Energy Manager Magazine May 2017

May 2017

www.energymanagermagazine.co.uk

22 Nearly 1,000 Goodlight LED Lights Illuminate Bristol Eco-Apartments INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

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How To

Plugging In

Frameworks

Make Your

To Modular

Power The

Office Work

Buildings

Way For A

For You

Good Deal On Energy

And all because Estate Managers love... ...complex refurbishment projects being made more manageable by scheduling work for optimum convenience!

Co-ordinating trades, disruption for students, access to rooms, and mess are just four of the reasons why the decision to upgrade student accommodation heating systems may be kicked into the long grass.

But this means losing out on the energy cost savings and other benefits associated with installing Prefectirus - the only cost effective, centrally controlled, multi-occupancy energy management system, from Prefect Controls.

Accommodation refurbs are usually scheduled for when rooms are vacant, but this can cause ‘trades congestion’. PrefectDirect has honed its service so that they are in and out of rooms swiftly, at any time, leaving most students unaware any work has been carried out - meaning refurbishment work that does require empty rooms, such as decorating, can be scheduled, uninterrupted, for the summer months.

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to find out more about PrefectDirect visit www.prefectcontrols.com or call 01787 320 604

FRONT COVER STORY:

May 2017

www.energymanagermagazine.co.uk

Nearly 1,000 Goodlight LED Lights Illuminate Bristol Eco-Apartments See Page 22

22 Nearly 1,000 Goodlight LED Lights Illuminate Bristol Eco-Apartments

MAY 2017 INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

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How To

Plugging In

Frameworks

Make Your

To Modular

Power The

Office Work

Buildings

Way For A

For You

Good Deal On Energy

INSIDE:

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RINNAI Takes on Man V Machine Challenge

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The Potential Role of AD in Tackling Climate Change

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How Does Modern Fossil Fuel Extraction Affect Our Planet?

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St Albans City and District Council Invest in Goodlight LED Panels to Transform Office Lighting

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Benefiting From a Modular Approach to Energy Efficient Heating

Single copies £10.

Some manufacturers and suppliers have made a contribution toward the cost of reproducing some photographs in Energy Manager.

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Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

News

UHEI Birmingham 2017 14-15 November 2017 - University of Birmingham

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urther to the success of last year’s inaugural Universities & Healthcare Estates and Innovation event in Birmingham and in response to the feedback we received from that event, we are pleased to announce UHEI Birmingham 2017 which will be held on 14-15 November 2017 at the University of Birmingham.

UHEI Birmingham is a two-day event to allow for more in-depth coverage of the conference topics.

Universities & Healthcare Estates and

Innovation is a unique conference and exhibition that addresses some of the key issues facing the University and Healthcare sectors. The conference addresses each issue from a University perspective, and then from a Healthcare perspective allowing delegates to gain insight into both areas. We work in partnership with the further education and healthcare sectors to develop a compelling agenda and a unique forum that brings together the Estate Directors of the NHS & Universities to encourage the sharing of best-practice.

The conference is supported by an exhibition featuring the leading providers to both sectors. Exhibitors, Sponsors and Supporters.

The Conference programme will be confirmed shortly and will cover topics like: • Brexit - Thoughts on the impact on the HE Estate • Brexit - Thoughts on the impact on the NHS Estate • Property management in HE

• • • • • •

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• • • •

Property management in NHS Emergency Preparedness HE Emergency Preparedness NHS Commercialising the Estate – HE Commercialising the Estate – NHS Succession Planning & Developing Capacity - Building the Estates Team – HE Succession Planning & Developing Capacity - Building the Estates Team – NHS Compliance - the Challenge of Managing Older Buildings in HE Compliance - the Challenge of Managing Older Buildings in the NHS Sustainability HE Sustainability NHS

For more information about sponsoring or visiting the UHEI event on the 14th or 15th Nov being held at the University of Birmingham please email info@ascentevents.co.uk or call us on 01892 530027

University of Manchester fails to divest from fossil fuels

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n the midst of a rapidly growing fossil fuel divestment movement, students at the University of Manchester have protested the university’s failure to divest its endowment from fossil fuels. After an 2 yearlong consultation period, the University Board of Governors has voted to continue investing in the fossil fuel industry.

Lizzy Haughton, Ethical and Environmental Officer at University of Manchester Students’ Union, said: “The updated social responsibly policy is too vague and makes no solid commitment to divesting from fossil fuels. We have been campaigning hard on this issue and we are disappointed and angry that our Board of Governors are refusing to make the socially responsible decision to divest. We will continue to fight to ensure the University of Manchester makes the sensible and responsible decision to divest.’

The student protest indicates a growing concern among students at British universities about the dangers of climate change and the “carbon bubble” which threatens the £5.2 billion UK universities collectively invests in the fossil fuel industry.

Globally, over 700 institutions across 76 countries with assets of more than US$5.5 trillion have so far committed to pull investments out of fossil fuels, including

faith organisations, pension funds, philanthropic foundations and local authorities. Most recently, the Church of England announced its commitment to divest from coal and tar sands.

Student campaigners from University of Manchester People & Planet, who have been campaigning for fossil fuel divestment for 2 years, have rallied at the university in response to the decision.

Sorcha Floyd, Campaigns and Citizenship Officer, said: ‘It is incredibly ironic that the Making a Difference: Social Responsibility Awards where held on Thursday when just the week before the university actively rejected the proposal to divest from fossil fuels. Manchester is the only university in the country to have social responsibility as one of its three core values, they love talking the talk but they are refusing to walk the walk.’

Calum Tyler from the People & Planet group, responsible for the University of Manchester Fossil Free campaign, said: “We protested outside the social responsibility awards to show the true hypocrisy of our University. There are some incredible students and staff at our university who do amazing socially responsible things. However senior management and the Board of Governors

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

seem not to be taking this commitment seriously. Outside the event we encouraged people to write letters and emails to the Board of Governors to remind them of the contradiction of our institution.’

In the UK, this year alone has seen fossil fuel divestment commitments from 11 universities, including the University of St Andrews, Kings College London, University of Bristol and most recently, Queens University Belfast. Since October 2013, students in the People & Planet network have launched over 60 Fossil Free campaigns across the UK, engaging over 32,000 students. With a total of 50 divestment commitments, over a third of UK universities have committed to break their ties to the fossil fuel industry.

Amoge Ukaegbu, Fossil Free Campaign Co-ordinator at People & Planet, said: “It’s surprising that a university so dedicated to cultivating critical thinking, boldness and creativity in its students, staff and society as a whole, is so lacking in vision and moral strength. By refusing to divest from fossil fuels, the University of Manchester is tarnishing its reputation and subsequently losing its claim to moral leadership.” media@peopleandplanet.org

News

Twelve projects shortlisted for EU Sustainable Energy Awards 2017

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welve finalists have been chosen for this year’s EU Sustainable Energy Awards, which recognise outstanding innovation in energy efficiency and renewables. The Awards are a major part of the EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), back for its 12th edition on the 19-25th June 2017. Winners will be announced at a prestigious Awards Ceremony in Brussels on the 20th June, at the EUSEW high-level Policy Conference.

The nominees have been selected from a pool of applicants across Europe, each project demonstrating initiatives to support the transition to clean, secure, efficient energy. The top award recipients will be chosen in each of the four jury-assessed categories – Consumers, Public Sector, Businesses and, new this year, Energy Islands. A fifth award, Citizens’ Award, will be chosen by a public online vote. A panel of experts will be reviewing the nominated projects and selecting the winners to be announced on day one of the EUSEW 2017 Policy Conference.

This year’s EU Sustainable Energy Award finalists are:

Consumers category 1. Codema (Ireland) Dublin’s Energy Agency, Codema, has developed an Energy Saving Kit - a set of tools the public can borrow from Dublin’s libraries to find potential energy savings in their homes;

public buildings and installing renewable-friendly heating systems;

2. Diputació de Girona (Spain) The Beenergi programme supports 70 municipalities to save energy through buildings insulation and more efficient street lighting, and helps SMEs develop green local industries;

3. Göteborg Energi AB (Sweden) This company represents the CELSIUS network, in which over 50 towns and cities across Europe help each other develop sustainable, efficient district heating and cooling.

Businesses category 1. Eandis (Belgium) This pilot project is testing smart technologies that integrate wind energy into the grid more smoothly, manage networks more efficiently and better match production and demand;

2. Sonae Sierra (Portugal) In its Bright programme this property company is making its shopping centres significantly more energy-efficient, through energy audits with support for and monitoring of changes.

2. Topten (France)

3. Trebišovská energetická s.r.o. (Slovakia)

This multi-country web portal guides consumers to energy efficient appliances, gives energy saving tips, and enables policy support, production and retail of greener goods;

A biomass boiler and heat distribution system has been developed outside the city centre in this company’s SINBIO project, for low-CO2 heat that recycles agricultural waste and creates jobs.

3. Municipality of Santorso (Italy)

Energy Islands category

Volunteer citizens run a local-authority backed help desk to advise other residents on energy saving and solar panels, and to support group buying for more affordable energy technologies.

1. Bornholms Energi & Forsyning (Denmark)

Public Sector category 1. Bucharest Sector 1 (Romania) This local authority is making hundreds of buildings more energy-efficient, by insulating apartment blocks, improving

Bornholm is home to 40 000 people and is on track to be carbon-neutral by 2025, now relying 100% on renewable power and switching to zero-carbon transport.

2. Piraeus University of Applied Sciences (Greece) Greece’s first hybrid renewable energy storage (RES) battery has been installed

on the remote island of Tilos, reducing its reliance on oil-based energy imports and providing back-up during power cuts.

3. European Small Islands Federation (Finland) Renewables power two energy-intensive businesses and soon the ferry for Simskäla’s 35 permanent residents, making the island economically and environmentally sustainable.

EU Sustainable Energy Week The European Sustainable Energy Week is a yearly series of activities to build a secure energy future for Europe. It includes the EUSEW Policy Conference, Networking Village, the EU Sustainable Energy Awards and Energy Days. Launched in 2006, it is organised by the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) in close cooperation with Directorate-General for Energy. It brings together public authorities, private companies, NGOs and consumers to promote initiatives to save energy and move towards renewables for clean, secure and efficient power.

The Policy Conference brings together representatives from the European Commission, public authorities, energy agencies, industry associations, businesses, civil society organisations and the media to discuss new policy developments, initiatives and ideas on sustainable energy. This year’s theme is Clean Energy for all Europeans, following the European Commission’s November proposals to facilitate the move towards the Energy Union.

EU Sustainable Energy Week is more than an event; it is a strong community – follow us on our social media channels!

Twitter: @euenergyweek #EUSEW17 Facebook: EU Sustainable Energy Week For more information email: alexandra@voice.be

EU Sustainable Energy Week 2017 #EUSEW17

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

News

26 Scottish companies are part of new £800m energy efficiency contract

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national energy efficiency contract worth up to £800m over four years is launched today, bringing major opportunities for Scottish businesses.

The new framework is Scotland Excel’s largest ever contract opportunity, with 26 Scottish companies securing places as suppliers - 21 of which are micro or SME. The contract will help councils and housing associations drive forward energy efficiency measures in their properties to tackle fuel poverty, create warmer homes for local people and cut carbon emissions.

Julie Welsh, Director of Scotland Excel, said: “I welcome the launch of this innovative contract. It is our largest ever in value and brings opportunities for 26 Scottish companies to secure a share of the business.

“With sustainability at its core, the contract will support councils and housing associations in their efforts to deliver energy efficiency improvements which will bring benefits to homes for current and future generations.

