water wholesalers financially rewarded or penalised according to non-household market demand. Ofwat also set an expectation that all future meter installations should be smart, by requiring water companies to provide strong evidence if they install new meters that are dumb.

Plans for the coming 25 years

These policy and regulatory expectations have come ahead of water companies drawing up new Water Resource Management Plans (WRMPs) for the coming 25 years.

Better and more intelligent metering will be integral to the delivery of the 9 per cent consumption cut target. Alongside the smart meter rollouts set

⬤ Smarter settlement – The operator of the business retail water market, MOSL, has been conducting a wide ranging Strategic Metering Review programme. One strand of this looks at the current split of roles and responsibilities in the market (essentially, wholesalers own meters but retailers are responsible for reading them). It has recommended that responsibility for reading meters should transfer from retailers to wholesalers in defined circumstances (for instance, for hard-to-read and very long unread meters) and where wholesalers have smart meters installed. This could significantly increase the number of accurate reads in the system. To support the effort, wholesaler Anglian Water has been successfully trialling transferring smart meter reads once a month directly into the central market system;”

⬤ Data sharing – MOSL has commissioned Artesia Consulting to define a data standard for water consumption information, whatever its origin, together with a data transfer mechanism. While only Thames Water and Anglian Water of the wholesalers are pursuing full smart meter rollouts to business customers at present, MOSL’s view is that where data owners consent, customer/retailer/ intermediary logger data could also form part of the picture, as could wholesaler leakage logger data. Artesia has already sketched out how the data standard might look, and work is underway to define additional standards for analysed data as well as raw data – for instance, on continuous flow, weekday/weekend profiles, or peak consumption.

For customers who want to manage their water use more actively, there are few quick fixes on hand. But the direction of travel is positive, and smarter metering looks set to be a firm fixture for the future. ■

Around 20% of non-household water meters have not been read for at least a year

Water wholesalers are set to be financially rewarded or penalised according to nonhousehold demand

Water advisor, Major Energy Users’ Council

Karma Loveday

Good hygiene for humidifiers

Preventing scale build up in humidification is essential. John Barker examines the methods of preventing to ensure equipment is maintained at optimum performance

WATER MANAGEMENT

a standard set up. In addition, steamgenerating cylinders do not have to be replaced or cleaned as regularly creating a consumable cost saving and a labour time efficiency.

With the spray humidifier, evaporative systems or ultrasonic technology the water treatment increases the life of the equipment, reduces maintenance time and cost but more importantly prevents the dust from creating issues in the process or with equipment such as filters, cooling coils and fans reduces the effects on their performance.

The reverse osmosis plants that are supplied with humidifiers are part of the system. It sounds strange to say it but with humidifiers we require relatively poor water quality compared

finding more and more common is silica in the mains water supply. In this case with our steam humidifiers the silica can form around the electrodes and resistive elements creating an insulated coating. This reduces the humidifier performance so in this instance the use of the RO plant helps to remove this mineral. The use of a carbon filter also removes chlorine which has a harmful effect on the membranes, so again provides a benefit.

Make use of pre-filters

Pre-filters such as 5 micron filters are used to protect the process from larger objects in the water such as flux post installation or sediment if works are carried out downstream of the water treatment.

Water hygiene is essential for humidifiers and particularly cold water humidifiers to prevent the build up of bugs and bacteria. For this reason all of our humidifiers have a water management process included in the units as standard, which ensures that the humidifiers have a flush cycle, are left empty of water if unused for a predetermined time or drain cycles if tanks are used.

Managing director of Humidity Solutions

John Barker www.humiditysolutions.co.uk

Water treatment is used for a variety of reasons but in the world of humidity control we use it to prevent mineral or scale build up and to ensure that mineral dusting does not occur once we have evaporated the moisture – humidity – into the ducted airflow or manufacturing space. With steam humidifiers, once the HO is boiled off to produce steam which we use to create humidified air, the minerals within the mains water precipitate out to form a calcium scale which is a hard rock like substance creating a maintenance and performance issue for the humidifier. In the case of spray humidifiers, we evaporate the water by atomising it

through a very fine nozzle. Once the HO is evaporated again, similar to the steam humidifiers, the minerals precipitate out but, in this case, become airborne which - while not harmful - create a dust, which in the case of sensitive manufacturing processes like digital print or electronics assembly, is undesirable.

Remove the minerals

The solution in both of these situations is to remove the minerals before the water enters the humidifier process.

