February 2022

FEBRUARY 2022

PROMOTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

www.eibi.co.uk

In this issue

Lighting Technology Heat Pumps CPD Module: Photovoltaics & Batteries Combined Heat and Power & District Heating

Stem the waste Why heat meters are essential for DH

Degrees of reduction Heat pumps cut college emissions

Retrofit revolution Small changes make a big difference

NEWS � FEATURES � INTERVIEWS � REVIEWS � PRODUCT PROFILES � CPD MODULE � DIRECTORY � JOBS EIBI_0222_001(T).indd 1

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FEBRUARY 2022

PROMOTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

www.eibi.co.uk

In this issue

Lighting Technology Heat Pumps CPD Module: Photovoltaics & Batteries Combined Heat and Power & District Heating

Stem the waste Why heat meters are essential for DH

Degrees of reduction Heat pumps cut college emissions

Contents

www.eibi.co.uk

Retrofit revolution Small changes make a big difference

NEWS � FEATURES � INTERVIEWS � REVIEWS � PRODUCT PROFILES � CPD MODULE � DIRECTORY � JOBS EIBI_0222_001(T).indd 1

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FEBRUARY 2022

34

14 FEATURES

11

Lighting Technology With businesses under pressure to reduce operational costs in the face of the energy crisis, Colin Lawson says small changes can make a big difference by retrofitting Emergency lighting systems require a lot of testing and maintenance. Peter Beckingham explains how it’s possible to cut red tape and save time with the latest breed of emergency lighting system (12)

Illumination for the world’s largest sports event while lighting and controls combine for two newly built World Cup stadiums (13)

Advanced lighting control and LEDs contribute to Polish office complex’s high BREEAM rating while lighting revives a Yorkshire sports complex (14)

22 Heat Pump Spotlight

Heat pumps and a range of energy-saving technologies are combining to help an Oxford college cut its carbon emissions by 75 per cent by March 2022

Panasonic Air-to-Water Aquarea Heat Pumps are providing energy efficient heating and hot water to a hospice in Ireland. And a new series of heat pumps is launched for industrial processes (23)

Heat pumps have a key role to play in the energy transition. However, a solutions-based focus is essential to ensure an optimal high-performance outcome, says Ryan Kirkwood (24) Heat pumps are being used in a ground-breaking district heating scheme in London while restaurants feel the cost benefits (26) Heating technologies come together at a Glasgow hotel while a new range of heat pumps comes to the UK market (27)

28 CHP & District Heating

Kunal Kalani and Mike McCloskey explain how an optimisation model for planning CHP operation led to agile and profitable export of surplus power

Hundreds of thousands of homes connected to UK heat networks are unmetered. Ian Allan gives six reasons why operators should install smart heat metering systems (30)

These are worrying times for CHP operators as gas prices soar. But, says Sebastian Gray, this is not the time to ignore CHP. Significant savings can still be made (32)

REGULARS 06 News Update Scrapped climate policies mean energy bills are £2.9bn higher. Rising prices could hit UK manufacturing.

European Commission funding contributes little to climate targets

getting its voice heard? Mervyn Pilley looks at the challenges ahead in 2022

16 ESTA Viewpoint

Rising gas prices should make energy efficiency a no brainer. So why does the sector have difficulty

A popular high-end cosmetic retailer recently opened new stores at two of the UK’s largest shopping centres. Both have been fitted out with Panasonic HVAC systems

33 New Products

09 The Warren Report Fuel poverty had slipped down the political agenda for many years. With one in six households now having to face the choice of eating or heating it is now back with a vengeance

21 Products in Action

17 The Fundamental Series: CPD Learning Jamie Goth examines how photovoltaics and battery storage might be right for your organisation and how they fit into a net zero strategy

Among the new products on offer for the energy manager are a BACnet-compliant thermostat for modulated heating and cooling as well as a hydrogen-compatible tube heating system

34 Talking Heads

It is going to be a slow road to decarbonisation in the industrial sector. Prof. Mercedes MarotoValer believes the key lies in linking the many initiatives that are being set up around the world

Follow us, ‘like us’ or visit us online to keep up to date with all the latest energy news and events www.eibi.co.uk FEBRUARY 2022 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 03

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Editor’s Opinion

Follow us on @ twitter.com/eibi and twitter.com/eibi_magazine

www.eibi.co.uk

No more sticking plasters

F

uel poverty has always been one of those

have been had promised climate policies not been

of thinking when it came to energy policy.

ECO’s size ensured that the number of homes

issues that has been in the background

It would be good to do something about it but

not too important if nothing happens. EU-wide research has revealed that only one country in

Europe has a larger proportion of people living in fuel poverty than the UK.

Now the chickens are really coming home to

roost. Even before the announcement of the huge increase in gas prices in April one in six

households faced fuel poverty. That figure is going to soar. The consequences of a sharp winter later this year could be horrendous.

The failure to act is just part of a systemic failure

from successive government. From the abolition of the zero carbon homes standard (around 1m

new homes have subsequently been built since then with lower energy-efficiency standards), through to the disastrous Green Deal and the chaotic Green Homes Grant. Emissions from

buildings are as high now as they were in 2015.

scrapped over the past eight years. Halving the getting their lofts or cavity walls insulated each

year plummeted almost immediately – by 92 per cent and 74 per cent in 2013, respectively – and has never recovered.

The Chancellor may have given some help to

consumers but it’s really no more than a sticking plaster. The way to protect us all from price rises is to remove our exposure to the volatility of gas

markets through a policy of heat decarbonisation

and energy efficiency. A start could be the removal of VAT on any product or service designed to improve the energy efficiency of homes or

businesses. As the UK becomes more efficient,

overall energy demand will fall, resulting in lower

energy prices across the economy. And we must ensure that the homes we are building are to the

highest standards of energy efficiency to minimise bills.

Above all, the Government must wake up to the

We have also seen an effective moratorium on

fact we need a long-term strategy that will be good

stalling of the nuclear programme. According to

to net zero.

onshore wind, cuts to solar subsidies and the

research from Carbon Brief (see page 6), energy bills are nearly £2.5bn higher than they would

for our pockets and will ensure we are on the road MANAGING EDITOR

Mark Thrower

The EiBI Team Editorial

MANAGING EDITOR Mark Thrower

Tel: 01483 452854 Email: editor@eibi.co.uk Address: P. O. Box 825, Guildford GU4 8WQ

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THIS MONTH’S COVER STORY

Signify is illuminating the world’s largest winter sports event by equipping its key venues with Philips-branded LED sports lighting and the Interact Sports connected lighting system.

The new lighting helps athletes to better engage in their sports and improve their performance. It also enhances the experience of spectators and TV viewers. The new highquality, flexible, and energy-efficient sports lighting also helps to optimize operational efficiencies and maintenance. Signify customised each venue’s lighting system to their unique requirements, so they can easily host a range of events that all have their own lighting requirements.

See page 13 for more details Photo courtesy of Signify

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04 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | FEBRUARY 2022

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News Update

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

Updated guidance on buildings’ operational energy consumption The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers has published revisions to its Technical Memorandum 54: Evaluating operational energy performance of buildings at the design stage. The revisions include the latest regulatory changes as well as advances in best practice.

TM54 provides building designers and owners with guidance on how to evaluate operational energy use once a building’s design has been developed. It covers all energy uses, both regulated and unregulated.

The 2022 revision is cited as a method which can be used to meet the new requirement for large new non-domestic buildings to produce an energy forecast as stipulated in the latest revision to Approved Document L, effective from 15 June 2022.

The main evaluation principles remain the same, with a step-by-step approach and scenario testing to improve the robustness of the design proposal calculations and client advice.

The revision takes account of advances in modelling expertise across the industry and the increased emphasis on high-performance buildings. It encompasses steadystate modelling as well as dynamic simulation and provides guidance on how to select the most appropriate modelling approach, and level of detail, for each project. The document makes clear that the methodology could be applied to any building, whether domestic or non-domestic.

Other updates include: • more emphasis on target setting, using the model to inform the design and controls strategy; • the creation of a TM54 “Implementation Matrix” to record assumptions and implementation of each step in the methodology; and • moving away from blanket overall management factors towards more specific testing of inputs influenced by operation and management Julie Godefroy, CIBSE head of sustainability, said: “The update to TM54 reflects recent developments in building performance evaluation throughout the project cycle. It ensures that the project teams have access to the latest information and guidance on evaluating operational energy use, contributing to highperformance buildings which deliver what they are supposed to.”

ENERGY COMPANY OBLIGATION

Scrapped policies lead to higher UK bills Energy bills are nearly £2.5bn higher than they would have been had promised climate policies not been scrapped over the past eight years, according to new analysis from Carbon Brief Research.

The changes introduced, ostensibly to help lower household fuel bills, included halving energy efficiency subsidies particularly via the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), effectively banning new onshore wind power in England, and later scrapping the original zero-carbon homes standard timetable. These policies began to be introduced after a November 2013 Sun front page. It reported that then-prime minister David Cameron’s answer to rising energy bills was to “get rid of all the green crap”, and hence cutting back on climate change reduction policies (see EiBI Dec 2013).

With UK energy bills set to rise by around 50 per cent from current levels this April, the government is once again scrambling to find ways to mitigate the impact on struggling households.

Ideas being briefed to the press include further cuts to existing energy efficiency policies, removing VAT on energy consumption but not on energy conservation measures, and getting rid of subsidies for renewable electricity.

Carbon Brief’s analysis revealed that these previous decisions to slash climate policies are already costing the average household around £40 every

single year, rising to £60 a year under the price cap expected to be operating next winter.

Meanwhile, a separate Carbon Brief analysis shows that nearly 90 per cent of the increase in bills over the last year is due to the rising wholesale price of gas which has more than tripled over the same period. Most of the remaining expected increase in bills is due to the cost of energy suppliers going out of business, whereas relevant climate policy costs have already fallen and are due to drop further.

Halving the ECO’s size ensured that the number of homes getting their lofts or cavity walls insulated each year plummeted almost immediately – by 92 per cent and 74 per cent in 2013, respectively – and

has never recovered. Additionally, the Conservative government in 2015 also overnight scrapped the zero-carbon homes standard, which had been due to come into force the following year (see EiBI June 2015). As a result, around 1m new homes have subsequently been built since then with lower energy-efficiency standards – and higher energy bills. All of these missed opportunities mean that far more energy is being consumed than would have occurred had Cameron’s “green crap” not been scrapped.

• A separate publication from the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit estimates that cutbacks on insulation programmes since 2013 has by itself added £1.5bn to the nation’s fuel bills.

Press hypocrisy over suppliers’ advice to consumers to stay warm

During 2022 there has been much derision of advice offered by energy suppliers on how to keep warm at home, but without increasing fuel bills. Particularly in the firing line have been OVO, SSE and E.ON. Tips offered by these energy suppliers have included cuddling a pet to share body warmth, eating Indian food or porridge, drinking hot beverages, wearing thicker or extra clothes indoors, opening the curtains when sunny, or leaving the oven door open after cooking to let the heat into the kitchen. Among the newspapers most contemptuous of the entire concept of making such suggestions have been the The Times, Guardian, Sun and The Daily Telegraph.

This is curious. Because energy companies have not been alone in publishing precisely this sort of advice.

Last October it was the Times that advised readers to keep warm at night by leaving their curtains open for as long as possible, to let heat from outside into their homes. In November the Guardian told readers to put on extra layers of clothing, cover themselves in blankets,

drink hot tea and leave the oven doors open after cooking.

Meanwhile, the Sun, which reported on the “fury” apparently caused by OVO’s tips in particular, was advocating “wearing more clothes” indoors, especially “thick socks.” And The Daily Telegraph even ran a special feature all about how to stay warm by doing exercise, keeping curtains open during the day, eating spicy food, and cuddling a pet to keep warm. And installing draughtproofing.

06 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | FEBRUARY 2022

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News Update

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

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

In Brief

EC funding ‘contributes little to targets’ More than €2bn of European Commission (EC) funding, intended to help businesses save energy, actually contributed little towards meeting climate change targets. In some cases, it funded investments that would have happened anyway.

The EU regards curbing energy use as essential to meeting goals to combat climate change. It has long dubbed energy efficiency as its first priority policy. Record high gas and power prices in recent months have if anything increased the focus on measures to save energy.

This is particularly because the EU’s original 20 per cent consumption reduction target between 2005 and 2020, has only been met because of a decline in overall activity during the year 2020, owing to the COVID 19 pandemic. The trajectory up to 2019 had anticipated a 4 per cent overshoot.

But so far, EU funding to support energy savings for businesses has not been particularly effective, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has reported. The EU spent €2.4bn from its budget between 2014-2020 to support energy efficiency in enterprises, including energy audits and specific measures to cut energy consumption or energy intensity in industry and

German group takes stake in solutions firm

commercial services. Residential energy savings were not covered by the auditors’ report.

The auditors estimated that projects backed by that funding achieved just 0.3 per cent of the annual savings needed to reach the EU’s new target, to cut final energy consumption by 32.5 per cent by 2030, compared to projected levels.

