bsnews€¦ · category of the cogen europe recognition awards 2011. the award recognises the...

March/ April 2011b u i l d i n g s e r v i c e s n e w snewsbs

CIBSEAnnualConference

SDARAwardsPresentation

Lighting – anenvironmentworth saving?

The fundamentalsof heat pumptechnology

Cov April 2011:Cover April 2009 (D) 20/04/2011 06:39

23 billion kWh of energy savings across the EU in 2020, compared to a scenario with no changes to framework conditions – estimated using Regulation (EC) No. 641/2009 of the EU Commission dated 22 July 2009. For greater sustainability, visit www.wilo.ie/ he

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WLO PZ Pflanze 210x297_IRL.indd 1WLO PZ Pflanze 210x297_IRL.indd 1 25.03.11 12:2425.03.11 12:24

bs news � March/April 2011

1

Be positive … but realistic!

The good news is that there is good news … on the

commercial side there is a continuous trickle of

projects proceeding from design stage through to

tender and site works commencement. For the most part they

are in the small to medium size category and, while price

levels mean severely curtailed margins, a positive pattern is

emerging.

The same can be said of the domestic sector. With people

not moving house – be it to trade up or down – they are

protecting and upgrading the fabric of their homes. This is

particularly true of heating systems. Once again though

margins are being squeezed to an all-time low.

One of the prime motivating factors behind this pattern is

the high cost of energy. Whether a commercial enterprise or

a home, more and more people now realise that significant

savings can be made by having high-performing, efficient,

building services systems. The irony now is that, while the

penny is finally beginning to drop in this respect, there are

less resources available to spend.

Still, it is a welcome market development. That said, the

litany of company failures – both within construction and the

economy at large – continues unabated. Indeed, building

services alone has seen the liquidation of at least three

extremely long-standing firms over the last month. Their

demise will have a significant impact for many, and may

even precipitate other company failures.

Unfortunately, that is the marketplace reality at the

moment. So, while it would be foolhardy to ignore the very

troubling downside, it is important to focus on maximising

the positives. �

ContentsNews and products 2

Worcester’s Greenstar range 8

Fundamentals of heat pump technology 10

Mitsubishi heat pump benefits 12

Energy efficiency from BDR brands 14

Daikin’s Altherma HT 16

Unitherm sustainable solutions 18

Hitachi keeps IAA command centre cool 20

High-efficiency Wilo pumps 21

Trends from Mostra Convegno 22

Thermo Air celebrates 30 years 23

CIBSE Annual Conference 24

RACGS at The Heritage 28

Plumbing Tips 29

SDAR awards presentations 30

Lighting – an environment worth saving? 32

Irish Lighter Awards 35

Back Issues 36

24

2230

opinion

bs newsb u i l d i n g s e r v i c e s n e w s

ISSN 0791-0878

Published by:Pressline Ltd, Carraig Court, George’s Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin.Tel: 01 - 288 5001/2/3 Fax: 01 - 288 6966 ISDN 01 - 211 2338/9email: [email protected]: www.buildingservicesnews.com

www.bsnewsbuyerguide.com www.pressline.ieEditor: Pat LehaneAdvertisement Director: Joe WarrenOrigination and Design:Pressline Ltd. Tel: 01 - 288 5001Subscription: One Year – e70 Printed by: Swift Print Solutions (SPS).© All editorial contents and all advertisements prepared by the publishers, Pressline Ltd.

Contents:Layout 1 20/04/2011 06:51 Page 1

EMC, one of the world’s top hi-tech companies, willachieve annual energysavings of 20% and anannual carbon emissionreduction of 7,000 tonnes atits facility in Cork thanks to ae2.5 million project designedand managed by Arup.

On foot of a feasibilityreport by Arup, EMC decidedto undertake a full retrofitproject to implement energysaving technologies at theinformation technology anddata centre site, using freecooling technology systems.

The challenge for Arupwas to fit the new

technologies withoutaffecting operations at thefacility, one of Europe’s mostimportant ICT sites. Bespokeengineering solutions weredesigned for three datacentres, 10 ambientlaboratories and fourthermocycling testlaboratories.

Arup completed theengineering design,equipment procurement andtender process in five weeksand the entire project,including construction andcommissioning, took justseventeen weeks.


News and Products

2

EMC points the way inenergy savings

BDR Thermea winsCOGEN AwardBDR Thermea has won the Technology/Innovationcategory of the COGEN Europe Recognition Awards 2011.The award recognises the Group’s significant and innovativenew developments in cogeneration technology andapplication across Europe.

This includes developing and launching the Remeha eVitaand Baxi Ecogen micro-CHP to domestic heating markets inGermany, Netherlands, UK and Ireland; its experience in themini-CHP market with Baxi SenerTec; and Baxi Innotech’swork on the Gamma fuel cell.

COGEN Europe was created to work towards the wideruse of cogeneration in Europe for a sustainable energyfuture. Its membership includes more than 70 powercompanies, power authorities, national cogenerationassociations, suppliers and other organisations involved in cogeneration in 30 countries.

IPFMA annual members lunchMore than 220 members and guests attended thisyear’s IPFMA (Irish Property & Facility ManagementAssociation) Annual Members Lunch, which took place in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin.

In his welcome address, IPFMA chairman PeterMoloney of Knight Frank Management Ireland, calledon the new coalition Government to enact the long-promised Property Services Regulatory Bill which, he said, will see the introduction of licensing and the much-sought-after property regulator.

Picture shows John Mockler, Managing Director,Knight Frank Management Ireland with Peter Moloney,IPFMA Chairman, and guest speaker Jason Leonard.

Pictured during the installation of dry cooling equipment atEMC are Ken O’Mahony, EMC’s Director of Real Estate andFacilities, Europe, Middle East and Asia; Bob Savage, VicePresident, Managing Director EMC and Sean Twohig, ProjectManager, Arup.

Standard Control Systemsacquires UK company Standard Control Systems has acquired the London-basedcontrols company, Kappa Rho Ltd, which is headed by PaulO’Grady, and renamed it Standard Control Systems (UK) Ltd.Paul, a Londoner with strong Irish connections, has extensiveexperience within the UK controls industry and prior to settingup Kappa Rho had a senior role at ICS in Berkshire.

Standard Control Systems (UK) Ltd can now offer localsupport in the design, installation and maintenance of severalleading BEMS, such as Trend, Honeywell Centraline, Priva and Tidium. It is also fully NICEIC registered.

According to Seán O’Toole, SCS General Manager, thecompany is still focussed on the local market, but is ever-conscious of the ongoing contraction therein. “That’s why we’ve made strong efforts obtain work overseas. We’re excitedabout our plans for the UK market and have already succeededin winning large orders there. We also have ongoing works inSaudi Arabia and mainland Europe”.

News :Layout 1 19/04/2011 14:48 Page 1

Pressurisation & Water Quality Balancing & Control Thermostatic Control ENGINEERING ADVANTAGE

Three leading hydronics companies have joined forces to make sure

you have the solutions you need to optimise efficiency and comfort.

Pneumatex, TA and Heimeier are now one exceptional company called

TA Hydronics. This means we now provide you with everything you need

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increase HVAC system efficiency by up to 30%.

Find out how one company can help you meet every hydronic challenge

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TA Hydronics gives

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News and Products

G&J Engineering successful golf day G&J Engineering held is annual golf outing at the South County Golf Club recently withteams of five three-balls and one four-ball teeing off from 1pm in the afternoon. Established in1992 by George Larkin Snr, it is now one of Ireland’s most successful mechanical servicescompanies, which George stills runs with his fellow director and son, George Jnr.

While based in Dublin, it hasundertaken projects throughout theentire country, its experience andexpertise extending across industrial,commercial, residential, hotel, leisureand heritage projects.

G&J Engineering’s annual golfouting is now a very popular event onthe building services calendar as it isalways a very enjoyable and relaxedaffair. This year was no exception andthe wonderful weather on the day was a bonus.

The teams were as follows:Team 1: Gerry Donnelly, Tom

Murphy, Ken Carmody; Team 2: MartinMurphy, Eamon Weir, Ken Clare; Team 3: George Larkin Senior, Jim Stanley, Mark Pringle;Team 4: Bill Treacy, Sean Stenson, Pat O Donnell; Team 5: Eric Hayward, Jim Cummins, Paul Kenny; Team 6: Brendan Keaveny, Liam Madden, Bryan Keaveny, Steven Monaghan.

New editionof IS 820:201NSAI has publishedthe second edition of IrishStandard 820, Non-domesticGas Installations (Edition 2).The first edition, IS 820:2000,covering natural gas andLPG, was published in 2000 as a replacement forICP 4:1989 – Non-Domestic Installations forManufactured and NaturalGas. I.S. 820:2010 has been revised to include new technologies and newmaterials and has beenaligned with newly-revisedEuropean Standards.

The NSAI ConsultativeCommittee, Gas TechnicalStandards Committee(GTSC) that developed the standard is representedby all sectors of the gasindustry. Once the committeewas satisfied that the reviseddraft of I.S. 820:2010 wascomplete, a draft was sent topublic comment where thepublic were given a three-month period to review thedraft standard and submitcomments on the draft.

Seventy nine commentswere received from the publiccomment stage and eachcomment was addressed bythe committee. On completionof the comments ratification,the committee submitted thedraft standard that is nowpublished as IS 820:2010(edition 2). The TechnicalSecretary of the GTSC isFergal Finn and he can becontacted at NSAI on Tel: 01 - 807 3800. Hardcopies and electronic copiesof IS 820:2010 can bepurchased from NSAI directly or online atwww.standards.ie.

IVIA Formally Launched at Energy Show The Irish Ventilation Industry Association (IVIA) was formerly launched at therecent Energy Show with SEAI Chairman Brendan Halligan and SEAI ChiefExecutive Owen Lewis visiting their stand to mark the occasion.

While a manufacturer-led initiative, membership will be open top all involved in the ventilation sector with appropriate membership categories to cater for engineersthrough to designers, installers, distributors, manufacturers and students.

A number of matters have yet to be finalised but it is envisaged that, in addition toa management committee with specific individuals responsible for defined areas ofapplication, there will also be an independent Executive Committee. This will

comprise members of the constructionand building services professionalbodies, in addition to representative of relevant government departments.

There will also be a dedicatedwebsite, training courses, etc.

