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MAY 2022
PROMOTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY
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In this issue
Ventilation & Air Handling CPD Module: Boilers & Burners Energy in the Public Sector Batteries & Energy Storage
Improving ventilation The key to better healthcare
The public sector’s role Leading the way to net zero
Create and store your own power Batteries’ key role
NEWS � FEATURES � INTERVIEWS � REVIEWS � PRODUCT PROFILES � CPD MODULE � DIRECTORY � JOBS EIBI_0522_001_(T).indd 1
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MAY 2022
PROMOTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY
www.eibi.co.uk
In this issue
Ventilation & Air Handling CPD Module: Boilers & Burners Energy in the Public Sector Batteries & Energy Storage
Improving ventilation The key to better healthcare
The public sector’s role Leading the way to net zero
www.eibi.co.uk
Contents
Create and store your own power Batteries’ key role
NEWS � FEATURES � INTERVIEWS � REVIEWS � PRODUCT PROFILES � CPD MODULE � DIRECTORY � JOBS EIBI_0522_001_(T).indd 1
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MAY 2022
27
22 FEATURES
10 Ventilation & Air Handling
Hospitals have unique ventilation requirements. Lee Jenkins-Skinner highlights recently updated guidance for primary healthcare premises Maintaining a comfortable environment in high-ceilinged buildings in manufacturing, logistics and retail can be challenging. Ian Dagley explains how a flexible approach can help (14) Chillers help Oxford University medical science laboratories while UK company introduces a new handling unit (16)
22 Energy in the Public Sector
Hywel Davies explains how consultants have set about optimising the building services performance at a new, award-winning Oxford college library Jamie Cameron says that local authorities and businesses must work together to have a strong chance at creating an environment that is sustainable, efficient, and healthy (24)
REGULARS
06 News Update
Energy efficiency receives boost from the Treasury. President Biden administration finalises rule on energy standards for lightbulbs. New bank instructed to look at energy efficiency of the UK’s building stock
The University of East London establishes a strategic partnership as it aims to net zero by 2030 while low-energy lighting at Bath Central Library cuts energy bills by 60 per cent (26)
Efficiency & 28 Energy Building Standards
Embracing a new safety culture in buildings should not hamper our efforts to deliver net zero carbon. In fact, it should help, according to Steve Addis
30 Batteries & Energy Storage
Battery storage is critical to a net zero future – both in supporting the transition to renewables and the switch to emission-free heat and transport, says Bert Claessens An energy audit is the first step for any organisation wanting to introduce a battery energy storage system, says Matthew Lumsden (32)
the alternatives that lie ahead for natural gas boilers that are set to be banned in new homes from 2025
29 New Products
A new range of smart PIR sensors comes to the market while there is extra approval for an energy harvesting module
09 The Warren Report
Energy efficiency is very much a personal choice, according to the Government’s energy security strategy. But shouldn’t it take a lead when there is a need for all of us to change our habits?
17 The Fundamental Series: CPD Learning
Paul Stevenson guides you thorough
21 Products in Action
A London flower mail delivery business looks to a radiant heating system to help growth while an air source heat pump is being used at an Essex barn conversion
34 Talking Heads
UK businesses may be eager to cut costs yet continue to overlook the water utility bill. Josh Gill looks at the opportunities available and the role brokers can play
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 MAY 2022 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 03
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Editor’s Opinion
Follow us on @ twitter.com/eibi and twitter.com/eibi_magazine
Hope after disappointment
The dust is now settling on the Government’s Energy Security Strategy but for many people in the energy efficiency industry the anger and frustration is still very palpable. Mervyn Pilley, executive director of Energy Systems Technology Association recently told EiBI (see eibi.co.uk) : “I was waiting for the energy strategy and based on various rumours it seemed likely that energy efficiency was not going to get much of a look in compared with all of the ‘big ticket’ transition solutions. In the end my forecast came true. That’s why I’m an angry man.” Pilley’s frustration was replicated in coverage in the national press with The Times, Guardian and Financial Times. Even that bastion of the right, The Daily Telegraph, commented: “What appears remiss now will look positively negligent when prices spike yet further. What we are dealing with is a supply shock. And the only way to counter that in the short term is by reducing demand. The Government knows this full well…unfortunately, it conspicuously failed to address the issue again.” Although the Business Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng admitted it was “more of a medium-term, three, four, five-year answer,” there is absolutely nothing to help in the short term. Michael Lewis, UK chief executive
of Eon, describe energy efficiency “as the ‘fabled silver bullet’ because “it will help cut bills and carbon emissions while reducing reliance on foreign gas.” The conclusion has to be drawn that the Government is fearful of another failure such as the Green Deal and pushed the responsibility on to you and I. But there are voices within the Tory ranks pushing for an energy demand strategy. Chris Skidmore, MP for Kingswood, writing recently in The Times, said: “We ran on a manifesto commitment of £9.2bn on energy efficiency. We’ve currently allocated £6.6bn. The need is even greater now than it was ahead of the last election.” He urged Government not to let past failures of schemes as a deterrent but look to the success of the KFW scheme in Germany which offers 1 per cent interest loans for energy efficiency work. Even Treasury Minister, Helen Whately, MP for Faversham, recently stated (see page 6) : “now is the time to go faster and further on home energy efficiency.” So there is support out there for an energy efficiency strategy. If more MPs wake up to the benefits then there is always hope that the Government will see sense and anger and frustration will evaporate. 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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Hywel Davies explains how consultants have set about optimising the building services performance at the new Library and Study Centre building at St John’s College, Oxford. The project was recently crowned champion of champions at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards. Since the building opened to students in autumn 2019, the consulting engineers have been working hard with the college’s FM team, the main contractor, the M&E contractor and the BMS and controls engineer to minimise the building’s energy use and get it as close to carbon-neutral as possible. See page 22 for more details Photo courtesy of CIBSE