“European Union funding is insufficiently linked to business needs – there was no proper analysis of what is really needed by the enterprises,”

ECA member Samo Jereb concluded.

Over half of assessed investments should have proceeded without EU funding. Many received grants when loans or other financial investments would have been more suitable.”

Grants should not be used for investments which repay themselves,” argued Jereb.

Overall, the auditors concluded that the EC needed to explore which types of financial instruments are most appropriate to achieve best value for money.

integrated, long-term and resilient UK Energy Strategy to protect against pressures such as increasing energy prices and enable the transition to net zero. The group has set out a shortterm transitional energy strategy up to 2030, which addresses: • affordable electricity to support rollout of electric vehicles; • increased levels of renewable energy; • market support to support hydrogen production to decarbonise heat and transport • local energy networks to help manage costs;

• affordable natural gas for industry as a feedstock • small modular nuclear reactors to generate electricity and low carbon hydrogen; and • carbon pricing to be introduced which protects low carbon domestic industries from competition with high emission imports.

Adrian Curry, MD of Encirc, a glass container manufacturer with a plant in Cheshire, said: “With a concentration of energy intensive industries in the north west we’re particularly susceptible to price increases, but we can’t let this derail the journey to net zero. Competitive energy is crucial to decarbonisation and we need to ensure the future of our vital industries with a transitional energy strategy that provides affordable electricity and natural gas.

“We need to remain competitive internationally otherwise we risk offshoring the problem, with our industries shutting down and production happening overseas.”

Huge energy price rises could hit north west businesses

Industries in the north west of England say that looming energy price rises could hit British manufacturing hard enough to bring about closures or reductions in production of critical services and products, according to Net Zero North West (NZNW).

Four NZNW members alone are facing a collective energy bill of up to £1bn in 2022 – a projected increase of around 65 per cent since 2020. These increasing costs could ultimately be passed down to the consumer, leading to prices increasing in a wide range of sectors including food & drink products, water treatment, medical supplies, automotive and construction.

NZNW is calling for an

Viessmann Group has taken a majority stake in Pacifica Home Services Ltd. The deal includes the acquisition of Oakes Energy Services Ltd, which will be integral to the development of the new business.

PHS is based in Durham, England, and is known to UK customers under the brand 0800 Repair. The PHS management team will stay on board and remain invested for the long term. The agreement between Viessmann and the seller, Pacifica Group Ltd, was signed for an undisclosed sum.

PHS is a specialist in both installation and maintenance of integrated HVAC solutions, specialising in heat pumps.

Employing around 240 people, the company estimates sales of approximately £4.5m for 2022.

The company has a successful business in the decarbonisation of existing domestic buildings and is well positioned to benefit from the associated strong demand for heat pumps.

Partnership will help energy measurement

A new partnership between Abtec Building Technologies and Acutrace will help organisations across the UK benefit from enhanced energy measurement as a means to deliver smarter, more efficient buildings.

Acutrace is a cloud-based energy measurement and sustainability platform designed to provide businesses with reliable and accurate energy consumption data. It uses a Measure, Visualise, Analyse and Control (MVAC) process to help organisations save energy, and reduce costs and carbon emissions.

The platform can interface with any building management system and existing energy meters, with data accessible 24/7 from any webenabled device. The data gathered can be used within sustainability reporting to achieve international certification and standards such as ISO5000, LEED and the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB).

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News Update

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

Hydrogen set for major growth by 2050

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has estimated that hydrogen will cover up to 12 per cent of global energy use by 2050, with at least two-thirds of total production being green hydrogen, and the rest coming from blue hydrogen.

Its findings appear in a new report, Geopolitics of the Energy Transformation: The Hydrogen Factor, which sees hydrogen changing the geography of energy trade and regionalising energy relations, as oil and gas trade declines.

The rise of hydrogen is linked in the report to the plummeting costs of renewables and electrolysers.

This is improving the economic attractiveness of ‘green’ hydrogen – which is produced through by renewable electricity. The increasing share of variable renewables, such as wind and photovoltaic solar power, also creates demand for flexibility and storage, which hydrogen can help deliver. Green hydrogen, the report says, can thus complement and extend the ongoing revolution in renewable electricity.

As a result of these factors, hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels are now projected to meet a sizeable share of final energy demand in 2050, up from virtually nothing today.

IRENA predicts that ‘grey’ hydrogen production, which is based on fossil fuels, will be phased out completely in the coming decades.

NEW RULE WOULD SHIFT MARKET TO LEDS

US proposes lightbulb efficiency standard The Biden administration in the USA is at last proposing a rule that would impose a mandatory lightbulb efficiency standard, after the Trump administration deliberately declined to do so. It belatedly follows the outlawing of incandescent lightbulbs throughout Europe introduced in 2012.

Over the past year, Biden has been trying to get Congress to enact a separate ambitious programme to improve the energy performance of buildings. Entitled “Build Back Better”.

However, he has yet to persuade enough Senators to back this.

So greater attention is now being devoted to improving the efficiency of energy-using products. This begins with lighting, responsible for around one-third of electricity consumption in many commercial outlets.

When implemented, the proposal would establish a “backstop”, barring

the sale of lightbulbs that don’t meet a minimum efficiency requirement.

The move would be expected to shift the market completely toward more-efficient LED lightbulbs, and away from incandescent bulbs first introduced in the 19th century.

The Biden administration reckons that the move would both save consumers money and provide climate benefits. Every month, delaying the

new lightbulb standards is costing consumers $300m in lost savings and 800,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

The Biden administration is citing a requirement in the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to finalise a rule considering a 45 lumens per watt standard. If it doesn’t do so, the law directs the Federal Government to “prohibit the sale of any general service lamp that does not meet” such a standard.

In 2019, the Trump administration declined to enforce this standard, because it had made a “predicate determination” not to change standards for a subset of bulbs that includes LED bulbs. It also stated that adding the standard would land consumers with more expensive light bulbs.

Citi Tower set for carbon efficient update Citi has announced a plan to refurbish its Citi Tower in Canary Wharf that, when completed, will be the most carbon-efficient building in Citi’s real estate portfolio. The project is expected to be the UK’s tallest office refurbishment project to gain LEED platinum, WELL platinum and BREEAM excellent certifications.

“Our aim is to create an environmentally sustainable, innovative and exciting place to work, incorporating modern design, stateof-the-art technology,” said David Livingstone, Citi’s EMEA CEO. The plans include installing solar panels on the roof, which is forecasted to generate 52,577 kWh per annum, enough carbon dioxide-free electricity to power 18 average UK homes for one year. This, along with other efficiency measures and infrastructure updates, are designed to significantly minimise electricity and water consumption.

Only a third of UK CEOs are concerned about the impact of climate change on their businesses The 25th Annual CEO Survey from PwC has found that only a third of UK CEOs are very concerned about the impacts and threats of climate change on their business (34 per cent versus 33 per cent globally).

The survey of almost 4,500 CEOs in 89 countries shows that greater progress is needed to achieve global climate goals, with only a third (34 per cent) of UK CEOs making a net zero commitment (compared to just 22 per cent globally) and 31 per cent of UK CEOs setting a carbon neutral commitment (versus 26 per cent globally).

There is some clear overlap

between these two types of commitments as the market evolves, understands and differentiates between the two. The biggest drivers behind setting these net zero or carbon neutral commitments were mitigating climate risk (83 per cent), attracting or retaining talent (7 per cent) and meeting customer expectations (69 per cent).

Emma Cox, global climate leader at PwC, said: “Business leaders are upping the ante on climate action and other ESG activity, and it’s encouraging that many are taking personal responsibility for progress but there’s still a lot more action needed. Achieving net zero

by 2050 means big changes for everyone and we’ve seen a real ramp up in commitments in the lead up to COP26. Those who haven’t led on this agenda are now being encouraged by their peers, employees, customers, investors to respond, resulting in clear opportunities to help organisations understand the impacts of climate and what more they can do.”

Despite many UK CEOs leading the charge on climate action, two thirds are yet to make any form of commitment, especially with the increased focus on the impacts of climate from government and media over the last 12 months.

08 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | FEBRUARY 2022

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THE WARREN REPORT

02.2022

Alarm bells ring as fuel poverty soars

Fuel poverty had slipped down the political agenda for many years. With one in six households now having to face the choice of eating or heating it is now back with a vengeance

W

e have a fuel poverty crisis. It is now 22 years since the murdered MP, Sir David Amess, steered his Warm Homes & Energy Conservation bill onto the statute book. This Act committed all of Britain to eliminate fuel poverty. Even so, the number of households still struggling to choose between affording heating and eating is increasing – and is set to rocket this spring.

The original Warm Homes Act mandated the creation of formal external advisory bodies for each of the four home nations. Between 2001 and 2014 in England that was called the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group (FPAG). All its members, including its chairman, were unpaid appointees. For eight years to 2014, I was a member of that Advisory Group.

Since 2015, a new external Committee on Fuel Poverty has performed the role. Its remit remains broadly the same. Apart from one person, everybody else appointed to it had never served on the previous Advisory Group. One significant difference is that now, all members are remunerated.

The fifth Annual Report of this Committee appeared towards the end of last year. It was largely ignored, even by the specialist correspondents.

Perhaps there was an expectation that the publication would convey a very similar message to previous years? If so, nobody could have been disappointed.

The Reports follow a pattern introduced under the old FPAG. We would publish an annual report,

pointing out the inadequacies of existing policies to achieve the government’s declared policy objectives of eradicating fuel poverty.

These reports became steadily shriller, as Government-funding programmes to improve the energy efficiency of homes in fuel poverty reduced, and then disappeared altogether.

Ever since 2013, there has been no publicly funded national programme designed to improve the energy standards of low-income households in England. In contrast, thankfully, each of the devolved nations has continued to build upon the resources they provide for designated publicly funded fuel poverty programmes.

Report to 10 Downing Street

Andrew Warren is chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation

That one in six households is now regularly forced to choose between heating and eating has become a major political issue again

I recall we sent the 2013 FPAG Annual Report to 10 Downing Street - and received a detailed letter in response.

Not from some correspondence clerk, or general factotum. But instead written and signed by the then Prime Minister (David Cameron) himself. In it, he significantly wrote that he was committed to assisting the Group “as we work towards our 2016 fuel poverty eradication target.”

Even so, the following year, when his Government updated its formal strategy for fuel poverty, it made absolutely no reference to achieving that eradication target. Since then, the number of English households suffering fuel poverty has increased to 3.7m – nearly double the numbers of 2000. The fuel poverty charity, National Energy Action, reckons that number could reach 5m this year.

Seven years ago, the declared statutory target was altered, to become that by 2030 “as many fuel poverty households as reasonably practicable (sic) achieve a minimum energy efficiency rating of a band C energy performance certificate.” Two interim milestones of eliminating band D homes by 2025, and band E by 2020 were cited. And later reiterated in the official 2017 Clean Growth Strategy.

In its 2017 Annual Report, the Committee on Fuel Poverty had reckoned that, to deliver even these modest objectives, £15.4bn worth of investment would be required.

Given the absence of any subsequent

response from Government, the Committee now reckons that £18bn will be needed.

There is as yet no sign of appropriate funds being forthcoming.

Which is why those weasel words I cited above, of improving as many fuel poverty households “as reasonably practicable”, may well become relevant again. That seemingly innocuous phrase had been introduced into the original Warm Homes Act back in 2000 prompted by hypothetical concerns that an illogical householder in fuel poverty might be standing in the doorway, shotgun in hand, refusing entry to those arriving to upgrade the homestead.

Back in 2008, already alarmed at the overt absence of sufficient progress towards the elimination of fuel poverty, several FPAG members had taken the Government to the High Court, then the Appeal Court, demanding far more purposeful action via greater public expenditure towards the elimination of fuel poverty.

The Government won in Court, via the tactic of arguing that “as far as reasonably practicable” means that any increased funding need only be forthcoming, should Government reckon that abolishing fuel poverty is sufficient of a priority to divert more public money to it. In other words, only if there is sufficient public outcry.

Sadly, that official cynicism, regarding the level of public alarm about the millions of poorer people living in cold and damp conditions, seemed well founded - until this year’s fuel price hikes were announced by the regulator OFGEM. EU-wide research has revealed that only one country in Europe has a larger proportion of people living in fuel poverty than the UK. For years, eliminating fuel poverty had steadily slipped further down the political agenda.

No longer. The appalling neglect of this issue is now being starkly revealed. That one is six households is now regularly forced to choose between eating and heating has become a major political issue again.

Finally, implementing Sir David’s legislation would be the finest of all tributes to him. 

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Lighting Technology

Colin Lawson is head of market intelligence at Tamlite Lighting

Lighting upgrades should be seen as a key part of any company’s decarbonisation plan

Join the retrofitting revolution

With businesses under pressure to reduce operational costs in the face of the energy crisis, Colin Lawson says small changes can make a big difference by retrofitting

T

here is no getting away from the energy crisis.