Contact: Ciaron King at Tel: 086 – 255 9659, email:[email protected]; Simon Jones at 086 – 025 2210, email: [email protected]

George Larkin Snr pictured with Grainne Larkin(accepting prize on behalf of Brendan Keaveny whowas in second place); Martin Murphy, third place;Bryan Keaveny (winner with 39 points); Eamon Weir(accepting prize on behalf of Steven Monaghan whowas in fourth place); and George H Larkin.

Brendan Halligan, SEAI Chairman with SEAIChief Executive Owen Lewis, and Simon Jonesand Ciaron King, both of IVIA.4

News :Layout 1 20/04/2011 06:45 Page 3

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BSS Advert April 2011:Layout 1 21/04/2011 09:43 Page 1


News and Products

6

APHCI making considerable headway The Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors Ireland (APHCI) continues to grow instrength and status with more and more heating and plumbing contractors signing up formembership. Meetings held recently at various locations throughout the country resulted in largeturnouts of like-minded contractors who, through discussion and debate, identified core issueswhich need to be addressed to help safeguard the viability of the industry going forward.

On foot of those meetings APHCI made representation to SEAI on a number of specific issuesand, as a consequence, has held a number of very productive meetings with SEAI officials.These meetings are but the starting point in a planned series of engagements which will ensureongoing dialogue and discussion on matters of mutual interest and concern. The formation ofAPHCI is a major development for heating and plumbing contractors and clearly illustrates theimportance and value of having a strong, unified, industry body to represent its position.

Further general meetings are planned for the coming weeks at which APHCI committeemembers will relay to the membership details of progress made to date. They will also providean opportunity for other areas of concern to be identified.

For further information on APHCI contact any of the following: Sean Giffney (Dublin): 086 -258 2357; Pat Kelleher (Cork): 087 - 259 8933; Pat Jordan (Mayo): 087 - 260 5665; and TonyPurcell (Meath): 087 - 273 1700.

GeothermalAssociationconferenceThe Geothermal Associationof Ireland (GAI) is to hold a one-day conference in theNewpark Hotel, Kilkenny onTuesday 10 May next. Thetheme is “Geothermal Energy –Progress & Devlopments”, and a panel of Irish and internationalspeakers has been lined up tocover all areas of research andapplication.

There will be four primarysessions throughout the day,each one devoted to a specificmarket element. These are:

Session 1 – New geothermallegislation & current practices.Speakers are John King,DCENR; Philip Lee, Philip LeeSolicitors; and Anna Hall,England and Wales EnvironmentAgency.

Session 2 – International andIrish deep geothermal projects.Speakers are ChristianBoissavy, EGEC; Simon O’Neill,GT Energy; and Ryan Law,Geothermal Engineering Ltd.

Session 3 – Recent large scaleshallow geothermal projects inIreland. Speakers are MarkFinnegan, IKEA; David Roome,DC Compute Air; and NiallBurke, Athlone Institute of Tech.

Session 4 – Geothermal trainingand research. Speakers arePhil Hemmingway, UCD; MarkMuller, DIAS; Gareth Jones,Conodate; and John Burgess,Arup & Vice-Chairman GAI.

Cost per person is e80members; e130 non-members;e30 unwaged/students.

Contact: GIA Secretariat,Groundwater Section, GSI,Beggars Bush, HaddingtonRoad, Dublin 4. Tel: 01- 678 2784/2780; email:[email protected]

WorcesterBoschRoadshowWorcester Bosch will presentits range of energy saving gas,LPG and oil appliances,alongside its extensive rangeof renewable heating products,at various locations throughoutMay. Details are as follows:

May 3: Heatmerchants,Drogheda;

May 4: Heatmerchants,Athlone;

May 5: Hursts Merchants,Castlebar;

May 6: Clayton Hotel, Ballybrit;

May 7/8: Self-Build Show,Galway Race Course;

May 9: Maldron Hotel,Limerick;

May10: Irish InternationalMerchants, Cork;

May 11: Fas CollegeBishopstown, Cork;

May 12: Heatmerchants,Waterford Six Cross Roads,Waterford;

May 13: Heatmerchants,Carlow.

TA Hydronics heralds a newengineering advantageWasted energy within the HVAC sector has inspired the recentformalisation between three major HVAC companies –Pneumatex, a specialist in pressurisation and water quality; TA, the world-leading brand in hydronic balancing solutions; andHeimeier, a leader in the manufacture of thermostatic controls, tocreate one superbrand.

Operating under the newcollective name, TA Hydronics,the formal integration of the threeleaders will raise the standard in HVAC system optimisation. With the best brains and products in the industry united under one banner, TA Hydronics reinforces its position as the leadingglobal expert in hydronic distribution systems. Each year, astaggering amount of energy is wasted in buildings through HVACsystems throughout the world. Yet as technology and innovationoffers more solutions than ever before, the fact remains that themajority of today’s buildings are far less energy efficient than they should be.

As environmental issues become a key concern among buildingdevelopers, optimised systems play an increasingly vital role inthe goal for better energy efficiency and a more comfortableindoor climate. TA Hydronics offers knowledge, system solutionsand collaboration in three key areas – pressurisation and waterquality; balancing and control; and thermostatic control. Withintegrated expertise, products and specialists, TA Hydronics is the ultimate partner.

From design advice to installation and maintenance, TAHydronics offers the most comprehensive range of system solutionsfrom one single source, for the ultimate engineering advantage.

For further information visit www.tahydronics.com

News :Layout 1 20/04/2011 06:47 Page 2

Greenstar.By choosing a high efficiency Greenstar condensing boiler for your customers you’re helpingthem to invest in proven Worcester quality and reliability. Today’s Greenstar gas-fired rangeis greener and cleaner than ever, with lower NOx and CO2 levels. And now, for a limitedperiod, we’re backing every Greenstar boiler with an additional free 1 year guarantee*.

To find out more, call 0844 892 3366 or visit our website.

Green, Greener,

www.worcester-bosch.co.uk*Purchased & installed between

1st May & 31st August 2011.Terms and conditions apply.

1 YEARextra guarantee

FREEwith everyGreenstar boiler*

BBT2547 ExtG_pg_A4_BSnews_BBT25147 ExtG_pg_A4_BSNews 14/04/2011 10:07 Page 1

Worcester’s Greenstar range‘greener’ than ever before


NOx emissions are the latestregulatory hurdle which installersmust understand as they go abouttheir work. Here, Martyn Bridges,Director of Marketing & TechnicalSupport at Worcester, BoschGroup, offers a brief guide andprofiles the latest boiler changesfor the manufacturer.

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) released from the burning offossil fuels is a relatively new issue for the heatingindustry, but one which is growing in importance.

Up to now, attempts to control the environmental impact ofdomestic heating systems has been concentrated uponlimiting CO2 emissions, but increasingly attention is turningto NOx. The key point to remember is that NOx has nothingto do with efficiency. Only CO2 output is efficiency-related,NOx is merely a measurement of exhaust gases. In fact, it is perfectly possible to have a relatively inefficient or non-condensing boiler with very low NOx emissions, and vice versa.

So why is NOx suddenly back on the radar? Essentially,because reducing the CO2 emissions of a property has,over the past couple of years, become increasinglyimportant. This is especially since the introduction of variousstandards and regulations, all designed to make the heatingsystems in Ireland’s homes more sustainable. Essentially,the lower the NOx emissions the better the system.

CleanerCommitted to continually revising our product portfolio toensure our boilers are among the best in the industry, thelatest versions of Worcester’s Greenstar boilers now boasta low-NOx capability, which produce less than 40mg perkWh of NOx.

Specifically, low-NOx options are now available for all ofWorcester’s natural gas, low to mid-output, combi models.The Greenstar 24i Junior, 28i Junior, 25Si and 30Si combisare also now supplied with a simple-to-install low-NOx code plug, while the Greenstar 12Ri and 12i System boilerswill perform as low-NOx boilers as standard. In all casesNOx emissions are reduced while still achieving a SEDBUK A rating.

GreenerAs standard we also now feature the EMS bus connectionon all of Worcester’s boilers to allow for the introduction ofweather-compensation controls. This means that our boilerscan receive signals to indicate whether the boiler needs toturn on or off to satisfy demand, but also a signal indicatingwhat flow temperature a boiler should operate at.

For example, if we connect a Greenstar i System boiler to a Greenskies solar thermal heating system with a FW100weather-compensation controller, ordinarily the externalweather compensator would only have picked up theoutside temperature from the north-facing wall, where theweather compensator was located.

However, it will also now pick up from the south-facingGreenskies solarpanels with the abilityto see and control therequired boiler outputfrom both, via atemperature controllerin the property’shallway. It makes itmore accurate ashomeowners will beable to select andreceive three differenttemperatures fromthree separate areasall over the house.This gives a moreaccurate assessmentof the actualtemperature and solar gain.

In addition, we havejust extended the guarantee on all of Worcester’s Greenstargas- and oil-fired boilers. This exclusive offer applies to allinstallations carried out between 1 May and 31 August2011. So now, not only will installers be helping customersto save energy, but it’ll also give them peace of mind forlonger.

For more information on any of Worcester’s products,including its low-NOx boilers and range of intelligentcontrols, please contact: Tel: 01 - 494 0099; www.worcester-bosch.ie �8

Worcester edit:Layout 1 20/04/2011 06:54 Page 1

Thermo Air Ireland Ltd, Strawhall, Athy Road, Co Carlow. T: 059 – 913 1646; E: [email protected]; W: www.thermoair.com

Quality of Service

Apart from the actual products, ThermoAir also provides:

• Project surveys/assessments

• Design advice

• Technical back-up

• Installation support

• Commissioning

• Customised maintenance packages

Key Product Groups

• Air Handling

• Air Heating

• Automotive

• Fans

• Heat recovery

• High-Efficiency Cooling

• Special Projects

• Ventilation Technology

• Components

Thermo Air also representsCELEBRAT

ING

TH

IRTY

YEARS IN

IRE

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This year Thermo Air Ireland celebrates over 30 years as Ireland’s leading manufacturer of innovative HVAC equipment and systemsdesigned to create the perfect indoor environment.Whether it’s heating, cooling, ventilation or generalclimate control, Thermo Air provides both off-the-shelf and bespoke solutions to satisfy virtually every conceivable market application.