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04 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | APRIL 2022
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News Update
For all the latest news stories visit www.eibi.co.uk
Project set to update energy rating scheme The Building Research Establishment (BRE) has agreed a new project with BEIS to modernise the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) home energy rating scheme in time for the Future Homes Standard. The project will see BRE lead a number of organisations and individuals in academia and industry to deliver a new methodology – known as ‘SAP 11’ – which will be used by governments and industry to better measure and understand the energy performance of homes. As part of SAP 11, BRE will drive a ‘root and branch’ review of the existing methodology to create a new version that is better suited to modern and dynamic technologies which will help decarbonise the UK’s housing stock, such as heat pumps, renewables, storage technologies and smart control devices. SAP 11 is expected to be ready for use as part of the Future Homes Standard – a set of measures to be introduced on new homes built from 2025, to ensure they are fitted with low-carbon forms of heating, in line with the UK’s wider net zero drive. BRE says its methodology development will be guided by organisations and individuals within its steering group, who will either support the development of the method directly or be involved in the reviewing and validating process. This includes Sustenic, Loughborough University, Kiwa, University of Strathclyde’s Energy Systems Research Unit, AECOM and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), as well as Chris Martin and John Tebbit, two leading individuals in field trial design and product performance, respectively. John Henderson, project director at BRE, said: “As the UK begins to escalate its net zero initiatives, SAP 11 will be instrumental in the effort to decarbonise the nation’s existing housing stock and ensure the use of low-carbon heating in new homes. As the new methodology will improve EPC accuracy, energy efficiency measurements will be more reliable than ever. Effective assessment of energy performance is going to be absolutely central to our progress towards net zero.”
SENIOR MINISTER GIVES BACKING TO NEW MEASURES
Treasury minister backs energy efficiency “The best way to cut fuel bills is to focus on energy efficiency.” That is the firm view of an unexpected champion of the demand side, Treasury Minister, Helen Whately. The Conservative MP for Faversham issued the tweet by announcing that “today I brought energy leaders together.” She concluded that “now is the time to go faster and further on home energy efficiency.” This is reckoned to be the first time that one of Boris Johnson’s senior ministers has publicised such a positive statement in favour of energy saving, let alone convened a meeting deliberately intended to consider how much more could be done to stimulate investment. Organised by the Treasury, the event followed a chorus of criticism of the Government’s new energy security strategy for completely ignoring anything to do with improving energy efficiency. It might have been expected that the strategic case for energy efficiency would be made publicly by the Cabinet Minister officially in charge of this policy area. But there has been almost complete official silence from Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business and Energy Secretary, about the potential role that reducing demand in a purposeful fashion can achieve regarding lessening
both import and pricing pressures. Inevitably, there are disparaging comparisons being made with the positive and innovative initiatives, emerged and emerging, from not just the European Commission, but practically every other western European government. His sole comment to date has also come in a tweet, intended to disparage the Labour Party’s past record. When they left office in 2010, Kwarteng stated they had only ensured that 10 per cent of homes had achieved an energy performance certificate rating of C or above. Had he bothered to check the English Housing Survey covering 2010, para 2.14 would have told him the correct figure was not 10 per cent but
16.2 per cent. Mrs Whately’s tweet gave rise to many comments, 43 “likes” and 9 retweets. Inevitably, some were of a more general political nature, plus a few designed to sell energy-saving technologies. But among the more pertinent ones were several asking why, given her priorities, were protestors from the Insulate Britain campaign being prosecuted; another wondering why “arts and social science graduates were determining energy and environment stuff ?”; and finally, one commenting upon the accompanying TEAMs photoshot where those attending “don’t look very impressed.” It is not known whether Mrs Whately intends to convene any further ‘summits’ covering the energy efficiency agenda. • This month the Government is set to introduce a new energy bill, including proposals for a so-called future system operator that would sit at the centre of the UK’s electricity and gas infrastructure and co-ordinate strategic planning, The creation of the body will effectively amount to a renationalisation of key responsibilities for managing energy supply- and, critically demand - that have been carried out by National Grid since the company’s privatisation in 1993.