“The contract has been designed to help councils deliver improvements to housing to create warmer, more energy efficient homes, to tackle fuel poverty, and meet national carbon reduction targets, whether through local investment programmes or from national funding allocations.”

The framework will provide easy access to contractors for a range of efficiency measures including wall, floor, loft, window

and door insulation, gas boiler and heating systems, electrical storage heaters, solar panels, and domestic and non-domestic energy assessors.

It will also deliver community and employment benefits with contractors committing to delivering a range of measures – including apprenticeships - to the local areas where business is secured.

Barbara Morton, Director at Sustainable Procurement Ltd, welcomed the new framework. She said: “This innovative contract demonstrates Scotland Excel’s commitment to supporting local authorities and housing associations in delivering real progress in energy efficiency combined with benefits to communities.

This unique combination of energy efficiency and employment opportunities has the potential to bring lasting benefits to communities throughout Scotland.”

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There are 30 suppliers to the new framework. They are: • A.C. Whyte and Co. Ltd, Barrhead • Absolute Solar and Wind Ltd, Glasgow • Alternative Heat Ltd, Castle Wellan, NI • BCA Insulation Limited, Glasgow • Campbell & Kennedy Ltd, Glasgow • CCG (Scotland) Ltd, Glasgow • CircoSense Ltd, Glasgow • City Building (Contracts) LLP, Glasgow • City Technical Services (UK) Ltd, Glasgow • CMS Enviro Systems Ltd, Glasgow

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• • • • • • • • • • • •

• • •

E.ON Energy Solutions Ltd, Coventry Easy Heat Systems Ltd, Perth Emtec Energy Ltd, Uddingston Energy and Compliance Technology Limited, Wakefield Energywise Scotland Ltd, Livingston Everwarm Limited, Bathgate Evolve Partnership Limited, Edinburgh FES Support Services Ltd, Stirling Fibreglo Insulations Limited, Cumbernauld GMG Contractors Ltd, Glasgow Ingen Technical Services (Central) Ltd, Uddingston Insulated Render Systems (Scotland) Ltd, Airdrie IQA Operations Group Ltd, Paisley Miller Pattison Ltd, Falkirk MP Rendering Ltd, Glasgow Richard Irvin & Sons Ltd, trading as Richard Irvin Energy Solutions, Aberdeen SERS Energy Solutions (Scotland) Ltd, Lockerbie Sustainable Building Services (UK) Ltd, Skelmersdale T K Murray Electrical Ltd, Kilsyth Turner Facilities Management Limited, Glasgow For further information contact: lisa.mcintyre@scotland-excel.org.uk

RenewableUK sets out manifesto for strong energy future

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enewableUK is highlighting the benefits of renewable energy in a new manifesto, “Powering Britain”, published in the run-up to the next General Election.

In the document, the trade association points out that renewable energy has become a mainstream technology which is driving down consumer bills, as new onshore wind is the cheapest technology bar none, and offshore wind is set to be cheaper than nuclear power Meanwhile wave and tidal energy are scaling up to become significant clean power source It urges the next Government to put in place policies to create a strong energy future for the UK by implementing four key measures:

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Keep consumer energy bills down by investing in domestic, affordable, low carbon power • Set a long term, low carbon vision for energy system • Build modern, flexible, and smart energy infrastructure which matches the needs of 21st century consumers, British industry and the UK economy • Secure the economic and export opportunities of renewable energy and its supply chains for Britain as we leave the EU RenewableUK’s Executive Director Emma Pinchbeck said: “The next Government has a clear opportunity to ensure that the renewable energy sector can continue to grow and deliver even cheaper electricity to UK homes and businesses.

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

“The first steps to achieving this include confirming existing investment commitments, and ensuring a competitive process is in place to secure cheap new generation. We need a transparent procurement system which is fair to all technologies.

“As we look to leaving the European Union, the next Government can show leadership by bringing forward a plan to deliver the UK’s climate commitments and maintaining a robust carbon price floor.

“Stable policy will allow industry to keep delivering. Government should be at the heart of building our strong energy future”.

For further information, please contact: Jennifer.Webber@RenewableUK.com Robert.Norris@RenewableUK

News

GRANT SUPPORT TO FACILITATE INSTALLATION OF HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEMS IN FIVE LOCATIONS ACROSS SCOTLAND

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ollowing the recent announcement

by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at this year’s All Energy Event in Glasgow, SHARC Energy Systems the wholly owned European arm of Vancouver-based International Wastewater Systems Inc. (“IWS” or the “Company”) (CSE: IWS) (FRANKFURT:IWI), are pleased to confirm they have been awarded grant support to facilitate the installation of SHARC waste water heat recovery systems at five locations across Scotland.

SHARC’s innovative technology that allows sewers to be used to generate renewable heat – producing vital savings in energy, costs and carbon emissions – will be used as the cornerstone technology to demonstrate how the solution can be deployed across a wide range of geographies to support both urban and rural customers, as well as a platform for wide scale low carbon district heating.

Funding from the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) – managed through the Scottish Government – has been granted to enable the development of five new projects that will play a pioneering role in transforming heating systems at various commercial and local authority sites.

Under the plans, SHARC’s ‘heat-from-waste water’ technology is earmarked to heat Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow, a leisure centre and public library in Campeltown, a leisure centre in Orkney and a new district heating scheme at the Clyde Gateway regeneration project in Glasgow.

The LCITP funding is being matched by commercial finance that will facilitate the required capital investment to establish local energy centres that will generate their income from sales of heat to the customers involved.

Scottish Water Horizons and SHARC Energy Systems have been collaborating over the last three years to promote the adoption of sewage heat recovery in Scotland, and last year announced their intentions to form a strategic alliance, and both parties see the LCITP announcement as playing a key role in building on their work to use Scotland’s water resources to help generate renewable energy.

Already deployed in North America and Europe, the SHARC technology works by using a heat pump to amplify the warmth of waste water in sewers – such as from showers, dishwashers and washing machines. This generates an energy-saving, cost-effective and environmentally friendly system for heating, cooling and hot water

production in commercial premises and homes – as opposed to the use of traditional fossil fuels such as gas boilers.

Paul Kerr, recently appointed Head of Scottish Water Horizons, said: “We are delighted that funding has been awarded to enable the acceleration of this innovative technology at key locations across Scotland.

“Beneath our streets there is an alternative energy source that so far has been ignored. The potential benefits of this technology in further developing ways to reduce energy costs, cut carbon emissions and protect the environment for businesses and public organisations cannot be understated.

“With 32,000 miles of sewers pipes across Scotland and Scottish Water treating more than 900 million litres of waste water every year, the opportunities presented from this technology are clear to see.

“Using the sewer network to transfer heat means that the heat source can be used to supply heat to the customer as close as possible to the customer’s premises. This minimises the cost and disruption of installing new heat pipes in the street.

“Our alliance with SHARC Energy Systems is helping to deploy this proven technology on a wider scale, providing an innovative lower cost heating solution which will help to contribute to a sustainable circular economy, tackle the threat posed by climate change and provide additional employment within local areas.” a sustainable circular economy, tackle the threat The new projects in the pipeline are:

Bandwidth Project Three heat from sewage schemes have been aggregated into one proposal – with a total investment of £3.8m - known as the Bandwidth project. The project is planned to deliver sustainable heat to the Aqualibrium Leisure Centre and Public Library at Campbeltown, the Pickaquoy Leisure Centre at Kirkwall and the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow. SHARC Energy are working through the final design details that will enable the schemes to be spade ready later this year and facilitate construction over the next twelve months, creating cost and carbon benefits to the Local Authorities involved. *The added interest of the Kelvingrove Museum project is that the statue of Lord Kelvin, the inventor of the heat pump, stands nearby.

Clyde Gateway project Clyde Gateway and its partners, including SHARC Energy Systems, have developed a plan to support a low carbon heating and cooling network for Magenta at Clyde Gateway, which will see 1.2 million square feet of commercial space across 27 acres within the satellite business district of Shawfield with a total investment of £6.0m.

Russ Burton (COO) of International Wastewater, the parent company of SHARC Energy Systems, said: “The announcement by the LCITP today is a significant step for the business and a resounding endorsement of the passion and dedication by the SHARC team in developing solutions that meet customer requirements and build on the company’s values.

“We have been working tirelessly over the last three years to support the Scottish Government’s ambitions for decarbonising heating systems. With the support of Scottish Water Horizons and the Local Authorities involved in these schemes, we are delighted to be a part of this low carbon revolution and are looking forward to being able to make further announcements about our long-term role in the Scottish economy over the next few months. “ Work to bring the projects to construction ready status is well advanced and on target to meet the LCITP’s qualifying completion date of September 2018 to qualify for the grant.

The go-ahead for the projects follows the launch of the UK’s first SHARC energy recovery system at Scottish Borders College at its campus in Galashiels. The process – which has seen the heat produced being sold to Scottish Borders College under a 20-year purchase agreement – now provides the majority of the heat and hot water needed by the campus and has helped to save 150 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.

The collaboration between Scottish Water Horizons and SHARC Energy Systems has identified a £20m pipeline of potential installations across Scotland that when deployed would generate 170 GWHs (Giga Watt Hours – 1 GWH would power one million homes for one hour) per year of heating and cooling to displace the fossil fuel currently used. www.scottishwater.co.uk/horizons

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

News

PUBLIC SECTOR SET TO BENEFIT FROM CUTTING EDGE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS

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ublic sector organisations in England and Wales are about to benefit from £320M of support from the Government to decarbonise building heating systems. The Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) is due to enter its main funding phase in 2017 and Metropolitan, the leading independent district energy and multi-utility infrastructure provider, is using its expertise to meet this new demand for sustainable, low-carbon district energy systems.

Both the UK and Scottish Governments have made available funding for district energy systems through The HNIP in England and Wales and the District Heating Loan Fund (DHF) in Scotland.

This means that local authorities and other public sector organisations, such as NHS Trusts and universities, are opting to incorporate district energy systems into new developments.

Metropolitan has a strong track record in this field having delivered the low-carbon energy centre for the landmark urban regeneration, Kings Cross Development in London, and is ideally placed to meet the needs of public- sector sustainable development. The company is committed to the highest standards of quality, service and customer protection.

It was one of the first to register a scheme with the Heat Trust, the industry-led, self-regulatory initiative which recognises best practice. (For details of the scheme see Editors’ Notes below).

Metropolitan’s focus on the public sector will be led by Dom Barton, a recent key appointment as Business Development Director. Dom has a strong background in the district energy field and in his new role will be working predominantly with public sector customers. A chartered mechanical engineer, with experience gained at SSE and British Gas, he is well placed to understand the energy needs and challenges facing public sector developments.

“The public sector has an unprecedented opportunity to lead the way in low- carbon development”, commented Mr Barton.

“The availability of funding, backed by active Government commitment, means that projects undertaken by public-sector organisations will in future incorporate the latest, most energy-efficient systems for the benefit of whole communities. Such systems not only deliver core services and complement new housing development but also create jobs.”

District energy increases efficiency and can ultimately lower the cost of energy, in addition to achieving UK Government carbon targets. It is low- carbon heat, energy and cooling which is produced locally from a central energy centre, typically fuelled by gas-fired combined heat & power (CHP) engines, electric heat pumps, fuel cells or biomass boilers and distributed via a district heat network.

District energy networks, such as those developed by Metropolitan, provide sustainable, future proof solutions for high

density residential and mixed-use new developments and urban regeneration areas.

Metropolitan offers a one-stop service for its public-sector partners: designing, building, funding, co-owning and operating networks. As a multi-utility provider, Metropolitan can also deliver a full suite of utilities in addition to district energy networks including electricity, water, wastewater, ultrafast Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) and gas.