Creating the perfect indoor environment

New Thermoair Advert April 2011:Layout 1 21/04/2011 08:43 Page 1

bs news � April/May 2011

Ground source systems – water There are two common ways of accessingthis stored “coolth” and a number of others for altering its temperature.

To access the “coolth” a circuit can beestablished which is either open loop or closed loop.

Open loop systems: water is abstractedfrom the ground (typically an aquifer or, ifavailable, a ground or surface water sourcesuch as a lake or river), then passed througha heat exchanger to transfer heat to thebuilding systems. Finally the water is eitherreturned to the ground or discharged to ariver (or sewer if the local water companycan accommodate the additional capacity).

Closed loop systems: This comprises acontinuous loop of pipework which is buriedin the ground. The water that is circulatedthrough the ground loop can also be used by the cooling distribution system within thebuilding. The ground loops can be vertical(up to depths of 100m) or horizontal(typically 2m deep).

Compared with conventional chillers, the

energy savings associated with the use ofground water cooling are significant. Theonly energy requirement is for circulatingwater, whereas the bulk of energyassociated with conventional cooling is forcompressors within the chiller plant. A 90%saving in cooling electricity demand isfeasible for ground water cooling systems.(The proportion of total energy demandwhich cooling represents depends onbuilding use and age. Modern well-insulatedbuildings may have a greater need forcooling in summer).

The technology is commercially viable inmany areas when applied to certain buildingtypes. The installation costs depend on localground conditions (solid rock will be moreexpensive to drill through), or the availabilityof suitable available surface water. Groundwater cooling is best suited to buildings withmodest cooling demands (eg, offices, shopsand hotels).

Ground source systems – air Heat pumps use refrigerant gases and anelectrical compressor to take heat from a

The ground acts as a huge solar collector and thermalstore. The surface is warmed by the sun and the adjacentair during daytime and in the summer. Similarly, it iscooled during night-time and in the winter. Fluctuationsof ground temperature reduce with depth and stabilise atthe annual mean for the location by about 12m below thesurface. Typically in Ireland this temperature lies between9°C and 12°C, which is suitable for directly cooling manytypes of building as it is well below summertime comforttemperatures.

The fundamentals ofheat pump technology

10

Damien Flynn is a SeniorProject Engineer, working inthe Building ServicesEngineering Group of Arup inDublin. He is an experiencedbuilding services designengineer, with 16 yearsexperience in commercial,industrial and educationprojects. Damien Holds a B Eng (Hons) degree inBuilding Services Engineeringfrom Glasgow CaledonianUniversity and is currentlypursuing an Msc Degree inEnergy Management at DITKevin Street. He has a keeninterest in building servicesand energy matters and is a committee member of theCIBSE Republic of IrelandBranch.

Heating Intro:Layout 1 20/04/2011 06:57 Page 1

11

source and deliver it to an output.Chillers and refrigerators are examplesof systems that remove heat, but othertypes of system use the heat removedfrom a source to heat a building.Traditional heat pumps use air as thesource of heat. However, the idealsource for maximum efficiency wouldbe one having a stable temperature,and the ground provides such a source.

Ground-source heat pumps(GSHPs) make use of the heat storedin the ground at this relatively stabletemperature of around 9°C and 12°Cand raise it to a more useful outputtemperature of around 40/50°C for in heating buildings. These outputtemperatures are ideal for lowtemperature systems, eg, underfloorheating coils and radiant panels inmost types of building.

Heat can be extracted from theground either by a buried loop ofpipework through which a refrigerantfluid (or water) is circulated, or directlyby abstraction of ground water. Withcorrect design, the depletion of theheat source is matched by the rate ofheat flow back from the surroundingearth and, under these circumstances,the technology is a renewable sourceof energy.

Where GSHPs are installed as analternative to conventional (resistive)electric heating, carbon savings of50/70% are achievable. In somecircumstances, well-designed GSHPscan result in reduced CO2 emissionswhen compared with gas and oil fired boilers.

The capital costs associated withGSHPs are highly-dependent on localconditions. Capital costs are usuallycompetitive where there are limitedgas or oil supplies, and running costsare much more cost-effective thanalternative forms of electric heating(which is a particularly poor source

of energy for heating in terms of itscarbon emissions).

The reliability of heat pumpcomponents is good, with expectedlifetimes of 20 to 25 years. Theexpected lifetime for their ground coilsis much longer, with warranties beingoffered for up to 50 years. Capitalcosts are higher than for alternativesystems, mainly because of the civilengineering costs associated with the ground coil.

On a life-cycle cost basis, thesesystems offer a viable option in thecontext of Ireland’s obligations toreduce both our energy consumption,and CO2 emissions, by the 2020deadline.

Air source heat pumps Electric air-source heat pumps use the difference between outdoor airtemperatures and indoor airtemperatures to cool and heat airwithin the building. They are primarilyused in domestic applications. Themost common type of heat pumps isthe air-source heat pump, whichtransfers heat between inside and the outside air.

High-efficiency heat pumps alsodehumidify better than standard central air conditioners, resulting inless energy usage and more coolingcomfort in summer months

A heat pump is typically rated toprovide approximately 80% of the peakload of the residence on the coldestday. Since the number of days that we have these extremely lowtemperatures is relatively low, taken as a percentage of the total year, theheat pump is typically rated to provide90/95% of the total heating needs for a property over the entire year. Theremaining energy is usually providedby another heat source (oil/ gas boiler)or an electrically-heated source. �

bs news � April/May 2011

Keep yourName to the

Fore

Contact

Joe Warren, bs newsmobile: 086 - 253 7115

tel: 01 - 288 5001

email: [email protected]

When the trading environment is difficult, it is

more important than ever tokeep your name to the fore.

For those whose business isbuilding services, there is nobetter way to do that thanthrough the medium of bs news.

Serving the industry since 1964,bs news is an integral part ofthe business and has alwaysadapted the service it providesto meet prevailing marketconditions.

It’s at times like this thatproduct and service providersneed to keep their names tothe fore.

bs news can help you do that.

Heating Intro:Layout 1 20/04/2011 06:57 Page 2

“However”, says Michael Sheehan,Divisional Manager, Mitsubishi ElectricIreland, “while domestic systems, such as the market-leading Ecodan® fromMitsubishi Electric are widely availableand straightforward to install for eitherretro-fit or new-build, it has not beenpossible to say the same for commercialpremises – until now.

“To date, manufacturers’ systems havebeen generally sized for flats, smallhouses and medium to large homes –along the lines of the Ecodan range,which has 5kW, 8.5kW and 14kW models– making air source heat pumps suitablefor the vast majority of houses.

“While these can also be linkedtogether to provide a larger solution forbusiness premises, it is only now that thecommercial sector is being specificallytargeted with a new range of heat pumpheating products.

“Ahead of the game is the commercialEcodan from Mitsubishi Electric, which

has been specifically designed to address the renewable energy needs of a commercial building with more ease, reliability and flexibility than any other technology including biomass boilers”.

The new CAHV-P500YA HPBcommercial Ecodan is an air source heat pump boiler that can supply abuilding’s domestic hot water and heating.The air to water system is a factory-sealed mono-bloc unit allowing forstraightforward installation without theneed for any refrigeration work on site.

The unit, which has beenindependently tested by BSRIA (Building Service Research InformationAssociation), comes in units of 43kW tooffer space heating and domestic waterup to 70°C. It is also available withmultiple unit control of up to 16 units to provide a maximum of 688kW ofrenewable heating for larger buildings.

Around 55% of the energy used in the average commercial property goes on space heating and hot water, soanyone designing or operating a

building is increasingly underpressure to find more efficient ways of delivering energy.

“Other renewable systems such as solar thermal, wind turbines,photovoltaic, MicroCHP and biofuelseach come with limits to their use,”continues Michael. “For the majorityof situations, the limits in renewablecapacity or sole dependence onseasonality restrict how they can be used.

“Even biomass boilers are not suitablefor every situation because of their highmaintenance, the need for regular fueldeliveries and the amount of spacerequired for secure fuel storage,” he adds.

The commercial Ecodan uses afactory-sealed circuit of R407C refrigerantwhich enables the system to achieve the high temperatures needed for thedomestic water supply. However,Sheehan also highlights how heat pumpboilers require a change in thinkingamong building operators: “We need tomove away from the belief that a radiantsystem always has to operate at themaximum temperature possible andrealise that we can keep well-insulatedbuildings warm at lower temperatures.This will give us much higher efficiencylevels,” he says.

In addition to helping new-buildsachieve planning permission, the rangecan be retro-fitted to existing buildings:“We have specifically designed thesesystems to meet the heating demands oftoday’s commercial buildings in a waythat satisfies the demand for renewableenergy,” says Sheehan. “We have alsobuilt as much flexibility as possible intothese systems so that they will workeffectively on their own, or alongsideother heating systems.”

Contact: Mitsubishi Electric Ireland Tel: 01 - 419 8800 or email [email protected] �


12

Heat pump benefits nowextend to commercial sector The past few years have seen a dramatic rise in the number of air source heat pump heating systems available on thedomestic market. Moreover, this seems set to continue asthere are now several products that offer a cost-effective andviable alternative to oil, LPG and direct electric heating – even in the depths of a bleak winter.

Like its residential system, MitsubishiElectric has made the commercial Ecodanstraightforward to install.

Mitsubishi Electric's new monbloc unit isavailable from 43kW to 688kW.

Mitsubishi edit:Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:01 Page 1

Leading the way in cutting edge heating solutionsBaxi EcogenTM Micro-CHPBaxi has long pioneered innovative technology, from the

offering, the Baxi Ecogen.

conditions to generate electricity

demand in the home

or call 353 (01) 459 0870

Energy efficiency the strong messageacross the BDR brands …


“This year is going to be another exciting year in Potterton Myson Ireland”, sayscompany spokesman Vincent Broderick. “As part of the BDR Thermea Group, anddespite the challenges of the current economic climate, we continue to introducenew product ranges that will meet the current drive towards increased efficiency,while also meeting the need for competitive offers across the sectors”.

“During 2010 we saw further development of our commercialportfolio with additions including renewable offers, as well as newlarge and small water heaters. We are looking forward toexploring projects with engineers and installers where we can mixour solutions to utilise what is the most efficient and expansiverange available from a major European manufacturer.” Highlights in the ranges are as follows.

