The Hotel Engineer 14_3

THE

HOTEL ENGINEER Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Sets Green Benchmark for Australian Businesses

PP 319986/101

Case Study:

Château Élan Hunter Valley

Volume 14 No. 3

THE

HOTEL ENGINEER Adbourne PUBLISHING

Adbourne Publishing 18/69 Acacia Rd, Ferntree Gully, VIC, 3156 PO Box 735, Belgrave, VIC 3160 Melbourne: Neil Muir Ph: (03) 9758 1433 Fax: (03) 9758 1432 Email: neil@adbourne.com

contents 05

5 Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Sets Green

Benchmark for Australian Businesses

13 Developing an Asset

Management Strategy

21 Joint NSW & USA backers behind

Château Élan resort spa in NSW

29 Heat Recovery Systems 33 Case Study: Hotel Door

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

Marketing: Tania Lamanna Tel: (03) 9500 0285 Email: tlamanna@bigpond.net.au

Publishers’ Message

16 Integrating lighting for the future

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

Administration: Robyn Fantin Tel: (03) 9758 1431 Email: admin@adbourne.com

3

Locking Installation

35 Effective Contract Management

16

Ensures Statutory Compliance

41 Becoming a downturn employer

of choice

45 Air-conditioning Hygiene 51 Case Study: Smart Room & The

Ultimate Guest Experience

55 Airmovers solve drying problems 56 Updated Standard Offers Greater

Protection to Workers in Confined Spaces

58 Pulse Audio Visual Chose Jands

For Award-Winning Venue

62 Why it pays to know where your

Assets are: A Guide for Hotels

64 Survival of the Greenest

51

65 Back of House 66 Energy Efficiency in buildings –

what is slowing us down?

68 Now is the Perfect Time to Green up

the Laundry

70 Maintenance of Good Environmental

Practices

73 Flying Insect Control in the Hospitality

Industry

5 7 78 80

Who’s Afraid of Chemical Complexity?

World first in water treatment

Australian Standards covering safe operation of pools & spas

84

Product News

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

Front Cover: Crowne Plaza Alice Springs NT

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

All original material produced in this magazine remains the property of the publisher and cannot be reproduced without authority. The views of the contributors and all submitted editorial are the author’s views and are not necessarily those of the publisher.

THE

HOTEL ENGINEER

Publisher’s Message W hile a newspaper reports the news of the day, a magazine is more likely to carry well thought-out and researched features of particular topics with the writer having the time to study the subject and is not restricted to a tight deadline.

There is also another difference. Newspapers are usually tossed out after reading, replaced by later news. Many are likely to place important magazines on a shelf enabling them to become a reference, allowing the reader to time and again return to certain articles that had caught their fancy.

For 15 years we have been producing this publication for Australians interested in the important area of hotel engineering and maintenance and in that time have established a growing readership in all States. Since going online for the first time with our previous issue, we were delighted to receive among our latest subscribers no fewer than four from overseas, with one of these from Washington. It seems that even in the USA there are those who have touched base with your magazine online worldwide who can see how this publication is of interest to hotel engineers even in North America.

We will also continue doing our best to provide what readers want – up-to-date information about technology involving hotel engineering, and details of the latest products that service your industry. These features will continue to be prepared and written by names you have long respected, as they are closely associated with hotel engineering. Our aim is to go on producing

view this issue online: www.adbourne.com click on ‘The Hotel Engineer’

your magazine for the next 15 years. If there is a particular topic you wish to have spotlighted in a forthcoming edition, please let our head office know about it.

Meanwhile, featured in this latest issue are two case studies – the first is an excellent technical view of the Crowne Plaza Alice Springs. This has the largest Solar PV System in the southern hemisphere. Special thanks to CAT Projects and Daniel Phillips, Area Chief Engineer for the Intercontinental Hotels Group. The other case study is the $40 million Château Élan Resort and Spa in the Hunter Valley with its first stage to be open to the public this coming February. One of the major two behind this project is one of the most interesting people we have introduced to our readers in ages.

John Gunton, Managing Director of Philips Dynalite provides a great insight in these pages on the future of lighting control in this country, while Derek Hendry with his latest article looks at Contract Management. There are many more stories in this issue to interest all involved in hotel engineering and maintenance.

Being the last edition before Christmas, we take this opportunity on behalf of our staff at Adbourne Publishing to wish readers and advertisers the compliments of the holiday season, and a happy and safe New Year. We are confident you will be delighted with what we have lined up for you in 2010. n

Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Sets Green Benchmark for Australian Businesses

C

rowne Plaza Alice Springs has set the green benchmark for Australia’s business sector and hotel industry when it switched on the largest building mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) system in the Southern Hemisphere and began its $50,000 in-house energy efficiency program.

The ground-breaking $3.3 million PV installation will reduce the hotel’s energy consumption by 40-80 percent dependant on the time of year, with the energy efficiency program further reducing consumption by 18 percent.

The Crowne Plaza Alice Springs energy efficiency program includes: •

•

conditioning by detecting whether or not a guestroom is occupied. The system is smart enough to detect a room is occupied even when a guest is sleeping allowing a comfortable night’s rest at their desired temperature.

•

Replacement of over 3110 light bulbs with energy efficient options in all guest rooms, foyers, meeting spaces, restaurants, corridors and back of house areas to save nearly 270,000kWh per year; the equivalent of powering 30 family homes.

•

Installation of Jemflo showerheads into all guest rooms to improve water and gas usage - savings of 11,580 kilolitres of water each year, enough to fill over 30 Olympic swimming pools, and 778,120 MegaJoules of gas.

Drawing live data from the hotel’s rooftop solar panels to feed into an in-house solarPV television channel so guests can see how much energy the hotel is saving at any given time of the day; important with the increasingly greenconscious consumer.

The rooftop solar PV installation will provide the greatest overall energy saving and reduce the hotel’s annual carbon footprint by 420 tonnes of CO2. The system will generate over 530,000 kWh per year, which is enough to power a further 60 family homes.

Installation of ‘Energy Eye’ - an innovative technical solution to managing heating and cooling of guest rooms, allowing the hotel to minimise the energy consumption of its air-

The Crowne Plaza Alice Springs building-mounted photovoltaic installation extended the capacity of the Australian solar industry at each stage of the project, from design through to logistics and

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 5

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implementation. The 305kW solar power plant is the largest roof mounted solar PV system in the southern hemisphere and one of the largest grid connected solar arrays in Australia.

Achieving this installation in a retrofit situation involved the development of an innovative system configuration that located the system across 13 different array sites, and 5 different electrical marshalling and inverter housing points across the hotel.

Despite the system’s distributed configuration, it is supported by a single integrated data and communications system reporting to an online database. This database informs several other processes and applications around the hotel complex designed to optimize the client’s outcomes in line with their project objectives.

Achieving this required the incorporation of wireless, Ethernet, RS485 and field bus protocols in what we understand to be a first of its kind integration.

CAT Projects managed a national public tender process for this project, resulting in a quality outcome and significant cost savings for the client. As project managers, CAT Projects oversaw the work of seven local and national contractors, to deliver the project on time and to budget, for a launch in February 2009.

The photovoltaic installation’s inclusion as part of a wide-ranging and strategic power, gas and water efficiency program across the hotel underpins the project’s real and meaningful impact on the hotel’s carbon emissions.

Background The Crowne Plaza Alice Springs (CPAS) 305kW building mounted photovoltaic system is part of the hotel proprietor Invest North Pty Ltd’s (INPL) ongoing commitment to developing the resort as a sustainable user of power and water through employing technologies appropriate to its arid Central Australian setting.

INPL acquired CPAS in 1992, and recognised the obvious potential of its multiple north-facing roof surfaces for

Our water saving and pressure balancing technology has been installed into more than 40,000 hotel rooms throughout Australia and the Asia Pacific region.

– These properties have maximised their water saving but have not compromised guest comfort and satisfaction.

– The benefits JEM technology offers is not achievable by fitting a shower head alone.

WELS Compliant Products Now Available Phone: 1300 138 464 or Fax: 1300 66 99 55 for your local distributor Water Efficient Technology from:

JEM Australia Pty. Ltd. ACN 071 535 450

www.jemaustralia.com.au Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 7

list of the various measures that could be undertaken to increase the energy efficiency of the complex. Wide ranging recommendations are being executed through an ongoing program, with the completed photovoltaic generator a high profile centerpiece of this work.

CAT Projects was engaged in April 2008 to manage the process of realising a large scale photovoltaic installation from inception onwards.

mounting a solar generator. This project was an initiative of proprietors INPL in conjunction with appointed managers Intercontinental Hotel Group Pty Ltd (IHG.)

In November 2007 the INPL, engaged consultants Energy Focus to conduct a detailed energy audit of the entire CPAS complex and to provide an itemized

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CAT Projects promoted the inclusion of the CPAS installation as one of Alice Springs Solar City’s Iconic Projects – which made the project eligible to apply for partial funding from the Australian Government’s Remote Renewable Power Generation Program (RRPGP,) administered by the Northern Territory Government.

INPL’s priority in installing the photovoltaic generator was to achieve an efficient and significant reduction in the greenhouse

gas emissions associated with energy use at the hotel.

Through the strategic application of data and communications technology, CAT Projects have achieved additional objectives for INPL, namely enabling remote assessment of system performance and load demand trends, and demonstrating the operation of the system through establishing engaging data visualisation for hotel patrons and the public.

Implementation CAT Project’s development of the CPAS installation from inception involved a detailed assessment and scoping process as part of the RRPGP funding application. The RRPGP application is attached to this report, as Appendix 1.

Through this process CAT Projects conducted an assessment of existing infrastructure, and identified the system configuration that would accommodate an installation of the scale requested by the client. This solution involved an innovative system configuration spanning 13 different array sites, and five different electrical marshalling and inverter housing points across the hotel buildings.

Array sites were assessed for their power generating capacity under the various environmental conditions.

CAT Projects managed the certification process relating to this configuration, to conform with relevant legislation. CAT Projects also carried out a detailed assessment of CPAS’s existing electrical infrastructure and conducted an evaluation of the system’s capacity to accommodate the large scale solar generator.

Design Specification CAT Projects’ high level system design specified a framework that would realise INPL’s requirements to retrofit a large scale generator to the CPAS in an innovative way, while allowing tender applicants to leverage their individual products’ advantages.

Project

Annual Savings

Elec MWh/yr

Gas Gj/yr

Pool Heating

-

Air-Con Control

This specification identified the approximate size of the system (kW capacity,) array and electrical component locations, minimum photovoltaic and inverter requirements, wiring requirements, roof mounting and array frame requirements, and connections to the existing electrical infrastructure.

Technical Details Photovoltaic Modules: The final system design involved the installation of 1,326 SunPower 230W high efficiency monocrystalline panels.

This technology is especially suited to the application, due to the lower roof surface demands of the high efficiency panels. Compared to other crystalline PV modules, SunPower 230W panels have a favourable temperature coefficient, making them particularly appropriate for a Central Australian application.

Inverters: 52 SMA Sunny Mini Central 6000 inverters were installed in the project, each connected to a maximum of 6kW of photovoltaic modules, and outputting 240V AC electricity to the hotel’s supply at an average efficiency of 95%.

Array mounting system: Panels were secured using the Alzone Array Mounting system.

This system is rated for Alice Springs’ Zone A wind loading classification, with roof penetrations protected by a rubber boot and weather resistant rubber sealant.

11 000 fasteners were used to mount the PV system to the existing roof structure, and the system has performed faultlessly through several recent in heavy storms.

Communication and Data system Implementing a single automated data and communications system across the installation’s distributed marshalling points required an innovative integration of wireless, Ethernet, RS485

CO2-e

Total Cost

Status

Water kL/yr

Tonnes/year

$(k)

365

-

35

$25

Complete

340

-

-

238

$66

Installation Commences August 2009

Lighting Control Upgrades

30

-

-

21

$13

Complete

Lighting Upgrades

370

-

-

265

$55

Complete

In Room HVAC Control

303

-

-

241

$137

Complete

Jemflo Water Control

-

778

18000

70

$40

Complete

Hotwater Replacement

-

2300

-

150

$285

Installation Commences August 2009

Solar PV System

504

-

-

353

$3,084

Complete

Total

1547

3443

18000

1373

$3,705

% Reduction

40%

59%

23%

43%

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 9

Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Sets Green Benchmark for Australian Businesses (cont’d) < and field bus protocols. CAT Projects specified the high level requirements for this system.

Load and photovoltaic system performance details are monitored by the installation of 5 Class 1 ION 6200 meters, and one Class 1 ION 7500 meter, to monitor power quantity and quality variables.

This information is relayed to a web-based data storage system able to communicate with various applications – including remote system management and load trend assessment access for hotel management based interstate, and a real time animated data visualisation display broadcast via the hotel’s closed circuit television channel and also accessed at the Sustainability Corner in the hotel foyer. n We would like to thank Daniel Phillips, Area Chief Engineer at IHG for his assistance with this story.

AIHE News – Victoria

H

ello members, I hope that you are all well. We have had a terrific year with new corporate sponsors and members.

Thanks to Richard from Crown for hosting our great last meeting and well done winning the LCD television – a generous gift from new corporate member LG Electronics.

The year has been our best to date in many ways and our donation of $6000 to help the Strathewen Rural Fire Brigade affected by Black Saturday was the highlight and made me proud of our chapter!

October we meet at PARK HYATT and then in November our annual general meeting will be held at the GRAND HYATT. Invites will be sent shortly so see you all soon and well done MELBOURNE STORM! n

ALL AIHE VICTORIA MEETING ENQUIRES FORWARD TO MEETING CO-ORDINATOR STEPHEN DOCHERTY 0439 031 191 stephen119@msn.com

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Hotel Engineer

Developing an Asset Management Strategy

By BRUCE CHAPLIN Director, FM Essentials developers of fmXpert Asset Management software

W

hy have an Asset Management strategy? Or maybe the question is, what is a Asset Management Strategy? We all have strategies of some sort in our business environment. The old adage of “if you fail to plan you plan to fail“ could equally apply to the concept of strategy. If you don’t have a strategy your strategy will fail. There are many different approaches to maintaining a facility, but generally each approach impacts on a few basic areas such as cost, sustainability, performance and compliance.

So what is a strategy?

Strategy is a collection of decisions that detail the company purpose, goals, and objectives. Strategy reveals the policies and plans for achieving those goals while defining the resources needed, such as the economic and human capital the company intends to use, the nature of the contribution financially, other nonfinancial contributions it intends to make, and a time-frame in which the strategy is intended to be achieved.

There are many different definitions of a strategy and many objectives within a strategy, with no single definitive answer.

A short-term strategy could be likened to the tactics employed by a coach to overcome the challenge from the other team, within the overall strategy of how they may be more successful in the future.

We see this in tactics during a game,

tactics employed when developing teams for the future, and tactics utilised for the organisation to align itself with sections of the community. All are important but can be conflicting if you are only focused on the short or long term objective. We need to have a strategy that provides a successful outcome for both short and long term objectives, and in our example’s case, we need to have some wins on the way to the premiership, while still adding value to the membership and community.

Strategy is best described as multi dimensional. It is made up of process, content, context and purpose, each of which can be further broken down into sub sections, with opposing tensions.

Strategic thinking, strategic formation and strategic change are not separate subjects but are different aspects of the strategic process, which are strongly linked, because a particular view on one aspect will have a consequence for the other related aspects.

What is in a Strategic Asset Management Plan?

The plan should contain a clear vision statement for the asset management team of one or two sentences, as well as a list of the values held by the team, a description of the purpose of the asset management strategy, an explanation of how the asset management team determined the strategy, what process was followed and the decisions made. The plan needs to contain the asset data, budgets and

resources that are impacted by the asset management strategy, and the plan should also list the one, five and ten year objectives and targets for your assets So where do we start for an Asset Management strategy?

When I start any type of strategic asset management workshop, I always like to start with the organisation’s vision and values. This provides a good starting point that is already agreed within the organisation. Also, if you link your asset management strategy to the organisation’s vision and values, you are able to demonstrate to management how your strategy goals fit with the organisation’s goals, and you then have less difficulty in obtaining management approval or agreement for the proposed strategy. If you don’t have a company strategy then you have to start from where you think the organisation is headed and develop a vision and values that reflect the current work place. The outcome of this part of the process is to develop an asset management vision and values statement, which can be used to underpin the decision making process of strategy development.

Once the vision and values are agreed, the process is to get the asset management team to provide some ideas of how to meet the agreed vision and values and goals and objectives with respect to the asset management process. These ideas will be assessed and

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 13

decisions made on the ability of each idea to meet the stated objectives and goals, how the idea would be implemented and what impact would it have on the business performance, maintenance team, asset performance and maintenance budget.

You would also need to determine what impact the change might have on the business and the maintenance team with considerations such as whether the business or maintenance team cope with a revolutionary change, or will it need to evolve over a period of time.