To make steam humidifiers as efficient as possible, the normal steam humidifier has a drain cycle to remove dissolved solids from the steam cylinder and extend the maintenance period. However, by adding a reverse osmosis plant we can remove the minerals before entering the boiling process – the drain cycle is no longer needed so can be turned off which stops hot, heated water from going to drain and thus making this system 20 per cent more energy efficient than as

to scientific grade RO. Our systems look for a water quality between 20 and 70 microsiemens. At this level the water is less aggressive to metal causing less issues where very pure water will crave the minerals in metal creating wear or corrosion.

Extend life of membranes

Pre the RO plant we may require water softening in hard water areas to remove the calcium for sodium which extends the life of the membranes in the RO plants.

An additional issue that we are

With regards to the water treatment our systems use either silver ion devices or more commonly Ultraviolet sterilisers to kill any bacteria just prior to the humidifier. These processes are extremely effective on RO water as the bacteria cannot be shielded by minerals in the water and are therefore fully exposed to the UV light.

Lines and systems must be installed with reference to L8 legislation, and the

pipework flushed and chlorinated at appropriate time intervals.

When it comes to hygiene, water treatment is helpful but does not mean that the system can be neglected from the installation date forward – planned maintenance is essential to ensure that all elements of the water treatment continue to work effectively throughout the life of the equipment.

Humidity is water, so it is essential to provide the best water quality for the humidifier for it to operate at its optimum performance level. ■

Small reverse osmosis plant serving a steam humidifier (left) and RO plant with bladder vessel (below)

WATER MANAGEMENT

Take a new look at water quality

James Townley takes a look at an alternative methodology for preventing formation and water-side corrosion produced by the Association of German Engineers

James Townley

www.enwa.co.uk

VDI 2035 is a guide produced by the Association of German Engineers, applicable to heating systems up to 100°C, with Part 1 covering scale formation and water-side corrosion.

In common with the UK’s BSRIA BG29 and BG50, VDI 2035 is a guide only and other factors will need to be considered, with adherence to heating equipment warranties taking precedence. The tendency in the UK is the extraction of worthwhile parts of the guide, rather than implementation as a whole.

VDI 2035 is sometimes proposed as a more stringent document than BSRIA, despite the greater level of detail and emphasis on testing present in the latter. It is simply a description of an alternative methodology to achieve common goals.

This has greater application in the UK as parts of the guide may be referenced in heating equipment warranties. The designer is required to confirm the total heating output (kW), specific system volume (litres/kW) and total hardness of the fill water. A table of values is then used to determine the requirement for softening or demineralisation of filling and make-up water.

Principle of sealed systems

VDI 2035 places significant emphasis on the principle of sealed systems. The definition is that make-up water is less than three times system volume over the life of the system (around 12 per cent per year over 25 years). If this is exceeded, then softening of the makeup water will be required. In practice, this is difficult to predict, so inclusion of soft water make-up is a worthwhile consideration for any size of system.

Corrosion control is achieved through management of oxygen content, conductivity and pH. Dosing with corrosion inhibitors is not advised and recommended only where exhaustive measures have been taken

to control corrosion by the means described.

VDI 2035 requires that systems remain well sealed, such that available oxygen is rapidly depleted and no further corrosion can occur. Several means of potential oxygen ingress are described, including incorrect pressurisation, air ingress during filling, open expansion systems, diffusion through permeable components and the oxygen content of fill water. The problem for designers and operators is that these factors are well understood and generally addressed in modern designs. In practice, it again comes down to maintaining a sealed system, which seems reasonable but becomes increasingly less common in older heating systems.

Process of self-alkalisation

VDI 2035 states a pH range of 8.2 –10.0 for standard materials. However, the guide does not require elevation of pH, as this is expected to occur naturally through the process of selfalkalisation. The general trend is for pH to rise in closed heating systems, caused primarily by the temperature related escape of CO2. In practice, the extent of this pH increase is unpredictable and full control can be assured only by provision of pH correction, providing this does not increase conductivity.

Aluminium alloys are permitted in heating systems, with a stated pH

range of 7.5 – 9.0. In the UK, an upper level of 8.5 is adopted, which provides a greater safety margin. Equipment warranties must be consulted.

Under VDI 2035, the advised means of control is to starve microorganisms of nutrient supply, for example by using demineralised water and avoiding the addition of any chemicals that provide a source of carbon or energy. Biocide dosing is not considered an effective means of control.