University looks to partnership to further its 2030 net zero target The University of East London has established a strategic partnership with Siemens to collaborate on their net zero carbon aspiration to 2030, identifying opportunities to reduce overall energy use, drive the shift to renewable energy and transform its campuses in Docklands and Stratford. The aim to make its urban sites net zero carbon by 2030. To help UEL meet these ambitious targets, Siemens is delivering improvement measures across the University to cut its energy consumption, as well as engineering solutions for producing low-carbon energy on-site and installing renewable generation infrastructure across the Dockland and Stratford campuses. In parallel, the university is working with Siemens to embed sustainability across the curriculum to allow students to develop the skills they need to succeed in a green economy. The partnership is also exploring the creation of a Living Lab for teaching and research.
The University has already acted on climate change by increasing biodiversity on its campuses and embedding sustainability into both its teaching and research. It has also engaged with local community partners on climate issues, working with councils across London to
support infrastructure innovation. With Siemens as its Strategic Partner, the University now wants to take its ambitions even further by becoming a blueprint for other urban net zero initiatives. Four focuses have been identified for
06 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | MAY 2022
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er,
or
News Update
For all the latest news stories visit www.eibi.co.uk
UK INFRASTRUCTURE BANK
In Brief
Bank to focus improving building stock The new UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) has been instructed to invest in upgrading the energy efficiency of the building stock, as one of its key initial priorities. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has written to UKIB chief executive John Flint, telling him to concentrate upon the need to improve energy security. “The role the Bank can play in reducing the UK’s dependency on fossil fuels and increasing prosperity across the country has been brought into sharp focus by Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” Sunak says. “In particular, it is important that we take every step possible to improve our energy resilience, to protect us from future shocks and volatility in global markets. This does not change the long-term mission of the Bank but emphasises the need to make rapid progress on its net zero goals, particularly where they overlap with the government’s renewed focus on energy security.” In the original Policy Design document for UKIB, the government outlined that the bank’s primary focus should be on economic infrastructure, in particular clean energy, transport, digital, water and waste. But Sunak’s new letter says that, “in light of the recent circumstances,” he now wants the bank to “prioritise opportunities UEL’s campuses: introducing renewable energy sources to campuses and reducing overall energy consumption; supporting sustainable enterprise; leveraging real-time energy data through a ‘Living Lab’ and nurturing a strong talent pipeline. The first project phase will immediately cut 10 per cent of the University’s carbon emissions and reduce operational costs by installing LED lighting in all buildings and upgrading the University’s building management systems. A second workstream will focus on engineering the design of sustainable energy technology – including solar panels installed on rooftops and in car parks, ground source or water source heat pumps fed by the Thames, and electric vehicle charging solutions. The third workstream of the partnership will see the development of a ‘Living Lab’, to make the data captured across the campuses available to students and researchers. Live data can be stored on the Siemens Mindsphere platform, accessible to the University’s researchers and partners anywhere in the world.
Boiler manufacturer slashes emissions
that align with the government’s renewed focus on energy security”. The Chancellor highlighted “examples of relevant opportunities may include helping to bring forward low-carbon energy projects that improve the energy efficiency of buildings and homes.” In general, the Bank would not normally support projects which are “predominantly social or cultural infrastructure”, including housing, schools, health facilities, courts, prison facilities, sports venues or cultural venues (theatres, libraries, museums, cinemas). However, projects or technologies that support energy efficiency, including the retrofit of existing homes and buildings, and/or the
decarbonisation of heating, in line with the government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy, are now definitely in scope. “This reflects the strategic importance of the net zero transition, as well as the urgent need to improve the energy efficiency of our buildings in the context of high energy prices and the government’s renewed focus on energy security,” Sunak says. Located in Leeds, the new Bank will invest across the UK in public and private projects with an initial capitalisation of £12bn. Many commentators have likened its remit to that of the Deutsch kfw Bank, responsible for much of the low interest loans that have funded major building retrofitting programmes for the past 14 years in Germany.