Baxi The award-winning Baxi Ecogen Micro CHP boiler has reallycaptured imaginations since it became a reality in the Irish marketin 2010. Now past it’s first stages of field trials which showsignificant savings on energy usage, the Stirling engine technologyis proving itself in a domestic boiler to generate electricity.Meanwhile, the Baxi HE BBU continues to be the only condensingback-boiler in the market. This product uniquely offers a solutionto an existing back-boiler installation, upgrading to high-efficiency.

Potterton DomesticSales of the Promax range of A-rated boilers continue to gatherspeed as the market finally moves away from band B and Dboilers. This range, including System Combi and Slimline Heatonly models, is the boiler of choice for installers seeking thehighest efficiency combined with ease of installation. PMI willcontinue to supply some band B and D Suprima and Systemboilers until manufacturing ceases later this year.

CommercialNew models of Neoflo Andrews Water heaters have beenintroduced, as well as a new Eurocondense Three range. Thisoffers the smallest footprint from large commercial boilersavailable in the market. There is also a range of LogocondenseCarboncondense condensing oil boilers with outputs up to 130kW,and a new Ecoskid offer incorporating the Ecogen Micro CHPboiler to give the benefits of local electrical generation fromoperating heating.

Heatrae and SantonThis year PMI has introduced new stainless steel models, one ofwhich – the Megaflo Eco range – recently won an award at theEnergy Show for Best Energy Efficient Product. This range meetsthe best industry standards and has the unique internal expansionsystem delivering maximum hot water in the most efficient way tothe domestic and commercial sector.

PMI has also introduced a new contract cylinder called thePullin range, which is a quality product at a competitive price,

along with new electric hot water and heating boilers under theHeatrae and Santon brands.

Biomass and Solid FuelNew to this market sector from PMI is the Harman range of pelletand multi-fuel stoves, in addition to the Baxi Bioflo pellet boilerand Valor multi-fuel stoves.

MysonDuring 2011 PMI will increase the focus on training installers tounderstand the many choices that dramatically influence therunning costs of systems. Key to this is the efficiency delivered bycontrols such as the Myson Zone Packs and Petite TRVs. Theseproducts have been specially designed and manufactured inIreland for the Irish market.

PMI will also re-launch the Myson Floortec underfloor heatingrange, in addition to a new fan convector product, as part of thedrive to meet lower running temperature in heating systems.

During 2011 PMI will continue its programme of installer trainingon all ranges and interested parties should contact the companyat Tel: 01-459 0870; Fax: 01-459 0880;email:[email protected] �

Megaflo eco unvented hot water cylinder which won the Best Energy-Efficient Product Award at the recent Energy Show.

14

PMI page:Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:08 Page 1

Daikin Altherma uses an outdoor unit to extract heat from the outside air andraises its temperature to a level highenough to supply heating. This heat isthen transferred to the indoor unit viarefrigerant piping. The indoor unitreceives the heat from the outdoor unitand further increases the temperature,allowing water temperatures up to 80°Cfor heating through radiators, and fordomestic hot water use.

Daikin’s unique cascade compressorapproach to the heat pumps (one in the outdoor unit/one in the indoor unit)means optimum comfort at even thecoldest outdoor temperatures, withoutthe need for an electric back-up heater.

Daikin Altherma’s high watertemperature is ideal for heating domestichot water without the need for anadditional electric heater. Rapid heatingof domestic hot water also means smallerboilers are needed. For a family ofapproximately four people, the standardtank (EK HTS 200A) is the best solution.A larger tank is available for applicationswith a bigger hot water demand.

With Daikin Altherma’s user interface, the ideal temperature can be easily,quickly and conveniently regulated. Itallows for more precise measurementand optimum regulation of comfort andenergy efficiency.

Daikin’s Altherma high temperatureheating system can optionally use solarenergy for hot water production. If thesolar energy is not required immediately,the purpose-built hot water tank(EKHWP) can store large quantities ofheated water for up to a day for later useas domestic hot water or for heating.

Given the foregoing attributes,Daikin’s Altherma HT complete homeheating system is a genuine alternative

to fossil fuel-powered systems. It issuitable for new-build and retrofitapplications, a typical case study beinga detached home of 170sq m in Moate,Co Westmeath.

Until winter 2010 this dwelling washeated by LPG gas and, after the severewinter of 2009 and related high heatingcosts, the owners sought a more cost-effective and efficient heating system.The three main objectives were toreduce energy usage and cost, whilemaintaining a warm and comfortableliving environment.

After a comprehensive assessmentthe obvious areas of heat loss such as poor/inadequate insulation wereidentified and remedied, with the unitcost of energy also being renegotiatedwith the energy provider.

Then the heating system wasupgraded to proper zone control, alongwith the installation of a Daikin AlthermaHigh Temperature (HT) system. The HTwas a direct replacement for the existing

boiler and required minimal re-plumbing.The unit was commissioned shortlybefore Christmas 2010, recording a flow temperature of 78oC at an ambienttemperature of -9oC.

Main benefits of the new DaikinAltherma HT system at this property are:– Daikin Altherma works in conjunction

with existing/new radiator heat emitters designed at a flow temperature of 70oC to 80oC;

– Simulation software estimates an approximate 25% carbon emission reduction and 60% running cost saving on previous bills;

– Single-phase 240-volt electrical supply, with no chimney, flues or storage tanks;

– Only minor adaptation to the existing heating/hot water pipework was required.Contact: John O’Shaughnessy or

Richard Sherlock, Daikin Europe Ireland Office. Tel: 01 – 642 3430; email: [email protected] �


16

‘Daikin Altherma HT – genuine alternativeto fossil fuel powered systems’ Daikin is a leading specialist in climate conditioning systems, for both private homes aswell as for larger commercial and industrial spaces. Its unique position as a manufacturerof air conditioning equipment, compressors and refrigerants has led to its closeinvolvement in environmental issues, and latterly with the development of a whole newrange of innovative heating products, such as Altherma.

2/ User interface

1/ Domestic hot water tank

A2/ Indoor unit

A1/ Outdoor unit

2/ User interface

1/ Domestic hot water tank

A2/ Indoor unit

A1/ Outdoor unit

Schematic shows typical Daikin Altherma HT installation.

Outdoor unit

Indoor unit

User interface

Domestic hotwater tank

Daikin edit:Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:11 Page 1

Underfoor Heating Systems Commercial Underfoor HeatingSystems

Alpha Gas Condensing Boilerswith Gas Saver

Sira High Efficiency Aluminium Radiators

Solartherm Solar Panel Systems Geothermal Heatpumps

Eco-Combi Multi-Energy Tanks Merlin Energy ManagementSystems

Daikin Air to Water Heat Pumps

9 City East Business Park Peamount Business Centre

Ballybrit, Co. Galway Newcastle, Co. Dublin Email: [email protected]: 091-380 038 Tel: 01-610 9153 Web: www.uni-therm.netFax: 091-380 039 Fax: 01-621 2939

Unitherm Advert March:Layout 1 07/04/2011 16:45 Page 1

Saving the environment with sustainable solutions


Unitherm Heating Systems is one of Ireland’s leading suppliers of innovative, sustainable,heating systems. It has a portfolio of top-quality products from renowned Europeanmanufacturers, and delivers custom-designed heating solutions incorporating high-efficiency, engineering-led technologies.

Unitherm initially concentrated on underfloor heatingfor domestic and commercial installations but nowoffers fully-integrated solutions which include

complete control packages. Every system is individually designed and supplied with

full mechanical and electrical CAD drawings. Indeed, a key strength of the service provided by Unitherm is itsability to interface with, and support, both the electricalcontractor and heating installer, right through to finalcommissioning.

The product portfolio includes established, marketleading brands such as Alpha Heating Innovation,Solartherm, Oventrop, Daikin, Sira Group and WorcesterBosch. The choice of solutions offered is extensive, withproducts and systems available to cater for all manner and size of application.

Unitherm can design systems using combined heatsources such as Solartherm panels, heat pump and a boileror solid fuel stove etc. This can be achieved through theirEco-combi multi-energy tank which will allow up to threeheat sources. The whole system can be controlled by usingan advanced Merlin control and regulating unit whichcombines various open-loop and closed-loop controlfunctions.

In addition to the weather-dependent control of the boilerand the heating circuits, it naturally also controls the hotwater supply, allowing hot water to be controlled at varioustimes and temperatures over a 24-hour period.

On the boiler side, Alpha high-efficiency condensingboilers offer a comprehensive range of Sedbuk Band Arated combination, system and regular gas boilers withoutputs from 12kW up to 115kW – all available in naturalgas or LPG models. Apart from new installations, the Alpha range is ideal for retrofit and refurbishment as older,inefficient boilers can be replaced without the need toreplace pipework.

Alpha has a pedigree going back 40 years with areputation for constantly introducing innovative productsincorporating cutting-edge technology. This is particularlytrue of its renewables products which are specificallydesigned to be compatible with the core boiler ranges.

The Alpha GasSaver and Alpha SolarSmart are typicalexamples. GasSaver is easily installed between the boilerand the flue and delivers hot water savings of up to 37%and gas consumption reductions of as much as 52%. It alsoreduces pluming as gases expelled through the terminal

are significantly cooler, which in turn saves energy andhelps the environment.

SolarSmart also delivers impressive energy-relatedsavings by making solar-based domestic hot water heatingmore accessible and cost-effective than ever before. Thesystem consists of a solar collector panel, drain-back unit,solar cylinder and solar valve. All items are WRASapproved and come with a 10-year guarantee, provided all recommended installation guidelines are followed.

Then there is a comprehensiverange of Alterma air to water heatpumps from Daikin. Using provenheat pump technology, the Altermautilises naturally-occuring energyfrom the air and uses this to providedomestic space heating and hotwater. It is easy to install andreduces CO2 emissions by up to50% while delivering savings of 30%on home heating running costs.

Meanwhile, Worcester Boschgeothermal heatpumps (formallymarketed as IVT) is one of Europe’slongest-established heat pumpspecialists with a reputation fordeveloping innovative heat pumpsolutions dating back over 30 years.It offers an extensive range of heatpumps designed to extract heat from everything from soil, rock,water and outdoor air right throughto ventilation exhaust air.

Heatpumps are most efficientwhen used with underfloor heatingsystems or low surface temperaturealuminium radiators – which are also available from Unitherm.