With the overarching guidelines in place, you can start to tackle some asset management rules. Firstly you need to determine what is an asset, and to do this you need to consider what attributes assets have. An example of asset attributes are its physical characteristics, its value, whether it has compliance requirements, whether it is a safety aid, and so forth. You then list the types of assets that have these attributes.

Once you determine what you consider an asset, you need to prioritise your assets, If you had unlimited time and money, you could fully manage everything, however with limited or reducing budgets you need to decide each asset’s strategic importance to the organisation. This includes priorities of assets which are fully maintained and replaced before breakdown, and assets that will not be maintained and just replaced after failure. These decisions will be made with consideration to the asset management vision and values, goals and objectives, compliance and safety requirements, and environmental and sustainability objectives.

After prioritising the assets, you need to determine what information is necessary to manage them in accordance with that priority. There are many details that can be known about an asset. In the workshops I have conducted, some participants have listed over 50 different details which can be known about an asset, and the cost of collecting and maintaining all this information may outweigh the benefit of the knowledge. The trick here is to know just enough about each asset in order to maintain it to its level of importance.

Next, you determine the maintenance needs, frequency and lifespan. This information can be obtained from maintenance standards, manufacturer recommendations, organisation standards or even current experience.

So now you have determined what our assets are and what details you need to know about them, the next item to tackle is collecting the asset data. Here you have a number of issues to resolve. Where is the data currently, how do you collect the data needed? Where will the data be stored once you have it? How will it be maintained?

Generally most organisations have some asset data or at least an asset register, the register is a good place to start. I then get the team to review the existing data and do a gap analysis and decide how they will gather the data needed. It is important to consider the following before collecting the data. Are you going to tag the asset as you collect the data? Who is going to collect the data? What format are you going use for the collected data?

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Hotel Engineer

Where is the data going to be stored?

As a guide, I suggest that each asset is tagged with a unique ID. Collecting data can be costly, so be sure of what you are collecting. One client undertook an asset audit of 100 sites at the cost of $150K to be left with a list of assets that had no naming convention. They could not tell if one type of machine was the same type as another, as they had different local names or because the data had been recorded differently by different auditors. (For example, is it a shovel or a spade, a water pump or a pump for water?) The result was to redo the whole audit.

But before the auditors were sent out again, I developed a catalogue of equipment for each auditor, so they could note the correct asset type for each asset. I also recommended they take a photo of each asset so that the data could be checked quickly without a return visit.

Data storage is dependant on who needs access to the data and the method of collection. I have seen many methods of storing data from rooms filled with folders, massively complex spreadsheets, to fully functional database systems. Usually when I’m conducting theses workshops the client has already purchased our asset management system fmXpert which will be used to store the asset data so the requirements are clear. If you’re not going to use asset management software, then be careful how much effort you expend in collecting data. Large spreadsheets have no validation (ie: no ability to ensure the information entered is consistent causing reporting errors) and can become unusable very quickly. Folders can be found but can be very difficult to update. Folders can also can get up and move around, and you can therefore never be sure if the page you’re looking at is the latest version of the information you need.

In Summary: Asset Management Strategy •

Align your Asset Management Strategy with your organisation’s vision and values.

•

Workshop Asset Management Team ideas and assess their worth and impact on business performance.

Asset Management Plan •

Determine and prioritise your assets.

•

Determine the information necessary to manage the asset in accordance with their priority.

•

Determine the asset’s maintenance needs, frequency and lifespan.

•

Determine asset data requirements, including information integrity such as naming convention, storage, archival, retrieval, and tracking.

And last but not least: Strategies are not forever. Because the world changes, strategies need to be continually reviewed and updated. The most successful organisations are ones that keep their strategies in the forefront of their staff minds. n

Integrating lighting for the future

T

oday’s building owners – residential and commercial – are increasingly demanding advanced levels of controllability over their facilities. As a result, automated control systems, dedicated to services such as lighting, temperature, audio visual (AV) and blind control, are becoming commonplace. Somewhat ironically, the proliferation of such control systems is being shadowed by the increased requirement for highly energy-efficient performance.

Historically, separate vendors supplied control systems for each application. Yet, while individual control systems go some way to achieving accurate control and streamlined management of building services, building owners are rapidly becoming aware of the benefits of implementing a single integrated system from which all services can be controlled.

The challenge here, however, is to integrate the separate control systems in such a way as to avoid duplication of infrastructure, permit the sharing of information between control systems and provide future-proofing for new and developing technologies.

Lighting control systems with the ability to incorporate third-party systems are emerging as a critical component of such integrated systems. Furthermore, by implementing a fully integrated lighting control solution with connectivity to the building management system (BMS), building owners can realise high levels of

IMAGE CREDIT: © Vicnt | Dreamstime.com

As new illumination technologies gain acceptance and energy efficiency looms more important than ever, fully integrated lighting control systems – future-proofed for new and developing technologies – are emerging as the favoured lighting control solution. Philips Dynalite Managing Director, John Gunton, illuminates the way forward.

system controllability, interoperability and scalability, as well as significant energy savings.

Integrated information Interoperability between individual ‘bestof-breed’ control systems is the key to successful integration. The challenge here is to integrate multiple systems, while still maintaining the high levels of specialised functionality of each individual control system. There are many ways of achieving this. One approach is to attempt to interconnect all systems on a single network using a single communication protocol. This can work, but tends to limit the functionality of the overall system.

An alternative method is to interconnect separate systems in a way that enables the overall system to leverage and share available data irrespective of the communication protocols, while also ensuring that the functionality of individual control systems remains unchanged.

As a result, there is an emerging trend for building owners to incorporate a TCP/ IP-based Ethernet network or a Building Services LAN (BSL) (usually separate from the traditional IT-based LAN).

A BSL provides an efficient platform, or ‘backbone’, for the various control systems to interconnect with each other using a range of separate communications

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 17

IMAGE CREDIT: © Aooss5 | Dreamstime.com

For example, smart lighting systems with presence-sensing and zoning capabilities can be configured to establish which areas of the building are in use; such areas and routes to these areas are kept illuminated, with the lighting shut-off in unused areas.

Of course, in true integrated control architectures, this information can be shared with other control systems, which are then able to trigger a preprogrammed response of their own. In the case of temperature control systems, this would mean increasing or decreasing the temperature or shutting down altogether.

The end result is that energy use is minimised.

Strategic management

protocols. Here, each of the various control systems can be completely isolated from the others, or made selectively visible using simple masking techniques and gateway software – thus creating a truly integrated system. This approach has the potential to ‘put to bed’ all of the arguments as to ‘whose system is the best’. The reality is that the best system is the one that works.

More so than most dedicated control systems, lighting control has unique requirements not readily supported by traditional automation protocols. In fact, systems capable of accommodating complex lighting control applications require a level of sophistication that is not practical to implement in generic control systems. As a result, a number of different lighting control systems capable of accommodating complex functionality and incorporating the control of new and legacy lighting load-types (such as LED and OLED) are emerging.

The ability to support multiple communications protocols – such as DCOM, OPC, LonWorks, BacNet, DMX512, RS232, RS485, TCP/IP, Infrared, DALI and MODBUS – is a feature essential to such lighting control systems. This allows separate control systems to share information, such as status and control functions, and goes some way to permitting high levels of interoperability.

Further interoperability can be achieved via the use of Ethernet gateways, which enable point-to-point or broadcast linking

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Vol 14 No. 3 |

Hotel Engineer

to other control systems and browserbased control.

Such levels of control system integration mean that system designers can avoid designing and installing individual networks. Instead, a single network can be used to access and distribute complex lighting directives and other control system information. Lighting control systems that support multiple communications protocols permit thirdparty systems to be easily integrated into this central communications loop.

Efficient by nature Moving forward, there is an increasing push for lighting solutions providers to engineer lighting control systems that actually return dividends to the building owner in the form of energy savings.

This movement is complemented by the evolution of building regulations, and the increased value placed on environmental design and performance rating tools.

Here, integration plays a major role.

By their very nature, integrated lighting control and automation systems are an effective energy management tool. By simply ensuring lighting is only activated when and where it is required energy savings can be realised and money saved.

In fact, the majority of building regulations can only be satisfied with the aid of an integrated lighting control system that offers high levels of ‘granular’ control.

These systems are fast becoming essential to energy-efficient building management.

As environmental performance regulations are tightened, lighting control solutions providers need to think outside the square to develop integrated lighting systems that actually empower building owners to control their lighting environment and reduce their energy burn.

An important and often underestimated consideration is accommodating changes within the building once constructed. This is especially pertinent looking ahead, as newer buildings are often designed to be flexible in their layout and functionality.

Furthermore, over its lifetime, a building will experience ‘building churn’, where tenancies change, staff numbers fluctuate and office activities vary. Here, the lighting system must also be adaptable.

By implementing an integrated lighting control system, which can accommodate this reconfiguration of the office space, and adopting a scalable, distributed approach to lighting control, building owners can avoid wasteful and intrusive lighting refurbishments and extend the lifetime of their lighting system.

Other energy-saving strategies that look set to gain popularity in the coming years include ‘daylight harvesting’ and luminaire dimming functionality. Often, natural light levels need only be enhanced with small amounts of artificial light. Automated lighting control systems with luminaire dimming functionality allow building owners to vary the amount of artificial light delivered to different areas of the building at different times of the day. This goes some way to reducing energy use

during utility peak demand hours to take advantage of reduced electrical rates during off-peak hours.

LED the way The emergence of LEDs as a commercial lighting option is an exciting prospect from an energy management perspective, as they draw significantly less current than incandescent bulbs and fluorescent luminaires. However, LED systems are going through a transition period from a purely decorative light source, into a replacement option for incandescent light sources, with the eventual possibility of replacing fluorescents. In fact, LED system development raises many practical control issues.

The ‘sticking point’ here is that there is no standard way of controlling LED fixtures.

With a resolution seemingly a long way off, lighting control system providers need to accommodate current LED control methodologies, as well as provide scope

to evolve with, and accommodate, new illumination technologies.

Moving forward, the challenge will be for lighting solutions providers to invest heavily in research and development to produce a whole new generation of controllers that can accommodate a variety of lighting systems. In the shortterm, enhancements to DALI controllers and phase-control dimmers, and new load-specific modules for modular controllers will go some way to addressing this LED transitional period so energy-conscious building owners aren’t left in the lurch. There is also the longer-term challenge of integrating LED and OLED systems as well as emergency lighting systems, into one control scheme.

The functional and energysaving potential of lighting

control systems is an exciting prospect.

Whether it’s building-wide controllability or world-class energy management, fully integrated lighting control systems will be critical in the success of modern building developments. This, coupled with new illumination technologies, provides residential and commercial building owners with exciting opportunities as they move into a new era of lighting management. n

IMAGE CREDIT: © Sebcz | Dreamstime.com

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We had a great time catching up with our Hotel Engineer mates at the recent Hotel Engineers Conference on the Gold Coast.

As a matter of interest, this is the hottest fault we have found this year – 742°C. And, you couldn’t see the problem.

A serious failure about to happen. The costs would been significant, had it failed.

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Joint NSW & USA backers behind Château Élan resort spa in NSW

T

he $40 million Château Élan being constructed at the new Greg Norman designed The Vintage Golf Course in the Hunter Valley is on schedule to open its doors in February for completion of stage one of the planned threestage project.

Château Élan Hunter Valley will have 100 rooms that include 20 of the most up-to-date treatment rooms in the world; 20 luxurious accommodation spa suites for absolute privacy and discretion, plus a separate complex of 40 self-contained twobedroom spa villas (separately keyed where single rooms are required) that are architecturally breathtaking with golf course views, along with kitchen, fireplace and spa.

This new five star spa property will feature state-of-the-art technology throughout, and subtle interior design. The Vintage 18-hole golf course is already being spoken about by some players as already being among the best courses in Australia.

The Vintage recently became the home of the NSW Golf Championship, with this season’s tournament being the final stepping stone to the Australian Open. Every effort is now being made to elevate this event to become one of the finest golf tournaments in Australia.

The site of this impressive new project is at Rothbury in the Hunter Valley, a two-hour drive north of Sydney in a region widely known for its many wineries and horse properties.

Project Manager and Director Neill Green, explains the construction undertaken by Kingston Building Australia has created up to 150 jobs.

The project is a joint venture between the well known NSW development firm The Stevens Group with American entrepreneurs Don and Nancy Panoz, founders and owners of the US based Château Élan Hotels and Resorts.

John Stevens, Director of the Stevens Group explains how the project was a bold investment in tough economic times that underlines the strength of the local industry. “We have great confidence in how this is the right product for today’s discerning luxury travel market,” he said.

Don Panoz and his wife Nancy are two remarkable characters, with both having colourful backgrounds that have seen them enjoy great success in world-wide business activities in numerous countries and in different fields.

Not to be outdone by her husband’s leadership on various major corporation boards in the USA, Nancy herself, after raising five children, is presently a director of Fountainhead Development Corporation, The Legends, Château Élan, and also serves on the board of directors of Wesley Woods Inc. Don Panoz says he can see the new resort attracting a new type of tourist to the region. “When completed, the Château Élan Hunter Valley will rival any of the world’s first class resorts with the spa treatments that combine traditional therapies with western health philosophies in a setting of complete luxury,” he added.

The Stevens Group, founded in 1982, is based on the Central Coast of NSW. It has enjoyed considerable success with a wide range of benchmark projects working with public companies, local government, financial institutions and joint venture partners.

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 21

< The Group’s companies now include The Palmdale Group, Grand Mercure Hunter Valley, the Vintage Residential Golf Course, and now this major development in the hospitality industry at the golf club.

Stevens Developments comprise a team of industry professionals with years of experience and skills in the broad spectrum of development, positioning the Group to be at the forefront of emerging development opportunities.

John Stevens pointed out how on top of the employment the construction work brought to this area; they fully expect to appoint as many as a hundred new and permanent staff with some part-time positions.

“We will open in February and are confident of serving consumers who place a premium on their well-being and who value their privacy, along with expecting the best of service,” Stevens added.

Future stages in the long-planned development of the site will include the addition of outdoor entertainment and further hotel accommodation.

EJE Architecture, based out of Newcastle and led by Michael Craig, did the design. In recent years this company has been associated with various clubs, hotels, resorts and motels, and recently did the designing of the new Newcastle Post Office.

Development Application Barney Collins and John Street of EJE working in collaboration with Château Élan for the detailed site and work contained within the Master Plan for The Vintage and the Hotel Precinct there, reported the following.

The scheme from the start had to provide access from the club house, along with access to the Spa Villas, and for the next stage that would take in golf homes and Precinct G. All buildings were to be designed in a simple classical form with Tuscan detailing to emphasise the international prominence to the Hunter Valley vineyard district.

When preparing their design, it had to reinforce the top of the hill as an important place for The Vintage and broader vineyard community as being a significant identifier for tourists to the Hunter Valley.

It had also been decided to limit the height of the main buildings to two storeys with under croft, basement and pitched roof, while the separation of buildings was to achieve levels of amenity in terms of solar access and privacy for the community and visitors alike.

A major objective was to create entries to buildings in keeping with the existing club house, and to maximise passive surveillance of public spaces.

These objectives have since been achieved by the various builders involved.

The Central Gold Coast office of Northrop Consulting Engineers was given the contract and responsibility for coming up with the structural design.

Trevor Clack (Northrop) explained how this part of the Hunter Valley is well known for often having highly reactive clay soils, and this site at Rothbury was no different.

The design was to complement the Hilltop location and to encourage public and community access both within and through the site, with The Vintage to be developed into a world class golf course.

“Given how the building construction was full brickwork, it potentially had significant cost implications to the footings that we designed. This was able to be reduced through earthworks, as the addition of less reactive fill enabled the site to be reclassified as moderately reactive, greatly reducing fitting sizes.”

The site enjoyed many district views such as northern views of the upper Hunter and its landmark mountain ranges, back to Bimbadgen Tower and the lower Hunter and Mt Sugarloaf, while also to take in the new golf course.

Other challenges his company faced during designing was the treatment of the entry foyer, which of course sets the standards for any hotel on this scale. “Again we worked closely with the architect (EJE Architecture) to design a system of timber trusses.

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 23

< “Partly because of budget, we opted to use engineering timber which would be painted. The final timber sizes we used, and the connections between the truss members, were governed more from an aesthetic viewpoint rather than by their structural strength.”

Clack reminded us how with hotel construction, space for services, such as air-conditioning, electrical and plumbing, are often at a premium. “One of our earliest ideas to this project was to suggest a roofing concept that created a central service corridor in the roof space.

“This proved to be relatively simple to achieve with out timber trusses supported on each side of a central hallway, with the roof and ceiling directly above the hallway constructed by using rafters and ceiling joints.

“This area now provides more than enough space for the building services, and for future maintenance if required,” he said.

When it came to the landscaping, it was no surprise that Hassell was given the nod. This Sydney based company with branches

Versatile and successful – that’s Don Panoz

I

f Hollywood was seeking an unusual script for a blockbuster, it should look no further than Don and Nancy Panoz. They started out as intelligence officers in the US Army (Nancy in counter intelligence), later made their fortune with the patent of nicotine patches, and today own major resorts, wineries, golf courses; creating a motor sports dynasty in the USA along the way.