Dom Barton will be building long-term relationships with public-sector partners.

“Metropolitan’s flexible models of co-ownership of the district energy networks it designs, installs and invests in, give our partners the reassurance of our long-term commitment to each project. We have an ongoing interest in the success of each development, continuing to manage customers’ needs long after the construction phases have been completed.”

Visit www.met-i.co.uk

NEW REPORT REVEALS UK SCH SYSTEM FAILURE

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he UK’s schools and educational facilities are regularly experiencing problems with their heating system which increases the risk of unexpected closure, according to a new report published by Bosch Commercial and Industrial.

‘Out of sight, out of mind? A report on the heating and hot water challenge in UK schools’ exposes that the majority spend less than 20% of their maintenance budget on ensuring their heating system is running efficiently. This is despite the fact that up

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

to 50% of a typical school’s energy usage is attributed solely to heating.

Over a third of respondents are concerned with finding the funds for replacement when it comes to resolving heating system breakdowns, which are often seen as unavoidable or unforeseeable.

Pete Mills, Commercial Technical Operations Manager at Bosch Commercial and Industrial, who helped author the report said: “Ultimately, a school without heating and hot water must close, so

News

RINNAI takes on man v machine challenge

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innai, manufacturer of the market leading Infinity hot water heating units, has started a challenge that puts its product against tough opposition in the form of super league rugby team Widnes Vikings.

Rinnai, an official sponsor of the Widnes Vikings rugby league club, put its Infinity water heaters head to head with the players in a contest of Man v Machine. The result is a series of YouTube videos that, right from kick off, see the Rinnai brand putting in a sterling performance.

The challenge laid down to the Vikings was: • • Rinnai water heaters can produce 1000+ litres from a unit weighing just 31kg. How quickly can a professional rugby player pull this weight against his peers?

• • Rinnai water heaters are accurate to 1°C of the chosen set point but how accurate are the Vikings?

After putting the team members through their paces in two gruelling playoffs, Gil Dudson, Vikings front row, headed the leader board for the club overall on both tasks – pulling 180 kgs in 10.93 seconds

(most stored hot water systems are considerably heavier that Rinnai’s sprightly 31kg) and kicking the oval ball at a Rinnai unit to test accuracy – and the Rinnai units won hands down for specifiers, installers and end users alike.

Chris Goggin, Rinnai, says: “Relentless durability is a key feature of the Rinnai range of gas fired water heaters and that is the message we are aiming to get across by pairing with Widnes Vikings for this YouTube campaign. This is a brand-heavy, mass media campaign targeted at increasing market awareness, albeit in a light-hearted manner.

“The videos have been viewed on various platforms more than 21,000 times to date and impressions from the joint campaign with Widnes Viking platforms have created more than 55,000 to our Twitter profile.

We are encouraging our customers to use the Rinnai/Vikings YouTube videos in their marketing, too, to raise awareness of the Rinnai brand to their clients.”

For more information on the RINNAI product range visit www.rinnaiuk.com

HOOLS ARE UNPREPARED FOR HEATING viewing heating and hot water technologies as much more than ‘out of sight, out of mind’ appliances is essential. With significant cuts to funding and increased pressure to reduce energy consumption, it’s more important than ever for schools to be proactive in tackling their heating and hot water challenges.”

The report goes on to explore how latest condensing boiler technology can significantly reduce running costs, as well as providing details on available grants and effective maintenance schemes.

Pete Mills concludes: “As our report details, it is clear that schools are having

to contend with the unreliable systems currently in place and are therefore finding themselves at risk of an unexpected breakdown and unprepared to provide a long-term solution. We hope this report will help schools to enhance their heating comfort and energy performance, and consider a boiler replacement project well ahead of an outdated system letting them down without warning.”

For more information on Bosch Commercial and Industrial and its range of heating, cooling and hot water technologies, please visit www.bosch-industrial.co.uk or call 0330 123 3004. Alternatively, follow Bosch Commercial and Industrial on Twitter (@ BoschHeating_UK) and LinkedIn (Bosch Commercial and Industrial UK).

‘Out of sight, out of mind? A report on the heating and hot water challenge in UK schools’ is available to download from: http://bit.ly/heatinginschools

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

Opinion

The potential role of AD in tackling climate change

By Matt Hale, International Sales Manager, HRS Heat Exchangers

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ith a few notable exceptions, such as new US president Donald Trump and our own Nigel Lawson, the scientific consensus on climate change is well established. As far back as 2004, 75% of US scientific papers accepted the premise of human modification of the climate. Today, as the evidence and scientific literature has grown this figure has risen to 97% or more.

The most recent provisional information from both the Met Office and NASA suggests that 2016 was the warmest year ever recorded globally, backing up a prediction that the UN’s WMO (World Meteorological Organisation) made in November last year.

Without getting into a detailed discussion on national and global environment policies, it seems fairly clear that in order to avoid the very worst effects of climate change, we will need to use every available tool to decarbonise as many aspects of society as possible, from energy

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generation and transport, through to food production and waste disposal.

When you adopt this holistic approach to decarbonising you quickly realise that it is not just about renewable, low carbon energy production, although this is obviously one of the key areas to tackle.

Our modern society is dependent on many substances and processes which are directly or indirectly responsible for the release of key greenhouse gases (GHGs) including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Globally, agriculture produces around 17% of total GHGs, with a further 7-14% due to changes in land use.

These emissions come from the entire agricultural cycle, from initial cultivations of soil (and longer term soil health and management), through the use of fertilisers and the raising of livestock, from the use of energy and from waste during harvesting, processing and in the supply chain. Overcoming these issues can seem insurmountable, but there is a single simple technology which has the potential to help reduce emissions from all of these areas: anaerobic digestion, or AD. AD produces green renewable energy in the form of biogas through the bacterial breakdown of organic materials under anaerobic conditions. In doing so, not only does it create a highly versatile energy carrier (biogas can be used to produce electricity, used as a replacement for natural gas or used as a transport fuel), but the residue left behind after the process is a nutrient-rich organic fertiliser and soil conditioner. Furthermore, by treating waste, including food, crop residues and livestock manures in an AD plant, any methane emissions which they may have emitted to the atmosphere during their decomposition or treatment via other means, are captured and utilised, preventing the emission of a particularly potent GHG.

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

In order to maximise the greenhouse gas savings which AD can provide, it is important that the feedstocks used are both sustainable and produced with as low a carbon footprint as possible. It is also important to make sure that the process is as efficient as possible and that every possible unit of energy is used. Using heat exchangers to recapture heat for reuse in the AD plant or elsewhere is one of the most cost-effective ways to do this.

When it comes to plant efficiency, recapturing waste heat from areas such as CHP engines, exhausts and even treated digestate, and using this for other processes will increase the overall efficiency of the plant. The uses that such recovered heat is put to can include pre-treating feedstock (to improve gas yields or reduce the time required in the digester), pasteurisation (to comply with Animal By-Products regulations or PAS 110 certification), digestate treatment or process heating, for example to dry crops. It can even be used for space or district heating schemes. Not only does using otherwise wasted heat in this way improve the environmental profile of an AD plant, but by increasing its efficiency it also improves overall economic performance over its operational life.

The other key to maximising the environmental and climate benefits of AD is using the digestate in the best way possible.

Most plants produce a mixture of liquid and solid digestate. Each has different logistical requirements in terms of how they can be stored and used, as well as differences in their nutritional composition. In general terms, digestate is particularly rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The nitrogen provided to crops by digestate is more readily available to plants than other sources, which not only promotes rapid crop growth, but provided it is applied at the same time, can reduce losses from the

soil through leeching and volatilisation as it does not sit around unused in the soil.

Another benefit of digestate, particularly the solid fraction, is that it is an excellent source of organic matter.

Over the last century, modern agricultural techniques and over-cultivation have reduced the organic matter in arable soils.

Not only does this create immediate soil management issues for farmers, and make soils more susceptible to erosion, but it also makes the soils themselves more susceptible to the loss of carbon. Globally, soils store almost 4,000 billion tonnes of organic carbon, more than the world’s vegetation and atmosphere combined.

As carbon-rich materials are added to soils and cultivations reduced, so the soils’ overall capacity for carbon sequestration increases. A long term study is currently underway at Aberystwyth University to quantify some of these benefits to carbon sequestration.

Obviously there are many sources of carbon which can be added to soils, including composts and crop residues.

However, due to the unique processes in AD, the use of solid digestate avoids emissions of greenhouse gas associated with the aerobic decomposition of materials and provides nutrients and carbon in a

form which is readily adsorbed by soil particles. These benefits must be offset against the greater conditioning effects of some materials such as compost. Finally, digestate is a low carbon fertiliser, helping reduce the overall carbon footprint of any crops grown with it, with some studies quoting a reduction of 13 kg CO2e/tonne of yield from this saving alone.

While there can be uncertainty about potential N2O emissions from digestate applied to soil, which will have a negative effect on the overall GHG balance, careful application timing and incorporation of the digestate can help to mitigate these. Like many technologies associated with the environment, the devil is in the detail.

With this in mind, it is important that plant operators and developers treat digestate as the important product that it is. There are many technologies available to increase the value and usability of digestate, including pasteurisation, separation and concentration systems.

However, before investing in any system it is worth making sure that you understand what it will and will not do.

For example, a simple drying system for digestate uses heat to remove water so that the digestate is easier to handle, has a higher dry matter and is lighter. Meanwhile,

other specific technologies provide additional benefits. The HRS DCS (Digestate Concentration System) uses evaporation to significantly reduce digestate volumes, removing up to 80% of the water contained in the liquid fraction and concentrating it to 20% dry solids. By acid-dosing the digestate with sulphuric acid, pH levels are decreased and ammonia releases are prevented, as the ammonia is turned into ammonium sulphate. This is also an ideal biofertiliser.

Therefore, while the volume of digestate is reduced, the nutrient content is not merely locked in after concentration – it actually increases.

There are many different ways to maximise both the efficiency of biogas plants, and the usefulness and effectiveness of digestate. With the right advice and by choosing the correct technology, it is possible to make sound investment decisions which will not only increase plant efficient, but also improve the overall environmental profile of AD – and maximise its benefits in terms of mitigating climate change. www.hrs-heatexchangers.com

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

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Opinion

Paving the Way to Safer, More Cost-efficient Nuclear Reactors

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n 2014, The Independent newspaper reported on an impending “nuclear crisis” in the U.K. Unlike many other fears commonly associated with that expression, this was a crisis of age and the possible extinction for the country’s aging nuclear fleet. At the time, all but one of Britain’s reactors was predicted to close in 15 years due to “concerns over their economic viability or safety” and fears circled the possibility of an energy black hole as the nuclear sector fulfills nearly 20 percent of the country’s power demands. All reactors except the Sizewell B power station were operating beyond their original lifetime specifications.

Three years later, the conversation around the future of the U.K.’s nuclear reactors has continued, shifting focus to the approval of plans for a station at Hinkley Point and other potential new builds.

However, this discussion recently took a turn toward cost as government officials look to tighten their belts on new projects and potentially take stake in these new developments. In February, future plant developers were given the expectation that a 15 to 20 percent discount would be required on the price of electricity compared to the £18 billion Hinkley plant in Somerset, as reported by the Financial Times.

More than ever, those involved in the engineering, development, financing and regulation of nuclear reactors are finding themselves at an important juncture where, combined, safety and savings will determine the future of nuclear energy.

While achieving both can be a challenge, materials and components that last longer and require less maintenance help to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) of reactors over their lifespans and can even keep them running longer without compromising safety.