Taken together, the foregoing represents what isundoubtedly one of the strongest heating portfoliosavailable in Ireland. When combined with the expertise and experience of Unitherm Heating Systems’ personnel, it makes for a formidable market force offering infiniteheating solutions for all manner of application.

Contact: Unitherm Heating Systems. Dublin: Tel: 01 – 610 9153; Galway: Tel: 091 – 380 038; email: [email protected] �18

Alpha gas condensing boiler with gas saver.

Unitherm Edit page:Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:14 Page 1

HIGH TEMPERATURE HEATING SYSTEM

RenewableEnergy fromAmbient Air

COP of 3 atWater Flowtemp 65ºC

Keep Existing

Radiators

MassiveSaving onEnergy Bill

No Needfor Back-up

HeaterCan

Achieve 80ºC Flow

Huge CO2EmissionReduction

Daikin Europe NV, Ireland Office. Tel: 01 642 3430 www.daikin.ie

Daikin Altherma New:Layout 1 20/07/2009 14:55 Page 1

Samurai AG2(B) air-to-water chillersare available in cooling onlycapacities from 112kW to 1180kW,

or as a heat pump in cooling and heatingcapacities from 106kW to 555kW. Theyfeature exceptional low noise and vibrationlevels, often exceeding the performance ofcompeting attenuated models. A super lownoise pack is available to further reducethe sound level by 4dB(A).

A low water temperature pack provideschilled water temperatures down to -100C,making the AG2(B) ideal for industrialapplications. This range also features highfull and part-load efficiencies due to thecontinuous capacity control provided bythe screw compressors, with nominalEERs and SEERs of up to 3.01 and 3.84 respectively.

At the IAA site in Ballycasey, chilledwater is used to maintain controlledenvironmental temperatures within thecommand centre, training facilities andserver rooms. After extensive research,Ronan Meally concluded that the HitachiSamurai RCU1E180 AG2 air-cooled screw chiller was the perfect answer to the project’s requirements.

The 500kW chiller, with three screwcompressors, offered a solution with thenecessary reliability, capacity control from 15-100%, and outstanding energyefficiency.

Working closely with Hitachi Ireland andcontractor Sirus Aircon, Ronan Meallyoversaw the successful installation of the project. In particular, Hitachi’sCommissioning Engineer Martin O’Brienand Pat Guilfoyle, Sales & ServiceManager Sirus Aircon, worked hand-in-hand to ensure final commissioning and production of the HitachiCommissioning report.

“The professional working relationshipbetween the consultant, the installer andourselves makes for a very effective andsuccessful partnership”, says Fergus Daly,Hitachi Areas Sales Manager for Ireland.

“This in turn means that the client gets the best possible solution, with the addedsecurity of ongoing support throughout the life-cycle of the installation”.

Contact: Fergus Daly, Ireland AreaSales Manager, Hitachi Europe. Tel: 01 – 216 4406; 087 – 277 9405;email: [email protected] �

Hitachi keeps IAA command centre cool


When charged with the task of improving the reliability,cooling capacity and energy efficiency of the chilled watersystems at the Irish Aviation Authority’s premises inBallycasey, Co Clare, Ronan Meally of RMCE turned to Hitachi’s Samurai range.

20

Above: Martin O’Brien, Hitachi’sCommissioning Engineer, pictured withPat Guilfoyle, Sales & Service Manager,Sirus Aircon, Cork carrying out thecommissioning of the plant at the IAAsite.

Below: Hitachi RCU1E180 AG2 Samuraiair-cooled screw chiller installed at theIAA’s Ballycasey, Shannon, Co Clarepremises.

Hitachi edit page:Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:18 Page 1

High-efficiency pumps forIreland and Europe


As of 2013, the new regulation willset increasingly-stricter requirements (in three categories) on the energyefficiency of glandless circulators inIreland and across Europe. As this ismandatory legislation, Wilo EngineeringLtd is trying to raise market awarenessin Ireland, and users’ obligations, underthe new directives.

As part of the ErP Directive, the EUCommission in 2009 defined new values

which will be stricter than therequirements of the current energyefficiency Class A for glandlesscirculators. The basis of assessment for circulators which will be allowed inthe future is referred to as the energyefficiency index (EEI). The index will bedetermined using a calculation methoddefined in the Commission Regulation(EC) 641/2009. The specific EEI of acirculator will be based on a measuredload profile of electrical power consumedby the circulator which is then comparedto the load profile of a reference circulatorwith a similar hydraulic output.

Introduction in three stagesAs of January 2013, the EEI limit forglandless circulators which are notinstalled inside a heat generator (stand-alone circulators) will be set to be equalto or lower than 0.27. Energy efficiencyclass labels will then be replaced by anEEI marking on the pump.

As of August 2015, the EEI limit willbe lowered again to 0.23, and then willalso apply to glandless circulators whichare installed in new heat generators orsolar stations (integrated circulators). In the last implementation stage, thespecifications applicable as of 2020 will also apply for the replacement ofintegrated pumps in existing heatgenerators and air-conditioning.

Conventional glandless circulatorswithout speed control and with an

asynchronousmotor have an EEI in the range of0.70. For conventional, electronically-controlled models currently in use, theEEI is around 0.50. Such pumpsconsume about two-and-half times asmuch electricity as a high-efficiencymodel at “benchmark” level . Practicallyall conventional glandless circulatorswith or without speed control will notmeet the requirements of the new EU Regulation.

Considerable energy-saving potentialThe savings potential just from usinghigh-efficiency pumps for heating andair-conditioning is considerablecompared to conventional versions. The EU Commission has forecasted that in 2020, over the entire EU, energy savings of 23 terawatt hours of electricity can be achieved per year – this is equivalent to the electricalrequirements of all of Ireland!

High-efficiency pumps available nowWith the current “Wilo-Stratos” and“Wilo-Stratos Pico” high-efficiency,circulator series, Wilo offers a range ofproducts for building services that alreadymeet the strict EEI values of the secondstage in the regulation under the ErPDirective applicable as of August 2015.

The development of the “Wilo-Stratos Pico” high-efficiency circulator in 2009 was a further extension to theWilo high efficiency range. Whencompared to circulators without speedcontrol, it can achieve energy savings of up to 90%.

Contact: Wilo Engineering. Tel: 01 – 426 0000; 061 – 227566;email: [email protected]; www.wilo.ie �

Over 90% of theglandless circulatorscurrently available forsale on the Europeanmarket for heating andair-conditioning will soonbe banned from sale,according to Derek Elton,Sales Director, WiloEngineering. The reasonfor this is the newregulation for glandlesscirculators under theEuropean ErP (“Eco-design”) Directive.

Wilo Stratos Pico.

21

Wilo edit:Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:27 Page 1

22

Trends from Mostra ConvegnoExpocomfort Whether you’re talking heating orcooling, water or air, nowadays technologymust be geared towards efficiency andsaving, regardless of the energy sourceused. Whether the build is new orrenovated, domestic or industrial, themarket now demands installations andsystems that guarantee reduced energyconsumption and environmentalsustainability.

This is an emerging culture whosestandards and regulations are yet to bedecided, a shifting landscape in whichcompanies are responding with ongoingproduct and system development. Theresult of this investment was evident at the recent Mostra Convegno Expocomfortin Milan and bs news selected thisinnovative cross-section during our visit to give readers a foretaste of what’scoming down the line.


SolarMaster ACV SolarMaster ACV is the new system thatintegrates into a single floor-standing unit acondensing boiler, a multi-energy boiler tank-in-tank, as well as the entire climate controland solar plants to the combination of high and low temperature. It also has the ability tointegrate with different sources of alternativeenergy in both heating and domestic hot water.

Details: www.acv.com

Baltur modulating burner Baltur’s modulating gas-forced draught burner, with maximum capacity of600kW, can be used both for heating purposes and industrial processes. Theburner belongs to a newseries of burners calledTBG.....V, bothmodulating and two-stage, with heatingcapacities ranging from100 to 850kW. Thespecial combustion headdevelops reducednitrogen oxide emissions(emissions class IIIaccording to EN 676: NOx < 80mg/kWh) and it has been specially developed to operate even at the lowest air flows. Details: www.baltur.it

Baxi mCHP Ecogen The Baxi mCHP Ecogen 1.24 combines perfectly the environmental andefficiency benefits of a condensing boiler with the combined generation ofheat and power thanks to the free piston Stirling engine technology. The useof the Stirling engine as a cogeneration unit gives the following benefits –single-phase power generation; 50 Hz direct grid connection (electronicinverter not necessary); low noise (<45dBA); hermetically-sealed engine;maintenance free. Ecogen 1.24 produces 1kW electrical power and 24kWthermal power and is supplied with electronic and remote control.

Details: www.potterton-myson.ie

ELFLOFresh2 heat recovery unitfrom Clivet Contrary to what takes place in traditional heat recovery units, ELFOFresh2 active thermodynamic circuit recovers the energy contained inthe exhaust air flow, multiplies it thanks to heat pump technology, and then

provides it to the servedambient. In this way, iteliminates the external freshair load and providesadditional capacity tomaintain comfort conditions.

Details: www.clivet.it

Mostra DPS:Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:31 Page 1


”We’re all extremely proud of what we’ve achieved todate here at Thermo Air Ireland”, says Managing Director JerryO’Neill, “but we’re also conscious of new challenges facing theindustry at large, and in particular our customers. They are now charged with delivering indoor air quality solutions whichreduce CO2 emissions, are more energy-efficient than everbefore, and comply with a swathe of new regulatory controlsand standards.

“As if this were not challenging enough, they have to do so at a time of severe economic downturn. That’s where we comein. We have always been to the forefront in pioneering new and innovative HVAC solutions but are now doing so with theemphasis on energy efficiency, operational performance, life-cycle costs and ongoing maintenance.”

To deliver to that exacting brief Thermo Air Ireland has anexpansive range of products to satisfy all market applications.It covers everything from air handling and air heating through to fans, heat recovery, high-efficiency cooling, ventilationtechnology, automotive and components. Ex-stock availabilityis assured on the more popular ranges while bespoke solutionsare produced to suit the project timetable.

Considerable sums are invested annually in R&D to ensurethat customers’ needs are future-proofed. Market requirementsare identified in advance so that products are fully tested andproven when they are released onto the marketplace. To thisend the design team comprises experienced engineeringgraduates who work hand-in-hand with the manufacturing team who are equally qualified and experienced.