Don and Nancy are major players behind Château Élan at The Vintage Golf Course in the Hunter Valley of NSW, opening to the public this coming February when it will be one of Australia’s top two spa resorts.

Panoz and his wife were the visionaries and founders of Château Élan in Braselton, Gainsville, USA, the luxurious resort that had become the first winery of its kind in that region since Prohibition.

That first of their brand (followed by others since) became an award-winning winery and resort when adding an inn, four golf courses, eight restaurants, European-style health spa, conference centre, a tennis centre and an equestrian area – all offering wide-reaching appeal.

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Vol 14 No. 3 |

Hotel Engineer

in China, Hong Kong and Thailand, won the 2008 Australian Institute of Landscaping Architecture for NSW with its work at Magenta Shores, an integrated golf club on the Central Coast.

Hassell was commissioned to prepare a landscape concept master plan and later (2008) to design the Château Élan landscape with The Vintage’s existing rural and epicurean character and create a new and distinctive Tuscan flavour for the spa and villa buildings.

The design they came up with was based on traditional Tuscan garden themes using the form and species of the Tuscan style planting to create a strong landscape setting. It features the rolling lawns and groups of scattered trees, functional spaces for the spa and villas while allowing views out across the golf course.

Hannah Galloway, senior landscape architect with Hassells, explained how the site took in a total of 265 hectares. “A simple and defined path network facilitates access throughout the site while the main entrance to the new spa is highlighted by an ‘arrival avenue’ and olive grove with clipped rosemary understorey. >

The couple first met in West Virginia when Don was attending Greenbrier Military Academy. Both later served overseas, Don as an Army intelligence officer, his wife in the Counter intelligence section.

On completing their time working for Uncle Sam, Don Panoz studied business at Duquesne University and began operating two pharmacies in Pittsburg.

This later led to him forming Mylan Pharmaceutical Corporation, a packaging company that became known as Mylan Laboratories.

Don was then the youngest president of any pharmaceutical company in the USA, taking on the giants Parke Davis and Eli Lilly.

In 1969, Dr Panoz and his family moved to Ireland for a time where they formed Elan Corporation, becoming the first Irish company to have a public offering in the US market where it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange and began developing products.

Among their hundred or more patents was the nicotine patch which helped millions of people around the world to stop smoking, enabling Don and his wife to make their fortune with its success.

Their next major move was to do for the winery industry what they had done for pharmaceuticals, establishing a research laboratory in Gainsville, Georgia. This led to the establishment of Château Élan, a 3,500 acre winery, resort and residential development in the hills of north Georgia, a half-hour drive north of Atlanta.

Their (Muscadine) wines have since won hundreds of national and international awards, and the innovations to their resort there have seen Château Élan named on numerous occasions by the prestigious New York Times when listing its top four spa resorts in the world.

The passion Panoz showed for golf led to him building The Legends course in Georgia which is included as one of the host clubs on the major tour events in the US. In more recent years his sporting interests have included professional car racing, coming to be a highly successful manufacture of race cars.

He owns Panoz Motor Sports and the American Le Mans Series. His cars have now won at Le Mans and Daytona, and three times have taken out the famous Indy 500.

He was recently voted to the Le Mans Hall of Fame.

For four months of the year, Don and Nancy Panoz now claim northern Australia as their home.

Don is usually kept busy having chalked up many credits with his directorships in major corporations, and his involvement with the various Elan operations in the US, Ireland, Europe and now Australia. During the motor racing season in North America, he can often be seen at tracks in Canada or down in Florida. n

< â&#x20AC;&#x153;The spa villas each have an associated garden space and the planting design creates a privacy screen and a beautiful Tuscan flavour for each building.â&#x20AC;?

Kingston Building Australia, an active name in all sectors of the construction industry in NSW and beyond, has made its reputation in building associated with hospitality, aged care, commercial and residential, and education projects, and carried out much of the building work there.

The sub-contractors appointed by Kingston Building Australia were:

Plumbing Contractor

Coastline Plumbing

Electrical Contractor

Scott Kelly Electrical

Mechanical Contractor

Air Extreme

Lift

Elevator Services Group

Pest Control

Safeguard Termite Barriers

Frames & Trusses - VILLAS

Heyden Frame & Truss

Frames & Trusses - SPA

Hunter Valley Building Supplies

Joinery

Nadin West

Windows & Louvers - SPA

Palmer Commercial Windows

Windows - VILLAS

Commercial Windows

Role

Company

Tile Roofing

Kirumbah Roofing

Reo Supply

Neumann Steel

Plasterboard - SPA

Macquarie Drywall

Concreter - DESTINATION SPA

Abercrombie Concrete

Plasterboard - VILLAS

Wilson Plastering

Concreter - VILLAS

Newtilt Concrete Construction

Structural Steel & Brackets

Tubular Steel

Concrete Supply

Hunter Ready Mix

Carpentry

Team Dreegan

Reo Fixing

Abercrombie Concrete

Tiling

Unique Contractors

Formwork Contractor

Newcastle Formwork

Carpet & Vinyl

Bass Floors

Brick Supply

Brick & Block Company

Painting & Moroka

W.C. Griffin & Associates

Bricklaying

Portside Bricklaying

Appliances & PC Items

Harvey Norman Commercial

Doors & Door Frames

Latches

Door Hardware

Frosts Security

Heat Recovery Systems (Air Handling) Summary Heat recovery systems reduce energy use as well as heating and cooling plant requirements. Some key functional areas benefiting from heat recovery or heat exchange systems include indoor pools and kitchens etc. where air is generally used on a “once through” basis. Up to 50% to 60% of heating or cooling energy that would otherwise be lost could be recovered with these systems.

Background The majority of air conditioning systems utilise heat recovery through the recirculation of air from the occupied space. Where operational requirements

prevent the reuse of air from the space, higher quantities of external air maybe required, which can impose substantial loads on the cooling and heating systems. In these cases heat can be reclaimed from the exhaust air stream and transferred to the entering outside air steam, to pre-cool or preheat the air reducing plant size and energy use.

Opportunities and Constraints The most effective heat recovery system available in air handling systems is to filter and recirculate the air, with the required volumes of outside air introduced to meet statutory requirements. This philosophy is used

extensively and forms the basis of air conditioning systems.

Where operational requirements indicate that large volumes of outside air need to be introduced into the building then this air, which is at ambient conditions, needs to be heated or cooled to suit the required space conditions. This can be a significant portion of the cooling and heating loads imposed on the plant. In a hotel environment these particular areas may include: • pools where outside air is used to control humidity within the space.

• kitchens where outdoor air is required to replace exhaust air flow >

Heat recovery systems include: Heat recovery system

Advantages

Disadvantages

Description of system

Return air

• 100% efficient in energy

• is not suitable for all situations due to particular operational requirements

Air from the space is returned back to the air handling unit and mixed with the incoming ambient air prior to being supplied into the space.

• air to air contamination is possible although can be minimised by a purge cycle

Both the exhaust air and ambient air streams pass through the wheel. Energy is absorbed by the wheel from one air stream and is reclaimed when the wheel rotates into the second air stream. A small amount of outside air can be used to purge the wheel prior to intake air stream passing through the wheel.

• usually low cost

Enthalpy wheel

• total energy transfer (latent and sensible heat) • reasonable efficiencies can be achieved

Plate heat exchanger

• no moving parts • minimal pressure loss when not in use • reasonably efficient with sensible heat transfer

Run around coils

• relatively easy to install, particularly as a retrofit • air streams do not have to be physically close to each other • prevents air to air contamination

• both air streams need to be next to each other

• latent heat transfer not possible • both air streams need to be next to each other

• comparatively low efficiency • coils present a continuous pressure loss • sensible heat transfer only

The plate heat exchanger splits the two air streams into many parallel channels at right angles to each other. Sensible heat (change in temperature) is transferred across the dividing plates. When not required, bypass dampers remove the heat exchanger and hence the pressure loss from the air path Coils are placed in both the exhaust stream and the ambient air stream, with water being pumped around through both coils allowing sensible energy to be reclaimed from the exhaust air stream. Air streams are separated hence air to air contamination can not occur.

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 29

Heat Recovery Systems (Air Handling) continued consumption on an all outdoor air systems using heat recovery can be in the order of some 20% to 30%.

For example, based on an air handling unit of 1200 L/s, operating 24 hr/day with full outside air, a run around coil heat recovery system is expected to save around $1200/pa (gas $4/GJ, based on energy costs of electricity at $0.13/kWhr). This provides a simple payback of around 5 years with an installation cost around $6,000.

Where the hospital heating energy is other than natural gas, this payback period may be reduced.

Conclusions

< To minimise the cooling and heating loads, heat recovery systems can be utilised to pre-cool or preheat the incoming ambient air using energy leaving on the exhaust air system.

Heat recovery systems are generally suited to full outdoor ventilation systems, where there is an operational requirement limiting the recirculation of room air through the air handling system. These specialised areas include kitchens, indoor pools and similar high ventilation requirement areas.

Retrofitting heat recovery systems to existing equipment often limits the choice of system to the run around coil system, due to duct locations. For new equipment all of the heat recovery systems could be considered, with high efficiencies available for heat wheels and plate heat exchangers.

Where not fitted as a component of the initial air handling system, run around coils can provide reasonable operational efficiencies. The sizing of these systems depend on the balance between the energy savings and the increased fan energy caused by the pressure loss of the heat recovery system (heat exchanger, air coils and the like).

Systems may need to be analysed and selected so that the energy savings are not negated through increased fan energy due to the pressure losses through the heat reclaim system components.

The main benefit is in new installations where heat recovery systems can reduce peak cooling and heating demands, thereby reducing the size of central plant which can then help offset the cost of the energy saving measure. n

Impact of Implementation

References and Sources for Further Information

The implementation of a heat recovery system has no impact on staff or patients. During the installation process, the functional area may not be available for normal use. It may therefore be advantageous to coordinate the upgrade works of the mechanical systems into a general refurbishment program.

•

www.seav.vic.gov.au

•

www.greenhouse.gov.au

•

SEAV “Model Technical Specification”

Analysis Typically a heat recovery system can “capture” and “re use” up to 50% to 60% of the energy that would otherwise be “lost” through the exhaust system. The overall reduction in energy

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Hotel Engineer

These application notes are for general guidance and information only.

Users will need to undertake independent analysis for specific site if any of these measures are to be implemented. Consideration should be given to engaging the services of a suitable consultant to assist with this task.

Article run with kind permission of Aurecon.

• • • • • •

Hotel Door Locking Installation Case Study:

In a hotel, changing the hotel door locks can be a daunting prospect – but it’s not as hard as you think. Michael Benikos from VingCard Elsafe has project managed lock installation in some of the biggest hotels in Australia. He will take us through a typical installation at the Four Seasons Sydney in this issue of The Hotel Engineer.

W

hen a hotel is looking at changing or upgrading its door locks, the installation planning actually takes place before the order is placed. Issues to consider before an order is placed are as follows: What technology does the hotel want to install? Are the locks to be accessed by Magnetic Stripe cards, RFID (proximity) cards or do they want to have the locks communicating by wireless back to a central point. After considering all options, the Four Seasons Sydney chose RFID and has the system setup to upgrade to wireless communication within the next few years.

What finish does the hotel want for the locks? Is the hotel décor brass, satin chrome or polished chrome? At Four Seasons we installed brass furniture on the outside and satin chrome on the inside.

Will the new door lock cover the holes from the previous lock and will it line up with the existing striker plate in the door jam? If it does no problem BUT what do you do if it doesn’t? At VingCard we have standard cover plates that are used but sometimes these aren’t suitable for the hotel so as we did with Four Seasons we worked with the hotel to come up with plates which complemented their existing décor.

Before installing, the hotel should also ask the lock supplier if the locks have been approved for installation on fire doors if the hotel’s doors are fire doors.

The hotel should also make sure the lock company’s software is able to be

installed onto the hotel’s computers and network. If it is planned for the locking system to interface to the hotel’s Property Management System (PMS) for quicker key cutting it should be confirmed that an interface exists between the door company and the PMS company. There may be a cost from the PMS company for this so it should be put in the budget.

Most products need at least 10-12 weeks lead time to that should also be taken into account when planning the project.

So you have taken all the points above into consideration and chosen a company.

What next? The Four Seasons Sydney was one of VingCard Elsafe’s most successful installations and this was the procedure we followed: The first step is to call a meeting with the departments in the hotel which will be most affected by the installation such as Engineering, Rooms Division, IT, Security and possibly Housekeeping. This step is extremely important as clear communication between the contractors and the hotel departments makes for a good working relationship which I have found leads to a successful installation. >

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 33

Case Study:

Hotel Door Locking Installation < After the meeting, the Engineering Department put together a plan of which floors were to be done and when. At Four Seasons this was made more difficult as the hotel was undergoing a major refurbishment at the same time and was running close to 100% occupancy. This meant that some days the installation was on floors still in service and other days it was on floors being refurbished. Rooms in service were blocked from the day to enable the installation team to start preparing early in the morning without disturbing guests. Once 9am came around power tools could them be used for cutting the doors and fitting locks until 5pm. Once completed rooms were vacuumed and then HSK came back the next day to do any final cleaning before returning the rooms to service. On the floors that were undergoing refurbishment a completely different process was followed. On the first trip to the floor, the installers would only cut the doors in preparation for the lock installation. The doors would then be painted and touched up and then the locks would be installed when the furniture was returned to the rooms. It varied, but on average we did 3 occupied floors and 2 refurbishment floors per week until we were finished installing the 566 locks. If the hotel was very busy and they couldn’t give us guest rooms we did back

of house doors some days or did not come in. We averaged 20-25 doors per day and the installation took about 6 weeks.

As well as the installation of the door locks, the software which controls the locks also needs to be installed. This includes loading software on the front desk computers as well as any other computers that need to have the system installed such as security and engineering. The encoders to cut the cards, PMS interface installation, staff keycards need to be made as well as training of staff also needs to be completed. At the Four Seasons we completed these 2 weeks before the installation of the locks so once the locks were installed they were fully operational.

There were obviously some issues which arose during the installation from time to time but we found due to our good working relationship with the Engineering Department these could be overcome with a minimum of fuss. This point was emphasised in a letter that Stephen Lewis, the Hotel General Manager, wrote to VingCard Elsafe head office after the installation was completed: “An installation of this size within a hotel running consistently high occupancy was always going to be challenging, however it turned out to be relatively easy in execution – we found that Ving’s willingness to work within a working hotel, their flexibility in accepting any mid-project modifications combined with a cooperative working relationship with our own Engineering team were key factors”. n

Effective Contract Management Ensures Statutory Compliance

By DEREK HENDRY

H

otel managers and senior management have been aware for some time of the impact of increasing regulatory and corporate governance requirements on the operation of their organisations. In answer to this, hotel managers require sophisticated management reporting and controls to ensure they can meet corporate governance requirements, provide answers for their stakeholders and be seen to be adding value to their organisation.

No longer restricted to the domain of the annual report, hotel managers and senior management rely on Balanced Scorecard or Executive Dashboard approaches to ensure that organisational objectives remain on track. In case of the Balanced Scorecard approach, organisational objectives are impacted by the identification of Critical Success Factors, which in turn are impacted by the performance of lead key performance indicators*, or KPI’s.

In the meantime, many building owners and hotel mangers are looking beyond capital gains and leasing income, to realising additional income from the provision of value-added services for their stakeholders and tenants. These services also require more sophisticated reporting and controls to ensure these returns are maximised. These reporting and control measures again drill down the utilisation of such things as Service Level Agreements, and KPI’s.

In addition to this, recent legislation requiring accountability from building owners and hotel managers regarding essential safety measure compliance has had a major impact on the property and facilities management sector, and places greater emphasis on the use of effective and efficient reporting and controls. Since many organisations choose to outsource their maintenance (or part thereof) and essential safety measure compliance obligations, contractual arrangements and the KPI’s listed within them become increasingly significant.

Much study has therefore been devoted to the development of meaningful contracts that utilise KPI’s as a means of stating required outcomes that are attuned, ultimately, to organisational objectives. In the contract development process, KPI’s

are chosen because of their ability to impact positively or adversely on these objectives, and these contracts usually provide incentives for desired results, and punitive measures for failure to meet specified performance targets. These KPI’s include essential safety measures, since these definitely impact adversely or positively, on organisational objectives.

However, just how effective are these contracts and the compliance KPI’s contained within them, if there is no real resolve for senior or middle management to measure them?

My staff have come across many instances of missed essential safety measure testing or maintenance calls, and we suspect that this might be because the contractor effectively controls the paperwork.

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 35

We find instances where the contractors sign the essential safety measures reports and maintenance contracts, knowing that the organisation does not have the management resources to provide effective controls over the enforceability of KPI’s.