The UK’s Challenge EDF currently has a fleet of fifteen reactors, all of which began sending electricity to the grid in the 1970s and 1980s and due to their age, inspection and maintenance are key issues for EDF, not just for nuclear safety today but for

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the likelihood of plant life extensions later.

Today – including Hinkley Point C, some thirteen new nuclear reactors are planned in the UK across six sites from the mid-2020s onwards, with a combined capacity of 18GW. As the UK must progressively replace large parts of its existing electricity generating capacity over the next two decades and - as it seeks to decarbonise the sector in line with its legally binding climate goals - now is the time to implement the right long-term cost and safety solutions. It is imperative that energy companies have the foresight to prevent the same mistakes from affecting the next generation of nuclear power plants and the possible repercussions over the next 60 years.

Applying Total Cost of Ownership to Nuclear Reactor Investments While TCO – or total cost of ownership – is a common metric for evaluating purchase decisions in many industries, it is a less familiar term for a straightforward concept that should be common sense to specifiers in nuclear reactor projects. TCO is an estimate to help purchasers weigh both the direct and indirect costs of an investment, painting a bigger picture of overall value. When long-term maintenance

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

is a consideration, cheaper components that are less durable and require more frequent replacement can ultimately prove to be the more expensive option, driving up the TCO of a nuclear reactor.

For example, components such as electrical penetrations are critical to keeping radioactive particles within the reactors’ containment structures, these components often feature polymer seals that degrade as they age, requiring frequent replacements (and decontamination) every 20 to 30 years. By comparison, a non-aging glass-to-metal seal qualified for 60 years of use without need for replacement or maintenance requires fewer replacements, saving in both labour and material costs for roughly 30 to 40 penetrations, which can add up to more than £12 million in savings over the lifespan of a single reactor. Additionally, arguments can be made that fewer parts replacements also generates less waste – every part that is removed from containment is decontaminated and therefore, less cost will be associated with disposal.

When assessing TCO for a nuclear reactor – whether it’s a new build or an existing plant that requires updates to avoid a decommission, designer and engineers should work closely with potential suppliers to propose a checklist of requirements that include a thorough assortment of long-term cost-generators, such as labour and time required for

Opinion It is clear that there is an argument within the nuclear industry that the future relies on the emergence of smaller reactors – especially in the Western world. American company NuScale Power, recently stated it hopes to build a small modular reactor by the mid-2020s, and the UK government is inviting companies to design small-scale reactors and will shortly set out policy on the matter, with initial estimates stating the a SMR could be operational in the UK by 2030.

Striking a Balance

component replacements, associated cleaning and decontamination solutions, waste management, training operators if replacements must be completed by plant personnel and downtime during the replacement processes, etc. The more thorough the assessment, the more complete the cost analysis giving a more transparent picture of costs over the lifespan of the reactor.

Safety Still Comes First Of course, no TCO assessment is complete without assessing the risk of hazardous incidents should components prove to be lower in quality, performance or durability over time. The massive costs associated with nuclear reactor malfunction aside, the safety of nearby communities has to be paramount when designing a new reactor or upgrading existing plants.

In fact, the nuclear industry has been adapting and improving safety standards since the Fukushima meltdown in 2011.

An important takeaway from that incident is the role that aged components played in the lead-up to the explosion. According to Fukushima operator TEPCO, the high temperature and pressure levels in the accident overstrained the reactor containment’s organic polymer seals and led to the hydrogen leakage and finally explosion. The Japanese Ministry of Economy confirmed these findings.

With the recent rise in radiation levels stemming from the Fukashima incident as well as the detection of radiation on the western shores of the United States, the whole world is reminded of the real and lasting costs that can be incurred when investments are not made in high-quality, extremely durable components. Not only can component failures incur a huge price tag for recovery efforts, but they

can also have devastating reverberations throughout the industry as a whole, jeopardizing much needed investments in upgraded and beneficial technologies that could bring about a most cost-effective age of nuclear energy.

However, despite the incident, progress continues and glass-to-metal sealing technology provides an alternative that allows for safe conduction of electricity through the fire-protective, pressure-resistant and hermetically sealed containment walls of nuclear power plants, and are already being used around the world in both civilian and military reactors.

Is the Future Modular?

With more resilient components on the market, the nuclear energy sector could see the rise of small modular reactors (SMRs) as the preferred new build option. SMRs are different from a regular small reactor in the way they are constructed. SMRs use both large and small components that can be manufactured or replicated in a factory and moved to site by truck, train or barge.

If enough reactors can be made in a single factory it is more cost-efficient in the long-run, as the cost per unit of energy output can be considerably reduced below those of larger plants.

It has been well-documented that new generation larger reactors have had problems with being over-budget and delayed with production setbacks meaning that projects are not only late but are often billions of pounds over budget.

This is often attributed to the difficulty of making them safe. For example, Cambridge University academic Tony Roulstone, in an article published by the Guardian, likened the schematic planning of Hinckley to “building a cathedral within a cathedral” going so far as to label it “unconstructable.”

Nuclear power is on the rise. With similar lifecycle emissions compared to all the major forms of renewable energy, nuclear power will play an important role in shaping the world’s future supply.

Governments across the world are looking to the industry to solve some of the most pressing problems of climate change and how to meet growing energy demand and increase energy security, while reducing CO2 emissions.

The two biggest hurdles in the industry are both cost and safety. After the distressing events at Chernobyl over thirty years ago, the Fukushima disaster was a timely reminder of the dangers involved in harnessing nuclear power. That is why it is imperative that companies look to the technological advances made in nuclear fission and the wider industry to do what is absolutely necessary to strengthen safety standards and guarantee that future facilities are as safe as they can be – both large and small – for generations to come.

Attributed to: Thomas Fink, General Manager, Nuclear Safety Division of SCHOTT, is a recognized authority for glass-to-metal sealing technology, especially with respect to its use in nuclear applications. He also is an Advisory Board Member of Ohio State University Nuclear Engineering Program in the US.

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

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Opinion

How does modern fossil fuel extraction affect our planet?

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ossil fuels have been an essential source of energy for the Western world since their inauguration during the industrial revolution.

Extraction of these fuels has previously involved a significant workforce of labourers engaging in mining and smelting, but through advances in technology extraction it has become easier and increasingly time-efficient for economically-developed nations.

Methods such as fracking, drilling (on/offshore), and oil sand extraction have become conventional methods of contemporary extraction. However, in recent years’ fossil fuel exploitation has become a hugely controversial issue, due to the extensive environmental damage caused by over-exploitation. This includes ecological destruction such as mass deforestation, wildlife habitat loss and water intoxication.

Fracking Hydrological fracking is the process of extracting gas and oil from shale rock, which is done by fracturing the rock with powerful high-pressure injections of water.

This method of extraction has been used within the US for at least 50 years, and is a very recent development within the UK. Lancashire and Yorkshire are currently undergoing test fracking, among other parts of the UK which have been granted planning applications. Extraction via fracking enables an increase in economic security for the globally diminishing oil and gas reserves.

The practice is controversial, as fracking

By James Murphy, Extreme Low Energy

is thought to be associated with tremors.

For example, in 2011, two earthquakes of magnitudes 1.5 and 2.2 occurred near Blackpool, and were considered to be the result of local fracking tests. Fracking has also been linked with the release of carcinogenic chemicals into groundwater supplying drinking water. On top of this, a very high volume of water is required for the fracking process, which not only requires the transport of water (adding to environmental concern) but raises the issue of the upcoming water crisis, and the extent to which water is both misused and mismanaged.

Drilling Oil drilling is usually executed through oil wells and rigs, enabling the extraction of sub-surface oil both onshore and offshore. This method of extraction can be extremely costly, more so for drills required to reach larger depths. Onshore rigs can cost around $25 million to $40 million, whilst offshore rigs cost an average of $560 million, with the largest drill, the ‘Perdido’, costing $3 billion. Although they are widely seen as environmentally-unfriendly, offshore rigs are often adopted by sub-marine wildlife and can double up as an artificial reef.

The depth to which oil rigs drill, and the intricate processes required for extraction creates a potentially dangerous hazard.

Although drilling disasters are rare, the consequences are significant enough to cause loss of life, and pollution on a

massive scale. Deepwater Horizon was an offshore oil rig that faced tragedy in April 2010 after several security measures malfunctioned, leading to the death of 11 of its crew, and what came to be the largest oil spill ever seen by U.S. waters, and causing an environmental catastrophe.

Oil sands Also known as bituminous sands, these petroleum deposits are naturally forming and are found in many countries, but is found in extremely large quantities in Canada.

The oil is extracted from the sands in numerous different ways, including mining, steaming and more recently, toe to heel air injection. The latter method of extraction involves ignition of the heavier bitumen into lighter oils. The concept of oil sand extraction has been controversial, due to the land degradation as a result of the process. Mass deforestation is a major problem for many Canadian landscapes, and is leaving the land in desolation. Extraction from oil sands has also resulted in problems concerning waste management, as the extensive amount of surplus material such as topsoil and sands must be relocated. On top of this, it was found that rainfall surface runoff in close proximity to oil sands contained carcinogenic chemicals that leak into nearby rivers, and are significantly toxic to aquatic wildlife.

At present, our current fossil fuel energy reliance is not only a significant pointer to anthropogenic climate change, but is evidently destroying our environments, our connection with wildlife, and the fundamental carbon sinks which allow natural regulation of the air we breathe. By no means is it possible to make the sudden switch to cleaner, renewable energy on a macroscopic scale, but raising awareness of the destruction caused by fossil fuel extraction, and providing information about sustainable energy sources, is arguably the first step to a brighter tomorrow. extremelowenergy.com

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Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

Energy Supply

The future of electricity

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n the UK, the majority of electricity comes from large, centralised power plants. Although this approach enables economies of scale in the energy sector, it means that customers, particularly those within inner cities depend on long-distance transmission to receive power. Here Nick Boughton, sales manager at industrial systems integrator, Boulting Technology discusses how businesses need to adapt to keep up with increased energy demands.

In a bid to reduce energy costs and improve reliability, customers are turning to local energy generation — power that is generated in underutilised spaces such as rooftops, landfills and empty car parks.

Local energy generation reduces costs and improves the overall efficiency of the power system. It minimises line losses and extends the lifespan of existing transmission infrastructure by minimising wear from overuse. It also creates a stronger, more resilient network of power in the face of extreme weather, human error and outsider attacks.

Renewables

Renewable sources currently produce more than 20 per cent of the UK’s electricity and targets set by the European Union mean that this is likely to rise to 30 per cent by 2020.

Countries in Europe are building increasing amounts of renewable capacity in order to reduce their carbon emissions and boost supply security. Last year, Denmark’s wind farms supplied 140 per cent of the country’s demand and Germany received all of its power from renewable energy sources for an entire day. While these were planned events, in May 2016, the UK hit the headlines as it had no coal-fired power stations meeting electricity demand for a short space of time as a result of the partial failure of a power import cable. It is events like this that highlight the eventual need for a more long-term market supply.

In 2017, the Scottish government bid to cut total climate emissions by 66 per cent

within 15 years. This is one of the world’s most ambitious climate strategies and is expected to cost up to £3 billion per year to implement. To cut emissions, the Scottish government has released a renewable energy programme, which includes targets of 40 per cent of all new cars sold in Scotland to be ultra-low emission and 80 per cent of Scotland’s homes to be heated using low-carbon technologies.

Currently, solar energy is limited to daylight hours and wind power cannot be harvested all year round. The only way to guarantee a 24-hour renewable supply is to have a method of storage.