European sales of high capacity air source heat pumps soar in 2021
The latest research from BSRIA shows that sales across Europe for highcapacity heat pumps increased by an average of 27 per cent in 2021, compared to the previous year. The double-digit growth is linked to rising energy prices that are accelerating the switch to more energy efficient systems. The jump was highest in the UK and Italy, where generous financial incentives are allocated to low-carbon HVAC units. The fastest expansion was reflected by air source heat pumps. Air-to-water heat pumps hold 84 per cent of the market in 2021, two points more than a year earlier. From the countries covered
The carbon emissions of heating solutions manufacturer Baxi last year were 35 per cent lower than two years ago, according to the company’s sustainability report. The biggest reason for this reduction was the decision to buy electricity only from renewable sources. The company is targeting an annual 5 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations from 2019 to 2030. This is in addition to a 30 per cent reduction in emissions in the supply chain producing the materials and components that go into its appliances, as well as the emissions produced ‘downstream’ by its products by 2030.
Top award for combustion innovation
Autoflame Engineering has won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category in recognition of its Exhaust Gas Analyser which monitors exhaust gas emissions to comply with environmental regulations and help to reduce fuel usage and emissions. Founded in 1972 by Brendan Kemp, Autoflame Engineering designs, and manufactures combustion management controls, offering precise intelligent control, focused on driving down costs and emissions for both commercial and industrial combustion burners.
Octopus takes over NI heat pump maker
in BSRIA’s investigation of the commercial heat pump segment, Italy, France, and the Netherlands show the biggest volume of units sold, with, respectively, 713, 300 and 290 air-water and ground/water to water units in 2021. Decarbonisation of heat and NZEB Regulation are additional factors that are particularly high on the agenda of local authorities.
Octopus Energy has acquired Renewable Energy Devices, a heat pump manufacturer based in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, in a deal that will expand the factory to produce over 1,000 heat pumps a month for UK customers. Octopus says that the partnership will allow the companies to bring down costs for heat pumps by scaling production, while creating 100 new green engineering jobs in the next two years.
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News Update
For all the latest news stories visit www.eibi.co.uk
UK energy bills set to stay high until the end of the decade
Energy bills will remain significantly above average up to 2030 and beyond, according to new research from Cornwall Insight. Researchers from the management consultancy looked at Great Britain’s power market out to 2030 and predicted that energy prices will remain in excess of £100/MWh annually. This is significantly above the five-year pre-2021 historic average of £50/MWh in winter and the even-lower prices in pre-2021 summer. Cornwall Insight’s Benchmark Power Curve (BPC) for the British Electricity Market, which covers England, Scotland, and Wales, shows that while prices will drop from the current levels, they will remain high. Closures of nuclear power stations, delays to Hinkley C, and increasing high-cost peaking capacity could push prices to £150/MWh by the winter of 2025. Renewable generation capacity will rapidly increase to meet targets and will help meet rising demand; however, marginal gas-fired generation sets power prices. Tom Edwards, senior modeller at Cornwall Insight said: “While we are used to seeing headlines depicting energy prices at an all-time high; unfortunately, while prices will reduce, our modelling shows that pre-2021 prices are not making a comeback this decade and likely beyond. “Rising EU demand for non-Russian gas has pushed up gas prices across the world, and these higher prices have increased production costs for power, with gas set to remain the marginal fuel source for producing power throughout the remainder of the 2020s.”
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FINALISES LIGHTBULB PLANS
Bulb mandate to save US users $3bn The Biden administration has finalised a proposed rule increasing efficiency standards for all lightbulbs. This reverses a decision by the Trump administration to roll back any standards’ improvements (see EiBI Feb 2019). The new requirements, banning the production or sale of new bulbs not emitting a minimum level of light per watt of electricity, should ensure the phase out of incandescent and halogen bulbs. The administration projected the full implementation of the new standards would collectively save consumers about $3bn a year and eliminate the equivalent of 28m homes’ worth of carbon emissions. The Biden administration first proposed these efficiency standards in December, more than two years after the Trump administration declined to impose such rules. Trump said he had made a “predicate determination” against improving the standards. Before Trump’s unilateral decision, the US had been set to ban most incandescent lightbulbs by 2020, a process that began in 2007 during George W. Bush’s Presidency. It was replicated across the entire European Union in 2008. But even these standards are not set to take effect until January 2023 for manufacturers, and will only become binding upon distributors and retailers seven months later, in July 2023. Energy efficiency advocates have separately projected that every month the standards are delayed would result in an additional 800,000 tons of carbon emissions. Elimination of
incandescent and halogen bulbs should cut America’s total current electricity usage by almost 10 per cent. “This is a victory for consumers and for the climate, but one that has been a long time coming,” Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. “LEDs have become so inexpensive that there’s no good reason for manufacturers to keep selling 19th-century technology that just isn’t very good at turning electrical energy into light. These standards will finally phase out energy-wasting bulbs across the country.” The finalised rule marks the latest of several Biden administration initiatives on electricity-using equipment, reversing Trump-era energy rollbacks. In January, the administration cut two existing rules that exempted some “quick” dishwashers, washing machines and dryers from any energy efficiency standards.