The punitive measures that would theoretically be utilised in ensuring the desired contractor performance results do no happen, and the contractor is paid for work that is not done.

We find that our clients need a system that:

In these instances we find that while it might be efficient to develop a contact that states all the relevant requirements and identifies the KPI’s, it is not in itself an effective means of ensuring compliance. In short, we find the effective contracts are those that are enforceable.

In relation to this, we have noticed a significant number of our clients requesting us to fall in line with a new system they have commissioned, called Verified.

Some smaller organisations do this by maintaining their own spreadsheets or paper-based system of reporting and controls which they have to reconcile with the contractors records, but many find these systems quickly become unworkable when the property portfolio extends beyond one or two buildings.

My staff are exposed to our clients outsourced maintenance control systems/products/solutions on a daily basis. In the main nearly all are labour intensive and do not confirm that the job is done. These solutions, in the long term are unsustainable and they do not close the loop and protect the client (hotel manager).

•

Ensures these KPI’s are being met

•

Monitors the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery,

•

Provides the documentation necessary to verify it.

•

And effectively brings the document ownership and control back to the client, not the contractor.

Verified provides an overlay over existing systems, that produces electronic media from the written word. This liberates the information so that it can be measured and managed. This effectively removes the client’s reliance on the maintenance service provider’s documents as a means of processing information.

The information is then made instantly available via the Verified website; including an actual image of the original test sheets.

Business rules can be applied to provide automatic notifications and alerts should items fail to comply.

Implementation of Verified has demonstrated an increase in compliance across many maintenance processes such as fire safety measures, testing and tagging of leads, security, general site management reporting and many other paperbased reporting processes, since the delivery process becomes transparent.

Just as important, the Verified system provides contract KPI enforceability, and gives control of the documentation process back to the client. The building owner and hotel manager not only have the documentation proof of compliance they need, management can utilise and additional option called Verified Dashboard to monitor contractor performance. Clients appear to value this option because it ensures they do not pay for services not performed.

It is tools like these that ensure transparency and accuracy up and down the management chain, and assist the breaking down the information silos inherent in many organisations. They provide an excellent management tool, since they offer a vital link in the loop of defining goals – developing the plan – selling it to the stakeholders – executing the plan – and review, as they provide the feed-back necessary to further redefine the goals.

And finally, building owners and hotel managers can rest assured that the contracts that govern the outsourcing of their compliance obligations are effectively managed, because they have a system that ensures the contracts are enforceable, with documented evidence to prove it. n (* Lead key performance indicators are those events happening in the present that will impact on an organisations performance. Lag indicators on the other hand, provide only historical data. A monthly report for example, is a lag indicator.)

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

Becoming a downturn employer of choice

By JON BARTON Senior Consultant - Construction and Property of Randstad

With the nation’s construction sector yet to experience the true impact of the Federal Government’s stimulus package, employers should be positioning themselves to emerge as a downturn employer of choice.

A

fter a difficult 12 months in the construction and property industry, many see the stimulus package as the light at the end of the tunnel. The Education Revolution package promises the delivery of new sporting facilities, science blocks and classrooms, as well as ongoing maintenance projects. Combined with the social housing package, this will generate huge demand for project managers, site managers and site foreman, as well as for skilled labourers and tradespeople to deliver the work.

Considering it’s been a year of below average work activity, some employers in the building and construction industry may be unprepared for the heavy load of projects soon to enter the delivery phase. The demand for talent is expected to outweigh supply within the next six months, so companies tendering for projects should start securing a pipeline of talent, before the pool dries up.

In this economic climate, it’s essential that your organisation is positioned as an employer of choice, to ensure you can attract and retain the best employees. Companies that offer salaries in line with industry averages can still attract top talent and retain excellent staff if they offer great learning and development opportunities.

Learning and development has not been traditionally popular in the construction industry, or emphasised in the culture of organisations. For this reason, it is essential to engage staff by offering professional development programs that are tailored for individual staff members, according to their needs, interests and career goals.

working weeks for project managers on civil engineering jobs, and many are even tendering for work on this basis. This is a massive shift for professionals accustomed to six-day working weeks and can be a big tipping point when applying for positions.

Attracting passive candidates is difficult, but without fail these workers can be lured to your organisation by quality projects and a strong company reputation. However, because these aspects can be fluid, it is important to retain the excellent staff you already have by offering career opportunities, promotions, structured career planning, structured learning and succession planning. These tactics will ensure your employees can see a long-term future within your organisation. They also create a positive cycle because the more top-quality staff you have, the more likely you are to win new projects, and hence attract and retain excellent staff.

The good news for employers is that the current number of quality candidates on the market is much more plentiful than this time in 2007. For employers who can position themselves as an employer of choice, there has never been a better time to snap up top talent who will help shape the future success of your organisation. n Jon Barton is a Senior Consultant in the specialist Construction and Property division of Randstad. This division is made up of highly experienced industry professionals, covering specialist areas including civil construction, construction, rail, property and development.

Randstad is the largest specialist recruitment and HR services group in the Asia Pacific region, providing a full range of services across all industry sectors. Randstad’s services range from temporary staffing and permanent placement, to inhouse services, professional recruitment, executive search and HR Solutions. For further information about Randstad please visit www.randstad.com.au or contact Jon Barton on 02 8915 7100.

In the construction industry, work / life balance is also emerging as an important issue. Top companies are offering five-day

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 41

ADVERTORIAL

The Benefits of Evaporative Cooling Less water usage Still many processes, particularly in industrial applications, use the cooling water in a so called once-through systems. Thermal polution and waste of this precious resource are not favouring the environment, hence other cooling systems should be considered. Evaporative cooling reuses over 95% of the cooling water, which is a major advantage.

Less power generation required Still many processes, particularly in air conditioning applications, use air cooled equipment to reject the process heat. This results in a very high electrical energy consumption and first cost. Evaporative cooling requires considerably less energy and first cost investments in the cooling process. Since we all aim to reduce the global warming effect and the exhaust of ozone depleting gasses, reducing the generation of electrical power leads to a healthier environment.

Less sound dissipation Evaporative cooling equipment as such has, compared to other cooling systems, a lower sound level. The low cooling water temperature generated by evaporative cooling allow the chillers in the process to be smaller as well, and hence generate less sound. We all experience an increase of the noise level in our daily life, hence all measures should be taken to limit the sound dissipation from cooling equipment in general, and chose that equipment that results in the lowest overall sound level.

Less occupied space Because of its compactness, evaporative cooling equipment requires less footprint than any other heat rejection system.

As a consequence less floor space is required. Evaporative cooling equipment can be installed inside the building, often a requirement by the architect. Evaporative cooling equipment, contrary to air cooled equipment, does not necessarily makes our living environment uglier.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 43

Air-conditioning Hygiene

By JEREMY STAMKOS

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

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

O

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The accumulation of contamination within an air-conditioning system can restrict air flows decreasing the operational

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 45

performance of the system and lead to a build up of airborne indoor pollutants in the areas serviced including VOCs, dust, CO2 etc.

As well as accumulated HAVC contamination significantly impacting a buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Indoor Air Quality, it also have many detrimental and costly ramifications costly plant refurbishment and cleaning to Sick Building Syndrome and Building Related Illnesses.

Air-conditioning Contaminate Infiltration & Filtration A variety of airborne contaminates constantly enter and are distributed by a buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s air-conditioning systems. Therefore it is extremely important to have adequate filtration in place to help to minimize contamination infiltration.

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

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

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

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

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

Types of Contamination There are thousands of types of contaminates that can be found in air-conditioning systems from general nuisance type dusts to pathogenic microbiological contamination.

Other types of contaminates found in HVAC systems may be lint, carpet fibres, building rubble, construction dust, paint flakes, spores, pollen, bacteria, asbestos fibres, rust particles, fibreglass, human skin and hair.

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

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

Available from refrigeration wholesalers

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

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

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

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

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

Of particular concern are HVAC systems that harbour microbial contamination. Microbial proliferation or presence of mould within HVAC systems has the capacity to cause major operational deficiencies, excessive energy consumption, building related illnesses and even costly plant damaged and property remediation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ADVERTORIAL

I

n modern times people expect indoor air quality to be uncompromised by biological contaminants such as mould, bacteria and viruses. Both moulds and bacteria can affect health as well as produce unpleasant odorous volatile organic chemicals. Moulds and bacteria also can cause unsightly staining of furnishings, walls and ceilings.

Mould and bacteria multiply rapidly in air conditioning systems due to production of high humidity and water droplets caused by cooling hotter moist air. Also in situations where internal walls are much colder than the room temperature you get condensation forming on these walls leading to mould and bacterial growth.

Tea tree vapour is a potent biocide against mould and bacteria. Low concentrations of tea tree vapour destroy mould and bacterial cells and stop them from multiplying.

Gelair uses a patented technology to deliver tea tree vapour in a very simple way to destroy mould, bacteria and viruses.

Gelair Air Conditioning Blocks (known as Gelair ABs) can be simply inserted into air handling units which provide effective control for up to 6 weeks before needing to be replaced. There is also Gelair Solution which can be used to sterilise any surface rapidly, especially cooling coils of air conditioning systems.

Gelair ABs come in different sizes depending on the size of the air handling units. Gelair Solution is also provided in different size containers.

Initially there is a slight odour of tea tree oil which people describe as â&#x20AC;&#x153;fresh and cleanâ&#x20AC;?. People do not sense the tea tree odour after several minutes in a room which is protected from mould, bacteria and viruses.

Gelair has been used in hotels, offices, entertainment complexes, cinemas, superyachts, homes and hospitals.

The Gelair company often receives unsolicited feedback from customers that it is the only product that works. These customers then tell other businesses and friends about the benefits of Gelair resulting in most sales by referrals.

Gelair has distributors and customers around the world, especially in those countries where high temperatures and humidity occur some part of the year. n

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

Hygiene Guideline also provides detailed descriptions and examples of how to determine the internal cleanliness levels.

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

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

Decreased HVAC System Efficiencies

A proactive approach to HVAC System Hygiene

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

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

Heating and cooling coils may become fouled with all types of contamination including dust, insulation and microbial growth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As well as providing information on cleanliness inspection intervals and minimum cleanliness required for each HVAC component by building use classification, the AIRAH HVAC

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

References: NIOSH –National Institute for Occupational Health & Safety USA

1 2

AIRAH HVAC Hygiene Guideline 2009

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

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

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

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

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 49

Case Study:

Smart Room & The Ultimate Guest Experience – All Possible at City Center™ Las Vegas

By GIDON SATTINGER, Vintech Systems

C

ityCenter™, an extraordinary urban resort destination brought to life by eight world-renowned architects, it will be defined by magnificent design, renowned for premier experiences and unrivaled as the address to live and live it up. Created with a vision to bring a new level of environmental consciousness to the world-famous Strip, CityCenter™ will be one of the world’s largest sustainable developments when it opens late 2009.

This is an $8.5billion USD development located between Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts and will consist of 6,500 hotel rooms over 4 illustrious hotel properties.

The Kaba Group, to whom we are an electronic lock distributor, are specialists in over 10 divisions of High end user locking systems, access control systems and security products worldwide, and have over 300 patents to their name. They are now considered one of the largest security, lock, key and technology companies in the world.

Kaba Lodging Systems has (with combined Saflok and Ilco electronic locking systems) over 6 million electronic locks worldwide. Vintech Systems, with approx. 60,000 locks in our market has shown unprecedented growth over the last financial year. Saflok Electronic Locks are the most technically advanced range of Electronic Locks used throughout the world.

Saflok invented and applied special technologies to its range of locks specifically for this internationally renowned project, taking SAFLOK once again to the forefront of the industry in the way our locks integrate with the technological platforms of the future. The fact that our products already interface and work well with the latest technologies on the Zigbee protocol with such companies as Control4 and Bartech is a claim our competitors cannot match, and certainly one from which our customers benefit.

Vintech Systems is the Australian distributor which specialises in the supply and service of these products to the Hotel and Hospitality industry, and is listed as preferred supplier to many Hotel Chains in Australia, NZ and Oceania. Our reputation is well respected by a variety of Hotels, Universities and the many construction groups that we have worked with.

Over the years we have added strength to our stable of products and are able to offer the most comprehensive range turnkey products for the Hospitality Industry.

Doing business with Vintech Systems enables you the choice of superior locks imported from Canada and the USA, all BHMA certified as a quality assurance.

Historically speaking, Saflok was the original inventor of the electronic lock and in 1998 was the first company to introduce Smart Card technology to its range of Magnetic Stripe locks. This is still – after all this time - the only electronic lock which offer both technologies as a standard inclusion.

In 2006, Saflok were the first to release a range of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) proximity locks. With a focus on offering technology and security with the future in mind, these locks are already “NFC ready” (able to be operated via mobile phone).

In 2007, Saflok were the first locking system supplier in the world to release the latest in advanced on-line battery operated locks - a bidirectional wireless communication network trademarked “Messenger” which communicates via RF or ZigBee. These are designed to integrate with the latest room and energy control systems such as Control4 or Inncom and are the most advanced proven technologies available in the market today. All our Quantum models are “Messenger ready” for implementation into the smart rooms of the future.

A few of the unique features Saflok can offer are mentioned here for your information - Saflok locks are available in genuine Stainless Steel (316 Marine grade) finish at no additional charge and with its wide range of lever style, including customization of levers, Saflok ensures that our locks can fit aesthetically into any project. All locks have Intel® powered microprocessors coupled with non-volatile Flash memory.

Saflok can retrieve 5,900 events in a report – the largest event memory available in the market.

Yet our greatest strength is our proven ability to interface and communicate with the latest technologies such as on the Zigbee platform with companies such as Control4 & Bartech, to achieve the latest in what is considered the benchmark for the futuristic “smart room” and its capabilities in providing the best in Guest experience.

SAFLOK is an integral part of the CityCenter™ Hotel developments and works effectively on all protocols and platforms with up to the minute technology as a world leader in this 6,500 room project.

Should you require more information on our products and services, please feel free to contact us. www.vintech.com.au n

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 51

“A

fan’s a fan.” That’s what some contractors say when choosing an air mover for their water damage job. If only it were that simple. As with any piece of equipment it is important to consider your application to find out what works best for you. There are three types of air movers that are being used in the water damage restoration industry: traditional snail shaped carpet dryers, low amp axial fans and high volume axial fans.

Additionally, the placement of your air movers is important in getting the most from your unit. We’ve done testing and have found that the best results using our fans were produced when they were angled 30 degrees towards the wall. As you well know this gets covered more extensively in the Water Restoration and Applied Structural Drying Courses.

High Volume axial fans push a high volume of free air and are used for crawl spaces, ducted drying, directing air into hard to reach areas and positive or negative air set up.

Traditional carpet dryers or centrifugal fans are often used to float carpet or move air across carpet or floors, and often placed at a 45 degree angle to walls and used to dry walls. These air movers put out about 30-35 cubic metres per minute (CMM) and draw from 2 amps to as high as 7 with most being in the 2.0 to 4 amp range. Centrifugal fans were created to float carpets, which require a lot of static pressure to lift the wet carpet.

Then in the late 90s new drying equipment began to emerge— Low amp drying using large axial fans. Axial air movers put out twice as much CMM as traditional carpet dryers and pull half the amps. This makes them more efficient and makes your job easier. Because this is a simple set up, you get more air flow.

More air flow enhances evaporation, and you’re putting out less heat which is important when you don’t need the heat. The heat that they radiate is at a minimum.

Whether you’re using a traditional carpet dryer, low amp axial fan or high volume axial fan remember to think about your application, choose the equipment that is the right fit and you will get optimal results. n

Dry Air Technology is a leading manufacturer who designs and engineers air movers, ventilators and dehumidifiers. Each of our units, like the new FORCE 9 is carefully engineered and built tough for demanding jobs. Dry Air Technology strives to provide the best in high quality products and superior customer service.

Dry Air Technology air movers, portable ventilators and accessories will be available mid July 2008 from AIRMOVERS on 02 6650 9691.

AIRMOVERS is a division of The Moisture Meter Company Pty Ltd.

Airmovers solve drying problems

By BRIAN CLARK

H

ow many room nights are lost because of wet carpets after cleaning? How you dry floors after spills, rainwater blown in from window and patio doors left open, and bath overflows? The humble Airmover, or Blower, is an essential and valuable tool to the housekeeping department, yet there are so many hotels out with good carpet extraction equipment but no drying fans. For around $600, a drying fan is probably the best equipment investment that you will ever make.

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CONSTRUCTION: Airmovers take a lot of punishment. They are constantly being thrown on and off cleaning trolleys and are often at work on wet floors. Ensure that there are rubber shoes under the blower to stop it moving across the floor and to prevent damage to the floor surface. The body should be a suitable durable material. Most fans are made of tough, rotationally moulded polyethylene, but a few are still made of metal. Ensure that metal surfaces are properly treated to avoid corrosion and that there are no sharp edges that may snag upholstery, your uniform, bare skin or carpet threads.

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SAFETY: Ensure that your airmover is properly earthed.