Rising wholesale prices, gas shortages, and energy suppliers ceasing to trade have all played a role in creating a perfect storm. Sadly, there is no end in sight with energy bills predicted to remain high for months to come. If you believe the pessimists, the impact could be felt for the next 18 months to two years.

Indeed, the latest research from the International Energy Agency (IEA), suggests that a global surge in demand for energy could spark another three years of market volatility¹. It is causing businesses, and those responsible for the management and operation of buildings, a huge headache.

Of course, the energy crisis is taking place against the need to decarbonise the built environment. It has become clear that urgent action needs to be taken in this area, with the findings of the Met Office annual CO2 forecast stating that the rate at which carbon emissions are added to the atmosphere needs to come to a rapid and complete stop if the world is to meet its goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C².

The built environment is a major contributor to climate change

accounting for nearly 40 per cent of global CO2 emissions3. Of this, building operations are responsible for 28 per cent of emissions on an annual basis4. As a result, the pressure to reduce carbon emissions from the buildings in which we live, work, and learn is growing, and the price of inaction is clear.

Cost-effective measures

While many will be looking towards innovative low-carbon technologies to improve energy efficiency and achieve ambitious climate targets, there are far simpler, and more cost-effective measures that can be taken. Therefore, it’s arguable that there has never been a better time for business owners and building managers to review core building systems and ensure energy savings and carbon reductions are at the top of their priority list.

Lighting is one of the most fundamental building services, but it is a huge source of energy consumption – not only does it represent 5 per cent of worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but electricity for lighting also accounts for approximately 15 per cent of global power consumption5.

Yet small changes can make a big difference. And in this instance,

retrofitting is the key to success.

Replacing out-dated lighting with modern LED systems is vital when it comes to cutting energy bills and making buildings more efficient, as well as reducing carbon emissions as part of wider sustainability efforts. With the British Chamber of Commerce’s latest economic survey reporting that companies show no change when investing in plant, machinery, or equipment6, the good news is that such upgrades are easy to do and can be achieved in return for relatively small investments.

The ability of LED technology to reduce energy consumption by two-thirds or more, as well as greatly increased product lifespans, is now universally accepted. As well as generating savings of between 60 per cent to 80 per cent, upgrades should be viewed as a key component of any decarbonisation plan allowing organisations to make a long-term climate commitment.

As the need for building systems to perform both effectively and costeffectively has become more acute, so has the demand for control solutions that allow building managers and other end-users to get the most out of

their systems.

Intelligent lighting control systems add a level of flexibility that is vital.

For example, installing PIR sensors ensure that lights are not used when the room is unoccupied by dimming or switching off the fittings. Daylight dimming reduces the output of the luminaires when natural light levels increase. Not only does this ensure that lights are only used when they are required but also provides a more organic lighting design.

Beyond that, a network which connects all the light fittings and sensors to a centralised control system makes it much easier for building and facilities managers to make informed decisions about how the space is being used. By tracking energy usage, they can make changes to lighting schedules and settings and identify further ways in which consumption can be reduced.

Companies who move in this direction can also be buoyed by the realisation that they are also helping to ensure the wellbeing of their employees by creating a healthier environment to boost alertness, productivity, and comfort. With Generation Z workers also seeking employers who can demonstrate strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments7, the business case for investing in cost effective lighting upgrades grows.

Retrofitting buildings with modern, efficient lighting systems could be seen by many as a complex and timeconsuming affair. Engaging with a lighting specialist who can provide expert guidance and a broad range of the latest products remains the most effective fast-track to a lighting solution that saves money and aligns with sustainability goals, all within budget.

No business can afford to pay the price of inaction when it comes to energy, and lighting is the perfect place to make positive changes. 

References

1 https://www.iea.org/reports/electricity-marketreport-january-2022 2 https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/pressoffice/news/weather-and-climate/2022/globalcarbon-dioxide-forecast-2022 3 https://www.ukgbc.org/climate-change-2/ 4 https://architecture2030.org/why-the-buildingsector/ 5 https://unfccc.int/climate-action/momentumfor-change/activity-database/momentum-forchange-enlighten-initiative 6 https://www.britishchambers.org.uk/ news/2022/01/quarterly-economic-survey-q42021-recovery-weakening-as-inflation-worriessoar 7 https://www.bupa.com/news/pressreleases/2022/gen-z-seek-ethical-workplacesas-environ-mental-health-burden-bites

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Lighting Technology

Peter Beckingham is product marketing specialist at ABB

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f the worst should happen and mains power is lost, emergency lighting is a lifeline that guides people out of the building to safety. Therefore, it’s not enough to simply install the system. It also requires regular testing to ensure that it is ready to provide the right level of support at any moment.

As a result, building owners are obliged to carry out regular testing under the emergency lighting standard BS5266. This requires daily visual inspection of all emergency luminaires, as well as monthly testing of circuits and annual full discharge testing. This ensures that the system will work as expected for the defined period, typically up to three hours.

This regime is time-consuming, especially as large sites such as a school might have 2,000 luminaires, while a large hospital could have 6,000-8,000.

Annual testing can be challenging as a full test of all luminaires typically requires the building to be unoccupied to minimise risk to building occupants.

It is possible that an emergency can happen while the system is offline for testing or while batteries are recharging.

This might be straightforward for a school or office, which can run testing at the weekend. However, hospitals operate on a 24/7 basis so this is not possible. Building managers get round this by dividing luminaires into batches to ensure cover should an emergency happen at the same time as annual discharge testing.

Once circuits are tested, the building manager must record the condition of luminaires in a fire safety logbook.

In the case of an incident, this will show the Health & Safety Executive that the system has been maintained properly. Finally, the building manager must order and replace spare parts and rectify faults when they’ve been identified.

All of this activity can take several days of effort every month for busy managers that have many other priorities.

Therefore, to reduce this burden we have developed a digital emergency lighting system that automatically tests circuits and individual luminaires, records their status in an online logbook and provides alerts via a smart phone app.

The key to automatic testing is data, either locally collected or linked to the cloud through gateway devices that are about the size of a mobile phone. They can be installed anywhere in a building and securely connect to the cloud via a land line or a 4G/5G router.

The gateways can be configured to run automatic testing whenever

Building owners are obliged to carry out regular testing under the emergency lighting standard BS5266

Testing lighting goes wireless Emergency lighting systems require a lot of testing and maintenance. Peter Beckingham explains how it’s possible to cut red tape and save time with the latest breed of emergency lighting system required. For example, a hospital manager could organise luminaires in groups so that the system will provide cover during discharge testing.

Automatic alerts generated

Data from the luminaires is collected by the gateway and recorded. The online system will then generate automatic alerts via a smartphone app and it’s possible to review and download logbook data and reports.

Each gateway on a system such as ABB’s NaveoPro can support data

ABB’s NaveoPro can collect data from up to 500 luminaires

from up to 500 luminaires, with multiple units being used for larger buildings. For a building with 2,000 luminaires, we’d typically install

five gateways, which allows some headroom for extending each branch of the system. And there’s no limit on how many gateways can be used in one installation.

What are the requirements for installing an automated emergency lighting system?

It’s important to think about the installation and commissioning phase. Automatic testing requires every luminaire to have a unique identification number that is mapped onto its location in the building.

Previously, this required additional desk work. The electrical contractor would record the luminaire’s identity by applying a bar code sticker to an as-built drawing or schedule. Then a specialist contractor would build a digital version of the building and assign the luminaires to their locations.

However, the new app-based approach cuts out this additional step.

We’ve designed it to be easy to use so that the contractor can create the digital map of the building, install the luminaire and use their smartphone camera to record the bar code and tag its location.

For a project with 2,000 luminaires, this can reduce commissioning time from six to two weeks. This might be helpful for time saving for a project manager, but it also significantly cuts the cost of commissioning, making emergency lighting more affordable.

Is it possible to retrofit a gateway with an existing system?

Depending on the type of existing luminaires in the building, it may be possible to retrofit the control panel and reconfigure the existing luminaires, providing the automated testing while making the most of the existing system.

Most building owners want to get the maximum life out of the systems in their building. Alternatively, they might want to extend existing systems without having to completely replace them.

Therefore, we developed the new NaveoPro gateways to work with existing systems that we supplied in the past. In some cases, existing luminaires may need to be updated with new identification numbers in order to work seamlessly with the cloud-based system.

The latest development is that we’re adding secure wireless communication between the gateways and luminaires as a new feature. 

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Lighting Technology

to present a spectacular gathering for sporting enthusiasts around the world with our expertise in sports lighting solutions,” said John Wang, President of North East Asia, SVP, Signify. “Signify will leverage this opportunity to help some of the most prestigious sports venues in China to adopt sustainable lighting innovations.”

All of the winter sports venues pose their own unique challenges, including steep rocky hills, longdistance signal transmission, and icy surfaces that reflect light.

Combining LEDs from the Philips SportStar and ArenaVision series with Interact Sports, successfully addressed these challenges. This includes lighting

that enables high-speed dynamic lighting control at night to perfectly capture all the athletes’ moves at the Genting Snow Park, home to the freestyle skiing and snowboarding events. At Capital Indoor Stadium, the lighting fixtures boast the same highspeed refresh rate as the stage lighting, making the ice look at its best while enhancing the viewing experience. And at Wukesong Sports Centre, the first arena in China that can host ice hockey and basketball events, the operators can quickly adapt to different lighting needs and provide an immersive TV viewing experience.

Additionally, the lights provide high power and high colour rendering features, which, in combination with a variety of light distribution solutions, can achieve the highest level of colour reproduction and flicker control – helping athletes to better focus on their performance. They also meet the stringent requirements of international television broadcasters, supporting flicker-free and super slow-motion replay, ensuring that TV viewers around the globe can enjoy an immersive sports viewing experience.

Interact Sports ensures that all the lights can be easily managed from a dashboard, switching between different scenes and monitoring operating status across multiple sections of an arena. This increases the flexibility of operators, improves operational efficiencies, and streamlines maintenance. Together with the energy-efficiency benefits of the Philips-branded LED luminaires this helps to reduce operational and maintenance costs, while improving the sustainability profile of the sports venues.

Interact Sports also optimises the experience of spectators and TV viewers during a wide array of diverse events hosted at the venues. The system’s unique scene management capabilities enables an exciting on-site experience through dynamic light shows, generating excitement before, during, and after events. 

DALI Broadcast modules are applied throughout Sky boxes, offices, restrooms, concourse plaza, corridors, plantrooms, kitchens, carpark and external spaces.

The modular systems are configured, managed and adapted through interactive graphical software, enabling the entire lighting infrastructure to be reconfigured to suit the requirements of the stadiums in the legacy phase, without accessing

equipment or carry-out wiring changes.

Networks of presence detectors and daylight sensors further optimise energy-efficiency by continuously adapting and regulating lighting modes and scenes based upon presence, absence, and the contribution of daylight.

DALI’s precise scene-setting and dimming enables efficient lighting schemes, and forms part of stunning light shows within the stadiums and across the stadiums façade. DALI dimming ensures the most comfortable and efficient lighting conditions for players, while also enhancing the stadium ambience for spectators and building occupants.

To maximise operational efficiency and sustainability, the system tracks the stadium’s energy usage and shares granular sensor data with connected services and the BMS via BACnet/ IP. Delmatic’s advanced Lightscape software with integrated emergency light monitoring and testing, provides real-time visibility and analysis of the entire lighting infrastructure.

Delmatic’s DALI-2 qualified range resulted in two Winning and two Highly Commended awards at the 2021 DALI Lighting Awards. The stadiums received Highly Commended in the Entertainment and Architectural category. 

Top winter athletes to benefit from LED lighting

SIGNIFY is illuminating the world’s largest winter sports event by equipping its key venues with Philips-branded LED sports lighting and the Interact Sports connected lighting system. The new lighting helps athletes to better engage in their sports and improve their performance. It also enhances the experience of spectators and TV viewers. The new high-quality, flexible, and energy-efficient sports lighting also helps to optimise operational efficiencies and maintenance. Signify customised each venue’s lighting system to their unique requirements, so they can easily host a range of events that all have their own lighting requirements.

“We are proud to be part of the collective efforts

DALI lighting solutions for new Qatar World Cup stadiums

DELMATIC has provided DALI and DALI-2 lighting solutions in Education City Stadium and Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, two venues for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

A high level of sustainability and environmental practice has been employed in every aspect of the stadiums’ design and construction, with the goal of delivering the first-ever carbon neutral tournament.

Delmatic’s IP DALI-2 Buswire modules combining the latest DALI-2 technology with BACnet IP and granular MQTT integration – and DALI system architecture with smart DALI Zero Power technology, play a significant role in maximising sustainability and energy efficiency of lighting and energy-consuming services in the 40,000-capacity stadiums and precincts.