Leveraging car and mobile phone developments, modern battery storage systems will soon be used to store renewable energy. In just a few years’ time, battery storage will be commonplace not just at grid level, but on industrial sites, office blocks and in the home too. www.boultingtechnology.co.uk

The benefits of local energy generation are clear for home owners, but commercial and industrial properties are also starting to explore the alternatives to the national grid.

The microgrid is a localised group of electricity sources and loads that normally operate as part of the national grid, but can disconnect and function autonomously if necessary.

These types of grids are maturing quickly within the commercial and industrial sectors in North America and Asia Pacific, but lack of standards limit them on a global scale. Having these standards in place would mean that manufacturers could access a more secure supply, avoiding regular power interruptions that can cause high revenue losses and long periods of downtime.

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

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Energy Management

3 Ways Data Centre Managers Can Optimise Energy Consumption in Data Centres Airedale’s Controls Project Manager Jon Martinez explains three ways data centre managers can optimise energy consumption in data centres Chiller water setpoint There are a few ways of optimising energy consumption in a data centre; one of the ways is to optimise the set points of your operating equipment. For example, you can dynamically optimise the chilled water set point.

Rather than having it too low, what we do here at Airedale is have a calculation where we can optimise the chilled water operating set point to match what the

system requires. This is opposed to, for example, fixing it at 7 degrees and then for 90% of the year that being too cold, and for the other remaining 10% of the year it is too warm.

Also you are not exactly matching what the system requirements are. So by monitoring everything and tying it all together, you can optimise that set point and save yourself a whole lot of energy, especially if you can raise the set point as high as possible and get as much free-cooling out of the system as possible.

For example, if you are operating your system at 17 degrees chilled water set point as opposed to the traditional 7-12 degrees operating set points, you will get more free-cooling for a higher percentage of the year.

EC fan upgrade Another option is to retro-fit Electronically Commutated (EC) Fans to your air movement equipment. EC Fans are an easy win for energy saving. You can retrofit an EC fan and instantly save energy just by running the fans at the same speed and airflow, but then you can further complement that by incorporating a more intelligent controls strategy that ramps the fans up and down, based on temperature or demand, because the curve on the EC fans, are more of an exponential type curve, so the lower down you are with

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Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

your fan speed, the more energy savings you will make.

Building Management System Finally another suggestion is to install a Building Management System (BMS) which will pick up a lot of information from the system. It automates a lot of the processes so you are not relying on manual adjustments all the time, and it logs and records a lot of the end usage data, which allows the user to effectively target areas where energy is being wasted. If you have got a spike in energy at 2 o’clock in the morning, and you have got a monitoring system in place that looks at the variables around it, you could target such areas, and take actions to reduce energy consumption accordingly. www.airedale.com

Energy Management

How to make your office work for you

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he building you’re working in right now could be making you sick, stressed and less productive than you can be. Through some relatively straightforward design and refit actions you could dramatically increase your performance and that of your colleagues and staff.

In the UK, we spend, on average, between 80-90% of our time indoors. With around 20 hours per day spent within a building it seems odd, that until recently, limited attention has been given to how the design and layout of buildings impact the people within them. The fact that poor design can reduce enjoyment of spaces seems obvious, but it is only now that the building industry is waking up to how homes, work environments and leisure spaces can be designed to maximise health, wellbeing and, crucially for businesses, productivity.

This is happening at the same time as many organisations are trying to reduce costs through consolidating office space, increasing occupancy levels, and reducing floor area per employee. Done poorly, this can result in ‘workhouse offices’ full of row upon row of workers in large, noisy, anonymous, open plan spaces. Employees are left unhappy, distracted, unproductive and increasingly likely to get, or call in, sick. If done well, balance can be found between increasing workplace density and staff wellbeing; delivering buildings that are efficient, healthy and productive.

The results can be staggering. Recent studies have shown that taking account of wellbeing in office design can result in improved productivity, staff retention, reduced absenteeism, and staff stress levels. With staff salaries and benefits making up 90% of a typical company’s operating costs – these changes can have major positive impacts on the bottom line.

Landlords should also take note – with many reporting increased building value and rent potential from buildings which take account of wellbeing design features such as: • Lighting levels and amount of daylight • Thermal comfort – temperature, air speed and humidity • Indoor air quality and ventilation rates • Noise and acoustics • Access to windows and views • Visual comfort – colour, texture, and variety in space design • Access to amenities

The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has produced a report looking at the business value of delivering healthy, green buildings. Reviewing studies from across the world, reported benefits include: • 101% increase in cognitive performance for workers in a green, well-ventilated office • Workers in offices near windows reported getting 46 minutes more sleep per night • 4-6% fall in staff performance when offices are too hot or cold • 6.5% variance in sick leave between two offices – one with higher levels of daylight and access to views through windows With figures like that, Finance Directors, Human Resources and Estate Managers should all pay attention. As the WorldGBC states, “a better understanding of how buildings impact people should drive improvements in the workspace, which may be one of the most important business decisions to be made”.

To date, most attention on healthy buildings has been on new build and major refurbishment projects. This is not surprising since this is the time when large scale changes to office design can be made. Staff are also more open to new set-ups when they are entering a new office environment or one which has undergone wholescale change.

There are existing building performance assessment methods and standards (such as BREEAM, LEED and the Well Building

Written by Louise Quarrell, Director at Carbon Smart

Standard) which already incorporate some wellbeing aspects, and are available to organisations undergoing such large-scale projects. However, this focus risks ignoring the vast number of existing offices which are not due a refit, or where budget does not allow such investment. Even in these circumstances there is much that can be done and we are increasingly being asked by clients to include wellbeing assessments and recommendations into our energy audit work. The cost of doing so is low compared to the potentially very high payoffs.

For me, using a wider definition of sustainable buildings to not only include energy and resource efficiency, but also direct and indirect impacts on health and wellbeing is an obvious progression. It mirrors our desire to support clients to move away from a negative approach to sustainability – using less, turning down, telling off – to a positive view of how sustainability can enhance our lives and help individuals and businesses perform better.

Find out if your buildings have the power to improve your environment and make you healthier, calmer and more efficient. Make sustainability work for you.

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

17

Energy Auditing

How to recover the millions firms are due from suppliers

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n energy consultancy recently highlighted the ‘missing millions’ owed to businesses due to utility billing errors, but have failed to mention a solution in order to tackle this. So how do you get your money back?

Historic Audits Conducting a thorough, historic utility bill audit going back six years will enable businesses to claim back from suppliers anything they are due. If businesses are not already conducting rigorous bill validation presently, this is definitely an area that should be considered as the savings can be substantial. These savings can also unlock additional investment in energy efficiency, further reducing future bills.

Invoice Validation It is often complex for businesses to manually undertake proper validation.

However with the use of specialist software and a dedicated resource, businesses can show not only current bill savings, but also what they will save going forward by cutting out errors now.

Typically, more billing errors occur with a change of supplier. Although you may have been able to secure a better rate with a new contract, the risk of an error occurring with a new supplier handling your

data increases. Historically, issues can also occur when a supplier implements a new billing system, for example British Gas. We are identifying errors on a daily basis which means money returned to our customer’s bank accounts and not the suppliers.

Common and uncommon errors found in utility invoices are: • Supplier still billing customer after location disposal date • Duplicate billing by either a different or the same supplier • Climate Change Levy (CCL) incorrect • Incorrect meter factors (multiplier) /unit of measure • Profile data not matching invoice data • Incorrect DUoS distribution charges At STC, we pride ourselves on our market leading bureau service; identifying issues such as these on our customers’ utility bills and correcting them to ensure our customers only pay for what they use.

P272 The 1st April was the deadline for more businesses to be half hourly metered and settled under P272 regulations. However, we suspect there may also be teething issues with data formatting between meter operators, data collectors and suppliers, with a knock on impact on billing accuracy due to estimated billing.

Meanwhile, new non-commodity energy bill elements, such as the capacity market charge and Contracts for Difference, as well as incoming changes to network charges, add further complexity to the task.

Such developments increase the importance both of accurate billing and comprehensive analysis of half-hourly consumption data so that resulting cost increases can be mitigated.

Find out how to reclaim what you are owed at stcenergy.com For further information or assistance contact Alan Little on 0208 466 2915

Water The deregulation of the water market will see more water invoices billed on agreed contract rates, which means moving away from tariff based invoicing. This change also means more checks need to be carried out due to different agreed rates for different sites.

Our Savings Over the last 2 years we have saved our customers over £36m in utility billing errors. The percentage of savings over the last 2 years for each industry sector are:

The chart below shows the percentage of savings over the last 2 years by billing error categories:

At STC, we work with housing associations, police authorities, retailers, restaurants, charities, care homes and many more.

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Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

Renewable Energy

CASE STUDY: ASOS Client’s objectives

ASOS is a leading fashion distribution organisation, founded in 2000 with headquarters in London and further offices in New York, Sydney, and Berlin. ASOS is committed to rolling out renewables at their distribution centres: future proofing their facilities and demonstrating leadership in action on climate change.

With the company growing in the UK and abroad, Carbon Smart was commissioned

by ASOS to assess the potential for renewable energy generation at their 48,000m2 facility, currently being built outside Berlin, Germany.

Investing in renewable energy systems as part of the build phase means that ASOS could cut over 2,000tCO2e annually, and generate half of their electricity demand from on-site low-carbon sources, while reducing costs and disruption to the business compared to retrofit. A range of systems exist for the distribution centre, and ASOS wanted to understand how these solutions could meet their energy demand, as well as satisfy carbon reduction commitments. We were selected to conduct technology assessments for renewables at Eurohub 2 following successful and impactful projects on energy management, energy efficiency appraisals and supply chain. We offered technical expertise together with a thorough grasp of ASOS’s challenges and aspirations to ensure the project achieved ASOS’s goals.

The project Working closely with the build team and the developer in Germany, and began by accurately assessing the daily energy consumption peak and annual energy demand. We prioritised systems that would

be suitable for the building fabric, which meant ruling out heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar thermal. Due to the high level of automation and the 24/7 operation planned for the Berlin facility, electricity was the priority, for which a number of market ready solutions exist. We focused on wind turbines, solar PV and combined heat and power, and built techno-economic models for two sizes of wind turbine, several sizes of solar PV panels, combined heat and power plants with gas and biomass fuels, and combined heating, cooling and power.

Given the different policy and subsidy regimes in Germany, our in-house tools took account of the realities of such systems in Berlin. This included a review of the current levies, subsidies and grants from Central Government, and interviews with industry bodies and developers in Germany for an accurate picture of the landscape to feed into our appraisal.

Project’s impact The team has identified a range of cost and carbon slashing renewable energy solutions for ASOS’s new European distribution centre. Our expertise and flexible approach have equipped ASOS with key financial and environmental metrics for management decision, investment and implementation, further securing their position as a responsible, sustainable business.

As with any business, ASOS had a range of drivers to consider. We presented four different scenarios to ASOS, combining different technologies to meet different aims: best financial return (30% IRR over 20 years), biggest public statement (with large solar array and wind turbine), best environmental performance (further incorporating biomass CHP), and easiest

to implement (including “off the shelf” gas CHP and solar PV). The company wishes to prioritise solar PV and is reopening negotiations around wind in the region.

We continue to support ASOS to realise their sustainability objectives, and expects to see the renewable energy systems at Berlin contributing significantly to ASOS’s environmental performance and leadership as early as 2017.

Testimonials “Working with Carbon Smart has given me and the business the tools we need to put our ambitions into practice.