In principle this is sound – all measures to reduce nutrient sources should be considered. Traditionally heating systems have less potential for bacterial growth than their chilled counterparts. However, the move towards heat pumps and reduced LTHW temperatures places increased demands on microbiological control. BSRIA provides more detail in this respect, advising routine monitoring so increasing trends are quickly identified and rectified.

Contrary to standard UK practice, systems commissioned under VDI 2035 are not chemically cleaned. Dynamic flushing may be employed, but not required where ‘clean construction’ techniques prevent contamination. Filtration is recommended in these cases.

Air venting during filling

Thorough air venting is undertaken during filling, prior to a gradual heat up phase. Total hardness and conductivity are tested and the general appearance

of the water noted. pH is checked after a minimum of 10 weeks operation.

Annual testing of pH, conductivity and visual appearance only is required. Additional analysis is advised only where sample clarity and sedimentation indicate an increase in iron levels. Non-compliance must be addressed with a “targeted search for and elimination of cause.”

Make-up to systems must be metered and corrective action taken for losses greater than 10 per cent per year. If recorded loss exceeds the three times system volume limit, then a switch to softened or demineralised fill water will be required. However, this will not address the oxygen related corrosion issue.

There are many good elements that can be taken from this guide and may well form part of heating equipment warranties. However, implementation of the guide in its entirety will be more difficult as standard UK practices will need to be avoided. Many buildings have both heating and cooling systems, which would present the additional problem of managing different systems under different guidelines.

The designer will need to take greater control over the filling and water management process and the contractor must be fully engaged and familiar with commissioning systems in this manner. ■

Technical manager at Enwa Water Technology UK

A portable demineralisation unit with conductivity sensor

PRODUCTS IN ACTION

Lighting and management scheme gives a lift to fashion brand's distribution centre

TRILUX, has collaborated with Kromwijk Elektrotechniek to provide a WELL and BREEAM certified lighting and management scheme for the newest distribution centre of fashion brand Scotch & Soda in Hoofddorp, Netherlands.

The new distribution centre has 16 loading docks, a large office, and a car park for 100 cars under the building. In line with the BREEAM and WELL guidelines, TRILUX provided all the lighting solutions for the distribution hall, the offices, the parking garage, and the building surrounds.

Raymond van Dijken, the Sales Manager at TRILUX Benelux, highlighted the importance of the close partnership with Kromwijk Elektrotechniek. “From the start, we have worked with Kromwijk to jointly get a clear picture of the end customer’s wishes. With this information, we went to the drawing board and completely worked out the lighting concept. We have installed our highly efficient light line system E-LINE NEXT in the hall, the robust waterproof solution ARAGON FIT in the parking garage, the JOVIE in the outdoor areas and various functional and design luminaires in the offices and circulation areas.”

The TRILUX LIVELINK Premium light management system, links all the luminaires in an intelligent system to ensure maximum energy savings and to maintain flexibility during operation. For example, the lighting specialist has exceeded the requirements with higher-performing luminaires that deliver more lux to the work surface than necessary. www.trilux.com

VENTILATION

Ventilation and heat recovery system installed at former textile mill in Yorkshire

Airtec Services (Yorkshire) Ltd has designed and delivered a modern comfort cooling and heat recovery solution with fresh air ventilation from Fujitsu as part of the regeneration of a historic former textile mill in Yorkshire.

Pharmaceutical manufacturer, Thornton & Ross, has taken an openplan office with meeting and breakout rooms at The Globe Mill in the village of Slaithwaite, near Huddersfield.

Airtec used 15 ducted fan coil units connected to two VRF heat recovery systems with seven, fourway cassettes in some of the meeting rooms. The VRF systems achieve high operating efficiency by transferring heat between rooms that require cooling and areas that require heating.

Ian Whitaker of Airtec Services Yorkshire said: “We chose Fujitsu equipment for this project because of its competitive pricing and design flexibility. The way the building has been developed meant the system had to look the part as well as meeting all the customer’s requirements in terms of performance and efficiency, and it has delivered on all fronts.”

An innovative design feature sees the high static 22kW ducted units connected to fabric air socks, which create a more even air distribution in open plan areas and are more aesthetically pleasing as all equipment is visible, due to the exposed ceilings which have been retained in keeping with the building’s industrial heritage. www.airtech.co.uk

An NHS fit for the future

to new anaesthetics

From building refurbishments

Hannah Callingham examines the many challenges the NHS faces as it moves towards its net zero target by 2045

The NHS has set itself two targets for delivering net zero carbon healthcare and aims to be the world’s first net zero national health service.