Cables should be inspected regularly and replaced if there is any evidence of damage or deterioration. Remember that water and electricity do not go together and blowers are used on a wet surface. Inside the airmover is a cylindrical high-speed fan. There should be a suitable guard in place to prevent small fingers reaching inside and touching the electrical connections and rotating fan.

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CARPET CLAMP: There are a number of airmovers on the market that are fitted with carpet clamps. These are really handy when drying rugs. Sometimes it is necessary to dry a saturated carpet from the bottom up, as the backing or subfloor may retain moisture. A section of carpet is pulled away from the tack strips and the airmover is inserted under the carpet and underlay. The clamp prevents the carpet edges from being blown back from the airmover. However, it is not advisable to attempt this unless you are skilled in water restoration and odour control procedures and are able to stretch and relay carpet afterwards.

How to choose a good dryer There are so many dryers out there, and they all look basically the same, but there are several things you should look for in a blower.

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MOTOR: The motor should provide sufficient power to generate maximum airflow. The industry norm is ¾ Hp. Multiple speeds are essential and most quality blowers offer three output levels. Why? Not all areas are the same size.

For instance, a lower speed is preferable for drying a rug or a small room while a much larger airflow is required to dry ballrooms or public areas.

OUTPUT: If you are going to be using the dryer in large areas, the more airflow the better. As most airmovers are US made, the output is usually expressed in cubic feet per minute (CFM). Look for the manufacturer’s stated output. It should be stated in the product literature. Manufacturers’ claims for output vary greatly and range from 2000 CFM through to over 5000 CFM. AIRFLOW EFFICIENCY: Your fan may punch out more air than any one else, but if the airflow is not down at floor level, all you are doing is providing a cooling breeze. To check airflow efficiency, turn the airmover to maximum output in a large, open area. Stand in front of the airmover and lower your hand, palm down, until you feel the upper level of the airflow. It should be quite pronounced. Now move away from the airmover, bringing your hand up as you walk to the top level of the air movement. Move out about 10-12 metres.

You should feel a strong current of air around your legs and your hand should be no higher than the mid thigh region. If the airflow is at chest level or is barely noticeable, it may be advisable to look for another brand of airmover.

Using an Airmover Make using your airmover the norm, not the exception. This is where they pay for themselves and ensure that carpets and hard floors are always clean and dry. >

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 55

Room cleaning and drying < When you have cleaned a room or want to dry the carpet after a spillage of bath overflow, place the airmover facing into the room, opening the windows if possible, to provide flow through ventilation. Your carpet cleaning technician can now start cleaning the next room About halfway through the job check the first room and move the airmover to blow beside the bed. Ensure that loose papers, photos in frames and small ornaments are removed before you turn on the blower.

Large area cleaning When cleaning large areas, utilise your airmover to dry the area already cleaned. Plan your cleaning operation to cause minimum disruption to people using the area. Using your extraction equipment, clean 10 metre sections at a time.

Position your airmovers to dry the section just cleaned while your team is working on the next section. The last thing out the door should be the airmover.

the first coat. They save you hours in lost time. Blowers can also be used to improve air circulation and therefore polish drying times in corners and aisle ends with restricted circulation by directing the airflow into the air. However, one of the traps here is blowing dust from high shelves and fixtures onto your wet polish. Airmovers should never be played directly onto drying polish as it will cause powdering and hinder film formation.

Finally, airmovers will have little or no benefit in high humidity, other than providing a cooling breeze. Owning airmovers does not make you a flood and water restoration expert. You need specialist equipment like dehumidifiers and practical skills before you even attempt this area of the trade.

However the airmover buzzing quietly in the next room while you clean is going to put more customers in more rooms, more often.

Clean dry floors are what your customers want. It should be what you do! n

Hard floor drying Airmovers are also a bonus when working in hard floor surfaces.

Restrooms and access corridors in 24 hour facilities can be dried in seconds to prevents slips and resoiling. Strip and seal teams also use blowers to help dry the floor after rinsing and before

Breaking News:

UPDATED STANDARD OFFERS GREATER PROTECTION TO WORKERS IN CONFINED SPACES

S

tandards Australia has published the new edition of AS/NZS 2865 Confined Spaces with new requirements to improve the protection and safety of workers in or near a confined space.

AS/NZS 2865 is one of the more broadly used Standards in Australian industry. It is intended to ensure that people working in or near a confined space such as a storage tank, silo, sewer, sullage pit or similar structure are operating within a safe environment. Certain requirements stipulated in the Standard are mandatory.

The Standard prescribes procedures and techniques to identify risks and sets out control measures for ensuring the safety of those who must enter or carry out tasks associated with a confined space.

Hazards could include oxygen supply,

Brian Clark Janitech Australasia Mobile: +61 (0) 414 944615 Office: + 61 (0)7 5576 5499 Fax: +61 (07) 5576 8990

airborne contaminants that may cause loss of consciousness, asphyxiation or injury from explosion or engulfment from liquid resulting in suffocation or drowning.

• Australian Steel Institute

To clear up confusion on how to assess whether or not a particular area qualifies as a confined space, AS 2865-2009 clarifies the process for identifying possible risks and assessing the space. New guidance diagrams are provided to help identify a confined space, and recommendations for training and competency of users have been introduced.

• NSW Department of Primary industries, Mineral Resources

Debate regarding the wording and intent of a range of clauses took place during the revision process, largely as a result of the diversity of users and the importance to occupational health and safety.

The revision was undertaken by joint Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand Committee SF-037 Work in Confined Spaces, comprising representatives from: • Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry • Australian Industry Group • Australian Institute of Industrial Hygienists • Australian Manufacturing Workers Union • Australian Maritime Safety Authority

• Department of Labour New Zealand • Energy Networks Association • Engineers Australia

• NSW Mines Rescue • Local Government Association of Queensland • Safe Work Australia • Safety Institute of Australia • Water Services Association of Australia AS 2865-2009 is available for purchase from Standards Australia’s publisher and distributor, SAI Global at www.saiglobal.com n

Standards Australia is a not-for-profit organisation, recognised by the Government as Australia’s peak Standards body. It coordinates standardisation activities, develops internationally aligned Australian Standards that deliver Net Benefit to Australia, and facilitates the accreditation of other Standards Development Organisations. Through the Australian International Design Awards it promotes excellence in design and innovation. www.standards.org.au www.designawards.com.au www.australiandesign.org

ADVERTORIAL

Aspen Pumps Launch New Condensate Pumps Economy Retail Refrigeration Pump Standing at a height of only 75mm, the new, ‘Low Profile’ ERRP from Aspen Pumps is a simple but very effective solution for the removal of condensate water from directly underneath refrigeration units. Ideal for individual refrigeration units with minimal space available underneath.

Condensate water drains directly from the refrigerator during the auto defrost cycle into the 3.5Lt tank, which is then pumped away quickly via two filters to catch any debris.

The design shares many ‘service engineer friendly’ features with the larger, established ERRP, including lightweight and easy-toclean plastic tank and covers, plus a push-in electrical plug and recessed handles at either end to enable easy installation and servicing.

The unit can pump away up to 190 Lt/hr, with a maximum operating head of 21 metres. It uses a thermally protected 230V motor and features a high-level safety switch.

This user-friendly pump will be hard to beat!

Mini Blanc – Air Conditioning Condensate Pump Aspen also announces latest addition to its global leading range of condensate removal pumps, the Mini Blanc.

Designed to be fitted below the indoor unit, the Mini Blanc offers an extremely easy to install mini pump for all Hi Wall split air conditioners. More importantly it is very easy to maintain!

Suitable for both commercial and domestic installations, the quick fit pump is simply screwed to the wall and connected using a push in electrical plug.

Manufactured in the UK the Mini Blanc has a flow rate of 12 Lt/hr and a maximum operating head of 10m, it is suitable for indoors units up to 10kw.

For more information on these new condensate pumps, contact Aspens Australian distributor: Pro Pipe Supplies Pty Ltd Phone 08 8268 8633 enquiries@propipesupplies.com.au or go to www.aspenpumps.com

Pulse Audio Visual Chose Jands For Award-Winning Venue from background audio in the gaming lounge and bistro through to moderate level background / foreground music for places such as the courtyard and general bar area. We’ve then got a system capable of running a DJ upstairs, a band or DJ downstairs as well as two function areas capable of background / foreground volume levels as well as speech reproduction.”

The lounge area of the venue features a combination on ceiling and surface mount JBL speakers including six JBL Control 26CT ceiling speakers through the majority of the space with a Control 19CST ceiling subwoofer.

“We’ve also got four Control 25T and a couple of Control 28T speakers where there was very little clearance in the ceiling and so we couldn’t use in-ceiling speakers,” said Adam. “There’s also a small stage area with a pair of JBL AM4212/95 speakers and two JBL JRX18SP subwoofers. These were a bit of an afterthought as the owners initially wanted the acts to bring in their own PA systems. Fortunately we had left enough room in the processing and so forth, we could easily pop another couple of amplifiers and speakers in.”

For foldback there are a couple of JBL PRX-512M wedges as well as a JBL PRX-525 drumfill speaker. A Soundcraft FX16 16-channel mixing console with onboard effects was also installed.

The bistro, which features nine JBL Control 26CT speakers, opens out onto a courtyard area serviced by six JBL Control 25AV weatherproof speakers. The upstairs and downstairs verandas each house five JBL Control 25T weatherproof speakers.

I

n July the GV Hotel won the prestigious Best Redeveloped Hotel Award (for the whole of Australia) at the AHA National Awards for Excellence 2009.

After seven months and a complete refurbishment at the cost of over $5 million, the only recognisable feature left is the famous exterior of the old hotel. Inside has been beautifully redesigned and refitted and is truly remarkable.

Pulse Audio Visual was asked to design and install the best in audio and consequently they specified a JBL-dominated system.

“We were asked to design a multi zone audio and visual system capable of running separate sources and volume levels in different areas of the venue,” explained Adam Dullens, Pulse Audio Visual’s director. “That was everything

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Function room one is fairly large and so required fifteen JBL Control 24CT in-ceiling speakers plus five JBL Control 19CST in-ceiling subwoofers. This opens up onto a smaller function room that has eight JBL Control 24CT speakers.

The upstairs lounge uses eight JBL Control26CT speakers with a Control 19CST subwoofer. The dance floor area is serviced by the JBL Control 300 series as the client didn’t want the speakers to be too visible. ”We used two JBL Control 328C ceiling speakers with two JBL Control 312CS subwoofers but we also put in a pair of JBL JRX118SP subwoofers and essentially ran it as a threeway system,” explained Adam. “It works well – we originally did it without the JRX118’s but it was lacking a little bit. It was missing the bottom end kick, however once the JRX118’s were added it sounded fantastic. They make a huge difference and the customer is rapt with it!” >

Crown amplifiers are used throughout the venue: six of the XLS Series and seven of the CDI Series which run in 70 volt line mode to run the in ceiling and Control Contractor speakers.

“We’re using two dbx Zonepro 1261 multi-zone audio processors cascaded together to give twelve in and twelve out throughout the zone,” revealed Adam. “We’ve put in the dbx ZC-Fire interface units as well so that they didn’t have to install a separate evac system throughout – they can just patch the evac system into our audio system.

no effects or gimmicks. You can tell it’s based around sound quality and the EQ on it just sounds fantastic.”

Since completing the GV Hotel Pulse Audio Visual installed a comprehensive Jands-supplied audio system into Melbourne’s Harbourtown Hotel, owned by the same clients. They are currently also installing heaps of JBL, dbx and Crown gear into other venues around Melbourne. n

“We put dbx processors into all of our venues as the keypads are so easy to use and are inexpensive so we can put them into all the bars and zones without blowing the budget out. One of the most important things is that we can set maximum volume levels for each zone which is something clients really like.”

Adam chose to install a Soundcraft Urei 1605 DJ Club Mixer into the DJ booth as well as Stanton slipmats, a pair of Stanton V-500 DJ cartridges and a JBL Eon 10G2 DJ monitor.

“The Urei is a fantastic mixer,” commented Adam. “It has seven channels on it with microphone input on every channel as well so it can double up as a small performance mixer if the need arises. The mixer is definitely a no-nonsense console mixer with

ADVERTORIAL

The new Pullman from Electrolux Tough on laundry, gentle on the environment

T

he new range of Pullman washer Extractors from Electrolux Laundry have not only been designed to meet the demands of a busy Hotel laundry, but with the addition of over a tonne of steel they are heavy and reliable work-horses that also ensure the optimum operating environment for staff and our environment.

The new Pullman range is available in capacities from 70 – 110Kg. The new Pullman range, like all Electrolux product has been manufactured to ISO14001 environmental standards and has the same water and energy endorsements as the rest of the range.

Built tough for the laundry, but gentle for the environment…

For more information please contact Electrolux Laundry Systems on 1300 550 546 (AU wide) or email sales@electroluxlaundry.com.au

Not only has Electrolux added a tonne of steel to these machines, but along with the pneumatic suspension the machine is remarkably stable even during full extraction. The reinforced, simplified transmission and constant belt tensioning by gravity assures you of a constant and precise rotation speed.

The automatic door locking positions the drum in the correct position for loading or unloading each and every time.

Clarus Control is standard on the new Pullman range and features the Clarus TS (Touch Screen). Easy to use, and like all Clarus machines is fully programmable with the flexibility of a pre-set timer (new date/time format) and up to 192 custom made programs that can be changed on demand to meet your requirements.

The Clarus TS on the Pullman range also features explicit text messages for error codes providing the operator with a first fix option or code for reporting back to the service department for easy serviceability.

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 61

Why it pays to know where your Assets are: A guide for Hotel Owners

By DAN DRUM

I

n the current period of economic uncertainty, hotel and hospitality organisations alike are looking for new ways to protect the revenue and limit losses. This ethos naturally extends to getting the most from the equipment used by staff and guests within hotels and deferring unnecessary purchases where possible.

The practice of ‘Asset Tracking’ supports hotels and hospitality organisations in times of economic instability by offering the ability maximise staff and equipment output through accurately locating and redeploying existing equipment, limiting the need to buy new ones, reducing labour costs, improving profits, and increasing guest and customer satisfaction by making sure inroom equipment is working and if not, then a replacement is easily located and used.

For a hotel to operate efficiently, staff must be able to locate and access all equipment when the need arises. This can extend from situations whereby electronic equipment used to for guest ‘check ins’ becomes faulty and being unsure if there are any back-ups within the hotel or new pieces need to be ordered, to managing the car fleet a hotel may run to transport guests. By having visibility over all of the assets within a hotel, managers are able to rapidly identify replacement assets to limit staff downtime and audit / rationalise that equipment which is not being used.

Today there are two primary technologies which can be used for Asset Tracking in the hotel sector; barcode technology and RFID. Using barcode technology, hotel managers can minimise time monitoring the location and status of assets within one venue or across multiple sites to pool high value assets. The value of the barcode lies in its accuracy and efficiency. It is an incredibly robust, reliable technology that costs virtually cents to produce and yields high returns on investment. Coupling barcode technology with a leading Asset Tracking system, such as The Hardcat Barcode Auditing Module, enables organisations to accurately identify fixed and portable assets - from hotel owned vehicles, entertainment equipment used with guest rooms to IT equipment used by staff. Asset information is recorded via

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a hand-held barcode reader, which has a pre-programmed interrogation system enabling the system user to collate data efficiently, accurately and in an organized and efficient format.

Proven Asset tracking systems enable hotels to quickly replace any assets that are damaged or faulty in as soon as a problem arises, by knowing where the replacement equipment is instantly.

If a hotel guest requests that a television set is replaced in their room due to being faulty, they do not want to hear the hotel staff complaining about their inability to find a suitable replacement set. They expect and deserve a response which is both timely and efficient; otherwise the hotel should not be counting on their return business. Even if there is a case where there is no replacement equipment available for use, the customers will appreciate honest and timely feedback on their situation.

While traditional equipment like bar codes and bar code readers are still often relied upon for Asset Tracking purposes, recent advances in RFID technology offer hotels powerful Asset Tracking benefits. RFID can offer unique benefits within hotel environments as the technology can be faster and more accurate than bar code readers because it is automated, and thus does not depend on people to ensure that tags are read, either at all or quickly enough.

Importantly, RFID technology’s ability to track and trace food products through the supply chain offers real benefits to a hotel’s restaurant or in-house food preparation facility. The food served within a restaurant housed in a hotel or via room service is a direct reflection on the quality of the hotel itself. Through being able to manage and have visibility on the quality of the food products arriving at the hotel prior to being served to guests helps to ensure service levels and guest expectations are met.

Using RFID to automatically capture serial numbers or lot codes on food pallets and cartons processed at distribution centres provides a new level of traceability without requiring timeconsuming manual data collection. By accurately and efficiently capturing lot codes, hotel restaurants and food preparation areas can confidently target their recalls so unaffected products would not have to be destroyed, thus protecting guests and limiting food wastage.