We wanted to cut our emissions from distribution through renewables, but weren’t sure where to start. We couldn’t have got as far as we have without their input, particularly with the complexities of operating in another geography. We are currently working with the developer to change the roof structure to accommodate the solar PV array, and hope to secure a wind turbine. This sets us up in Berlin and for future development in other countries – our environmental impact will be greatly reduced and we can make a real positive statement about our operations – with an attractive financial return on the investment too.” - Sam Leigh, Head of Automation and Engineering “Carbon Smart understood the challenge of meeting different drivers for ASOS’s board. We are committed to renewables and Carbon Smart have enabled us to make the right decision for Berlin – and set us on the trajectory for all our distribution centres.” Louise McCabe, Head of Corporate Responsibility

Lighting

St Albans City and District Council invest in Goodlight LED panels to transform office lighting

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Goodlight Eco LED ceiling panels retrofitted into existing ceiling grid at the offices of St Albans City and District Council

ED Eco Lights today announced that St Albans City and District Council has completed phase one of a project to replace fluorescent tubes within their 6000 m² office building with long life, energy efficient LED panels from the Goodlight™ range.

Following a successful pilot scheme, a rolling programme commenced to replace the fluorescent lights in the office sections with Goodlight LED panels. According to Candice Luper, Sustainability Projects Officer at St Albans City and District Council, “The response to the pilot was positive and staff were impressed with the quality of lighting. The old fluorescent lighting, particularly in the winter months gave poor illumination causing eye strain, whereas the new Goodlight LED lighting gives an even light distribution throughout the

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whole office which more closely resembles daytime outdoor light. It has improved working conditions for the staff.”

LED Eco Lights supplied St Albans City and District Council with Goodlight Eco LED ceiling panels that draw just 28W giving a direct energy saving of 60%. They are designed to slot into an existing ceiling grid with ease, are guaranteed for five years and have a lifespan of 50,000 hours. Candice Luper explained, “Based on energy savings alone, we have calculated the Council will save just under £16,000 per year in electricity and lighting replacement costs, and therefore achieve full payback in three years. In addition to this, we will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 38 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.”

Installation of the LED ceiling panels was carried out over the weekends to limit disruption to the staff. The Council selected

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

600x600mm LED panels in 4,000K, natural white colour temperature.

The next phase will be to replace the existing fluorescent lights in the bathrooms, stairways and kitchens to achieve maximum energy saving.

Commenting on the success of the project, Philip Edgecombe, Commercial Director at LED Eco Lights says “We are delighted to support another Local Authority with their conversion to LED lighting. Our Goodlight range ticked all the boxes – efficiency, maintenance reduction, ultra-long lifespans and value for money.

Another project delivered without fuss, to budget and on time.” www.goodlight.co.uk

Lighting

Plugging in to modular buildings – lighting controls in the education Martyn Frear, Business Development Manager at sector

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ncreased demand for public services, fuelled by a growing population, is putting a strain on the public sector and specifically, the education sector. There is now an acute shortage of school places across the UK. While the situation is particularly problematic in London, it is also a major concern in other parts of the country. As a result, local authorities are turning to innovative solutions to address the major demand for new school buildings. While finding immediate solutions is already a real challenge, local authorities are also being hampered by limited financial resources. Take into account a growing legal requirement for sustainable, low-carbon buildings and the situation is far from simple. One potential option is modular buildings. Quick and easy to install and available in increasingly high-specifications, modular buildings offer a credible solution to alleviate pressures on the education sector.

As the government continues to pursue its programme of cuts to public spending, schools are expected to meet certain educational targets and standards with ever-tighter budgets. At the same time, we are witnessing an unprecedented surge in demand for school places. In London alone, it is estimated that more than 28,000 children will miss out on their first choice of secondary school this year. Across the country the outlook is bleak, with official figures pointing to a national shortfall of 10,000 school places within four years, as pupil numbers continue to rise with each passing year. As demand continues to outstrip supply across the public sector, local authorities face growing calls to address the shortfall in school places.

Armed with limited financial resources, a number of local authorities are turning to modular buildings to address the impending school building crisis.

Modular buildings: a viable option?

The term modular building refers to structures made up of pre-manufactured components, which are subsequently assembled on-site. While modular buildings have existed in various forms for a number

CP Electronics, discusses some of the drivers behind the modular building boom and how lighting control solutions from leading players are helping to meet the requirements of modular building manufacturers

of decades, the modular building sector has grown exponentially in recent years into an industry that is now worth billions of pounds per annum. The success of the industry can be explained by a number of key factors.

Modular buildings represent a significantly quicker alternative to brick and mortar structures and are up to 70% quicker to construct compared with traditional forms of construction. They can also be reused and re-purposed, allowing schools to quickly adapt learning spaces to meet a very precise, often changing, set of requirements. Given the pressing demand for schools, this alone creates a very compelling case for the use of modular buildings. Not only does this approach allow for shortened project times, it also enables significant cost savings in the form of greater supply chain efficiencies and labour costs, since there is a reduced requirement for skilled labour.

Modular buildings have also come a long way in recent years and can now meet requirements for high-spec designs.

A primary concern for schools is creating an environment that is conducive to effective learning and modular buildings are now very much capable of rising to this challenge. To meet requirements around longevity, functionality and aesthetics, stringent measures are in place to guarantee the overall quality and consistency of the products being installed.

Modular building and lighting controls Schools face greater than ever pressure to comply with legislation and guidelines around sustainability, most notably, Part L of the Building Regulations and BREEAM which stipulates that buildings must demonstrate good practice around energy efficiency.

Furthermore, since the introduction of the Building Information Modelling (BIM) mandate for Government construction

projects, all lighting control products used in the manufacture of modular buildings will need to demonstrate compliance in this area.

With the never-ending push towards sustainability and energy efficiency, a growing number of modular building manufacturers are turning to lighting control solutions to address concerns around functionality, installation and configuration, and compliance with relevant legislation.

Options for specifiers With traditional building methods, lighting control solutions and detectors must be manually hard-wired into a junction box, a relatively time and labour intensive process. Ultimately, this leads to longer project times and therefore, additional cost. With acute demand for plug and play solutions, lighting controls which can be installed with minimal labour and during the offsite manufacturing process can offer a real competitive advantage within the modular building sector.

For further information, please visit: www.cpelectronics.co.uk

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

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Lighting

Nearly 1,000 Goodlight LED lights illuminate Bristol eco-apartments Award-winning complex makes more savings with Goodlight LED

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ED Eco Lights and Longevity Partners today announced the completion of a project to refit all emergency lights in the common areas of a grade 2 listed Bristol eco apartment complex with long life, energy efficient LED lights from the Goodlight™ range. The 10-acre Lakeshore development in Bristol, England has a BREEAM EcoHomes rating of ‘Excellent’ from the BRE (Building Research Establishment), as well as a Housing Design Award and a Green Apple Award for its sustainable and green credentials.

Longevity Partners was commissioned to replace nearly 1,000 individual lights in the car parks, walkways and stairwells of the complex with LED lights to reduce operational costs and ensure compliance.

The existing lights were mainly fluorescent lights. The operators of the complex, sought longer lasting lights to reduce the frequency of replacement. Energy consumption was also a concern, as the lights can be on for twelve hours or more per night in winter.

Longevity Partners conducted a thorough review of the market. Etienne Cadestin, Managing Director of Longevity Partners explained, “The operators are keen to maintain the complex to the

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highest possible standards. A failed light is clearly a compliance issue until it is replaced. It also reduces the confidence of residents moving around the complex after dark, creates a potential safety hazard and presents a poor image. We recommended LED lighting which offers a long life as well as consuming very little energy.”

Etienne Cadestin specified Goodlight LED products from LED Eco Lights. He said, “Whilst many vendors claim long lives for their LED lights, Goodlight LED lamps and luminaires stood out because they support their products with a five year guarantee.

This gave us confidence that the specified 50,000 hour life span would be achieved, effectively eliminating the need for staff to replace lights on the site on a regular basis. We were also looking for a retrofit technology, which means we were able to use the existing fittings to achieve higher cost efficiency and reduce the project’s carbon footprint. ” Etienne Cadestin confirmed that the installation of the lights was straightforward.

Saima Shafi, Sales & Marketing Director at LED Eco Lights, explained, “Goodlight lamps are specifically designed for retro fit applications. We offer an LED equivalent for most of the existing lighting which can be quickly and simply installed into the existing fixture.”

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

Longevity Partners implemented the Lakeshore project as a rolling programme to replace each of the 957 lights on the complex with a suitable alternative from the LED Eco Lights Goodlight range. LED Eco Lights supplied 3W Emergency Downlights, T5 5ft LED tubes, Emergency Bulkheads, and PL Lamps from the Goodlight range.

Many lights are battery backed up, ensuring continued operation in the event of a power failure or other emergency.

Goodlight LED switch on instantly at full brightness with no warm-up required. They use much less power than other lighting technologies, and are maintenance free.

Their 50,000 hour lifespan equates to eleven years if switched on for 12 hours per day. Goodlight LED products are guaranteed for five years.

The programme was managed and delivered as a turnkey project by Longevity Partners as part of its energy efficiency and cost optimisation services. Longevity Partners provides services to all types of property including hotels, offices, warehouses, residential complexes, public buildings, schools and universities.

Lakeshore, Crox Bottom, Bristol, is a unique development of eco homes sitting over its own lake, offering studio, one and two bedroom apartments. The Grade II Listed building, former home of Imperial Tobacco, sits in 10 acres of green space, and features numerous great eco features.

Lakeshore is located in South Bristol, approximately three miles from the city centre and just two miles from Temple Meads train station. sophia@ledecolights.com Web: www.goodlight.co.uk

Lighting

Switching on to new possibilities

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t’s not uncommon to open a magazine such as this and find an article about how switching to LED lighting schemes has saved a facility jaw-dropping amounts on its electricity bill.

The savings achieved by changing to LED bulbs have been extensively chronicled. Switching from fluorescent bulbs leads to reduced energy use, therefore electricity bills are curtailed alongside carbon emissions, which is great news for managers and the environment alike.

These savings can be made across a huge number of applications, from warehouses to university campuses, and from social housing schemes to furniture stores. It’s not unusual for premises managers to report savings on energy bills of around 75%, which when combined with significantly reduced carbon emissions, make a compelling case for changing to LED. However, such possibilities do not merely apply to traditional fixtures such as pendants or wall lamps. As technology develops and products such as LED ribbon and lightboxes evolve, the boundaries on how light can be utilised are constantly expanding. The latest generation of lightboxes, for instance, can simply be aesthetically pleasing or they can be used to display brand or advertising messages; LED modules can draw attention to specific areas of a building or be used to aid wayfinding.

Signage is a great example of how developments in technology are pushing the parameters of what can be achieved. While LED tape, or ribbon, can look stunning, it may also be difficult to fit and require some complex calculations to ensure spacing is correct. A number of the latest generation of LED modules, however, incorporate a built-in module spacer, which yields perfect LED pitch every time. With an impressive output – often around 1,700 lumens often around 120lm/W – these modules provide bright and even illumination for a variety of applications, many of which would be impossible to light with fluorescent tubes.

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Ian Drinkwater – managing director of Applelec, which recently became an official UK supplier for SloanLED products – explains how the latest advancements are opening up new possibilities across many areas New, energy-efficient ranges incorporate modules designed specifically to illuminate built-up letters, light boxes, cabinets and fabric signage, combining best-in-class brightness and flexible contouring. The very latest developments are able to optimise the light inside the box, eliminating both the stripes produced by fluorescent tubes and the light ring effect produced by batwing lenses.