However, that is but one aspect of the total solutionsscenario provided by Thermo Air Ireland. Equally important isthe design, technical support, installation and commissioning back-up service. Such is the diversity and complexity of clients’ requirements that many, be they large or small,require a bespoke solution.

Once again Thermo Air Ireland has a dedicatedteam of highly- qualified and experienced engineers to satisfy this need. Spearheaded by Dave Clarke and Joe Nolan, this team works very closely with the client, hisconsulting engineer and installerto identify precisely the projectrequirement and then todevise and deliver the

most energy-efficient and cost-effective solution. Thispartnership approach is critical to achieving the best-performing result for the client.

Underpinning the delivery of this engineering-ledmanufacturing, design and technical support service is not just the strength and reliability of Thermo Air Ireland’s 30 years in business, but the complementary strengths ofcompany parent Thermo Air in Holland which has a pedigreedating back well over 60 years. When required, Thermo AirIreland can tap in to the wealth of technical know-how andexperience this represents to bring it to bear on projects in Ireland.

So, in celebrating 30 very successful years ofcontinuous growth anddevelopment, Thermo AirIreland is firmly focused on the future and, in particular, onmeeting the needs of existingand new customers across the entire HVAC sector. �

This year Thermo Air Ireland celebrates 30 years of continuous and successfultrading from its manufacturing base in Strawhall, Co Carlow. While conscious of thelegacy and strength this bestows on its market standing, this major milestone isseen not so much as a cause of celebration but more a reason to consolidate andbuild for the future.

Thermo Air celebrates 30 years but is firmly focussed on the future!

Joe Nolan and Dave Clarke who lead Thermo Air’s sales and technical support team.

23

Thermoair edit:Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:33 Page 1

CIBSE scores conference success at Croke Park


CIBSE Conference Report

Approximately 150 delegates

descended on the Hogan Suite

at the Croke Park Conference

Centre on 8th March to

participate in the 2011

incarnation of the CIBSE

Ireland annual conference.

Entitled “Sustainable

Engineering for the Smart

Economy”, the focus for the

day was on building services

solutions that deliver

environmental benefits at

the same time as helping to

power the transition to the

high-tech future.

As has now become

established practice when

reporting the conference,

bs news asked one of the

speakers – Dan Staniaszek,

Managing Director,

Sustainability Consulting

(dan@sustainabilityconsulting.

org.uk) – to give his resume of

the key highlights presented.

His report follows.24

Michael McNerney, CIBSE Committee Member with Professor Brian Norton, DITPresident, who delivered the opening address, and Alan Duggan, Chairman, CIBSERepublic of Ireland Region.

Opening proceedings, ProfessorBrian Norton (President of theDublin Institute of Technology)

spoke of the importance of embeddingsustainability principles in the educationof our next generation of engineers andscientists. It was therefore good to see a large contingent of DIT students at the conference itself.

There then followed a presentation by Amanda Gallagher (BRE Ireland)on BREEAM for Hi-Tech Buildings.BREEAM is the longest-established and most widely-used environmentalassessment method for buildings in the world, with over 700,000 buildingsregistered worldwide. Buildings receive

credits according to how well they rateagainst a number of categories, the mostimportant one being energy (19% of allcredits). Credits are also scored forwater, materials, transport, ecology,waste and pollution. The importance ofbuilding use, both from the managementperspective and the health and wellbeingof occupants, is reflected in the fact thatover a quarter of all credits are assignedto these categories.

Declan Leonard (Project ManagementGroup) gave a practical example ofbuilding certification with the Genzymecase study. The methodology used wasLEED (Leadership in Energy &Environmental Design), a US-based

Engineering a sustainablebuilt environment

CIBSE Conference:Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:36 Page 1


25

system used frequently by Americancompanies for their overseasestablishments, including those in theRepublic of Ireland. While similar in someways to the credit-rating system used inthe BREEAM approach, LEED includes acategory for innovation as well as one forsustainability. Highlights for the Genzymeproject were a 35% reduction in energyuse, 80% water saving and as much as 95% of construction waste divertedfrom landfill.

Particular attention during the rest of the morning session was focused on thegrowing market for data centres, with their processing and data managementservices driving everything from onlineshopping and mobile telephony to socialnetworking through Facebook and Twitter.The importance of this sector wasunderlined by the fact that some 8% of allelectricity use in the EU is now consumed

by ICT equipment and services. Presentations from Tadgh Hickey

(Arup), Marcus O’Brien (Red EngineeringDesign) and Stephen Merriman & BrendanRoe (Project Management Group) regaledthe massive opportunities for energysaving by using fresh air cooling (alsoknown as free air cooling). By detailedreference to psychrometric charts, andthrough careful attention to design, Marcusdemonstrated that the Irish climate issufficiently mild to enable fresh air coolingto be available over 99% of the time.

Tadgh illustrated a case study at EMC2where chiller upgrades and fresh aircooling were introduced without anyinterruption to the 24/7 operation of thedata centre to achieve energy savingspredicted at up to 40%. Stephen andBrendan gave further examples wherePower Usage Effectiveness (PUE) ratiosdown to around 1.1 could be achieved,

whereas many existing data centresoperate at PUEs of 3 or more. In otherwords, rather than using 3 units of energyto achieve 1 unit of computing power, thiscould be as low as 1.1 units.

Bringing the morning theme to anoverall conclusion, Richard Morrison (RPSEngineering Services) spoke of his role asworking group leader of the SEAI’s HVACSpecial Working Group. He identified themany areas of energy saving opportunityin HVAC optimisation, from reducing airchange rates and adjusting setpoints towaste heat recovery and managementpractice. Notwithstanding theseopportunities, the Working Group foundtremendous resistance to change, notleast because HVAC operators frequentlydid not possess the plant UserRequirements Specification, and werereluctant to change any settings.

The afternoon session had a distinctlyinternational theme, with topics includingexport opportunities and case studies fromoverseas. Julie Sinnamon (EnterpriseIreland) informed delegates that the Irishcleantech sector comprises over 250companies, employing nearly 20,000people and with exports valued ate380M/a, with energy efficiency being the main component. She outlined thesupport services available to companies,and encouraged SMEs in particular toconsider availing themselves of thesemarket-opening opportunities.

The export theme was continued byJohn Whelan (Irish Exporters Association– IEA) who spoke about constructionengineering export opportunities. The size of the global construction market is amind-boggling US$4.8 trillion – andgrowing! He gave two valuable bits ofadvice – avoid a market entry strategywhich is based mainly on price, and planfor currency fluctuations, before settingout the ways in which the IEA can helpexporters, particularly SMEs with limitedin-house capacity or capability.

John O’Sullivan (Sustainable EnergyAuthority of Ireland) shifted the focus tolarger industry, explaining SEAI’s activitiesunder the Large Industry Energy Network–LIEN). Some 155 companies with anaggregate energy spend of e1bn are

Morning Session 1 Speakers – Declan Leonard, Project Management Group with AlanDuggan, CIBSE Chairman; Michael McNerney, Session Chair; Amanda Gallagher, BREIreland and Tadgh Hickey, Arup.

Morning Session 2 Speakers – Stephen Merriman, Project Management Group with JimRogers, Session Chair; Marcus O’Brien, Red Engineering Design; Brendan Roe, ProjectManagement Group and Richard Morrison, RPS Engineering Services.


currently in the programme, which offersadvice, support and knowledge-sharingamong its services. One particularinitiative is the Energy AgreementsProgramme, described as a “test-bed topilot new initiatives, achieve greater levelof interaction, higher performanceexpectations and standardising solutions”.Over 30% savings have been achievedover LIEN’s 15-year history, yet amazingly,a further 30% energy (and cost) savingpotential still remains.

Gordon P Sharp (Aircuity Inc), US, wasthe conference’s first international speaker.His presentation was on demand controlventilation in laboratories – perhaps not a large sector, but one which uses adisproportionately high large amount of

energy. The main reason behind highenergy use is ventilation, with sometimesas much as 20 air changes per hour(ACH). This is considered necessary bysome laboratory managers to clear anynoxious fumes from chemical reactions.

He noted that in reality, large air volumesare not required for the majority of the timewhen there are no fumes to extract/disperse. He has devised a proprietarysystem which senses the air in each room/lab on a 15-minute cycle, which provides asufficient level of monitoring to quickly purgethe building in the event of an incident, butwhich enables normal operation at 1-2ACH, reducing the energy required forheating/cooling and for pump operation.

Donal McGowan (University CollegeDublin) brought the focus right back homewith his presentation “Managing Energy ina Diverse Teaching and ResearchEnvironment” – a case study of energymanagement at UCD Belfield. At its coreis the building management system whichprovides all the monitoring and analyticalcapabilities to compare consumption,identify anomalies and track energyefficiency improvements, as well asoptimising the performance of the CHP system.

The final speaker was Dan Staniaszek(Sustainability Consulting Ltd) from theUK, who raised the sensitive issue ofenergy taxation. Advocating a “green tax


26

Afternoon Session 1 Speakers – John O’Sullivan, SEAI with Julie Sinnamon, EnterpriseIreland; John F Whelan, Irish Exporters Association and Derek Mowlds, Session Chair.

Afternoon Session 2 Speakers — Gordon P Sharp, Aircuity Inc with Donal McGowan,UCD; Dan Staniaszek, Sustainability Consulting and Sean O’Dowd, Session Chair.

Domnick Ward, Crystal Air with Eugene Philips, PMC Partnership, and BrendanKeaveny, Keaveny Engineering Services.


shift”, whereby higher taxes on “bads” like

energy and pollution would be offset by

lower taxes on “goods” such as jobs and

income, he set out the case for much

higher energy costs as perhaps the only

way of stimulating behaviour-change

sufficiently in order to cut out energy

wastage and achieve higher levels of

invest in energy efficiency and other

low carbon solutions.

Dan argued that the building services

sector in particular would be a big

winner, as homes and businesses sought

to install the most efficient equipment,

and ensured they were regularly

maintained to achieve peak performance,

to reduce their energy bills. Not only

would this make good economic sense –

it would also make good environmental

sense. �


27

Liam Kavanagh and Pat Condon, Don O’Malley & Partners, withJoe Horgan, JWHA.