The smart IP DALI-2 modules deliver fullyaddressable scene-setting control and monitoring of normal, emergency and decorative lighting across the stadium canopies and façades, while

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Lighting Technology Lighting helps Polish offices lead the way in energy efficiency

V.OFFICES by AFI Europe is a modern and environmentally friendly office building in Krakow, Poland. Located in a former industrial area of Kraków, it offers 24,700m² of workspace for rent. While the ground floor provides commercial premises and a restaurant, the five upper floors are exclusively offices. In addition, a hall and a public patio with a green space serve as public areas available for use by all workers. While the modern V-shaped architecture provides an elegant and comfortable work environment for its users, the real game-changing nature of the iconic building lies in its cuttingedge emphasis on sustainability.

The newly constructed office building delivers the highest standards in terms of ecology, ergonomics, and wellbeing. With a BREEAM score of 98.87 per cent, V.Offices is Poland’s most efficient office building and one of the most sustainable offices worldwide. Regarding the BREEAM International building classification, it is the second-highest-ranked office

building in the world. Its outstanding score was achieved using the latest technology in light management and state-of-the-art luminaires by TRILUX. As a single-source provider, TRILUX contributed to the building’s green performance by providing 1,540 indoor and outdoor luminaires.

Building an exceptionally efficient and sustainable building was declared the investor’s goal from the beginning of the project. BREEAM takes energy efficiency into account, but it also considers aspects like light pollution

and visual comfort; therefore, choosing the right luminaires and lighting solutions was crucial for achieving a top score.

BREEAM international assessor, Dominik Włodarczyk, commented: “A lighting system must be considered in terms of its impact on people and on the environment. These two aspects mustn’t be overlooked in the search for the best solutions.”

The planning team’s choice for TRILUX, therefore, was made quickly.

In addition to the extensive portfolio,

Installation of LED panels rejuvenate Yorkshire sports facility THORN LIGHTING rose to the challenge when asked to supply the lighting for a full-size floodlit 3rd generation FieldTurf football pitch at Marley Activities and Coaching Centre in Keighley, West Yorkshire.

Thorn and Bradford Metropolitan Council had previously worked together on a lighting scheme for

their head office site at Britannia House, which delivered a POE lighting solution with over 200 high grade LED panels.

Utilising the arrangement of the existing columns with a wider than average pitch was challenging to calculate, but Thorn’s team suggested a combination of optics with Champion LED high performance

floodlights. These were chosen for the upgrade to replace the outdated fluorescent solution with the latest LED technology, thus improving the quality of illumination and increasing energy savings.

Champion floodlights deliver 65° asymmetrical light distribution from 264 LEDs, with an IP66 and an impact

which allows an entire building to be equipped with luminaires from one source, the luminaires’ design, quality, and high efficiency were the main reasons to trust TRILUX. Installer, Jerzy Trześniowski, said: “TRILUX luminaires have a very good light spectrum. They give the impression of ‘soft light.’ This is how you can tell a good luminaire from a bad one.”

The reliable availability of solutions, five-year warranty, and the fact that the products are made in Europe contributed to the decision for TRILUX. For a BREEAM score as high as 98.87 per cent, all aspects of the building must be optimised to a maximum. In terms of lighting, this means using the most energyefficient luminaires and making sure that they are only turned on when necessary. Therefore, lighting control in the common areas is based on DALI modules linked to movement detectors. The outdoor lighting relies on dusk sensors reducing light pollution to a minimum.

Architect Andrzej Gacek illustrates how deep the integration of the lighting systems into the building’s outstanding efficiency is. “Lighting has been integrated with solenoid valves in the toilets. If there is no lighting, the water supply is cut off.”  strength of IK08. Ideal for sports fields and stadium or area lighting, Champion floodlights have low flicker operation (<1%), making them suitable for HDTV broadcasting and utilising 4000K LED with a colour rendering index of 70 minimum.

The high quality luminaires and sensible pricing has cemented a trusting relationship with Bradford Metropolitan District Council that is based on integrity, cutting-edge solutions and delivering beyond expectation.

Adam Brian, energy management officer at City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, commented: “The project is fantastic.

The whole scheme has had a massive impact on the local area, attracting so many sports, the pitch is now booked up for the foreseeable.

The lighting is spectacular given the constraints we had. The new LED luminaires are a great addition to the refurbishment of this popular and well-used sports facility. We are delighted with results which fit in with our aims to find effective, energyefficient and more environmentally friendly solutions to replace outdated energy and lighting.” 

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New Products

Valve offers flexibility Altecnic has launched the Apartment Control Assembly, a compact valve assembly that offers flexibility in configuration, installation, and connectivity to ensure that the designed system efficiency can be delivered.

Available in five different configurations, the valve assembly is compatible with three different water meter options making it suitable for a diverse range of installations. As such, the valve assembly can be ordered as a standalone monobloc with the option to add a moulded insulation cover and gauge, with a non-pulsed hot/cold water meter, a water meter with MBUS connectivity, or a class D water meter. Importantly, there is no requirement for additional adaptors to be used with any water meter configuration, saving time at the install, and reducing the risk of leak paths.

The Apartment Control Assembly offers a number of functions, combining the monitoring and controlling of water supply to a range of residential and commercial developments in one valve assembly, making it much more compact than installing individual valves and other valve assemblies already on the market.

Compressors help energy storage solution A pioneering new energy storage technology is using BITZER open-drive screw compressors to generate high efficiency cooling as an alternative, low-carbon power source.

The patented EnergiVault, being

developed by O-Hx Ltd, is designed to support decarbonisation of industrial processes, and commercial and residential buildings using stored ‘coolth’ as a source of energy.

EnergiVault was

recently awarded government funding in the form of a Business Accelerator grant to commercialise the technology.

Cooling energy generated by the BITZERpowered refrigeration

system is stored in a thermal battery containing a reservoir of phase-change material (PCM).

The battery is ‘charged’ by the refrigeration system using off-peak electricity, and then drawn-down during hightariff periods, significantly cutting end users’ power bills.

Waste heat generated by the refrigeration system is captured

by EnergiVault’s heat recovery system, and can be used for space heating or hot water for domestic use or industrial processes.

“Unlike lithium batteries, which can discharge only around 70 per cent of their power, all the energy stored in an EnergiVault can be used without harming the device or its future storage capacity,” says Bob Long, the inventor of EnergiVault.

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

A

s I write this, I’m reminded of just how bad January used to be when I was working as an accountant in practice clattering through the inevitable rush of last-minute tax returns. I certainly do not miss the endless hours in January making sure that clients did not get a penalty even though it was always the same clients that left things to the last couple of days. The boredom of doing endless tax returns was one of the main reasons that I was so pleased to get into the membership sector full time.

January is still a busy time for membership organisations as subscription renewal invoices arrive and the discussion around value starts. The pandemic has certainly made things harder on that front and I know that the vast majority of my fellow trade association CEOs are looking forward to a return to more positive economic activity in 2022.

Gas market chaos

Outside the ESTA world, the gas market chaos continues apace with major price increases already and the short- to medium-term future not looking good either. Russia has not invaded Ukraine (at least yet – apologies if events have overtaken the author by the time you read this) and security of supply is firmly back on the agenda.

Several business organisations representing larger energy using sectors have held talks with Government about accessing support to keep business and supply chains open. Interestingly, I have seen some suggestions that companies should only be given financial support (if indeed any is actually offered) on the basis that they have a concrete plan in place to implement energy efficiency measures.

From an energy efficiency sector perspective, I feel that at the moment we have a lot of open goals in front of us, waiting for us to kick the ball into the net. As energy prices rise pay back periods on energy efficiency solutions shorten.

After all of the anticipation, excitement, and media attention around COP last year, it has all gone very quiet. Alok Sharma in a recent speech focused on the importance of post-COP follow up action. So much focus was placed on the importance

Making the case for energy efficiency

Rising gas prices should make energy efficiency a ‘no brainer.’ So why does the sector have difficulty getting its voice heard? Mervyn Pilley looks at the challenges ahead in 2022 of the event itself that many may have assumed that reaching an agreement, however flawed that turned out to be, was the action that was going to save the planet on its own. Clearly this was never going to be the case but unfortunately having gained a lot of prestige from delivering a successful event the UK Government has not followed up by filling in the policy gaps in the strategy documents issued just before the event. Distractions abound in so many areas of policy but as so many commentators pointed out before, during and after COP, we are running out of time for action.

Demand side ignored

I have been having some interesting discussions recently around just how much demand side is being ignored and not just by the Government in policy direction. A lot of the membership organisations in the energy space would appear to be

Mervyn Pilley is executive director of ESTA (Energy Services and Technology Association)

mainly focused on the supply side.

Clearly the supply part of the transition is vitally important but why is there no real focus on actually using less energy. Many times during 2021 I discussed the concept of ‘negawatts’ and I was pleased to note that the IEA made the concept of treating energy efficiency as the first fuel a headline point of their 2021 report. We need to keep pushing that message hard in 2022.

Meanwhile, back at ESTA World there is the usual job of running a trade association to push on with. We are launching a new website and as I have found from past experience this process always takes a great deal longer than expected. One lesson learned is that it is vitally important to make sure that members are kept fully updated on what is going on even if a pandemic has come along and badly delayed progress.

40th anniversary celebrations

We have a host of ideas about how best to celebrate our 40th anniversary.

These include reactivating the Energy Efficiency Accreditation scheme that ESTA ran very successfully between 1992 and 2004, relaunching the Energy Efficiency Yearbook, incorporating an annual update on our energy efficiency manifesto as well as launching a monthly podcast focusing on energy efficiency leaders.

Most importantly we are looking to set up as many face-to- face activities for members and customers as possible this year. Regrettably rising overhead costs have made this a more expensive process but we know how important this networking activity is to members.

We are pleased to confirm that we are holding our first Energy Conscious Organisation (EnCO) conference on the 18th May 2022 at the offices of the Energy Institute. Our focus for this event, and indeed the programme itself in 2022, is to grow the number of registered Energy Conscious Organisations.

We are pleased at the growing number of trained consultants and now want to ramp up activity working with many like-minded organisations throughout the world. If you want to get involved with the programme, please visit the website at www.energyconsciousorganisation. org.uk 

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Produced in Association with

SERIES 19 / Module 07

Photovoltaics & Batteries

Photovoltaics and Batteries

by Jamie Goth, MSc, BSc, CEng, MInstE

S

For details on how to obtain your Energy Institute CPD Certificate, see ENTRY FORM and details on page 20

ome of the key issues relating to the installation of photovoltaic (PV) arrays and batteries in domestic and small non-domestic buildings will come under scrutiny in this article. Under the spotlight will be small-scale PV arrays, e.g. less than 1MWp output capacity, but not utility scale installations.

PV cells convert solar radiation into electricity. The technology has been in use in the UK for decades, but there was a significant rise in its application following the introduction of the feed in tariff (FiT) in 2010 which continued until 2019, when the FiT scheme closed.

Installations in the year to February 2020 were 43 per cent lower than in the previous year¹ when the FIT was available.

PV cells typically comprise silicon crystals doped with phosphorous or boron to increase the movement of free electrons and subsequent power generation. Polycrystalline and monocrystalline are the most common types of PV cell with polycrystalline cells being typically cheaper, but less efficient than monocrystalline cells.

Amorphous silicon PV cells have lower costs, but have only a little over half the efficiency of monocrystalline cells.

The energy management hierarchy places high priority on reducing electricity demand before considering the generation of electricity from renewable sources. Energy efficiency measures should be implemented to reduce a building’s electricity demand before a PV array is installed. This will reduce the capacity of the PV array

needed to meet a building’s electricity needs. The return on investment on a PV array can be optimised by sizing it to meet the lowest daytime electricity demand. Energy efficiency measures can contribute to this optimisation by prioritising the minimisation of energy waste at these times.

Maximising total output

The location of a PV array affects its ability to generate electricity. The ideal location for maximising total annual electricity output in the UK is an unshaded position in a south-facing orientation at an inclination from the horizontal of about 30°. Shading by trees, buildings, pylons, roof geometry and furniture can have a significant impact upon the power generated by a PV array. The excitement of electrons within the semiconductor material of a PV cell is significantly reduced by shading. However, where one shaded cell is in a circuit with unshaded cells, the flow of electricity from the whole circuit can be reduced, further reducing the power generated by the array. Even a small degree of shading can have a significant effect upon power output of an array.

Both the direction a PV array is facing and its angle of tilt relative to the sun are important factors in optimising electrical output. A south-facing orientation will be ideal through the majority of the day in the UK, whereas east and west orientations will only optimise direct sunlight in the morning and evening, respectively. While the ideal inclination from the horizontal

varies with latitude, time of day and season, the optimum for a fixed-axis system in many parts of the UK is 30˚.

A system in the north of Scotland will need to be set up differently from one in Cornwall, and even under optimum conditions, the level of insolation received annually in Scotland will be less than that in Cornwall.

Once a building’s electricity demand has been reduced, grid connected PV arrays are sized to take account of a number of factors, including residual peak and minimum power demands; the area available to accommodate a PV array; the building owner’s appetite for financial risk; occupancy patterns.