Previously, at shallow depths, batwing type lenses had to be used at reduced output with a significant amount of frosting on the lens to soften these rings of light. By comparison, the latest generation modules have optically clear lenses, meaning more light leaves the module so light is better distributed.

Despite the increased illumination, this type of white module draws just 1.12W per module while colour options such as red, orange, green and blue consume a mere 0.72W per module, despite being the brightest of their type. As significantly fewer modules are needed to achieve the same level of brightness as their older generation counterparts, this in turn results

in impressive energy savings.

Such lenses are suitable for use in even the shallowest of boxes, making them an ideal choice for shop signs and shallow depth light boxes. Slim, edge mounted modules make installation swift and simple, with fewer modules required to produce the same illumination as regular LED ribbon. Such market-leading modules enjoy a far lower failure rate than LED tape, as well as fewer drivers and a lower heat output.

The latest modules not only look great, they are economical to power, thanks to the use of Constant Current Technology (CCT) around a constant voltage system, which protects the module and controls the drive current through the LEDs, improving reliability and maintaining brightness while limiting power usage.

It is interesting to note that some manufacturers do not offer more than a two-year warranty on products. Those who offer a five-year guarantee stand out in the market and arguably provide greater product reliability.

Ian Drinkwater is managing director of trade supplier and manufacturer of signs, displays and lighting Applelec.

The company was recently granted full UK distributor status for SloanLED products, which use the latest Prism technology to achieve a best-in-class illumination while remaining extremely energy-efficient. Applelec recently supported corporate branding specialists Nebula Creative in the design and installation of two rock ‘n’ roll lightboxes for the VIP bar of the Leeds first direct arena, pairing SloanLED PosterBOX 3 LED modules with a textile framing system.

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

Boilers & Burners

Benefiting from a modular approach to energy efficient heating

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odular boilers with large turndown ratio and wide differential temperatures between the flow and return are rising in popularity. We look at the challenges they can overcome when designing a commercial heating system, and in particular heat networks in which the Government has recently announced to invest £320m over five years.

Matching the demand Efficient commercial heating design requires to match both, peak loads and low loads without oversizing the plant and wasting energy. This is where a modular boiler system comes into play. Modular boilers are designed as an alternative to large single boilers. Each module can be a separate boiler installed alongside another in a horizontal arrangement, or as a vertical stack of boiler modules one above another.

A combined high turndown ratio of these modules – the operational range of a boiler, defined as the ratio of maximum to minimum capacity – offers a very efficient approach to commercial heating.

As an example, each boiler module could have a turndown ratio of 5 to 1, meaning a stack of 3 modules will have a 15 to 1 turndown. If each module has an output of 250kW, a vertical stack of three would have 750kW output, giving a substantial range of outputs from 50kW up to 750kW to match demand. This ensures the load is matched to warm the building up and in low load conditions the boilers are not constantly cycling and wasting energy.

A minimum match This accurate load matching has become increasingly important when designing heat networks which typically have diverse load requirements and where boilers are used with renewables and combined heat and power (CHP).

From minimum summer loads when mainly hot water requirements are being met with morning and evening spikes in demand, to winter loads with additional heating needs.

When installing CHP, designers need to look at the minimum load very closely as the unit will be running continuously to meet the base load heating requirements.

Boilers will provide top up to meet peaks in demand at different times, with

their minimum output matching the base load covered by CHP. However, they also need to cover the full load to ensure security of supply to the buildings in the heat network.

Sufficient turndown of the boilers is essential to accurately match the base load without wasteful cycling. However, the boilers also need to be running at or near the minimum modulation to ensure very high system operating efficiency and cost and carbon savings for the owner of the network.

As system loads increase, the return water temperature decreases as more energy is consumed from the circuit. A modular approach means the increasing load can be met by multiple boilers operating at part load conditions.

Coinciding with favourable system temperatures, this allows high part load condensing performance.

An efficient match Boilers capable of operating with large differential temperatures (difference between flow and return temperature from and to the boiler, e.g. 80/50°C) can closely match system dynamics throughout the year. CIBSE Guidance AM12 – Combined Heat and Power for Buildings, makes reference to designing district heating schemes with a minimum of 30°C differential temperature (“delta T”) for efficient operation. The CIBSE/ADE CP1 Heat Networks: Code of Practice for the UK also refers to the use of lower return temperatures for best practice heat network design.

Originally, larger differential temperatures were only possible from large water content boilers, without the benefits of condensing capability, higher turndown ratios and accurate load matching compared to modular condensing boilers. But now some modern modular condensing boilers with low water content are able to operate up to 40 degrees delta T, maximising condensing operation and increasing energy and cost savings, whilst being compact enough to fit through a single doorway. This gives a considerable advantage compared to large water content single boilers which take up more room and require installation before the building is built.

The supporting water pipes and pumps can also be smaller, helping to reduce installation costs and gain further energy savings.

An expandable system Something we see a lot on projects is the phased approach to purchase and installation. In particular, when a building needs to keep running during a refurbishment, such as a hospital, a modular boiler system can provide this flexibility. All equipment does not need to be purchased and installed right away but can be split over budget years to ease the financial burden which means an expansion of the system at a later point can be easily carried out.

Another possibility is to fit everything at the start but only use the boilers that are needed, switching them on incrementally when energy demand increases, helping to control costs and energy use.

A perfect match To help meet the Government’s energy efficiency targets it’s all about providing the right amount of heat at the right time, with little or no wastage. This means products working together to offer the best solution for each application.

Modular boilers tick all the boxes for heat networks, energy centres as well as basement plant rooms, rooftop plant rooms, schools, hospitals and city centre developments.

Listed buildings such as St Paul’s Cathedral can face great challenges when a boiler replacement is required, due to strict regulations regarding the modification of the building structure. Compact modular boilers can provide a space- and energy-saving solution with flexibility and accessibility in terms of installation.

For more information, please contact Julia Maul on 01202 662516 pr@hamworthy-heating.com

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

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Boilers & Burners

Condensate recovery: the unsung hero of boiler house efficiency?

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hris Coleman, National Specialist Condensate Handling, Boiler House and Customer Training at Spirax Sarco, explains the several benefits of condensate recovery and how this relatively simple concept can have huge benefits for organisations relying on steam for their process.

The ability to recover condensate to the boiler has the potential to provide exceptional return on investment. This energy saving process is easily achieved and can be done in more ways than one and, because of this, condensate recovery can sometimes feel like the unsung hero in the boiler house. Not only can it cut energy bills dramatically, it can also see maintenance costs reduced.

Financial benefits Utility bills and fuel costs can affect the profitability of the boiler house in a major way. Water and energy are clearly the two key resources used to create steam but the ever present pressure from fluctuating fuel prices can really impact overall running costs. It is for this reason that condensate recovery is one of the most effective resource-saving measures for most steam sites.

A steam system can benefit significantly from the recovery of condensate and, even when recovered in small quantities, it can prove economically worthwhile.

While a good system will recover 80 percent of its condensate and feed it back in to the system, failure to recover condensate will cause the boiler house to suffer losses which can only be made up by a supply of freshwater. The energy then

After steam, condensate is arguably the next most valuable resource available to your plant.

Containing up to a quarter of the total energy of the steam from which it came, companies should be recovering every last drop.

used to heat this water to the optimum temperature will directly impact operating costs.

When recycling condensate, users can achieve valuable savings in both fuel and water-related expenses. Condensate is a valuable resource that contains around 25 percent of the heat energy from the original steam. Feeding the boiler with high-temperature condensate provides companies with the potential to maximise boiler output as less energy is required to convert make-up water into steam. By effectively recovering and utilising condensate, fuel costs and water consumption are lowered.

Improvement of feed water quality In a boiler, condensate recovery is also one of the best ways to reduce the level of oxygen in water, helping to minimise the risk of system corrosion.

As condensate is formed from steam it has few impurities but in contrast to this, cold make-up water needs to be treated before entering the system. Importantly, condensate, unlike make-up water, also contains energy from the steam it’s derived from, so again, the more condensate we bring back to the system, the better.

Environmental impact What has to be remembered is that energy is lost during blowdown, so the ability to reduce this process through recovering condensate will allow users to benefit from the associated energy savings.

By saving energy, operators of steam plants can experience significant financial gain as well as improved equipment life, all while reducing their impact on the environment.

No matter how much condensate a company generates per day it should never

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Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

be put to waste. Here are some useful tips to provide a starting point:

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Steam traps retain steam within the system for its heat, while releasing condensate and incondensable gases as needed.

Condensate will always be pushed through the trap by motive steam force. If this is not possible, then it may be necessary to use pumps.

Automatic pump traps act as conventional steam traps, but when back pressure rises, pump traps automatically switch to pumping mode to remove condensate.

A deaerator head is important to mix returned condensate, flash steam and cold make-up water as they are fed into the feedwater tank.

Flash steam is released from hot condensate when its pressure is lowered. Use it, don’t waste it.

Collect in a flash vessel and use for heating, and recover any associated condensate.

Closed-loop, pressurised flash steam recovery allows most of the energy from both the condensate and its flash steam to be used, reducing steamraising costs and increasing boiler efficiency.

Use the boiler water and flash steam from the boiler TDS blowdown to heat the boiler feedtank.

There is no doubt that the payback period of an effective condensate recovery system has the potential to make this investment an attractive proposition.

The ability to maximise boiler output, and make the best possible use out of the energy found in condensate, should be considered a huge advantage and never underestimated.

Legislation

Housing Associations must be mindful of flaws in data security or face the threat of fines

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he Heat Networks (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014 were introduced with the objective of empowering end users of communal heating systems to better manage their energy use through the installation of individual heat energy meters and free access to consumption data.

Three years further on there is mounting concern that the regulations are posing a data security challenge to housing associations that must be addressed urgently.

I have been made aware of several instances of customer and consumption data being shared unwittingly with companies that should not have access to it and this is deeply worrying. Examples of data leaks that could be especially damaging could relate to information about vulnerable residents or payment history.

The introduction of these new regulations has brought with them a challenge that will not previously have been a concern to housing associations. My fear is that all this data, which in some cases will include minute detail such as what time tenants are taking a shower, is not always being safeguarded in the way that it should be – and this must be viewed as a real risk.

It is vital that housing associations and heat suppliers get to grips with the important issue of data protection. If they fail to do so, we can expect scenarios such as tenants being plagued by calls from marketing companies who may have gained access to personal data.

I do not want this to seem like a ‘scaremongering story’ but nor do I want the metering and billing sector to become embroiled in a row about data security.

I believe education is key in addressing this issue.

We are talking about data that belongs to the customer as it is ‘their heat’ but the heat supplier must have that data to know what should be billed. Meter readings will be carried out by third parties who will also have access to this data. The role of heat supplier may be performed by a managing agent which means still more people

By Peter Westwood, Managing Director of Insite Energy have access to this information. With any communal heating system, there needs to be a clear understanding of who is using the data, for what purpose, and how it is being properly controlled.

One of the major concerns is that ultimately, if you have more advanced systems, you can tell if people are at home or perhaps on holiday, and the type of lifestyle they lead. Increasingly, this kind of data has a market value.

For those in our industry it is the accidental leaking of information that is the main concern now. I have no evidence of data being shared maliciously, but I am aware of several instances of data being shared without full consideration of the implications.

I am convinced that not everyone operating these systems may be aware of the obligations when handling heat data. This lack of understanding could trigger significant legal and reputational repercussions.

The important thing is to ensure compliance. Contracts must state specifically who is allowed to see the data and the analysis and billing purposes it can be used for. Data protection is a very important issue and people need to understand their obligations in connection with it. Housing associations have a duty of care to the people whose data they collect. With only housing associations and appointed heating and billing specialists needing access to data, there should be no excuse for it falling into the wrong hands.