The first target refers to the emissions the NHS controls directly (scope 1 and 2). These include NHS facilities, fossil fuels, anaesthetics, NHS vehicles, electricity, waste, water and metered dose inhalers, with a goal to reach net zero by 2040 and, an 80 per cent reduction by 2028 to 2032. For emissions which can be influenced by the NHS (scopes 1, 2, and 3) such as medical devices, construction, IT, transportation, manufacturing and business services, the goal is to reach net zero by 2045, with an 80 per cent reduction by 2036 to 2039.

Significant advancement

While these targets may appear ambitious, it is important that we recognise the keystone progress moments of 2022, which mark significant advancement for green innovation. From June 2022, for the first time ever, every NHS Trust in England has a board-approved Green Plan in place. This includes 212 NHS Trusts and covers more than 1,000 hospitals and healthcare facilities.

Furthermore, in May 2022, a team at Solihull Hospital performed the world’s first net zero carbon operation. Operating theatres are an important focus in carbon reduction as they account for 25 per cent of a hospital’s carbon emission output.

Finally, the Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare (SBRI Healthcare) awarded a total of £1m to ten pioneering MedTech and Digital innovations to support the delivery of net zero in the NHS. However, despite these successes, there remain areas of risk and of opportunity that have not yet been properly addressed or explored by the government and NHS Trusts. These areas are what the NHS will need to continue to focus on, moving through 2023.

Decarbonisation will be a priority and one of the greatest challenges the NHS will face in delivering net zero. Currently, healthcare buildings contribute 15 per cent of the total NHS carbon footprint, which means that reducing emissions in this area will be essential if the health service is to reach its net zero goal.

Heat decarbonisation

October 2022 saw the opening of Phase 3b of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and more than 30 NHS healthcare facilities secured a total of £329m for energyefficient innovations and heat decarbonisation. While the NHS is estimated to save 1m tonnes of carbon as a result of these recent investments, capturing building-level data required to identify low-carbon heating alternatives are overall still in the early stages of implementation across NHS trusts. Continued funding will be crucial to enabling the continuation of the scheme and the development of the appropriate tools and analytics so that all NHS facilities can undergo decarbonisation.

Adaptation's key role

Climate change risk management and adaptation will play an important role in

protecting the NHS from physical risks posed by increasingly frequent extreme weather events and climate anomalies. Heat presents a key risk to the NHS, with the summer heatwaves of 2022 shining a light on the vulnerabilities present within building infrastructure. With a third of the NHS estate having been built before 1965, there is a serious maintenance backlog issue, risking catastrophic failure and disruption to clinical services. Addressing these structural weaknesses and safeguarding healthcare buildings from more extreme weather will become a much more pressing matter for the NHS in 2023.

Alongside emissions reduction efforts, social value continues to be a high priority on the sustainability

agenda for the NHS. Driven by the public procurement note (PPN 06/20), social value delivery within the NHS’ supply chain provides a mechanism to align targets, obtain scope 3 footprints and deliver additional value to the communities served by national healthcare.

These programs work to reduce health inequalities, improve mental health outcomes and develop green social activity pipelines within communities. In this way, social prescribing will be key not only in reducing pressure on existing NHS services, but also in focusing on preventative care as opposed to reactive care (such as treating prediabetics through lifestyle changes to prevent diabetes).

Continued investment

Finally, continued investment into innovative technologies and new processes will be a point of focus within the healthcare sector. We are already seeing how the implementation of new equipment and drugs has improved the efficiency of surgery and lowered carbon emissions. For example, the use of anaesthetic gas, desflurane –which is responsible for 2 per cent of all NHS emissions and is more than 2,500 times more potent than carbon dioxide – is currently at its lowest levels across the NHS and has recently set to be decommissioned by early 2024. To date, interventions replacing it with clinically appropriate and safe alternatives has saved the NHS an estimated 60,816 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. Similarly, the piloting of 21 zero-emissions vehicles (six of which are dedicated to mental health response) by eight ambulance trusts, is helping to reduce demand on traditional double-crewed ambulances. A national roll-out of this scheme would significantly reduce NHS vehicle emissions and move trusts towards the 2040 target.

To continue to move at pace against Trust Green Plans, 2023 should be a year of shared learning, keystone commitments, and data-driven action. Efforts of NHS staff up and down the country, along with the support of Royal Colleges and leadership, have proven the potential and scalability of several solutions. Now is the time to commit and reap the associated wider societal, environmental and financial benefits. ■

Hannah Callingham Sustainability consultant at Lexica

2023 should be a year of shared learning and commitments

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