The power generated by PV arrays varies throughout the day according to light levels, intermittent shading and other factors. Power demand in buildings also varies in line with occupancy patterns and activity levels.

There are few applications where these two are aligned. Consequently, if a PV array is sized to meet a building’s peak demand, a significant proportion of the electricity it generates at times of non-peak demand is likely to be exported from the building to the electricity supply grid. However, means of managing consumption, electricity storage and export can be introduced to optimise self-consumption, carbon emissions and costs.

Battery storage can be incorporated into a building’s energy strategy, for example, to: • improve security of energy supply; • reduce the export of electricity from a building’s PV array; Produced in Association with

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Photovoltaics & Batteries For off-grid applications a PV array can help to reduce the use of fossilfuel stand-by generators

“A small number of electricity suppliers in the UK sell solar panel and storage packages” • optimise the site’s electricity carbon intensity; and • optimise the site’s electricity cost.

A battery storage system can be installed to improve security of electricity supply. Specialist systems, commonly known as Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), have been in existence for many decades and are commonly associated with supporting the continuous availability of information and communication technologies and other businesscritical systems. However, not all PV-battery systems are designed to provide protection against power interruption, and it is important to clarify this functionality before procuring a system.

Batteries can also be used to store electricity generated at times of day when generation exceeds demand.

The stored electricity can then be discharged for use at night and other times of no/low PV power output.

For off-grid applications, a PV array-battery combination can help to reduce the use of fossil fuel standby generators.

For grid-connected applications, a small number of electricity suppliers offer systems that store electricity to batteries when grid electricity is less carbon-intensive, allowing it to be used later, when grid electricity is more carbon-intensive. This approach can support organisational carbon reporting, reducing reliance upon carbon offsetting to achieve net zero operational energy. However, it should be noted that although the most widely adopted and

authoritative organisational carbon emission reporting methodology, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, supports the organisational reporting of emissions using market (or contract) based carbon conversion factors, the protocol also requires organisations to report using their location-based carbon conversion factors for electricity, which would not benefit from this time of day variation in grid carbon intensity².

A small number of electricity suppliers in the UK sell solar panel and storage packages, offering discounts in return for helping them to balance the grid. This allows suppliers to aggregate a network of small batteries to access grid balancing schemes and associated payments for addressing peaks and troughs of electricity supply and demand.

Time of day tariffs offer lower cost electricity at night and higher cost during the day, or at peak periods, such as between 16:00 and 19:00. These systems can be used with batteries alone, whereby the battery is charged during low-cost periods (e.g. overnight) and discharged during peak periods.

The effectiveness of this strategy can be enhanced by the combination of a PV array and battery designed to charge the battery either through selfgeneration or grid-supplied electricity when it is at low cost. Supplying electric vehicle charging within this context can offer further value for money.

More complex, real-time pricing is available, even at a domestic scale.

This is more nuanced than banded time-of-day pricing and requires more automation to optimise value from it.

However, the current global gas and electricity market price surge has led to wholesale electricity prices being consistently high, making this a risky option at the time of writing.

Real-time pricing is also available from a small number of suppliers for electricity exported from a PV array.

The Smart Export Guarantee tariff is designed to pay for excess renewably generated electricity. These tend to be a fixed rate of the order of 5p/kWh. However, higher rates are available from the small number of suppliers that offer real-time pricing of exported electricity.

Framework for certification

The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) is a quality assurance scheme, supported by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). It provides the framework for the certification of microgeneration technologies used to produce electricity and heat from low carbon sources. MCS operates a Battery Storage Standard (MIS 3012) which outlines the installation requirements for MCS certified Installers to supply, design and install battery storage systems. It both equips installers to roll out energy storage installations and provides consumer protection.

It should be noted that the financial case for PV-battery combinations is not always clear – especially during this time of high wholesale electricity prices. The business case for installing a battery alongside a PV array is likely to be stronger when non-financial

considerations, such as security of electricity supply and optimising selfsupply are valued. However, other environmental impacts associated with batteries that are not addressed by this article should also be taken into account. This could include impacts such as chemical toxicity and pollution caused during materials extraction and manufacturing processes and the embodied carbon of the selected battery technology.

Renewable energy generators, such as solar PV and wind significantly reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions arising from electricity generation and use compared to electricity generated by coal and other fossil fuels³.

PV arrays installed in countries with areas of plentiful sun and with a high proportion of coal in their grid electricity energy mix (such as Australia and China) will save a considerable amount of carbon each year compared to the alternative of sourcing grid electricity.

However, what of the energy and carbon emissions arising from making, transporting and installing the PV arrays? The Embodied Carbon of a PV array is the carbon footprint taken to make it. It can be calculated using Life Cycle Assessment. Manufacturers can carry out a Life Cycle Assessment of their products and produce an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). However, there is currently a dearth of EPDs for PV panels. A review of Life Cycle Assessment references for PV panels, based on monocrystalline cells carried out

by Circular Ecology⁴ came to the

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Photovoltaics & Batteries conclusion that a reasonable value to take is 2,560 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per kW of rated output capacity of a PV panel (2,560 kgCO₂e/kWp).

This calculation takes account of the fact that the manufacture of PV cells is an electricity-intensive process.

Cells made by energy-efficient processes will use less energy to make than those made under less well controlled processes. Siliconbased PV cell technologies are more energy intensive to make than the less common Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) cells, which have a higher ‘energy return on investment’⁵. Furthermore, cells manufactured in countries with carbon-intensive electricity grids will have higher embodied carbon than those manufactured with electricity sourced from largely decarbonised grids. The majority of the silicon-based PV modules are manufactured in Asia (about 80 per cent), with China alone accounting for 62 per cent of total global production; European manufacturers about 10 per cent; and the USA 4 per cent⁶. The majority of global installed PV capacity is also in Asia (57 per cent), with over a third of total global capacity residing in China⁷.

China and India have electricity grid carbon intensities of approximately 1kgCO₂e/kWh⁸. This suggests that, in broad-brush terms, the global PV market is having a significant climate change mitigation impact by displacing China’s high-carbon intensity grid electricity with PV. By comparison, the carbon intensity of the UK grid is less than a quarter of China’s (0.23 kgCO₂e/ kWh in 2021)⁹.

Annual electricity output

To simplify the comparison between the carbon intensity of electricity generated by a PV array with that of the UK electricity grid, some assumptions can me made about the annual electricity output and the life of the PV array. Assuming an electricity generation of 1,000kWh/kWp and a useful life of 20 years, the carbon intensity of each kWh generated by a PV array could be estimated as: PV array capacity (kWp) x {Embodied carbon per kWp / (Annual electricity generation (kWh/kWp) x Useful Life)} Assuming a 1 kWp PV array, the lifetime carbon intensity of electricity generated by a PV array becomes: 1kWp x {2,560kgCO₂e/kWp / 1,000kWh/kWp x 25 years} = 2,560 /25,000kgCO₂e/kWh = 0.10kgCO₂e/kWh

Even allowing for reasonable degradation in the output of a PV array over its life and other real world factors, the carbon intensity of electricity generated by a PV array installed today will be considerably less than the grid intensity of the 2021 UK grid electricity conversion factor of 0.23kgCO₂e/ kWh. The carbon intensity of the electricity grid in the UK rapidly decreased in the period 2015 to 2020, due in large part to the deployment of additional renewable generation capacity. This included rapid growth in solar, but was predominantly due to growth in offshore wind capacity and a decrease in fossil fuel capacity.

2020 was the first full year in which the UK generated more electricity from renewables than from fossil fuels¹⁰,¹¹.

This trend is set to continue – and must if the UK, Welsh and Scottish Governments’ net zero targets of 2050, 2050 and 2045 are to be met.

Continued grid decarbonisation will mean that the relative carbon emissions benefit of generating electricity from solar will decrease each year, unless PV panels of lower embodied carbon are

sourced, e.g. by using technologies of lower carbon intensity, such as cadmium tellurium, or if the manufacture of PV cells prioritises locations supplied by grid electricity of lower carbon intensity – a development which is already mature in the data centre market.

However, it should be noted that the grid intensity figures provided by BEIS do not include the construction embodied carbon of new generating plant or grid reinforcement activities, the inclusion of which would improve the case for self-generation by PV. Renewable electricity generated by licensed suppliers is assigned a Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificate for each MWh of electricity generated. However, there is a market for REGO certificates and separation of the renewably generated electricity from its certificate is a common occurrence. Renewably generated electricity can be the lowest priced electricity available under certain conditions – e.g. when wind or sun are strong and electricity demand is low. A supplier focused solely on price might purchase this

low-cost electricity, but forego its REGO certificates to avoid their small additional cost. The outcome is that these REGO certificates are separated from their renewable electricity and become available to be sold separately. Electricity suppliers can buy such REGO certificates at a rate of approximately a few pounds for the equivalent of a year’s supply to a typical household and claim to have a renewable tariff, when it is the same mix of sources as is available across the grid to anyone who buys electricity without the REGO certificate. By contrast, suppliers that buy both the renewably generated electricity and the REGO certificates that accompany them directly from generators (such as solar farms) using a Power Purchase Agreement are able to demonstrate that the electricity they sell is renewable. Electricity sold under such arrangements tends to attract a premium cost. However, with the scepticism directed at ‘greenwash’ claims, organisations with reputational value at stake may consider this to be a cost worth paying. 

REFERENCES 1)

Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy – Feed-in Tariff statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/ statistics/solar-photovoltaics-deployment) 2) Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 2 Guidance Executive Summary, An amendment to the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, World Resources Institute, Mary Sotos, 2015 (https://ghgprotocol.org/sites/default/files/Scope2_ ExecSum_Final.pdf ) 3) Carbon footprint of electricity generation, Research Briefing, UK parliament, June 2011 (https://post. parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-383/) 4) Embodied Carbon of Solar PV: Here’s Why It Must Be Included In Net Zero Carbon Buildings, Circular Ecology 2019 (downloaded January 2022) (https://circularecology. com/solar-pv-embodied-carbon.html) 5) Differences in CO2 emissions of solar PV production among technologies and regions: Application to China, EU and USA, Feng Liu, Jeroen CJM van den Bergh, Energy Policy Volume 138, March 2020 111234 (Abstract: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/ S0301421519308158) 6) Domestic and overseas manufacturing scenarios of siliconbased photovoltaics: Life cycle energy and environmental comparative analysis, Dajun Yue, Fengqi You, Seth B Darling, Solar Energy Volume 105, July 2014, Pages 669678 (Abstract: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ article/abs/pii/S0038092X14001935 ) 7) Renewable Energy Capacity Statistics 2021, International Renewable Energy Agency (pdf: https://www.irena.org/-/ media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2021/Apr/ IRENA_RE_Capacity_Statistics_2021.pdf) 8) Carbon Emissions from Electricity Consumption in Asia, Otto Nichols, Orrin Cook, Apalagroup web page, 25 August 2021 (https://www.apalagroup.com/angles/carbonemissions-from-electricity-consumption-in-asia) 9) Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2021, June 2021 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2021) 10) Britain generated more electricity from renewable sources than from fossil fuels for the first time in 2020 – marking a major step towards ‘gas power phase-out’ scientists say, Daily Mail, 28 January 2021 (https://www.dailymail. co.uk/sciencetech/article-9195251/Renewable-powerovertakes-fossil-fuels-time-UK-2020-report.html) 11) UK electricity from renewables outpaces gas and coal power, the Guardian, 28 January 2021 (https://www. theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/28/uk-electricityfrom-renewables-outpaces-gas-and-coal-power)

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SERIES 19 / Module 02 07

Refrigeration Photovoltaics & Batteries

ENTRY ENTRYFORM FORM

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

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825, GUILDFORD, GU4 8WQ. Or 825, GUILDFORD, GU4 8WQ. Orscan scanand and e-mail e-mailto toeditor@eibi.co.uk. editor@eibi.co.uk.All All All modules will then be supplied to the Energy Institute for marking All modules will then be supplied to the Energy Institute for marking modules will then be supplied to the Energy Institute for marking modules will then be supplied to the Energy Institute for marking Produced in Association with

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20 24 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | SEPTEMBER MARCH 20202020

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Products in Action

Cosmetic retailer finds solution to A/C challenges A popular high-end cosmetic retailer recently opened new stores at two of the UK’s largest shopping centres, Lakeside Retail Park and The Centre at Milton Keynes. Both stores have been fitted out with PANASONIC HVAC systems to deliver customer comfort and safety.

Panasonic worked with experienced HVAC installer, CER Inst Ltd to provide an energy-efficient HVAC solution

3-pipe VRF units were incorporated into the design at Lakeside (totally capacity of the project was 195kW)

the Milton Keynes store (total project capacity of 270kW. In addition to this, other key Panasonic technologies such as ERV units, cassette and ducted fancoils combined with the use of off coil temperature control and Panasonic’s

unique and game changing nanoe X, to help inhibit harmful bacteria and viruses, all seamlessly controlled via Panasonic AC Smart Cloud centralised control.

The retailer set out to find a 21st

century solution for its 2,200m store at Lakeside that not only provided a low carbon solution, energy efficiency, comfortable and healthy environment for its customers and staff alike.