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which comes into force in May next year represents one of the biggest changes to data protection laws and all organisations need to be extremely aware of these changes as they can face very strict fines if non-compliant. The GDPR is more extensive in scope and application

than the current Data Protection Act (DPA), as it extends the data rights of individuals, and requires organisations to develop clear policies and procedures to safeguard personal data, and adopt stringent technical and organisational measures.

The Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014 require housing associations, where they have a role as a heat supplier for communal heating systems, to install heat energy meters in individual properties and provide residents with access to accurate price and energy consumption data. This applies to new developments commissioned since December 2014.

Since December 2014 housing associations are also obliged to provide residents of individually metered properties with actual price and energy consumption data, including comparisons with previous periods, alongside contact information for organisations providing advice on energy saving.

Insite Energy, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and an associate member of the UK District Energy Association, is a provider of metering, billing and payment services to more than 120 communal and district heat networks and 15,000 end-customers across the UK. Insite’s energy analysts and metering specialists can help heat providers comply with all relevant legislation and regulations, and to maximise the payback on their metering and billing investments. Services include debt management, tariff setting, reviews and benchmarking, fuel procurement, metering best practice advice, advice on measuring energy efficiency, maintenance services, as well as resident communications.

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

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Procurement

Frameworks power the way for a good deal on energy

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ot that long ago, local authorities had full teams of procurement managers with specialist knowledge across all of its purchasing from school supplies to FM. However, fast forward a few years and austerity measures have well and truly kicked in and we find ourselves in an environment of reduced or static budgets and downsized procurement teams. Some councils have also found themselves having to devolve responsibility for low value or risk procurements to individual service managers. We’ve seen energy and carbon management hit particularly hard in some areas.

There are tough times all round in the public sector. The Government’s continuing funding cuts have seen many posts decreased or merged. And, a lack of internal resource to focus on the more complex and specialist procurement categories like energy, is forcing some public sector organisations to take a good, long look at their purchasing strategies and to rethink their approach.

Added to this environment of lean budgets and procurement resource, there have energy price increases across the board: Npower is rising its electricity prices by 15%; E.ON by 13.8%; Scottish Power by 10.8%; EDF by 8.4%; and SSE has announced a dual fuel increase of 6.9%.

Sadly, the reality for many local authorities up and down the country is that there is little in the way of extra resource for energy procurement, let alone energy management. Tendering for electricity or gas can be time-consuming and onerous for resource-light procurement teams.

Add in the need for compliance with EU procurement regulations and other box-ticking exercises and it can represent a complex, time consuming and sizeable administrative burden.

Too good to be true There are many ‘too good to be true’ deals which might seem attractive given the current climate. But frequently we see unscrupulous businesses targeting public sector organisations with the offer of cheap contracts or savings reviews. Schools are

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By Jim Harvey, Energy Customer Relationship Manager, ESPO

frequently targeted and told by companies they will reduce their costs, even offering to help reduce their VAT rate, which they are entitled to anyway.

Often, savings that are identified are unachievable and do not materialise, yet the organisation still has to pay to the agreed fee. Water-tight contracts stacked in the favour of unscrupulous companies are standard. We’ve also heard of companies offering to cut an organisations costs by reducing their kVa capacity and therefore costs. This is unwise and can be dangerous and costly to rectify in the future.

It’s not uncommon for hard-pressed councils or other public sector organisations with a reasonably-sized property portfolio to hand over its energy supply to poor quality companies to secure them unrealisable ‘best deals’. PBOs like ESPO have a transparent approach to procurement which means customers are firmly in control, they know exactly how much their energy will cost and there are no nasty surprises or bills.

There’s no denying that the energy

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

market is complex and challenging to negotiate and without a certain level of expert procurement knowledge it’s easy to see how some organisations get swept away by the promise of a good deal. What’s more the cost of energy can be unpredictable: prices can be volatile and driven by international markets. And, without expert sector, internal knowledge to call upon it can be difficult to risk manage energy procurement.

An alternative approach However, there is an alternative route to market that time pressed, resource-poor facility managers might want to consider before they go else-where, and that’s an electricity or gas supply framework provided by professional buying organisations (PBOs), designed especially for the public sector.

Frameworks offer a low-hassle, low-risk route to buying energy. Created by procurement experts, a framework is a commercial supply agreement that sets out

Procurement

the terms and conditions on which specific purchases can be made throughout the duration of the agreement term. It is a legally-compliant route to market, providing purchasers with access to a range of approved suppliers who have undergone a rigorous vetting process to ensure they provide their products and services at the best possible quality and value.

The UK Public Contracts Regulations 2015 require public sector bodies to follow strict rules to ensure fairness and transparency, proportionality and non-discrimination when procuring goods and services. The main advantage of buying electricity or gas from a framework is that it is bought direct from the wholesale supplier with the suppliers’ pricing and ‘T&Cs’ pre-vetted and agreed in advance over a fixed term. They offer an attractive alternative to many of the usual suspects’ direct energy supply contracts.

Also, the purchaser does not have to undertake the traditional and lengthy tender process to purchase what they need since the expert PBO or consortium has already provided a best value and compliant route. This not only significantly reduces the time, cost and risk associated with traditional tendering activities, but also means there is less of a delay between identifying customer needs and fulfilling them.

Frameworks have had a bit of a reputation in the past for being overly complicated or steeped in red tape, but PBOs have worked hard to address this and deliver simpler tender processes and documentation that is EU-compliant, completely transparent and clearly shows

what the customer is buying.

With energy prices volatile, those PBOs that provide energy frameworks can offer a flexible, aggregated, risk managed approach to energy procurement, meaning that electricity is purchased at the best possible price.

For example, here at ESPO we have a team of expert energy buyers, trading and risk analysts who analyse and track the market to ensure energy is purchased at the right time, when the market is working in favour of customers. In fact last year, we purchased 763,229,520 kW of electricity.

That’s enough to power 165,919 homes for a year.

Energy frameworks offer less risk for buyers as public sector PBOs operate in an open, anti-corrupt and not-for-profit environment. Unlike many brokers and consultants these PBOs do not charge any upfront access or membership fees to use their frameworks. At ESPO we set a fee for our energy contracts at a set pence per day, per meter to cover all aspects of the contract lifecycle from the initial procurement, commodity training, full invoice validation through to the on-going day-to-day contract support.

PBOs selling electricity will have a team of expert industry buyers who understand the dynamics of energy supply, pricing and billing; and they know how to get a grip on supplier customer service problems. It should also be able to offer advice on how to resolve service issues, provide technical advice on buying and help purchasers to secure the best-priced deals. We will even provide energy buying and bill validation as part of our service.

Buying electricity in this way offers transparency on price and technical support in an often confusing market.

This arrangement means clarity of annual pricing over the lifetime of an agreement, which is particularly important when there are known cases of public buyers arranging deals with third party intermediaries which cost tens of thousands of additional pounds in commission fees and add-on charges over the lifetime of the deal.

Some PBOs will even offer the equivalent of an energy consultant or broker’s audit service, for example we offer kVa/Available Supply Capacity reviews on Half-Hourly electricity meters. As a local authority-owned organisation we share the same interests as our public sector customers and represent the very best value in energy procurement.

Lack of time or resource to dedicate to energy procurement doesn’t have to mean you take a chance on a supplier who offers a too good to be true deal, or you unwittingly get stung by brokers fees.

Consider a framework from a PBO as a new route to market, offering you the benefit of their expert knowledge in this complex and ever-changing buying category.

Despite the changes that are happening across the wider public sector landscapes, frameworks are a tried and test route to buying energy and are designed to meet the varying needs of local authorities. Ultimately they were created by the public sector, for the public sector to deliver best value for all your energy needs in spite of stagnant budgets and reduced in-house expertise.

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

29

Procurement

Is procurement missing a trick?

W

ith so much change taking place within the energy market, it is important that those working in procurement understand the challenges that the energy market is facing. For energy procurement managers, pressure to find the best deal is a key factor.

Having a clearer picture of an organisation’s energy requirements puts procurers in a better position to make informed decisions and meet cost reduction and sustainability targets.

The energy market is undergoing change at an alarming rate due to increased competition and updates to industry legislation, and often the procurement team is responsible for keeping up to date. These teams have to work with energy buyers and account managers within the energy companies, stay abreast of industry amendments and understand the risks and opportunities that these changes bring. All whilst maintaining an effective procurement strategy which is flexible to take advantage of any fluctuations of energy costs.

However, these risks can be mitigated through the combination of a proactive approach to buying energy, an understanding of the shifts within the energy market and full understanding of an organisation’s energy usage. Such tactics can prevent poor procurement decisions turning into expensive mistakes.

The energy market can seem daunting, particularly in light of ongoing legislation changes such as P272 and the Capacity Market evolution. The landscape of the energy market has also changed significantly, with new suppliers entering the market and a wider range of solar, renewable and local generation options available. By having a greater understanding of their energy portfolio, companies are able to implement a robust procurement strategy and able to improve their billing.

There are 5 key areas procurers need to understand in order to provide an effective service:

30

By Jason Taylor, Account Manager at IMServ

1.

Site list Although it might sound like a basic piece of advice, the first thing a procurer needs to have is a firm grasp of their site list. It is important to understand the individual energy requirements of the different types of buildings and sites in your portfolio so you can obtain precise volumes of energy, minimising wastage.

2. AMR metering across all sites Understanding your energy needs can be achieved through the installation of automatic meter reading (AMR) technology across all of your managed sites. This will automatically collect consumption, diagnostic and status data and transfer it to a centralised database where it can be analysed and interrogated. By having this insight, informed decisions can be made.

3. Understand the contract and what it requires An energy procurement manager will need an understanding of what the business needs, when and in what volume. This will allow the manager to accurately forecast what will be needed in the future, and obtain the best rates to reflect the needs of business at different times of the day, week, month and year.

4. Energy spend It is important to retain a view on your overall energy budget whilst understanding the energy spend across all utilities. Having a robust data solution in place, your organisation

Energy Manager Magazine • MAY 2017

can gain a better understanding of energy demands over time. This will help to benchmark any future savings across your portfolio.

5. Drill down into your energy data for further opportunities There are a huge variety of energy solutions available to organisations on the market, such as Sub Metering, bespoke energy reporting packages and energy efficiency offerings. Being aware of and utilising a wide range of solutions can open doors to energy improvements, by providing actionable usage insights at more localised levels.

Those working in procurement are often under many disparate pressures and can be involved in an array of different areas, including purchasing, IT, managing inventory, vendor selection and holding process reviews. This often means that they find themselves without the time to interrogate their energy data properly.

This is where mistakes can start to come into the equation. By taking the time to understand the energy usage data, and how this will affect such strategies, procurers will be able to improve their energy billing, often saving money at the same time.

@UHEI_UHEI

7 CONFERENCE, EXHIBITION & GALA DINNER

University & Healthcare Estates and Innovation 14th -15th NOVEMBER 2017 / UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

Universities & Healthcare Estates and Innovation is a unique conference and exhibition that addresses some of the key issues facing the University and Healthcare sectors.

The conference addresses each issue from a University perspective, and then from a Healthcare perspective - allowing delegates to gain insight into both areas and share best-practice.

The event will feature a wide range of high proďŹ le industry speakers that will focus on identifying the synergies and opportunities between these two sectors, and how best-practice can be shared effectively.

If you would like to ďŹ nd out more, please contact: Ascent Events T: 01892 530027 E: info@ascentevents.co.uk or register at http://www.ascentevents.co.uk/uhei-birmingham-registration.php

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