Mervyn Doyle with Aidan McGovern, Conor Clarke and JohannaO’Sullivan, OPW

Michael Geary, Haughton & Young with Derek Elton, WiloEngineering and Alan O’Reilly, Haughton & Young.

Damien Flynn, Arup with Brendan Roe, Project Management Group;Sharyn Roffe, architect; and Stephen Merriman, Project ManagementGroup.

Terry O’Reilly and Stephen Donohoe, DIT with MargaretDolan, Arup and Kevin Kelly, DIT.

David Doherty, Hevac with NariShaqiri.

Richard Costa, Intelligent BuildingControls with Rodney Phelan, GTPhelan

Conference papersAll the conference papers are available on the CIBSE Ireland website: http://cibseireland.org/(click on Conference 2011 Papers on the home page).

Engineering a sustainablebuilt environment


RACGS enjoys Heritage riches

28

Apart from sponsorship,Daikin’s John Valentine andLiam Kirwan kept everyone’s

spirits and energy levels up by racingfrom tee to tee in golf buggies ladendown with soft drinks and other goodies.Such was the success and popularity ofthis gesture that John and Liam canforget the idea of actually playing golf atthe corresponding outing next year!

Along with Kevin Roden, other prizewinners on the day included PaddySmee, who came second; Liam Hoctor,winner Class 1; Billy Qually, winnerClass 2; Michael Clancy, second Class 2;Vincent Barrett, longest drive; TomO’Leary, winner visitors’ prize andDermot Murphy, second visitors prize. �

Tom O’Leary, Comfort Cooling with Zac Keane, Paragon AC;Stephen Bagnall, Crossflow; and Dermot Murphy, Airflow Irl.

BTU Captain Seamus Kerr with Overall Winner Kevin Roden, andJohn Valentine and Liam Kirwan, both of Daikin Ireland.

Billy Qually with JohnValentine.

BTU Captain Seamus Kerrwith Michael Clancy.

Liam Hoctor with JohnValentine.

Tom O’Leary with JohnValentine.

Members of the RACGS, and

their guests, enjoyed an excellent

day’s golfing at The Heritage

recently where the very large

turnout witnessed Kevin Roden

emerge as the overall winner.

The occasion was sponsored

by the Ireland Office of Daikin

Europe NV and was played

out in excellent weather over

a near-perfect course.

bs news � March//April 2011

R A C G S

Racgs :Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:40 Page 1

It’s clear from meeting RGII installersthat many of you have to travel furtherdistances from your office/home base to create a viable business model.Consequently, time/route management is a critical part of your daily routine and, in this difficult economic climate, the less time spent travelling to and between jobs the better.

It is always a challenge to efficientlymanage boiler service, installations aroundthe potential of no heat situations. Wintergone by is a perfect reminder.

Consider the following questions(1) Do you have a list of all your customers

and their address and contact details?(2) Do you know who manufactured the

boiler and when it was installed? (3) Do you have a log of when the boiler

was last serviced, what work was carried out, and when the next service is due?

For most installers points 1-3 arecovered … if not, consider spending thetime to collate the above; believe, me it will be time well spent.

Next steps

• Segment your territory into five areas.This will clearly define where yourcustomers are and allow you to visualiseyour general area of operations and whereyour existing customers lie. It will also

identify what areas you do not cover andcould potentially cold-call or advertise togenerate new customer leads.

• Create a simple Card Index System withall relevant customer information. You can now start to schedule your annual service calls by week, thus keeping travel time to, and distance between jobs, to a minimum. This card index system can be wall mounted or on your PC … just keep it simple.

• Make customer contact three weeks in advance to confirm service times and then confirm by text/call the Friday before.

• On Mondays try and schedule as many calls as possible close to your base. This allows you to return back to base should you need a particularpart for a no heat situation that you would not normally carry as van stock. This reduces downtime.

• Use Friday afternoon for planning … it’swell worth dedicating this time.

Points to take on boardThe objective of segmenting the area in theabove way is to allow you plan your weekin a more structured way. Initially, it will takesome time to put in place. However, themore customers you can integrate into yourservice schedule, travel time and distanceswill be reduced and ultimately you will have

more time to sell boiler upgrades andservice. Let’s face it … that has to be good news!

If an installation or no heat situationarises you can easily slot it into availabletime in your schedule.

Tips for the day Think about new technology that acustomer may be interested in … send it to them by e-mail/post … keep yourbusiness in their minds. Use a BoilerIndicator (see Back Issues give-away, page 36)... you activate the timer when theservice has been completed; 12 monthslater a red flashing light indicates to thecustomer that a boiler service is due …simple but effective. �


Planning your route toincreased efficiencies

by Paul Clancy, Managing Director, Potterton Myson Ireland.

29

Costs, costs, costs … they only seem to be on theupward spiral at the moment and, with the hike in fuelprices, there has never been a more opportune timeto review how you manage your daily routines.

Plumbing Tips:Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:44 Page 1

The SDAR Awards is a jointinitiative between DIT andCIBSE, supported by bs news,

and sponsored by John Sisk & Son. It is different to other competitions in that it is intended to encourageresearch, disseminate knowledgegained from this research, and raisethe level and quality of innovation in projects.

Entries must critically evaluatewhat they are doing and examine, in a transparent way, mistakes as wellas successes on innovative projects.In this way the building servicesprofession builds capacity to innovatesuccessfully, and moves fromideologically-driven projects offeringpoor value to evidence-basedinnovations that add value.

There were three finalists in this year’s awards with MichaelKeohane and Declan Leonard of PMGroup emerging the overall winners.Their paper was a critical analysis oflow temperature heating and hightemperature cooling systems inUCC’s Western Gateway Building.

There were two runners up – MarcWegner, a post-graduate student ofthe School of Electrical EngineeringSystems in DIT who analysed thePassiv Haus concept as applied tothe Tesco Supermarket in Waterford;and Jonathan Tooth, Rory Burke andColm Saul of JV Tierney for theiranalysis of the Criminal Courts ofJustice in Dublin.

The five judges of the event were all industry senior figures andincluded Alan Duggan, Arup and

Chairman CIBSE Ireland; JustinKeane, John Sisk & Son and CIBSECommittee; Brian Geraghty, BGAAssociates and CIBSE Committee;Kevin O Rourke, SEAI; and KevinGaughan, School of ElectricalEngineering DIT.

The event was organised by staff of the Department of ElectricalServices Engineering in DIT as part of their parallel SDAR researchcentre. Keith Sunderland kept thepresentations moving on time andFrances Malone added backgroundsupport.

Introducing the event Dr KevinKelly of DIT and CIBSE commented:“The importance of integratingresearch with good engineeringpractice cannot be overstated. In thisregard, industry and the profession

SDAR Awards prove value ofevidence-based research


Panel of Assessors – Brian Geraghty, CIBSE & BGA with Kevin O'Rourke, SEAI, AlanDuggan, CIBSE Chairman and Arup; Kevin Gaughan, DIT; and Justin Keane, CIBSE andJohn Sisk & Son, main sponsor.

30

The final of this year’s Sustainable Design & Research (SDAR) Awards was held in DIT Kevin Street on 31 March last with a large attendance present to hear the three finalists deliver their presentations, and take questions, before the judges made their final decision.

Dr Kevin Kelly, DIT and CIBSE, with KeithSunderland, DIT.

SDAR Awards:Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:46 Page 1

are data-rich and time-poor, whilepost-graduate students are time-richand data-poor. Hence the value of,and urgent need for, improvedcollaboration between industry and academia in this regard. TheSDAR Awards help to deliver this objective”. �


Panel of Assessors — Brian Geraghty, CIBSE

31

SDAR Awards 2012The SDAR Awards is an annualcompetition and abstracts for the2012 event, to be held in March2012, must be submitted by 31 October 2011. From theseabstracts, a shortlist will be invited to write a full paper by mid-January 2012.

Contact: [email protected] [email protected]

Joint Runner Up – Justin Keane presentingMarc Wegner, DIT graduate with his e500prize.

Overall Winner – Justin Keane pictured with Michael Keohane and Declan Leonard,Project Management Group, having presented them with their e1000 prize.

Joint Runner Up – Justin Keane pictured withRory Burke, Colm Saul and Jonathan Tooth ofJV Tierney, having presented them with theire500 prize.

SDAR Awards:Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:47 Page 2

This topic impingessignificantly on lighting designers.Figures frequently quoted, inoverall terms, state that 20% ofelectrical energy is consumed by lighting – 57% in thecommercial/retail sector, 13% inindustry and 30% in domestic use.In offices, the electrical energyexpended on lighting is estimatedto be 33% versus 21% on cooling, 20% on heating, 15% oncomputing and 10% on sundries.

Against this background it is nomystery that lighting attracts muchattention when seeking energysavings. Lighting is a significantuser of electricity. It has a high“churn rate” with respect to otherbuilding elements. Progress canbe measured in technologicaladvances in lamps and luminaires,

which deliver increasedefficiencies. BREEAM Credits can be obtained easily and lightingis, by its very nature, visible.

Part L states that luminairesshould be selected with aminimum efficiency of 65 lumensper circuit watt. Luminairemanufacturers are now producing

luminaires labelled “Part LCompliant”. Memories of the “Cat1” and “Cat 2” fittings brandingcome to mind and we all knowwhat impact that had on lightingdesign!

We need to recognise theapparent hierarchy betweenregulations (Part L) and designguides (Code and LightingHandbook). Lighting design canbecome a “tick the box” approachto compliance, based on Part Lfittings and thus producingarrangements which maximiseluminaire spacings. Even further,lighting software packages can beused with code and energy levelscriteria built-in, which give a nod tobasic lighting controls.

Bish bam boom! – with minimumeffort, energy saved, creditsachieved, costs minimised, awhale or a forest saved(depending on your preference) –everyone is happy. Or are they?And what about the users?

The credo of good lightingdesign always was (and stillshould be) to develop a schemewhich provides visual amenity,visual function and does not affectthe health of the people it serves.

How do we, as designers,square the laudable desire tocontribute to the achievement of

Lighting – an environment worth saving?


All designers of buildings must accept that energy saving andsustainability have become one of, if not the, primary drivers in thedesign of buildings and, in particular, the design of building services,writes David Farren. The current Part L of the Building Regulationsreinforces the desire to achieve an optimum energy rating for eachbuilding, if only as a value differentiator in these difficult economic times.