3-pipe VRF units combined with cassette, ducted fancoils and ERV

this new retail store to deliver a high energy-saving performance, powerful operation, reliability, and consistent comfort throughout the space.

Another important aspect in the design of the project is the tranquil air dire jet sock systems, which were fed from the Panasonic PAW 01 recuperator technology. This has added DX coils for temperature control and provides a cost-effective fresh air and extract solution. This was internally fitted to the rear wall and avoided a very costly route to the roof.

The Milton Keynes project had different challenges as it is in a 1970s building and for a much larger retail space of 2,800m . Again, a bespoke system was designed for the store to deliver the same level of comfort and even temperature. As well as off coil control and nanoe X technology the installation also included the Panasonic AC Smart Cloud control system to further enhance the energy efficiency of the system.

Heat Pumps

Daniel Clark is managing director of Isentra

The heat pumps will be major contributors to reducing emissions by 75 per cent at Wolfson College, Oxford

Heat pumps deliver a degree of reduction Heat pumps and a range of energy-saving technologies are combining to help an Oxford college cut its carbon emissions by 75 per cent by March 2022

W

olfson College, Oxford, is set to take delivery of innovative transcritical CO2 heat pumps from CO2 refrigeration and heating specialist Isentra as part of a major installation by Seward Refrigeration which will aim to cut carbon emissions on its main estate by 75 per cent by March 2022.

The heat pumps will be major contributors to the emissions target alongside refurbishing windows with triple-glazed glass. The college is aiming to cut emissions from its estate and be net zero by 2030 at the latest.

Max Fordham LLP, the environmental building services engineer who completed the energy audit and decarbonisation plan for the college, established that changing from single glazing and improving insulation will reduce building heat loss by 80 per cent, while replacing gas boilers with district CO2 heat pumps will reduce carbon footprint by 75 per cent.

The Government is funding half of the £10m cost through a grant aimed at decarbonising the public sector.

Planned refurbishment of the

flat-roofed main buildings will also see increased insulation and the installation of more photovoltaic panels, while all lighting will be upgraded to LED. A 1MWh electrical storage battery is planned to draw electricity at peak times.

Urgent need to invest

As the governments of the world wake up to the need to invest in new technologies to prevent climate disaster, Wolfson College is leading the way with the installation of these heat pumps.

Heat pumps, as a technology, are currently woefully underused when it comes to the environmental savings they can provide, so we hope many more institutions will follow Wolfson College’s lead in the uptake of this available and highly effective solution.

Isentra transcritical CO2 heat pumps were chosen because they are capable of delivering high temperature heating water that is compatible with the existing heating system, whilst CO2 is a totally natural and non-toxic working fluid and not a synthetic fluid such as HFCs that have a high global warming impact.

CO2 is not subject to any environmental legislation such as the F-Gas Regulation. Therefore, CO2 is a natural and future-proof solution that can be used in relatively high charge heat pump applications, safely collecting from a site-wide heat source network.

Each Isentra transcritical heat pump will be capable of delivering

Heat pumps are woefully underused when it comes to the environmental savings up to 350kW, with the air-source pumps collecting their heat from CO2 evaporator heat sources which are located around an open-sided basement car park. The evaporator heat sources have fan speed control so that noise and air volumes are always optimised to their lowest level for the given heating demand.

The transcritical heat pumps will

provide water temperatures up to 70°C. The efficient application of transcritical CO2 heat pumps requires that the return water temperatures are much lower than a conventional gas boiler system. In fact the lower the heating water return temperature is, the more efficient the CO2 heat pump will be. Therefore, the college’s heating engineers have re-engineered the existing Wolfson College district heating network to ensure that the water return temperatures are significantly lower than they ordinarily were.

The Isentra transcritical heat pumps employ parallel compression to increase energy efficiency and hence the coefficient of performance (COP). The practice of parallel compression enables a greater degree of the CO2 vapour compression to be carried out at a much lower compression ratio, therefore energy consumption is significantly reduced.

In-order to control all aspects of the heat pump, Isentra has developed its own bespoke PLC platform which controls all aspects of the heat pump and evaporator heat sources including the defrost systems. The PLC platform is internet connected so that Isentra engineers can monitor the operation of the heat pumps remotely. Touchscreen human machine interfaces (HMI) are fitted to each heat pump, displaying a full operational visual breakdown of the heat pumps and their heat sources.

The heat source evaporators are defrosted using warm glycol. This efficient and effective defrost system uses a small amount of heat energy developed by the heat pump.

Isentra is very proud of the technology we are implementing on this project which includes highly innovative optimised high pressure control practices within all the heat exchangers, including the evaporators and also the lubrication systems.

The Wolfson College installation is leading the way for a pipeline of further exciting technical developments we have on-the-go at Isentra, that we believe will set new benchmarks in terms of CO2 heat pump efficiency.

Isentra has also assisted Seward Refrigeration with full project system design including interconnecting pipe work design and drawings, while also providing full onsite and remote commissioning support. 

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Heat Pumps

Irish hospice gains from heat pumps, solar panels PANASONIC Air-to-Water Aquarea Heat Pumps are providing energy efficient heating and hot water to the Wicklow Hospice in Ireland.

Although the original specification was for a ground source set up, local heat pump specialists, Base Engineering, instead recommended the Panasonic Aquarea air source heat pumps, along with the Panasonic Cascade Controller, as more suitable for the project.

JV Tierney & Co worked with Quinn Downes and Base Engineering to incorporate the air-to-water heat pumps into the existing design for the building, using the individual heat pumps’ controls, in addition to the

Panasonic Cascade Controller to help provide equal run hours across all six heat pump units.

The use of air-to-water heat pumps in the system, complements the installation of 24 solar PV panels on the roof of the building. The Panasonic heat pump system is able to use the free energy created by the solar panels to further boost the output by up to 400 per cent in the creation of heat and DHW to further increase the energy efficiency of Wicklow Hospice.

7KH EXLOGLQJ LV KHDWHG E\ P {RI underfloor heating made up of 13,000m of pipework, controlled by 68 thermostats throughout the facility. The 15 bedrooms are all 28m² including en suite facilities. Each of the six Panasonic Aquarea heat pumps links to a 1500L buffer tank which then provides hot water to the underfloor heating system across the entire facility.

Heat pumps for industrial processes TRANE has expanded its heating solutions portfolio with new Trane Exergy Series heat pumps. The Exergy Series units deliver heating capacity of up to 120ºC and can replace oil and gas boilers in industrial process, buildings and district heating applications.

The Trane Exergy heat pumps are claimed to deliver the highest temperature on the market. They can source energy from natural water as well as waste water or industrial processes, at a temperature range between -20ºC and +45ºC. This gives

customers the operational flexibility and widens the scope of applications, where this energy can be recovered, extracted and used as a source for efficient and environmentally responsible heating.

The Exergy Series heat pumps are manufactured in cooperation with Oilon, a Finnish energy and clean-tech company with over 60 years of experience in generating heat for private residences, large residential buildings, district heating networks, and for a variety of industrial processes.

Heat Pumps

Ryan Kirkwood is Baxi’s heat pumps business development manager

For a heat pump to work effectively, the building needs to be thermally efficient

Working together to achieve net zero Heat pumps have a key role to play in the energy transition. However, a solutions-based focus is essential to ensure an optimal high-performance outcome, says Ryan Kirkwood

W

e firmly believe that a mix of electrification and hydrogen-based solutions along with deployment of low carbon heat networks will be necessary to hit 2050 the net zero target. Energy efficiency will also be key, as the most cost-effective resource available to reduce heat demand and meet our energy needs.

The government would appear to agree. In its Heat and Buildings Strategy, it recognises both heat pumps and energy efficiency as key focus areas in the short term for decarbonising heat, while longer-term technologies like green hydrogen scale up.

Certainly, the merits of electric heat pumps as a technology to meet the low carbon challenge today are well established, particularly in new and well-insulated buildings. We see Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) as the most popular and cost-effective choice of heat pump.

Decarbonising the grid

Powered by the UK’s rapidly decarbonising electricity grid, this energy-efficient technology extracts renewable heat from the atmosphere

and amplifies it using refrigerant compression. As such, it can provide a highly efficient, sustainable method of supplying low carbon heating or indirect hot water requirements for a range of non-domestic buildings.

But here’s the problem. For heat pumps to work effectively as the sole heating source, the building needs to be thermally efficient. As we know, UK buildings vary greatly in type, age and energy infrastructure, and the heating system in many is ageing and inefficient.

If the solution is technology-focused and tailored around the heat pump rather than the retrofit challenges in the building, the anticipated energy, running costs and carbon savings will simply not be achieved.

However, action is required now to drive the energy transition. And while heat pumps cannot be regarded as a decarbonisation panacea per se, they do have a key role to play in the future of heat within a solution-focused design.

So how can energy managers ensure that the solution meets their heat-related sustainably goals, particularly in older properties?

One option is to work more closely

with experienced heating and hot water manufacturers.

Realistically, given the complexity of the challenge in harder to heat buildings, it’s unlikely that full decarbonisation will be achieved overnight. A major advantage of engaging and working with heat experts is that they will be able to help identify and deliver a solution based around each individual building and bespoke to its unique requirements.

Long-term goals

By asking the right questions, they will be able to gain a clear understanding of the organisation’s long-term goals and so help plan and set an achievable pathway to net zero.

The limitations might include physical space constraints, older heating and hot water systems that operate at higher temperatures, available electricity supply, poor insulation and limited budgets.

They will be able to advise on the most appropriate route to net zero and help devise a phased refurbishment programme that will prioritise performance at each stage. Importantly, they will have not only the expertise but also the

product portfolio to support energy managers on the journey to greater sustainability.

A stepwise approach will take into account any logistical and/or budget constraints while enabling energy managers to plan and budget ahead.

Energy efficiency will likely be the first step to reduce heat losses and lower energy demand and costs, followed by an upgrade of any noncondensing boilers to more energyefficient condensing units.

Once the building and heating and hot water system have been successfully brought up to code, integrating ASHPs and high efficiency condensing boilers or water heaters in a hybrid system would be a natural progression.

Hybrid heat pump systems are an effective means of overcoming typical project limitations in existing buildings and meeting heat demand more sustainably. In a well-designed system, they will reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, thereby helping energy managers balance environmental with economic goals.

Technical design is a critical area where experienced manufacturers should be able to provide valuable support. The aim should be to maximise heat pump contribution performance where possible, while taking all project limitations into account. Care should be taken to design the hybrid heat pump system in such a way that it successfully maximises the efficiency of both technologies. Flow and return temperatures, ∆Ts, controls and, ultimately, the detailed hydronic design should be taken into careful consideration when blending the technologies. Expert manufacturers will be able to provide advice on these aspects to address and avoid any conflict.

Decarbonising heat is vital to meet our net zero target – but for energy managers of harder to tackle buildings it is no mean feat and can seem overwhelming. Added to which, price volatility in the energy market makes it more important than ever to ensure a solution that ticks all the right boxes, from reliability and high efficiency to environmental sustainability and lifetime affordability.

Both hybrid heat pump systems and standalone, purpose designed ASHP systems offer the opportunity for important efficiency gains and emission reduction to drive heat decarbonisation in existing and new commercial buildings. 

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Heat Pumps

Heat pumps help ground-breaking London district heating scheme CARRIER AQUAFORCE 61XWHZE high-temperature heat pumps have been chosen for E.ON’s ground-breaking district heating and cooling scheme in the City of London. The project is anticipated to cut carbon emissions from heating and cooling by customers

connected to E.On’s City of London network by up to 50 per cent and will enhance air quality in the city by reducing emissions.

The project is part of a multimillion-pound programme by E.ON to improve and upgrade the Citigen energy centre, supporting

efforts to decarbonise the city and transform how connected buildings in the Square Mile are heated and cooled. The refrigerant used in the selected heat pumps, R-1234ze, has a GWP of less than 1, significantly lower than the previous refrigerant, and therefore has only a tiny fraction of the environmental impact.

Three Carrier AquaForce 61XWHZE heat pumps will extract thermal energy from water pumped from deep boreholes in the aquifer 200m beneath the capital. They will also harness waste heat from the existing Combined Heat and Power plant that would otherwise be lost to atmosphere.

The Carrier units upgrade the energy harvested to produce hot water at 80 C. This will be used to provide up to 4MW of heating and 2.8MW of cooling to residential and business customers via a district-wide network of highly insulated pipes, running underground for 10km.

Heat pump can provide water up to 80ºC HITACHI’S S80 high-temperature heat pump is being used across Europe in sites including KFC fast-food restaurants with high daily hot water consumption, a 250m² fitness centre with showers and a 200-pitch campsite with 17 showers and washing facilities.