If in the unlikely case a patron becomes ill as a result of food and beverage provided by the hotel, RFID Asset Tracking allows for a hotel to be able to back-track the entire journey of the food products in question and help to identify the source of the problem – be that as a result of kitchen practices or contaminated food products which arrived at the hotel. The concept of being able to chart the history of food products from ‘farm to fork’ is quickly being adapted within the hotel sector to

help protect brand and venue reputation through new quality control measures.

Due to the economic downturn currently being experienced throughout the APAC region, many hotel owners / managers are understandably weary about approving expenditure on new technology. However, the return on investment available from utilising proven asset tracking solutions ensures that the technology actually pays for itself. Based on over 20 years of industry experience, by employing Hardcat technology and asset tracking expertise and software, even a relatively small hotel (less than 25 employees) with 500 assets can save over $30,000 per annum.

Asset tracking aims to deliver cost savings for hotels at a time when they need it most. Given not all Asset Tracking systems are alike; the implementation of the technology is not always easy, nor straightforward. What is required is help from a trusted Asset Tracking partner, such as Hardcat, that has over 22 years of experience in the sector. Visit: www.hardcat.com n Dan Drum is Managing Director of Hardcat, a world leader in Asset Management solutions, supporting an ever growing list of major organisations. Hardcat can provide your organisation with a comprehensive asset management software solution that allows your assets to be managed throughout their life cycle process. For further information about Hardcat and their world leading Asset Tracking Solutions please call +613 9695 5400 or visit: www.hardcat.com

Dimpleflo – New Ultra-Deep Dimples

A

ustralia’s leading Heat Transfer Solutions provider has released a new DEEP Dimple evolution of their proven Dimpleflo Heat Exchanger range.

The DEEP Dimple design results in the Australian designed and produced, Dimpleflo Heat Exchanger, achieving unprecedented Heat Transfer Co-Efficients when processing, slurries and viscous products or waste streams.

The DEEP Dimple design eliminates laminar flow characteristics that prevent traditional Heat Exchangers from processing high viscosity products, efficiently. Products that can be processed through the DEEP Dimpleflo, include mining slurries, ammonium nitrate solutions, thickened sewerage sludge etc.

The attached photograph depicts a viscous food product exiting a DEEP Dimple Heat Transfer tube. Dimpleflo Heat Exchangers generate levels turbulence similar to a scraped-surface without the high capital or maintenance costs.

The new DEEP Dimple design can be incorporated into most of the existing of ‘Dimpleflo’ range and retains features such as: • Designed and manufactured in Australia for over 20 Years.

• Flexibility in heat transfer design to meet specific dimensional or functional requirements.

• Unique Dimple profiled Monotube enables a self-draining, high efficiency heat exchanger that is virtually unblockable.

• Dimple Profile to promote a highly turbulent flow and thus maximize heat transfer coefficients.

• Can be constructed using corrosion-resistant alloys such as 2205 Duplex and Titanium.

• Short lead times.

• Requires minimal maintenance.

For further information, contact Teralba Industries Pty. Ph: 02 4626 5000 Fax: 02 4625 4591

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

Survival of the greenest

By ROMILLY MADEW Chief Executive, Green Building Council of Australia

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

I

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Neil Weenink’s

Back of House M

adeleine and I have a notion of re-visiting the Truk Islands, which are part of the Federated States of Micronesia located mid-ocean at 7 degrees North latitude.

And of course if you have not visited the Truk Lagoon, believe us, you should be making a Plan. Truk Lagoon, [also known today as Chuuk,] is a sheltered body of water almost 80 kilometres long by 40 kilometres wide surrounded by a protective reef. During World War II, Truk Lagoon served as the forward anchorage for the Japanese Imperial Fleet. The place was considered the most formidable of all Japanese strongholds in the Pacific. Some have described it as Japan’s equivalent of Pearl Harbour.

Once the American forces captured the Marshall Islands on their long trek across the Pacific towards Japan, they used it as a base from which they launched an early morning attack on February 17, 1944 against the Truk Lagoon. The Japanese withdrew most of their heavy units.

Operation Hailstone lasted for three days, with an American bombardment of the Japanese wiping out almost anything of value - 60 ships and 275 airplanes were sent to the bottom of the lagoon.

The Lagoon Dive Shop located on the grounds of the Blue Lagoon Dive Resort, formerly known as the Truk Continental Hotel and giving divers an opportunity to enjoy “the World’s Greatest Wreck Diving” opened its doors to divers in November 1973. And ten years later, Madeleine and I arrived in this most beautiful area of the western Pacific to manage the facilities of all Continental Airlines hotels, including the properties on Saipan, Guam, Palau and Truk, all of which were wiped out during WW2.

Thus it was that recently I was looking at some photos of what was the Truk Continental Hotel on the southern tip of Weno Island, and just a short speedboat

ride to the now famous Lagoon. This was one of the hotels under my care, here it was that many delightful periods were spent training staff, advising, recommending against the odds, and generally doing what you do. So that I was interested in these photos to note a line-up of condensing units on the rooftop, and my mind went back to that night I received a phone call in the Manila Hotel in the Philippines.

It was from the President of Continental Hotels, WH Charlock or ‘whiskey hotel charley’ as he was fondly called.

“Weenink,” says he, “Get your backside into gear and move it to Truk. Now!” then “Whatdyamean why? The central facilities have blown up and the hotel’s closed. Now move it!”

The Manila Hotel, 80 years young, is another of those must see/must stay properties. Here it was where General McArthur uttered those words, and giant Pan American flying boats berthed out front of the hotel in the early heydays of trans-pacific flight.

[If memory serves, the hotel staff to guest ratio during my time was 2.5.

Think about that and weep…] And so I flew out on Pan Am’s new fangled 707 to Guam then onwards to Truk by an ancient prop driven workhorse. And my first glimpse of the disaster on the ground is an image still catalogued as I write these words. I kid you not, the hotel central facilities was just a smouldering mess.

Workshops, stores, all AC plant, laundry and equipment, housekeeping, steam boilers, and so on. Fortunately and due to previous irksome experiences with gents from Insurance Agencies, I was armed with cameras and rolls of film.

And so it began. And nothing comes close to the gut wrenching of these investigations, as those who have had the experience will agree. In this case it soon appeared that the epicentre

of the explosion and subsequent wipeout was the oil fired water tube boiler.

Completely demolished. Bits everywhere, but fortunately none imbedded within the frailty of humans. What was the single cause of the explosion was never found; one is tempted to say never revealed.

There have been countless boiler explosions over the years wherever steam energy is generated, and the cause has usually been one of a handful of factors.

In the ‘Truk incident’ however, there was a suspicion of human cover-up and it was necessary to fabricate a ‘probability of failure’ within the boiler pressure vessel with which the Insurance Assessor was suitably cajoled into making the appropriate decision.

And so we eventually got a spanking new facilities centre, with every darned thing being air freighted in. Chillers, boilers, the works. And thus it was too that we celebrated the turning on of chilled water across to the hotel following 6-months of closure. So why did that picture show air-cooled condenser sets along the rooftops?

Come to think of it, this wouldn’t be the first time that chilled water was unaccountably diverted for other purposes…

Would it?

Stay well, Neil Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 65

Energy Efficiency in buildings –

what is slowing us down?

By DEBORAH LEAROYD Honeywell Building Solutions

W

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

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

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

Energy efficiency projects can be implemented today with existing technology to provide a positive return on investment. However, they are hard to sell as a key strategy in the overall climate change debate as they consist of a range of small and fragmented individual efficiency improvements which collectively can contribute to a significant energy saving across a building. They include things like installing energy efficient lighting; adjusting temperature set-points; or installing variable speed drives for your pumps and fans. According to Amory Levins, cofounder and chairman of the non-profit Rocky Mountains Institute “increasing end-use efficiency is generally

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the largest, least expensive, most benign, most quickly deployable, least visible least understood and most neglected way to provide energy services”.

One method of implementing energy efficiency projects is through an Energy Performance Contract (EPC). In an EPC, the savings generated by the energy efficiency improvements are used to finance the initial capital investment of the project and the performance is guaranteed by the energy services companies implementing the project.

This means that the project can be implemented without up-front capital investment and without risk from the building owner.

Current barriers to the implementation of these projects are that building owners pass on the cost of utilities to their tenants, so there is little incentive for the building owners to reduce this cost. Building owners do not see energy efficiency as a high priority to address unless it impacts on their ability to gain or retain tenants. Building owners are also unaware of how to go about implementing energy efficiency projects and of the ease with which these projects can be completed. Even with a positive return on investment, building owners are unlikely to take on any energy efficiency project unless their ROI payback periods are very short or they are well supported throughout the project.

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

to improve energy efficiency in buildings and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions will continue to be missed.

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

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

Regulation (a.k.a “the stick”) Introducing regulation will ensure that the government creates long-term behavioural change in the industry.

Mandatory disclosure of energy efficiency performance of buildings ensures that buildings can be easily compared against their peers. For example, all buildings above a certain size should have a NABERS assessment which is updated annually and publicly available.

The government can then mandate energy reduction targets for buildings.

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

act or risk losing those great long term government tenants in their buildings.

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

They can do this by identifying high profile opportunities to sponsor and promote successful energy efficiency projects to educate the market or they can lead by example by implementing projects with government owned or occupied buildings. The Queensland Government Energy Management Strategy (GEMS) group is a great example of this. This group has set clear energy reduction targets for Queensland Government

Buildings and has established a team of people to help facilitate the tender, evaluation, selection, implementation and measurement process for government departments achieving those savings.

Measurement of Success

on and allows problems to be corrected as they happen is essential. Otherwise, if owners rely on the energy utility to send a quarterly invoice showing their consumption over the last 3 months, it is too late to fix any problems when they occur.

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

Before implementing energy efficiency projects, building owners must have a good understanding of current usage patters. Are the necessary energy meters in place to provide the granularity of energy reporting needed? First step in understanding energy usage is to have the appropriate amounts of metering and some sort of Energy Management System to capture and report on energy usage across the building or site. A system which provides a real-time view of what is going

Another benefit of a robust measurement and management system is that buildings can be benchmarked against one another. Each building is different but insights gained through benchmarking are valuable tools to ensuring that the building is performing as well as it possibly can. Large property owners, such as trusts, may wish to take a portfolio view of their energy consumption. What may appear to be a small improvement to energy efficiency in one building can turn into a significant boost to the bottom line when applied across all buildings in the portfolio.

Persistence A one time improvement in energy efficiency gained through installing the latest plant equipment is great but this benefit can easily be eroded over time. By having a robust Energy Management System which continues to monitor energy usage, compare to previous data and against benchmarks and a system which will alert owners to problems in a timely manner, the energy savings gained are retained and it is possible to stop the slow decline in the improvements already made. Energy efficiency is not a one-time investment.

It requires continued vigilance to ensure that improvements fought hard for initially are maintained and new problems are identified and addressed in a timely manner.

In summary, energy efficiency is not a technical challenge. A range of innovative technology exists today to address energy efficiency. New technology is appearing in the market frequently. The real challenge of energy efficiency is at the policy level to change the behaviour of the industry and in management to maintain efficiency benefits over time. n

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

1

Vattenfall “Global Mapping of Greenhouse Gas Abatement Opportunities” Jan, 2007

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 67

Now is the Perfect Time to Green up the Laundry

By RANDY F. RADTKE Alliance Laundry Systems

questions above may indicate the efficiency of the laundry could use some improvement.

One way to handle staffing efficiency may be to stagger the work schedule, which requires washer-extractors with a delayed start function. Washer-extractors can be loaded before staff leaves for the day and programmed to start an hour before the first employees arrive the next day. From there, the morning shift can transfer clean loads to the dryers. A second group of employees then could be scheduled to arrive just prior to the first drying cycles being completed.

O

ccupancy rates are down around the world and the Australian market it no different. While this isn’t exactly great news for hoteliers, it does offer opportunities for staff to pause, regroup and re-examine the systems in place. With a little of the day-to-day pressure taken away, the property owners are in a better position to review operations, looking for improved efficiency.

“This is actually a great time to survey your laundry room,” said Jeffrey Hopkins, regional sales manager serving Australia for Alliance Laundry Systems, a world leader in manufacturing commercial laundry equipment. “As occupancy rates are generally lower, laundry volumes are lower as well. This makes it easier to review how things are running and determine if there are areas where efficiency can be improved.”

Staff Time Before even investigating equipment operations, you may want to look first at staffing. Has the operation needed to add additional personnel or during busy times, has overtime been needed to handle the increased volumes of laundry?

“Of all the expenses facing a laundry, labor stands as the largest,” Hopkins said, adding that answering yes to the

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Another approach may be examining just how “green” the washing side is. Laundry rarely arrives at one time. Is the operation utilizing washer-extractors with too-large of a capacity?

That may mean one of two things: first, washers could be under loaded frequently, which wastes water, chemicals and utilities; or labor is being wasted as the staff is spending time waiting for a full load to accumulate.

“Often the greener and more efficient staffing option is installing two smaller washer-extractors versus installing one large unit,” Hopkins said. Not only does this keep loads moving, but it also gives the operation a back-up plan should one washer be down for repairs or service.

Green up the Laundry Hoteliers know green is here to stay. Those savvy enough to embrace it throughout their property have reaped the operational savings. But has the green concept been followed through and into the laundry?

“True, the current world economy may not make this an attractive time to purchase new equipment. But the utility and water savings to be gained can quickly offset the capital costs,” said David Braatvedt, owner of Andrew Barton, a Brisbane, Australia-based distributor of UniMac laundry equipment.

The first step toward a greener laundry is taking a look at the age of the equipment; washers and dryers that are 10 or more years old likely aren’t delivering the best efficiency for the laundry. And

that inefficiency gets amplified with each load that’s processed.

“Two major features you should be looking for on your washer-extractor are high-speed extraction and selectable water levels,” Braatvedt said, adding that if your laundry doesn’t have them, it’s likely in need of a “green” update.

High-speed extraction is the first step in conserving utilities on the drying side. The higher the G-force, the more water that is removed and the less drying time is required. But just how big is the difference between a washer with a 200 G-force extraction cycle and one with a 300 G-force cycle?

A 60-pound load of terry cloth towels will retain roughly 67 percent moisture at 200 G-force, while residual moisture would drop to 57 percent at 300 G-force. Again, when multiplied by the number of loads a laundry is processing each day, the savings in both time and utilities can be great.

Likewise, programmable water levels beyond the normal three options can produce additional savings.

“Multiple water levels and further advanced cycle programmability are virtual necessities to reducing operating costs, while still producing top-level finished quality,” Hopkins said.

Some washer-extractors today, such as UniMac and Speed Queen models, have 30 or more fill level options. Such versatility enables operations to fine-tune levels to the minimum needed to get good clean results. These seemingly small savings per cycle can add up to tens of thousands of liters of water saved annually.

Likewise, today’s high-feature controls, such as UniMac’s UniLinc system offer advanced programmability as well as virtually limitless data on operations. These operations reports ensure staff is utilizing prescribed wash cycles properly and can help uncover equipment issues that could result in wasted water, utilities, labor or unplanned down time.

“Controls such as UniLinc help management keep an eye on the laundry and its efficiency, even when they are cannot be there, Braatvedt said. “Having this level of functionality I believe will become standard for operations truly focused on green,” he added.

Drying Green With 70 percent of a laundry’s utility consumption coming on the drying side, it’s imperative to utilize the most efficient dryers possible. And balance is the key.

“Efficient drying is the result of a balance of heat, airflow and tumble action,” Hopkins said, adding that “there’s so much misinformation in the industry that paints Btus as the lone measure of speed and efficiency; not true.”

But green doesn’t just begin and end with an efficient model.

Again, processes have to be in place to tap into that. The first step is ensuring staff is utilizing the dryer’s full capacity. Second, is not over drying loads.

“Drying tumblers that have programmable dry cycles are extremely helpful in guarding against wasteful over drying of linens,” Braatvedt said.

Auto dry cycles are programmed to achieve a set moisture level. When the load meets that moisture level, it begins the cool down cycle.

Final Thoughts These are just a few thoughts on obtaining a greener laundry operation. Managers can take things further by working with their chemical company representative and reviewing wash cycles. They may find areas where hot water usage can be cut out or reduced to conserve utilities and other steps in certain cycles that could be cut out all together to reduce water consumption.

The point is that now is an excellent time to review current laundry procedures and equipment. A laundry that has been retooled for the ultimate efficiency will deliver just that as occupancy rates rise in the near future. That means savings that quickly add up to pay for the purchase of the new, more efficient equipment. n

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 69

Maintenance of Good Environmental Practices

By Dr. TREVOR THORNTON Waste Audit and Consultancy Services

why are we seemingly failing to heed the call for action by each and all of us?

Is it due to the fact that we find it difficult to relate actions and potential outcomes with achieving realistic gains in environmental performance? If this is so, why do other messages about behaviour change work and environmental ones don’t?

Hotels are one sector, like many others that impact on the environment. However, unlike a manufacturing company that can simply change raw materials or processes, hotels can’t. They need to continue to provide the services that guests want.