32

David Farren is a Chartered Engineer

and a Director of Varming Consulting

Engineers. He is an electrical

engineer with a particular interest in

lighting and has designed award-

winning lighting schemes for many

projects, notably Government

Buildings, Farmleigh House and

the Chester Beatty Library. He has

presented papers and seminars

on energy efficient lighting.

Lighting Feature:Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:53 Page 1


33

sustainable buildings with thefurnishing of good-quality lightinginstallations? There are a numberof options, not all applicable to alltypes of buildings, and which mayconflict with the prescriptive natureof Part L and the evaluationcriteria of Energy Rating Systems.

Light emitting diodes(LEDs)We might consider adopting onlyenergy efficient lightingtechnologies (or LED is theanswer, now what was yourquestion?) In the last couple ofyears LEDs have moved frombeing efficient (long-life) lampreplacements for hard-to-reachluminaires used for external ororientation lighting, to beingreplacements for ELV and CFLlamps for circulation and retaillighting. Now LEDs are beingpromoted as the next big thing ingeneral lighting.

Currently LEDs operate at 70-90 lm/w for cool white and 40-60lm/w for warm white light. Theprojection is that LEDs will achieve100 lm/w within five years. ADEFRA (UK) study has shown thatLEDs have a lower environmentalimpact across all stages of their life-cycle (manufacture,transportation, operation and waste disposal) thanincandescent, CFL, T5 or HID

lamps. They switch instantly andare very responsive to intelligentcontrol systems.

So where is the fly in theointment? Well, there is no agreedinternational standard for LEDswith respect to manufacture,measurement of output, stability,operational life (the original claimsfor 100,000 hours are nowgenerally reduced to 50,000hours), and the very speed ofevolution of this technology meansthat, like computers or the mobilephone, redundancy is alwaysimminent. In their current form,LEDs are effectively a single pointspot source of high-output light(and glare potential) and shouldbe deployed as such.

In the next phase of theirdevelopment, luminaire designersand manufacturers will produceluminaires designed specificallyfor LEDs and not just adapt

existing housings to accommodatethem. LEDs will then becomemore interesting and more useful.

In the meantime, the T5fluorescent lamp (65-70 lm/w) isstill the most energy efficient andflexible source for internal generalpurpose and office lighting.

Increase the use of natural lightThis important element in thelighting designers repertoire hasbeen somewhat neglected in thedash to deploy a technologicalsolution to energy saving. It isfrequently hived-off behind aChinese wall, where decisions on facade design and windowselection are made, and is divorcedfrom the artificial lighting solution.

So, should we focus more ondesigning buildings to operateprimarily using natural light, withartificial lighting in support?

It is worth restating that abuilding/facade design, whichcombines space planning tomaximise the distribution of naturallight over the floor plate, candeliver energy savings on artificiallighting of over 10%, in tandemwith intelligent (and local) controlof artificial lighting and shading.

Introduction of lightingcontrolFor maximum energy saving inlighting a space, illumination levelsshould match the task oroccupancy. Developers of lightingcontrol systems often strugglebetween dual objectives ofsupporting building-wide energymanagement and giving localindividual control. A combination oftechnological limitations, hardwarecosts and human behaviour hashindered satisfactory outcomesbeing achieved.

LEDs are being promoted as thenext big thing in general lighting.

Building/facade design, which maximises the distribution of natural light over thefloor plate, can deliver energy savings on artificial lighting of over 10%.


34


Technological advances areresolving a number of theseissues. For instance, addressablecontrols can be incorporated inevery luminaire at minimaladditional cost. The ubiquity of IT networks in modern buildings,combined with standards-basedand open-source software andprotocols, have expanded ourcapabilities. Together they haveenabled individuals to have at theirworkstations, or carry with them,devices which can communicatewith the lighting control system(“there is an app for that@” is the new refrain). Control systemsact as the gateways betweenindividual users, sensors, energypre-sets, luminaires and targets tooptimise the balance of naturaland artificial lighting with theuser’s desires.

Quite often lighting controlsystems are rejected during valueengineering exercises on the basisof over-long pay-back periods.This approach ignores anddiscounts the beneficial effect onthe users of being able to tailortheir own visual environment,

to say nothing of improvedsatisfaction ratings of theirindividual workspace (andproductivity).

Lighting design strategyReturning to the tenets of goodlighting design – amenity, functionand health – we may wonder howthe lighting designer should applythese criteria while deliveringenergy savings.

One approach would be tomatch the level of illuminationprovided to the task, rather thanilluminating all areas to the samelevel. This would consist ofamenity lighting (under automaticor system control), supplementedby task lighting (under usercontrol), and incorporating lightingwhich is non-uniform to featuresand surfaces within the user view.This “interest” layer of lighting canbe provided very satisfactorily by

natural lighting or by dynamiclighting, which is responsive to the passage of time and to thelevel of activity.

In my opinion the codesevaluating the energy profile onlyconsider the total connected loadrather than the actual energyusage. This ignores the merit of a lighting scheme which utilisespre-sets to match time-of-day oractivity, where not all availableluminaires are switched on, or at full output all of the time.

Peoples’ perception of thesufficiency and quality of thelighting is based on their view ofvertical surfaces, the intelligibilityof the scene and colour renditionof natural items (i.e., plants, food,people). If these are perceived tobe adequately illuminated andcorrectly rendered, then theimpression will be one of a well-itspace. �

Good lighting design addressesfunction, amenity and health.

Peoples’ perception of the sufficiency and quality of the lighting is based on theirview of vertical surfaces, the intelligibility of the scene and colour rendition ofnatural items.



Submissions invited for Lighter Awards

Submissions for boththe CIBSE Ireland IrishLighter and Irish Young

Lighter Awards – sponsored byEnlighten, organised by DIT andsupported by ILP (formerly ILE),SLL and bs news – are now being sought with preliminary200/300-word extracts required by 14 June 2011.

The awards are open to allbuilding services professionals,with SLL and ILP membersparticularly encouraged toparticipate. Projects must belocated in the island of Ireland,while submissions can also bemade which are based on lightingresearch.

Best abstracts will be selectedby a distinguished internationalpanel of assessors and a shortlistof entrants will be invited to submitfull papers/presentations by 15August 2011. Final presentationswill take place in late September2011 in DIT, Kevin Street. Thecompetition is organised throughthe School of ElectricalEngineering Systems.

Thanks to the generoussponsorship of Enlighten, theoverall winners of the Irish Lighterand the Irish Young Lighter willeach receive a cheque for €1000,with €500 going to each of therunner-up recipients in eachcompetition. There are ILP andCIBSE Ireland prizes and cheques also.

Irish Lighter For the Irish Lighter Award, entriesare encouraged from experiencedlighting designers, or engineerswho can present a paper about afinished project.

There may be post-occupancyevaluation evidence that isanalysed critically and providesinsight for the professional lightingcommunity; there may be aninnovative and/or sustainabledesign that is at the industrycutting-edge; or it may besomething worth publishing thatwill be of interest, and benefit,to the professional community.

Irish Young Lighter The Irish Young Lightercompetition began in DIT in 2003when the first students on theprogramme in Electrical ServicesEngineering graduated. KenWinters was the inaugural overallwinner and he then went on to represent Ireland at theinternational Young Lighter inLondon in 2004, where he won the Best Presentation.

In the intervening years manyothers have followed in Ken’sfootsteps and proudly representedIreland at this annual event. Thewinner of the Irish Young Lightercompetition automatically qualifiesfor the SLL international YoungLighter competition held in London each year.

Who to contact Dr Kevin Kelly, DIT. email: [email protected] �

Main Sponsor :

Supported by : Part of the Fantasy Lights Group

35

Lighting Awards:Layout 1 20/04/2011 07:59 Page 1


36

back issues Ban Home Sales At a time when many people inIreland would do anything to beable to sell their homes, PaulKing of the UK Green BuildingCouncil says that people in theUK should be banned fromselling their homes if they don’tmeet certain energy efficiencytargets.

Building Services World Cup I kid you not …there is indeeda BuildingServicesWorld Cup. It will takeplace in Liverpoolon 11 June next. It is a 7-a-side tournament with 30-minute games, played over two halves. Seewww.buildingservicesworldcup.com

Not quite the ticket! My apologies to Rodney Phelan of GT Phelan. I met him outside the bs news office recently and invited him in for a coffee and chat, assuring him that

the traffic warden was not aboutand that it was safe to park on the double yellow lines.

Yes, you’ve guessed it … hestayed longer than expected andno, it was not safe. I dare not askthe penalty but the red docket onthe windscreen looks ominous.Sorry Rodney.

Fish-n-Flush aquariumtoilet tank The Fish-n-Flush is a clear two-piecetoilet tank that replaces a standard toilet tankand contains a fully-functioning aquariuminside. It will accept fresh water, as well assalt, warm andtropical water.

In addition,the 2.2-gallonaquariumpiece can beeasilyremoved forcleaningwithoutobstructingthe toilet from working. The toilet tank itselfholds 2.5 gallons which offers sufficient headpressure to flush properly.

Why settle for a fish-motif shower curtainwhen you can impress (startle?) visitors toyour home with the Fish-n-Flush?

Boiler indicatorgive-awayIf you read this month’sPlumbing Tips (page 29) you’llhave learned how a simple devicelike a boiler indicator can be used

to (a) keep you constantlyin the customer’s mind

and (b) to ensure timelyand cost-effective

service planning.

To help you getstarted, Paul

Clancy of Potterton Myson Irelandhas donated 50 boiler indicatorswhich will be sent out free ofcharge to the first 50 installers toemail [email protected] with theirname and address.

No gimmicks … no competition… just a simple give-away. So, get emailing!

Productive talking shop The maturity of the building services industry was very much in evidence at the recent Energy Show

with exhibitors and visitors alike sharing information and opinions in a very open and honest manner.

The difficulties facing the sector were very much to the fore but, for the most part, conversations were

upbeat and focused on what could be done rather than dwelling on the negatives.

Everybody exhibits at, and visits, the Energy Show to do business but it is a measure of how

successful the formula is that, more than ever before, the recent event served as a very productive

industry talking shop.

Back Issues:Layout 1 20/04/2011 08:05 Page 1

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bsnews€¦ · category of the cogen europe recognition awards 2011. the award recognises the...

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