With a COP of up to 5.0, Hitachi’s S80 heat pump can provide primary heated water up to 80ºC, operating down to -20ºC with a twin compressor system. The S80 has ‘Smart Cascade’ which automatically adjusts compressor operation according to heating requirements to achieve outstanding seasonal efficiency. When the heating requirement reduces to below 55ºC the unit only uses one compressor, saving energy. When the heating demand increases, it activates the VHFRQG{FRPSUHVVRU UDLVLQJ WKH WHPSHUDWXUH XS to 80ºC. The output capacities are 11kW, 14kW DQG N: LQ VLQJOH DQG WKUHH SKDVH YHUVLRQV { Speaking about the cost benefits, Kevin Lucas, Hitachi national sales manager - heating said: “Taking KFC as an example, we understand annual electricity costs were reduced from €6,200 to €2,040 by installing Yutaki S80 5HP and a 260L domestic hot water tank.”

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Heat Pumps

Hot water package checks in at luxury Glasgow hotel A new 4-star hotel in central Glasgow is benefitting from a comprehensive heating and hot water package of heat pump, boilers, storage vessel, and water heaters from Banbury-based manufacturer LOCHINVAR. The £40m 300-room development is the first foray into Scotland for the Irish Dalata Hotel Group and, since it opened last summer, its distinctive brown and beige façade has already become a noticeable local landmark.

Such a large, modern structure demanded a state-of-the-art heating and hot water solution – and the owners were also keen to achieve high

efficiency performance with minimal carbon emissions while still delivering the high volumes of hot water on demand needed by such a busy and high spec hotel.

As a result, Lochinvar was specified to provide a package consisting of air source heat pump and buffer vessel supported by two TTW water heaters delivering heating and hot water at minimal energy use and low carbon footprint, but still with fast recovery rates to meet demand.

The Amicus LT heat pump is ideal for operating as part of a hybrid system, such as the one specified by the Maldron Hotel team. The heat pump delivers low temperature hot water and operates at a coefficient of performance (COP) above four so providing the client with significant energy savings and reduced carbon emissions.

It works in tandem with the TTW floor standing water heaters, which are circulating-type models with heat exchangers constructed from stainless steel so are ideal for providing high volumes of hot water on demand at any time of the day and night – a key requirement for most hotels.

The Lochinvar EFB condensing boilers serve the hotel’s air handling plant and over door air curtains. As well as being highly energy efficient, are classified as ultra-low NOx, which is another benefit for a client keen to minimise environmental impact.

Range of heat pumps comes to the UK market As part of its continued growth in the UK commercial heating market, MODUTHERM has announced a partnership agreement with alpha innotec – a leading European manufacturer of heat pumps.

Modutherm, which is part of the Modular Heating Group, has secured the agreement following strong growth in recent years, thanks to an expanding nationwide salesforce and a highly experienced management team.

Ian Bradley, managing director at Modutherm, said: “We have been working closely with alpha innotec on a number of successful projects for over a year. During this period, our approaches have been very similar, with both companies promoting the use of high-quality products and systems for maximum energy efficiency.”

Bradley continued: “The heat

pump market is growing fast and we’re confident the combination of our market knowledge and contacts, coupled with alpha innotec’s superb range of products and exceptional heat pump knowledge, can offer a solution for every type of project.”

Based in Kasendorf, Germany, alpha innotec has been developing, producing and selling user-friendly heat pumps since 1998.

Mike McCloskey (left) is founder and co-director of Utilidex and Kunal Kalani is business associate at PwC

Combined Heat and Power & District Heating

Use intelligence to find savings

Fig 1. Comparisons for three hospitals after using the optimiser

Kunal Kalani and Mike McCloskey explain how an optimisation model for planning CHP operation led to agile and profitable export of surplus power

C

HPs can be of various types based on the technology they use. The common ones however are reciprocating engines, combustion turbines, steam turbines and microturbines. They can also use different fuels, but the most prominent fuel is natural gas.

The principles of heat and electricity generation remain the same overall.

A CHP system can be heat-led or electrically led based on the priorities of the user.

For Utilidex, a key area of focus has been the CHP space. Hence, they partnered with University College London’s (UCL) School of Management for exploring this area further by offering an internship to this article’s joint author, Kunal Kalani, then a student on the MSc Business Analytics programme at UCL. The project was aimed at creating an optimisation model for planning CHP operations in order to maximise profitability by intelligently exporting surplus energy based on the gas and electricity wholesale market prices in the UK.

Agile decision making

The project goal was to come up with a solution for agile decision making for the operations of CHP units in order to run the plant as well as import and export electricity at the appropriate times, based on the gas and electricity markets, which would minimise the cost of energy for the CHP owner/operator.

To model an optimiser and test it, data was used for three hospitals in the UK. In line with the zero-carbon footprint goal set out by the NHS for 2045, a lot of hospitals and trusts have invested in CHPs for greener energy.

This also gives an opportunity to sell excess power produced when needed in order to offset the costs further.

Due to the availability of CHPs in this sector data was used from hospitals.

However, the project findings are relevant with other industries and sectors as well.

One of the three hospitals had no CHP while the other two were CHP-equipped sites. Hourly data gathered was for gas consumption and electricity consumption for a

period of eight months for each of these hospitals. Based on the weather data for these locations, estimations were made for the heat demand of these hospitals. This demand is critical in order to create the heat prediction aspect of the model using a degree-day analysis. Similarly, average electricity usage per hour was calculated and used to estimate the electricity consumption for the next day.

Fig 2. Optimised CHP operation based on use during price spike

Size of CHPs on the site

These estimations were required so that the optimiser had an idea of how much hourly heat and electricity is needed for the next day to make the decisions based on these numbers and the prices on the market for the following day. Another assumption was made for the size of the CHPs for these sites. As the benefit of the optimisation is in the export of excess electricity generated on-site, it was assumed that all 3 sites had 15 per cent spare capacity left from the CHP at peak electricity load for the site.

A Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) was used to model various constraints which then allowed the model to arrive at the lowest costs for each day. The simulations were run for time-periods of an entire month for each of the hospitals to cover variations in the market prices, seasons, and the hospital’s own patterns of usage as well.

Based on the results from the optimiser, comparisons could be made for the three hospitals as seen in Fig. 1.

Over the course of one month each, all three simulations showed savings over the actual costs of energy by the site. The majority of savings were generated through running the CHP intelligently for exporting electricity for sale. This initial proof of concept showed monthly savings between 7.8 per cent and 21.2 per cent of the original energy cost to the site, based on the month of the year and the site itself.

A basic example of the decision making can be seen in Fig. 2 where the CHP is run during price spikes and not run when the prices are low.

In Fig. 3, electricity import and export patterns can be seen as

Fig 3. Electricity import and export patterns as decided by the optimiser

decided by the optimiser. The optimiser chooses to export electricity by running the CHP when the prices are high to reduce costs and rather turn in a profit from selling the generated electricity. On the other hand, it chooses to not run the CHP and import electricity when the prices are very low. Also, the optimiser can choose to import and export simultaneously to drive costs down further if the site has the capability to do so. This can be seen between

January 11th and 12th in Fig. 3.

The optimisation programme will be continued to be refined and developed to suit a number of different clients and applications in various areas of the energy sector. The model can handle specific constraints of the client’s CHP setup and contractual obligations.

There will be future capability of optimising multiple CHP units in conjunction as well as optimising CHP units in tandem with renewable sources like solar and wind power. 

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Combined Heat and Power & District Heating

Ian Allan is head of market strategy for Switch2 Energy

Six reasons to install heat meters Hundreds of thousands of homes connected to UK heat networks are unmetered. Ian Allan explains the 6 reasons why operators should install smart heat metering systems

A

proven solution to stem energy waste and increase cost and carbon savings on unmetered residential heat networks is to install smart heat metering systems.

Digital smart heat metering systems provide residents with an in-home display that shows how much energy is being used, what it’s costing and how much carbon is being emitted.

Accurate bills can then be produced, according to the exact energy use of a specific home.

This contrasts sharply with unmetered properties, where residents are charged a fixed flat rate that is calculated as a share of the total heat network fuel costs, irrespective of whether they use lots or little energy. As such, there’s little incentive to save energy.

Current regulation will ensure that most existing unmetered heat networks will switch to smart heat metering

5. Reduce debt risk

2. Reduce CO₂ emissions

Using energy more efficiently also leads to lower carbon emissions. UK heat networks must transition from predominantly gas-fuelled schemes to renewables. But the difficult challenge is to create low-carbon schemes at a price residents can afford.

Smart heat metering systems work seamlessly with any centralised heat system, without requiring adjustments – providing a future-proofed solution to the low and zero carbon heat networks of tomorrow.

3. Achieve compliance

The government is committed to improving the energy efficiency of buildings and decarbonising the heating sector. To this end, its Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations are driving the retrofitting of final customer metering on unmetered heat network schemes, wherever it is technically and financially viable. This is determined by using a cost effectiveness tool assessment. Where the assessment proves viable, final heat meters must

be installed by 1 September 2022.

This is likely to involve the use of smart heat metering systems, which are cost effective and reliable.

Higher gas prices mean that this assessment is more likely to prove financially viable. We believe that actual savings will be much higher than those predicted by the assessment tool, which estimates the demand reduction benefit of smart metering and billing at 20 per cent. Our experience shows that this is in excess of 35 per cent and up to 50 per cent in many UK social housing schemes.

4. Improve customer service

Smart heat meters provide complete visibility of energy use and costs, which gives control and transparency.

Customers can make conscious, informed decisions about how they use their energy and take steps to minimise costs and carbon emissions.

Residents know that they will be charged fairly according to the exact amount of energy they consume and can budget accordingly, rather than relying on estimated billing.

1. Save money

The most obvious and immediate benefit of installing smart heat metering on unmetered heat network schemes is energy cost reduction. In our experience, this can decrease energy spend by 35 to 50 per cent. That’s because residents have visibility of their costs and consumption and a powerful financial incentive to moderate energy usage.

New generation pay-as-you-go smart meters also combine the billing and flexible payment process.

Record high gas prices are further improving the payback of installing individual smart metering systems in homes connected to unmetered heat networks.

Digital smart heat metering systems can provide residents with an in-home display

Smart heat metering delivers big savings on energy bills – making the likelihood of residents defaulting on payments less likely. Gaining visibility of heat use and costs also enables residents to budget better and meet their billing obligations.

The switch to next generation payas-you-go smart meters avoids the issue of payment defaults as residents pre-pay for the energy they use.

Digital smart meters make it possible to identify financial difficulties at the earliest opportunity, so that debt can be managed effectively and fairly.

6. Inform efficiency

Smart heat metering helps inform network efficiency and optimises performance, which can deliver major operational improvements – leading to further cost and carbon savings.

Heat meters are used to identify apartments where the controls are not working or set incorrectly, which can cause significant inefficiencies and interrupt the supply of good quality heating to all residents.

Using artificial intelligence (AI) enabled technology to interrogate data from smart heat meters, together with Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS), sensors and other measurement points, provides complete visibility of heat network performance issues. Using this intelligence to target efficiency improvements, we see average 35 per cent energy savings.

As heat networks transition from gas to new low- and zero-carbon heat sources, it is essential to optimise whole network efficiency in readiness for next generation systems, such as heat pumps. These systems generally require lower temperatures and have higher fuel costs so ensuring your heat network is optimised is an important step in keeping costs as low as possible.

Current regulation will ensure that most existing unmetered heat networks will switch to smart heat metering. Those left behind should consider the many benefits of converting, regardless of legislation.

This will be a more pressing decision in the likely event that gas prices remain at higher levels. In this event, the vast majority of schemes will become financially viable – leading to a better deal for customers and multiple benefits for landlords too. 

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Combined Heat and Power & District Heating

Sebastian Gray is director of 2EA Consulting Ltd

Even with the current high gas prices, savings can still be made when using CHP

on site, then the electricity generated by the CHP unit would have to be imported from the grid and would include the cost of CCL. So the cost of importing the equivalent electricity from the grid would be: • Electricity Rate Price: £0.34000/kWh • Climate Change Levy – Electricity: £0.00775/kWh • Total Electricity Price (Day): £0.34775/kWh Therefore the total cost to import the equivalent electricity from the grid would be: • Total Cost Equivalent Grid: • 52,700kWh x £0.34775/kWh = £18,326.43

Heat supplied by boiler

Don’t turn off your CHP

These are worrying times for CHP operators as gas prices soar. But, says Sebastian Gray, this is not the time to ignore CHP. Significant savings can still be made

T

he future has never looked so uncertain for energy suppliers. Between 9th August 2021 and 1st December 2021, 25 energy suppliers have ceased trading. Many were small firms with modest customer bases in a large market, poorly managed, underfunded or just buying energy from the wholesale market and passing it on. The biggest shock of these was the collapse of CNG, an energy provider of 27 years.

At the time of writing in December 2021, the domestic market prices for gas and electricity stood at £0.0677/ kWh and £0.2411/kWh respectively, whilst the non-domestic market is at £0.0870/kWh and £0.3400/kWh. The spark spread (the difference between the gas and electricity price) is around £0.25; and may increase further, as an increase in the gas price is normally followed by an increase in the electricity price.