T

he community is becoming increasingly aware and concerned over issues such as waste generation, greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency, water conservation and resource depletion. As a result many industries and businesses have started to assess how their activities affect the environment. In response to these issues as well as pressure brought by the wider community, many businesses are examining what they do and produce, responding with “greener” products and using “greener” processes.

In September 2008, we used the total quantity of resources that we should have consumed in the full year. This means that we are continuing to use resources at a far quicker rate than we should. In 2008, this occurred a week earlier than in 2007 – how much quicker will we continue to use resources and pollute the planet in 2009?

The question is why? Given the many messages about the need to conserve resources, reduce water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and care for the wider environment,

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And this is also where the answer lies. Many interviews with hotel management indicate that there is a reluctance to change services as the guests may not respond favourably. Yet, interviews with the wider community suggest that they are in fact looking for, and are sometimes even willing to pay a little more, services that are better for the environment.

This suggests that hotels apart from the benefits to themselves from reducing environmental impacts, should seriously consider implementing options as guests are starting to question why such options are not being introduced. Quite simply, why when the guest goes to a park there are recycling systems similar to what they have at home, but in the hotel there generally is not.

Someone once said that sustainability is “the slipperiest piece of soap in the shower”. How appropriate for the housekeeping fraternity. But what does it mean. Probably, that no matter what you do, do you ever actually catch the soap and say that you have a sustainable organisation. Being an environmentally responsible organisation such as a hotel is not easy. However though, the rewards are great – not only environmentally, but often also economically.

It is important to have good information and data on what is being disposed of in the waste stream so you can make

decisions on what actions are needed to reduce wastes, but also ensure that you continue to provide quality services to your guests. After all, no point in placing an assortment of containers in the guests room for all manner of recyclables if none of them are being generated.

Audits of waste streams from hotels have provided some interesting insights. In a Sydney hotel, the following was found in the general waste stream:

conducting your evaluation of waste minimisation potential, the following questions can be asked: •

what wastes can be reduced at source

•

do purchasing policies incorporate waste minimisation principles

•

can wastes that cannot be reduced, be recycled

•

are the necessary resources for reducing or recycling wastes available

•

do employees want to participate is management committed

•

43% by volume of the general waste was recyclable materials.

•

Of the total waste generated: 47% of cardboard, 89% of glass, approximately 100 toilet rolls that had at least ½ of the paper remaining, 2 dozen tissue boxes that had at least 2/3 remaining, linen equivalent to 7 hotel rooms (all in excellent condition), had been placed in this stream from the housekeeping department.

•

What this shows amongst other things, is that the housekeeping department is a major contributor to the waste stream and by implementing better systems, there can be greater diversion of materials to recycling – this is a much better approach than in sending them to landfill.

While detailed audits are complex, there are other approaches.

Conducting regularly scheduled waste assessments (or visual inspections), of the waste streams as well as actually measuring the total amount generated, strategies can be developed based on this information. Just as importantly, by ensuring staff are aware of what to measure and how, these waste assessments can be conducted regularly for all areas of the hotel, nit just housekeeping.

While the waste assessment will provide relatively accurate data on the types of wastes being generated and how they are being managed, it won’t give detail as to why. For the answer to the “why”, you will need to conduct what is called a “site analysis”.

This is a review of waste management procedures throughout the hotel. It would be expected that the site analysis would identify whether placement of waste containers is satisfactory, are there signs instructing guests/staff where to deposit different types of waste, are there any potential hazards, are there containers for recyclables etc. In short, this process is trying to answer “why are materials going into the waste stream and what systems would ensure that these materials are recycled”.

Of course the preferred approach is in avoiding waste generation in the first instance. If the waste assessment reveals that there is a significant quantity of unread newspapers going into the general waste, don’t just think recycling is the answer.

Question why there are so many, how many does the hotel purchase each day, survey over a month to see if you can actually reduce the volume without detracting from guest needs – this is the preferred approach.

As indicated, data guides the decision making process.

However, it is important to ensure that careful analysis is undertaken of options to ensure the best one is chosen. In

The most promising options should then be subjected to a feasibility study, during which: •

technical viability

•

cost effectiveness

•

environmental applications

•

occupational health and safety requirements

•

ease of implementation

•

are evaluated and compared with current practices and products.

The analysis should consider the following criteria.

•

economic

•

technical

•

environmental impacts

•

occupational health and safety

•

legislative/regulatory

•

social

It is not sufficient to conduct a superficial analysis of alternatives regarding whether one is cheaper and appears to be better for the environment than the other. Often you may find that once you have factored in waste disposal costs one alternative that may on purchase price seem cheaper actually works out to be more expensive.

Don’t forget about hotel purchasing policies. Buying in bulk may look good, but not is stock goes out of date. What packaging are the products wrapped in – are they recyclable or do they need disposing of in the general waste. The latter is an additional cost the hotel has to pay.

Education of staff is another critical aspect for the development of environmental strategies. In terms of waste minimisation/ management a permanent change in the manner in which people approach their work is required so that they consider not only the effective management of waste, but to use items for the overall, long term benefits for the environment and wider community. For example, will their actions contribute to the larger environmental problems, such as the greenhouse effect? Instituting procedures for “waste awareness” and employee training are two possible methods for achieving waste minimisation. >

Hotel Engineer | Vol 14 No. 3 | 71

must also be compatible with business objectives. After all, there can be many environmental strategies implemented, but if they result in a reduction of the business to operate and/or even grow, then it is questionable as to why implement them in the first instance.

Strategies to improve environmental performance must be individual to the organisation and include a proper and detailed process to identify all environmental impacts, analysis of options to reduce those impacts and implementation of the selected options coupled with a staff education program. Having this can make a big difference. n

< Staff do need to gain appropriate knowledge and skills and evaluate their attitudes to the various work practices that lead to the generation of waste if waste minimisation is to succeed.

Ecological sustainable development recognises that if improvements are to be made by any organisation, then they

Having initially obtained a Degree in Education, Trevor Thornton has gained considerable experience in developing specific training programs for industry and presenting education sessions for many sectors of industry and the community. He has lectured widely on waste auditing and waste minimisation techniques.Trevor’s past experiences include being employed by the Victorian Environment Protection Authority, where he was responsible for the development and implementation of many waste management policies, including those for biomedical waste and municipal waste. He was a Senior Waste Management Officer and the EPA’s Local Government Liaison Officer. www.wasteaudit.com.au

View HOTEL ENGINEER online now!

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Visit www.adbourne.com and click on ‘The Hotel Engineer’

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Flying Insect Control in the Hospitality Industry

By GLENN DuBOIS

unclean mops or dishcloths, drainwater in refrigerators and food particles behind kitchen equipment can also support a heavy population of fruit flies. Fruit flies do NOT bite humans but are a nuisance pest and a sign of unclean premises.

Mosquitoes Mosquitoes rely upon water for survival of the larvae stage. Check your locality to ensure no stagnant water containing mosquito larvae. If found, empty the container or use lavender in water pool areas. In large areas contact a professional pest controller.

F

or positive customer goodwill and health reasons, hospitality businesses need to minimise the presence of flies, mosquitoes and other flying insects, particularly in kitchen and indoor eating areas.

Mosquitoes are blood-sucking insects that cause great annoyance and secondary infection to some affected people. Electronic fly traps are highly effective at attracting and killing mosquitoes. In high infestation areas some judicial use of pesticide spay and residual spays may be useful.

Integrated Pest Control Methods

The main culprits we deal with in this article are bush flies, fruit flies and mosquitoes.

According to Glenn DuBois, Technical Director of the APCA Australian Pest Controllers Association Inc, the professional control aspects for a variety flying insects have some common principles.

Bush Flies Bush flies are feared carriers of a range of diseases, pathogens, salmonella and other stomach complaint organisms. Bush flies lay their eggs in cow dung pads, congregate on and eat rancid meat and other decaying food products, and are highly mobile. Flies readily fly directly from filth to the dinner plate. It is true that flies have sucking mouthparts – they need to vomit on solid food to help dissolve and make the food more edible.

Flies breed prolifically all year round in the tropical areas of northern Australia. In spring, the warm northerly winds carry them south, sometimes covering several hundred kilometres in a day. By November they cross Bass Strait to Tasmania and are a major problem in all Australian states. They tend to die out during the colder winters of subtropical areas.

Fruit (Vinegar) Flies Fruit flies are attracted to yeast growth that cause fermentation in (over-ripened) fruit and vegetables. A dirty garbage bin,

Direct chemical treatment of individual flying insects has limited value. Better to concentrate on elimination of potential food sources; prevention of physical access and trapping of the flying insects.

Elimination of potential food sources •

Flying insects are heavily attracted to light, as well as food and moisture Where practicable, eliminate the flying insect breeding sites and food sources. For example, check the garden-laden drain water and clean the gelatinous material in drain pipes.

•

Basic regular cleaning and disinfecting is fundamentally important in reducing the number of potential fly breeding sites.

•

Keep overripe fruit in the refrigerator before fermentation begins.

•

Any contaminated food stuffs should be discarded as soon as practicable.

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Prevention of access to sensitive areas •

Although easier said than done, you should aim to restrict access of outside flying pests to indoor areas. Proper screening and proofing of premises where food or waste is stored, processed or handled is recommended.

•

Install fly screens on doors and windows. Note: fruit flies can gain entry through standard window screening but not 16 mesh or finer screening.

•

These flying insects are heavily attracted to light. Wherever possible use a special yellow light above doorways and windows that is not attractive to insects.

•

Mercury-vapor lamps at such entrances should be replaced with sodium-vapor lamps.

Installation of electronic fly zappers and sticky trap units Flies and mosquitoes by nature use UV rays from the sun to navigate.

According to the APCA, “Fly zappers and traps that use a ultraviolet UV light (not florescent tubes) as an attractant are the most successful at attracting a wide range of flying insects and they are becoming the industry standard for fly control throughout the world”.

tubes, in food processing and hospitality areas, where they will not compete with alternative light sources. Such machines can be wall mounted and ceiling suspended.

The ideal height is about 2 metres above the ground, as this is the height at which fly pest species frequently settle.”

Ensure the machine has a 365nm wavelength – a safe form of UV. Much shorter wavelengths may cause sunburn from prolonged exposure.

The machines must be kept clean and serviced regularly. The blue light tubes wear out (ineffective) and need replacing every 12 months. The APCA recommends siting the machines in such a way that flies are drawn away from sensitive areas, rather than drawn towards them.

Sticky trap units catch flying insects on a glue board, which should be monitored and replaced weekly or monthly depending on intensity of infestation. Advantages include silent operation, lower cost, ease of installation and monitoring. n

For further information – contact Glenn DuBois 1300 660 200 or visit the APCA website www.PestControl.org.au

The APCA recommends the use of “electronic fly zapper and sticky trap machines containing attractant blue UV lighting

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Who’s Afraid of Chemical Complexity?

The role of pH in pool water maintenance Part III of a series about minimizing chloramines in heated indoor public pools.

By ALAN LEWIS

DEFINITION: pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution No matter what form of disinfectant is used for sanitizing a pool, the control of the pH is vital to the efficacy of that disinfection**.

Liquid and granular chlorines (Sodium or Calcium Hypochlorite) both raise the pH in the pool-water since they themselves have very high pH. Chlorine Gas does just the opposite. It forms Hydrochloric Acid as it dissolves into the water and brings the pH down. Ideally we could resolve the problem of fluctuating pH by alternating the type of chlorine feed in accordance with the movement of the pH in the water and thereby control the pH without added chemical control. In other words let us say feed Chlorine Gas until the pH reaches 7.15 and then feed Sodium Hypochlorite until the pH rises to 7.40 and then return to Chlorine Gas feed and so forth. There are considerable technical difficulties in avoiding the accidental mixing of the two chlorines which might lead to some very unsafe situations in the pool or in the plant room – but the efficiency of such a system would be paramount and could indeed save a lot of chemical without the need for excessive buffering.

To the best of my knowledge, no one has yet dared to solve the technical problems inherent in such a concept, but then there is little doubt that with intelligent installation safeguards it should be quite feasible to plan and build a system which would answer all the safety issues. Chlorine gas as the primary disinfectant, is today practiced mainly in Western Australia, where water supplies are naturally rich in Calcium Hardness and Alkalinity due to the Karstic topography which provides the aquifers from which the supply water is drawn. In other words the natural local limestone layers through which rain waters percolate as they seep into the aquifers raises the Alkalinity and Hardness of the water. Most pool chemists appreciate the role that these buffering agents play in minimizing the fluctuation of pH in pools fed with any of these forms of Chlorine. Hence in WA, Chlorine

Gas is in many cases the preferred disinfectant – and by far the most cost effective.

For the rest of Australia other forms of chlorine continually raise the pH in the pool water. This requires the control of that rise with adequate buffering. But buffering is not adequate enough because bathers also create chloramines in the pool which also raise the pH (see earlier article – “If you can’t drink it, why swim in it?” Vol 14, No. 1) and so a gentle application of common acids such as Hydrochloric or Sulphuric acids is usually practiced. With this method, either of these acids reduce the pH quickly and efficiently. However, at the same time they also reduce the buffering agents. This means that in order to keep the pool constantly suitably “balanced”, the pool manager must

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Who’s Afraid of Chemical Complexity?

Sodium (Liquid) or Calcium(granular) Hypochlorite into the pool.

However HOCl it is a very weak acid and tends to disassociate according to the following equation:

The role of pH in pool water maintenance

HOCl (Hypochlorous Acid) «« === »»

H+ (Hydrogen Ion) + OCl- (hypochlorite ion)

This disassociation is reversible dependent on two main factors: 1) The pH and 2) The Temperature

BOC Gasmatic Minibulk tank

continually increase the Alkalinity on a daily basis. The cost of these chemicals is not very onerous, but the water testing, the extra labour and handling of aggressive chemicals, also raise the maintenance costs appreciably, and add to the OH&S worries.

The true calculation is rarely made (chemicals + testing + labour, storing and handling).

This is often the best understood and most commonly used method.

By far more logical – and often the least labour intensive, is the application of Carbon Dioxide gas as a pH reducing agent. As it happens, in using CO2 gas for pH reduction, we are emulating the way in which our bodies govern the pH of our blood. CO2 can be supplied in various ways. The most efficient is to have a Gasmatic bulk storage unit installed. The supplier will then be able to top up the gas on a regular basis without need to monitor the gas supply (other than follow the consumption rate and the see that it is reasonable for the usage required).

CO2 gas dissolves in water to form mild Carbonic Acid (H2CO3).

The dissolution of CO2 is more immediate in cold water – as in carbonated drinks - so therefore in heated pools and spas where the temperature to high, special arrangements are called for to ensure that all the gas is properly dissolved before it reaches the pool. When this happens, undissolved gas will simply escape wasted, into the pool hall air. Importantly carbonic acid supports the need for carbonates in the water balance, and hence dispenses with the need for additional buffering.

Clifford White (1999) in his Chlorination Handbook provides a comprehensive table with details of the varying conditions under which the percentage of these ions (HOCl) appear: pH

20º

25º

30º

6.0

97.45

97.18

96.92

6.5

92.73

91.60

90.87

7.0

79.29

77.53

75.90

7.5

54.77

52.18

49.90

7.8

37.77

35.35

33.30

Percentages of HOCl dependent on Temperature and pH

This table illuminates, very dramatically, the need to keep pH (in other words contribute Hydrogen ions) to a minimum, and the influence of temperature on the efficacy of the disinfectant.

Where the comfort of the bathers is paramount, water temperature must be maintained at the dictated level and so we are left with only the pH parameter with which to influence the standard of disinfection. As outlined in the previous articles, where chloramines are to be minimised, a vital criterion is to keep the chlorine dose to a minimum.

Where Carbon Dioxide is being used for pH reduction, two primary factors effect the dissolution of the gas and thus form Carbonic Acid: CO2 (Carbon Dioxide Gas)

+

H20

«====»

H2CO3 (Carbonic Acid)

The time the CO2 is given to dissolve up before it is able to escape to the air. This will usually happen once the treated water leaves the pipes and enters the open pool The temperature at which this dissolution must occur. This must remain a given, dependent on the specific programme of the pool use.

These constraints nevertheless allow improvement of the efficiency of the disinfection by :

Wise management of the injection will ensure that minimal quantities of both the CO2 and the Hypochlorite have maximum effect!

Injecting the CO2 into a flow and velocity controlled, shunted loop, long enough to allow enough time to dissolve the gas totally, before it joins the return-to-pool line. And also, to allow enough time for the CO2 to lower the pH in this loop line, to a level of about 6.0.