There’s no argument that these prices are worrying, especially those operating CHP units. However, we would advise CHP operators to keep them running, as savings can still be made.

Potential monthly savings

Using the figures above, let’s look at the potential monthly savings an operator of a 100kW CHP unit can make:

The CHP unit has the following specification: • Electrical Output: 100 kW • Heat Output: 150 kW • Gas Input: 300 kW • Daily Run Hours: 17 – The CHP unit does not have to run during the ‘night’ period.

Taking the month of January as an example, the CHP unit will operate for 527 hours and generate/consume the following: • Electricity Generated in period: 52,700kWh • Heat Supplied in period: 79,050kWh • Gas Consumed in period: 158,100 kWh Before we can start calculating the nett savings of the CHP unit in the period, we must know if the CHP unit is registered under the CHPQA Programme.

If a CHP unit is registered under CHPQA Programme and meets the criteria for good-quality CHP, then all the gas used and all the electricity generated is exempt from the climate change levy (CCL). For this example we will assume that the CHP unit is CHPQA registered and is classed as good quality.

For the following example, we will assume the following utility prices at site:

• Electricity Rate Price: £0.34000/ kWh • Gas Price: £0.08700/kWh • Maintenance Cost: £0.04200/kWh The Climate Change Levy rates are currently as follows: • Climate Change Levy – Gas: £0.00465/kWh • Climate Change Levy – Electricity: £0.00775/kWh We will also assume for the following example that the gas-fired back-up boiler heat efficiency is 85 per cent.

We now have all the data we need to calculate the CHP savings. The first step is to calculate the CHP costs.

Effectively the total cost to operate the CHP, is the cost of the gas consumed and the cost of the maintenance to operate it; so we have: • Cost of CHP Gas: 158,100 kWh x £0.087/kWh = £13,754.70 • Cost of CHP Maintenance: 52,700 kWh x £0.0420/kWh = £2,213.40 • Total CHP Operational Cost: = £15,968.10

Electricity and heat savings

We will now look at the CHP savings.

These can be separated into two parts, the electricity savings and the heat savings: If there were no CHP unit operating

We must also take into account the heat supplied by the CHP unit. If this were not available, this heat would have to be supplied by the site boiler(s), which would use gas to generate it.

Assuming that the boiler has a heat efficiency of 85 per cent, then the quantity of gas used to generate the equivalent heat would be: • Equivalent Boiler Gas: 79,050 kWh / 0.85 = 93,000 kWh As the gas used in the boiler is not subject to a CCL exemption, then the CCL rate for gas needs to be included in the price of the gas. So the price of the boiler gas would be: • Gas Price: £0.08700/kWh • Climate Change Levy – Gas: £0.00465/kWh • Total Gas Price: £0.09165/kWh Therefore the total cost of the boiler gas used to replace the equivalent heat from the CHP would be: • Total Boiler Gas Cost: 93,000 kWh x £0.09165/kWh = £8,523.45 So this is an effective saving, as this gas does not have to be purchased to generate the heat that is being supplied by the CHP unit.

Therefore the total savings by operating the CHP unit are as follows: • Total Electricity Saving: £18,326.43 • Total Heat Saving: £8,523.45 • Total Energy Cost Saving: £26,849.88 From this we must deduct the total CHP operational cost: • Total CHP Operational Cost: £15,968.10 • This gives us then a total nett monthly CHP Saving of: £10,881.78 So we can see, that even with the current high gas prices, the spark spread maintained, significant savings from a CHP unit can still be made. 

32 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | FEBRUARY 2022

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New Products

Ten-year warranty scheme gives reassurance to compressed air users Compressor manufacturer BOGE has launched a ten-year warranty scheme for all its oil lubricated screw machines.

The scheme, branded as 5+5, is free for new and existing customers and builds on BOGE’s current fiveyear Bestcair warranty plus a further five-year period of cover thereafter. It covers an unlimited number of operating hours during each period as well as all manufacturing defects, with either repair or replacement of BOGE approved parts.

Cover is subject to each compressor being maintained and serviced in-line with BOGE’s recommended schedules and guidelines.

Mark Whitmore, general manager

at BOGE Compressors in the UK, commented: “We’ve many machines around the world that have been in service for well over ten years – and the new 5+5 warranty scheme reflects our confidence in the performance and reliability of each machine we manufacture, supply and install.”

BOGE oil lubricated screw compressors range from 2.2 to 355kW in size, with a choice of oil-injected and oil-free, frequency controlled, direct or belt drive machines. The latest addition to the range is the S-4, which offers a unique combination of low noise and vibration, minimal maintenance and “best in class” energy efficiency. 

‘Ground-breaking’ tube heating system set for use with hydrogen

SCHWANK believes it has set a groundbreaking milestone with the development of its first 100 per cent hydrogencompatible tube heating system.

An R&D team in Cologne, Germany, led by Prof. Dr. Friedhelm Schlösser, equipped a Schwank tube heater with a completely new burner technology.

Beforehand, the ignition and combustion behaviour of hydrogen in closed, small-volume systems was computer simulated using complex

calculation models. “As soon as the theoretical approaches were transferred to the practical environment of the laboratory, it quickly became clear what makes the use of 100 per cent hydrogen so difficult,” said Prof. Schlösser. “It is the unpredictable behaviour of the fuel itself.

What was deemed functional on the computer was no good in practice. So, with a lot of intensive work and countless live test series, we have developed the first functioning tube heater virtually from scratch.”

Like Schlösser, many experts share the opinion that hydrogen is key to meeting the ambitious environmental goals of the coming years. As the energy carrier of the future, hydrogen could take advantage of storage and distribution via existing gas networks. 

Thermostats for modulated control of HVAC systems

CONTEMPORARY CONTROLS is now offering BACnet-compliant wired or wireless communicating thermostats suitable for modulated heating, cooling, and ventilation for 4-pipe HVAC systems.

“The new thermostats are intended for modulated control of fan coil units (FCUs), which are often used on job sites because they allow the HVAC system to react to load changes within a space quickly and efficiently,” said Michał Papierz EMEA operations manager, sales & marketing at Contemporary Controls.

“By providing modulated control, the thermostats work with FCUs to provide a more consistent and comfortable environment within a building.”

The new models join Contemporary Controls’ popular BASstat Communicating Thermostat series.

They are BACnet compliant to ensure seamless integration into a BACnet/ IP (Wi-Fi) or BACnet MS/TP (EIA-485) networks.

The BAST-421C-B2 wired

‘Win-win’ for updated ventilation unit

thermostat (BTL Listed) is BACnet MS/ TP connected utilizing an EIA-485 serial connection. The BAST-421CBW2 wireless thermostat is BACnet/IP connected using a wireless connection to a nearby Wi-Fi router/access point which supports IEEE 802.11b/g/n.

Both models provide modulated heating and cooling control in an attractive wall-mounted enclosure with a large LCD display. Intended for use with 4-pipe heated/chilled water FCUs, the thermostats can control 2 analog modulating water valve actuators and one binary supply fan. A large and easy to read LCD display indicates setpoint, space temperature, and current mode of operation using graphical icons. 

A win-win situation is available to building services designers and contractors with revisions to GILBERTS’ ground-breaking MFS hybrid ventilation unit.

As part of the company’s commitment to continuous evolution to offer better, greener solutions, the stand-alone ventilation, heating and cooling system has been value engineered.

Not only is the new version cheaper while retaining its quality and performance, it uses less steel. It also makes it lighter in weight, potentially reducing transport costs structural loadings (and potentially build costs).

These make a positive contribution towards its embodied carbon.

These benefits compliment those

eco-advantages already within the MFS concept. Gilberts’ MFS in effect works as a natural ventilation unit, only using its integral low energy fan to supplement airflow as conditions demand. MFS can be configured to run on 100 per cent fresh air, using a LPHW coil to temper the air to provide Covid compliant ventilation without compromising the internal temperature. Integrated into the heating system- including heat pumps- Gilberts’ MFS can utilise the warmth generated from LPHW systems to warm or cool the internal space as needed without the need for radiators and all associated ancillary capital costs. As a solus ventilation unit, MFS costs as little as £5/room/year to operate. Using it as the means of room heating adds just £2.19/ room/year. 

FEBRUARY 2022 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 33

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TALKING HEADS

Prof. Mercedes Maroto-Valer is director of the UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre

Prof. Mercedes Maroto-Valer

A

s the race to decarbonise picks up, it is crucial that we prioritise our biggest polluters in efforts to cut emissions. One of the largest emitters of CO2 is industry, accounting for around one quarter of all global carbon emissions. In the UK, many industrial sectors remain heavily reliant on carbon fuels, making it difficult to cut emissions even with the best of intentions.

Among the accords struck by world leaders at the UN’s COP26 climate summit in November 2021 was the Glasgow Breakthrough Agenda. This agreement addressed the issue of industrial emissions head-on, outlining the challenge and requirements for decarbonisation in what is both a major global polluter and employer. It is clear that we must use new technologies to accelerate sustainability while securing and even boosting job security.

The Agenda specifically aims to increase the coordination, development and deployment of low-carbon tech in five sectors: power, road transport, steel, hydrogen and agriculture. More than 70 per cent of the world’s economy signed up, including China, India, the US, the UK and the EU. There is no single solution to industrial decarbonisation at speed.

Instead, we must harness different initiatives that together are greater than the sum of their parts. These activities can be organised around two major themes: competition and collaboration.

Competition helps to drive innovation and create a sense of urgency, while collaboration between industrial partners means that solutions are shared and knowledge disseminated. Both of these outputs are needed if we are to succeed.

The UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) aims to address the challenges of industrial decarbonisation, collaborating with industry to pinpoint how action can be taken and net zero goals met, creating low-carbon and net zero manufacturing hubs. Integrating elements of collaboration and competition, we are setting a standard for industrial decarbonisation that will establish the UK as a world leader in this area as well as developing the world’s first net zero industrial cluster.

Competition plays a valuable part in encouraging industry to accelerate

Maroto-Valer: 'the collaboration we need at home is also the attitude we should adopt from partners around the world'

Balancing competition and collaboration

It is going to be a slow road to decarbonisation in the industrial sector. Prof. Mercedes Maroto-Valer believes the key lies in harnessing the many initiatives that are being set up decarbonisation efforts and fostering a sense of urgency when exploring new ideas. The time-sensitive targets encourage us to seek innovative ways to improve processes and push boundaries.

Success of competitions

Government and organisations have used competitions to great effect. The Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge, for example, is designed to encourage innovation across the UK’s major industrial clusters. Funded by £179m from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, it makes it financially feasible to think big, awarding funding to industry and local authorities to develop plans to reduce carbon emissions. Deployment projects kicked off in March 2021 when nine projects received funding to implement the delivery of significant emissions reduction.

While competition has an essential role to play, it cannot act alone in ensuring new technologies and approaches are adopted widely, fast.

Collaboration provides opportunities

The process of decarbonisation can seem daunting for learning that are absent when new ideas are hidden away as ‘secret ingredients’.

Through cross-sector collaboration, working across the wider industry and engaging closely with organisations, policymakers and academia, we can create a multidisciplinary talent pool and establish best practices.

Collaboration also means that we can work together to upskill workers and protect jobs. By carrying out options assessments we can understand the new skills required as we accelerate decarbonisation and plan how we can upskill in key industrial sectors.

It is also only through collaboration

that we can facilitate a systems approach. Decarbonising across whole regions requires engineers who understand whole systems as well as key processes or technologies.

The complexity of industrial decarbonisation necessitates a holistic understanding of the problems, and overarching solutions. By integrating over 140 partners in decarbonisation efforts, IDRIC is demonstrating the benefits of scale when implementing this tactic. Green practices and energy efficiency will not fully eliminate the emissions of a manufacturing site over its lifetime – we must take a joined-up approach.

We are making significant strides in developing new approaches for the decarbonisation of UK industry, but industrial decarbonisation is a global challenge. The collaboration we need at home is also the attitude we should adopt in supporting and learning from partners around the world.

The Glasgow Breakthrough Agenda sets goals for signatories to meet, a feat only possible with a collaborative approach. At heart, it hopes to make clean technologies the most affordable and accessible choice in the world’s five most polluting industries by 2030. Goals include the declaration that zero emission vehicles will be the new normal in all regions and that affordable, renewable and low carbon hydrogen will be globally available.

Although admirable, achieving these general objectives will require specific and targeted action.

Industrial decarbonisation is complex. No two industries are the same and decarbonisation can seem daunting for traditionally high-polluting industries. However, the challenge is not insurmountable. By combining competition with collaboration we can develop solutions that address sectorspecific needs.

The UK is leading the way globally in adopting this two-pronged approach and IDRIC’s work is setting a template that could be replicated elsewhere.

To achieve the goals of the Glasgow Breakthrough Agenda, we must share the learnings and successes generated to create an industrial sector that is both productive and sustainable. 

34 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | FEBRUARY 2022

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EIBI_0222_035 Directory_EiBI Directory nov 10 2 07/02/2022 12:36 Page 35

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