A thorough understanding of the chemical reactions that are taking place in the water will aid in dictating the configuration of the installation. For example: The chlorine derivative that is the primary factor in destroying (Oxidising) the pathogens we need protection from, is Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl). This product is the desirable active ingredient which is created when we dose

Injecting the Hypochlorite into water at as low a pH as possible (6.0-6.3) where the percentage converted to HOCl would be roughly 50% greater than if it were injected directly into the ambient pool water. (see above table) This would be at a point near the end of the CO2 loop and before it joins the return to pool line. The highly concentrated HOCl has enough time

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to work on that portion of the pool water which is on its way to join the main body of the pool. Since this acid works very quickly, it will have maximum disinfection affect up until that water reaches the pool where it will meet with ambient pH and continue to work with an effective but lesser and slower impact on the pathogens.

This is the configuration that has recently been installed in the Hydrotherapy Pool at The Spastic Centre of NSW and which has proved its efficacy, and its ability to withstand major disruptions - even an hourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blackout that occurred on the Field Day held a month or two ago. n ** The possible exception to this rule is the use of Bromine as a disinfectant.

Hypobromous Acid is far more effective over the normal pH range for swimming water. However, Bromine and Chlorine usually work together in order to reduce the chloramines in the pool by the substitution of bromamines which are harmless to swimmers and disinfect effectively over a wide pH range. Because of the presence of Chlorine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the need for pH control is still vital to the water maintenance.

In a future article I will deal with the question of which pH is the most comfortable for bathers.

Further information can be obtained by emailing queries to Alan Lewis on aquazure34@gmail.com

ADVERTORIAL

World first in water treatment

By ELIZABETH FLAHERTY

A

USTRALIAN Innovative Systems has designed the world’s first electrolysis system to treat fresh water.

For more than 15 years their commercial salt water treatment system, Autochlor, has led the way in the electrolysis treatment of salt water and now they have produced the first electrolysis system for fresh water.

The Ecoline system, designed in Brisbane, is a completely new approach to water treatment; you do not need to add any chemicals, as the system makes and regulates its own chlorine.

It eliminates the risks involved with chemical handling including transport, storage and dosing.

It is a cleaner, greener, safer and smarter approach to water sterilisation.

How it works With the Ecoline product, AIS have developed a way to convert the trace salts and minerals naturally occurring in fresh water into chlorine instantaneously through electrolysis.

The fresh water passes through positively and negatively charged electrode plates. Through electrolysis the naturally occurring chloride molecules are split and create chlorine to treat the water.

In closed fresh water systems, such as swimming pools, Ecoline also manages chloramine build up. As chloramines pass through the Ecoline system they are oxidized and converted back into natural salts. It effectively recycles the chloramines back to their natural state, restoring the natural balance of the water.

It eliminates the unpleasant smell associated with chloramine build up and keeps the chlorine quantity at safe levels. Ecoline is so effective in maintaining the balance of healthy water you can literally use water from a closed system on your garden.

Ecoline provides sterilised, healthy water, free of the complications and risks of manually adding chemicals.

Hotel applications Ecoline can be used with any water source which needs to be treated with chlorine to meet health standards, in closed or open systems.

In hotels Ecoline can be used for treatment of water in: •

swimming pools;

•

water features;

•

cooling towers;

•

spas and Jacuzzis;

•

drinking water, and

•

waste water.

Broader applications include town water supplies, reverse osmosis, food processing, agricultural lagoons, irrigation water, recycled water, grey water, large scale sewerage treatment and water management.

Engineer FAQs: Some questions engineers ask about Ecoline:

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Ecoline modular system, with two electrodes and two power supplies.

How did you manage to make this work with fresh water?

The anode material is coated with a highly active catalyst. It is this unique coating which allows us to use such low voltage and allows the system to utilise the small amounts of salts and minerals in fresh water.

Making the entire process energy and cost efficient.

Do you need to add any extra salt to the water?

No, salt does not need to be added to the fresh water. Ecoline is completely unique in being able to use the natural salts and minerals in fresh water to convert into chlorine.

How long does it take to install?

Installation can be completed in less than one day. The system is delivered fully assembled and tested. It only requires an electrician to permanently wire the system to the switch board and a plumber to connect a couple of pipes. Typically it can be installed within two hours. It does not need to be tested after installation; it can simply be switched on.

Does it fit with existing infrastructure?

Yes. We have designed it to retrofit with existing infrastructure for all applications. The signal from the chlorine analyser, which used to drive dosing pumps and gas regulators, is fully compatible with our system. It is also simple to install in existing systems. We have a skid mounted design which can be lifted into place with a fork lift. We have also produced modular systems. Modules can be safely lifted by two people and can fit through small, narrow manholes. They can be installed into very confined spaces anywhere within an existing system. Connecting the modules together can be done within 10 or 15 minutes.

How quickly does the system pay for itself?

Generally the system pays for itself within two years. Eliminating the

need to buy chemicals, rental costs on bottles, transport costs, dosing equipment, alarm systems, maintenance costs, labour costs to train staff members in chemical handling and public liability is reduced due to no more dangerous goods being stored onsite makes the system more economically viable than manually adding chlorine.

A hotel pool in Spain which uses Autochlor

What is the life expectancy of Ecoline?

Ecoline is designed to be easily maintained and repaired. The electrodes are replaceable parts and have a life expectancy of eight or ten years.

The power supply expectancy is 10 or 12 years. Every part in the power supply is replaceable, so you will not have to replace the whole power supply. Everything has a three year warranty.

What maintenance is required?

We recommend a basic check and clean of the system once every six months, which takes approximately 20 minutes.

How much power does it use?

On average, Ecoline uses 15 kW of power to generate 1 kg of pure chlorine gas. If your power cost is $0.16/kW then 1 kg of chlorine, made on-site safely, is only $2.40; effectively halving the normal power cost.

Add to that saving the savings you also make on delivery and handling and it is the smarter economic option.

For treating salt water, the Autochlor system is even more energy efficient. The more salt content in the water the less energy is required.

Autochlor uses only six watts of power per gram of chlorine.

Does it work in salt water?

AIS has a commercial treatment system specifically for salt water, the Autochlor. This product has a 15 year track record treating salt water systems. It is currently operating in more than 300 commercial

installations overseas. In Australia, it is being used in City Council pools and lagoons, private and public schools and many five star resorts.

The demand for this product is gaining significant momentum as fresh water in many countries is increasingly restricted. This system is perfect for hotels with access to seawater. n

About AIS Perfected water, through perfected science Established in 1974, Australian Innovative Systems Pty Ltd is a manufacturing company specialising in the disinfection of water via electrolysis. AIS currently employs more than 50 staff throughout its three manufacturing facilities in South East Queensland and exports to more than 50 countries worldwide.

Australian Standards covering safe operation of pools & spas

By MAX AGNEW

H

otels and other accommodation outlets that provide pool and spa facilities for their guests should note how five common categories of hazards have been identified as being associated with potential for serious injury and possible death.

These are to do with submerged suction outlets in pools and spa water circulation systems with the potential for body suction entrapment.

Perhaps the single biggest problem is hair entrapment, when a female with long hair fails to take specification precautions and jumps in.

In recent years there have been deaths in New South Wales and Queensland from this very occurrence.

The problems that have been pin-pointed are hair entrapment (mainly with females), limbs such as a hand, arm or foot; loose jewellery and swimsuit, and even hair decorations that can become caught with the suction providing enormous pull.

Queensland coroner Mr Ray Rinaudo in 2006 after a hearing into the death of young Amanda Boyce in a spa accident at a Noosa Heads resort, stated how all spa pools have a propensity to be dangerous if they do not comply with requirements of the Australian Standards.

In the case of Miss Boyce, on arriving at the resort, in her eagerness to try the spa, she had failed to tie up her long hair, jumping into the spa where in playing around she put her head under water

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•

Control the suction pipe velocity by fitting an orifice plate into the pump discharge pipe.

•

Fit a pressure/vacuum gauge to the pump(s) suction connection to permit regular testing and verification that branches of the suction pipe are unobstructed.

After hearing from several industry engineers, the coroner in his summing up stated how all resorts, hotels and motels with spa facilities must control the suction pipe flow velocity by fitting an orifice plate into the pump discharge pipe and to have a pressure gauge fitted to the pump suction connection to permit regular testing and verification that both branches of the suction pipe are unobstructed.

•

Fit new suction point covers that comply with AS 2610.1 to reduce the risk of foreign body entrapment.

•

Fit an emergency spa/pool pump(s) stop and associated alarm as required

by AS 2610.1

•

Owner/operators must ensure that all spas have a prominent sign which complies with AS 2610.1 (clause 2.19.4).

Even when a toe or a finger can become caught when there is a missing or broken cover, the suction has the potential to drag the unlucky guest under the water, creating the potential of that person being drowned.

•

In addition, there should be significant prominence to the requirement that children be supervised in the spa area, and that users should never put their head under water.

•

Most importantly, whose responsibility it is to ensure the spa/ pool is working to an optimum level to avoid risk of injury and even death to users, comply with the work method statement that covers all work being performed.

with the velocity of the water flow into a suction point swept her hair into and then around behind the suction pool cover.

The velocity of the suction pump was so quick and strong that all efforts to try and pull her head above water failed, and she drowned.

Regulations and Standards The recommendations by Australian Standards are readily available to all spa and pool designers and construction companies. Local authorities are usually quick to adopt these recommendations, making them mandatory requirements.

Recommendation by coroners from several Australian States play an important part of the recommendations that now constitute Australian Standards. The minimum requirements for owner/ operators to observe are:

These regulations are important, but do not replace the constant need for good judgement and personal responsibility.

For further information: download the Industry Advisory Guide on Entrapment from nspi.com.au

Zelbrite recognized for water saving benefits

So that the Mark is fairly awarded, the panel assesses each product or service on the basis of four main criteria –

Z

1. Water saving’, clearly showing that actual use is reduced and/or water is used more efficiently.

“The fact that Zelbrite has been assessed by an independent expert panel and been awarded the Mark should give reason to more pool owners, pool shops and service companies to take advantage of this unique product,” said Sales Manager for Zelbrite in Australia, Mr Peter Rabbidge.

4. ‘Environmentally sustainable’.

elbrite, the ‘smarter’ pool and spa filtration material, has been recognized by Australia’s independent water saving accreditation system, the Smart Approved WaterMark.

Many pool covers have been awarded the Mark, but Zelbrite stands alone as a water saving pool filter media product to gain the Smart WaterMark.

“Water saving is achieved through Zelbrite having a far greater surface than any other filter media available plus its active ingredient, clinoptilolite, which is so efficient in the filtration process, there is double the time between backwashing and then it only requires half the time to clean, saving a significant quantity of water,” said Peter “This water saving means less chemical use and reduced heating costs, as much less water is lost in the backwashing process.”

The Smart WaterMark is a truly national scheme and is now on over 170 products and services. It is recognised as one of the trusted labels nationally that is clearly backed by independent authoritative testing.

The CEO for the Smart WaterMark, Mr Julian Gray says being environmentally sustainable is now clearly seen as the right thing to do.

2. Fit for purpose’ 3. Meets regulations and standards.

“Zelbrite was reviewed by our panel and passed all the assessments,” said Mr Gray.

Superior filtration Zelbrite has been shown in other independent testing by the Australian Water Quality Testing Centre that it will remove particles as small as 2 microns.

Manufactured from zeolite material formed as a result of volcanic activity, it has an extraordinary ability to capture dirt particles – just a teaspoon of Zelbrite has enough surface area to cover a football field.

“Apart from its superior physical properties to sand and Diatomaceous Earth, it is also chemically active removing ammonium by ion-exchange, resulting in less need for ancillary chemical requirements to maintain water quality,” Mr Rabbidge added.

Recent major installations for Zelbrite include a new aquatic centre in Murwillumbah, northern NSW, opened in November 2008, The Glenn Innes Aquatic Pool and the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon pool.

The Cairns lagoon holds 3.8 megalitres and has a surface area of 4,000 square metres. The results were evident right from the start when Zelbrite was added as the filtration media.

Aquatic Supervisor for the Lagoon, Mr Matt Roberts said, “I was surprised at the marked improvement of water clarity after only 24 hours of recommissioning the first two filters - once all four filters came online it became evident the clarity of the pool water was the best it had ever been.”

Sustainability enhanced The sustainability of the product is another of its major attributes, as its physical properties give it a very long life of at least 10 years for a domestic pool and 5 years for large commercial pools such as the Cairns Esplanade Pool.

“Water quality and the resulting health benefits, plus its environmental contribution and sustainability, mean that Zelbrite also brings economic benefits through longer life and its environmentally friendly properties.

“Zelbrite’s advanced filtration technology meets all the requirements that any pool owners and commercial pool operator should be looking for to achieve best practice in these times with the added benefit of cost savings in the longer term,” added Peter. n For further information: www.zelbrite.com or call 02 6768 7080 or 02 4651 2377

THE

HOTEL ENGINEER The Safety Cooling Tower

Product News

the German designed Modupol range and the low noise and super low noise fibreglass forced draft towers.

The MPCT tower is a modular tower, with an extremely strong and durable pulltruded fibreglass frame. The basin and fan cowling are made in traditional high quality marine grade fibreglass. The full size removable side panels are made from preformed plastic and are designed for easy removal and handling to allow entire access for cleaning and maintenance.

The panels are very light and small enough for one person to handle without the risk of any injury.

The locally designed and locally manufactured new Superchill cooling tower type MPCT (Modular pulltruded cooling tower) is the latest and safest addition to the high quality Superchill cooling tower range, which includes

SPDD Nozzle Plate Filters Waterco is proud to release a new line of hydraulic efficient commercial filters. Micron SPDD filters are fitted with a plate and nozzle system, which ensures uniform flow for both filtering and backwashing, ensuring maximum performance through the media bed.

The nozzle plate system also allows the introduction of pressurised air directly into the bottom of the filter media. Uniform introduction of air and water through the nozzle plate provides vigorous agitation and filter media bed expansion required for an effective air/water backwash leading to reduced backwashing times and reduced volumes of water.

Save up to 25% of backwash water.

The tower is designed to fully comply with the Australian standards and has the best and most efficient drift eliminators and air intake louvers available on the market.

The air intake lovers are double the thickness compared with most currently offered local cooling towers. This reduces light ingress into the tower basin and helps prevent algae and

importantly enables an instant view of the strainer basket, which was not possible via a cast iron lid.

The new lock ring incorporates easy grip handles, requiring no tools for simple removal and replacement of the polycarbonate lid.

Waterco’s next step is the total substitution of the strainer basket housing with composite material, which would result in significant weight reduction and improved corrosion resistance.

Hydro5000 Cast Iron Pump is a high performance, self-priming cast iron pump, designed for aquatic facilities, water parks and large commercial swimming pools. Hydro5000 is available from 4kW to 11kW and is capable of flow rates up to 2250 litres per minute.

Hydro 5000 Cast Iron Pump Composite Lock Ring, Lid and Strainer Basket

New NEPTUNE FIT & FORGET electronic weatherproof T8 batten series

Waterco has replaced its Hydyr5000 Cast Iron Pump’s lid and strainer basket with a composite strainer basket, lock ring and lid.

This advancement decreases the overall weight of the pump by approximately 10kg, but more

The NEW NEPTUNE FIT & FORGET series

by OSRAM meets the highest demands in weatherproof fluorescent lighting applications.

With its sophisticated design and unique features the NEPTUNE FIT & FORGET battens guarantee to impress.

84 |

Vol 14 No. 3 |

Hotel Engineer

With a lamp life of up to 75,000 hours, the OSRAM LUMILUX XXT lamp provides

bacteria growth. It also reduces water splashing outside the tower and reduces noise level.

The best fill for this tower is the high quality 2H plastics cooling tower fill called Sanipacking. (see www.sanipacking.com for more information) This fill is arguably the safest cooling tower fill available. It is made from moulded polypropylene (PP) and treated to prevent bacteria growing on it’s surface. To distinguish this high quality fill from normal fill the colour of the fill is blue. The polypropylene fill is also extremely long lasting and can withstand temperatures up to 80 degrees.

Superchill is working closely together with 2H plastics and we are the local distributor and manufacturer for the number one European fill producer GEA 2H Water Technologies (former 2H Kunststoff).

For further information please contact Superchill Australia or 2H plastics Australia www.superchill.com or www.2h.com.au or 1300667 018 and 03 9793 6166

maximum reliability and reduces maintenance which complements the robust quality fitting.

With 5 years warranty on the fitting, lamp and components you can literally fit and forget...

Features: • Equipped with OSRAM QUICKTRONIC electronic ballast offering up to 25% energy saving.

• Complete with OSRAM LUMILUX XXT T8 lamps with extra long life of 75,000 hours.

• Robust IP65 housing and cover made from high grade polycarbonate.

• 5 year warranty on fitting, lamp and components.

• Installation friendly, stainless steel clips and mounting brackets for better endurance • Available in 1 x36W, 2 x36W, 1 x58W and 2 x58W versions.

Applications: Ideal for most outdoor applications such as car parks, industrial applications, under eave lighting, building sites and walk ways.

For more information on the NEPTUNE Fit and Forget electronic weatherproof T8 Batten series please visit www.osram.com.au

OSRAM’s new NEPTUNE Fit and Forget electronic weatherproof T8 batten series.

Photo: OSRAM