Minister under fire for rented homes upgrade timetable
Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, is being heavily criticised by the insulation industry for failing to confirm his timetable to upgrade minimum energy standards for rental properties. The Government has remained silent for 16 months since outlining plans to ban landlords from letting energy-inefficient properties below an energy performance certificate C rating. Experts have warned this inaction could mean property investors will be unable to complete works ahead of the anticipated 2025 deadline, owing to an insufficient number of trained installers being available. The Government consultation on energy improvements in the private rental sector – both commercial and residential - closed in January 2021. Its recommendations included introducing a requirement that all newly let private rental sector properties should have a minimum
energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C by 2025. At present, the minimum is grade E. However, there have been no further announcements on when these rules will become law, or whether there will be any grant funding to support the measures. A senior banking industry source said: “The Department was going to put a publication out around COP26, last October. Then we were told it would be before Christmas. Now we’ve been told it will be this spring. If they leave it much longer, landlords will only have little over two years to make a huge amount
of change.” Already property agents are reporting greater demand for existing properties that currently meet higher EPC standards (see EiBI April 2022). But in its consultation, the Government stressed its desire to see all rented properties achieving at least an EPC of C standard for homes, and B for non-residential buildings. For all existing lets, the deadline would be 2028. It recommended that the cost for landlords per domestic property should be capped at £10,000. Experts are warning that these
delays mean retrofitting and home improvement industries may not have the capacity to carry out all the work needed to meet the expected targets. Insulation is the improvement measure most recommended by EPC assessors. But installation of insulation has fallen by 90 per cent over the past decade, with many of the largest installing companies, like Dyson and Miller Pattison, having long since quit the market. Nigel Donohue, of the Insulation Assurance Authority, a trade body, said the sector alone would need to quadruple to meet demand. It is already grappling with a supply chain crisis, with the cost of some insulation materials having jumped 35 per cent. Russell Smith, of Retrofit Works, a trade co-operative, said: “The Government has been silent on every aspect of retrofitting. The whole thing is a mess.” A Government spokesman said: “We expect landlords to invest in their assets to ensure their tenants are able to live in warmer homes that are cheaper to heat. This is good for landlords and tenants alike. We will release our response to the consultation in due course.”
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THE WARREN REPORT
05.2022
Collective spirit required to ensure energy security
Energy efficiency is very much a personal choice, according to the recent energy security strategy. But shouldn’t Government take a lead when there is a need for all of us to change our habits?
E
nergy policy is big news again. Initially, because fuel prices are rocketing, and set to rise even more this autumn. Plus the invasion of Ukraine has precipitated a determination to minimise the amount of gas and oil purchased in future from Russia. These two factors have prompted Prime Minister Boris Johnson to devise a new energy security strategy. Published last month, its reception was uniformly dismissive. Not so much because of the energy supply sources it concentrated upon but mainly because it entirely omitted any serious consideration of the policy area deemed most capable of providing swift cost-effective solutions. Saving energy. The Times’ editorial was unsparingly contemptuous. The UK government’s new energy security strategy amounted to “little more than a glorified press release.” The “eye-catching announcement” of eight new nuclear power plants offers “no analysis of why Britain had succeeded in starting construction on just one new reactor in the 16 years since Tony Blair announced a nuclear renaissance.” It added: “What is certain is this new nuclear programme will not bring energy bills down any time soon. If ever. Instead, it will push bills up as the costs of construction are passed on to consumers. Nor will it do much in the near term to reduce Britain’s reliance on Russian oil and gas given that it takes at least a decade to build a nuclear power station.” Yet, “what was most striking about the strategy was what was left out”, the paper concluded. “It had little to say about reducing energy demand.” “What is needed are innovative policies to accelerate domestic
Andrew Warren is chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation insulation and take-up of clean technologies, by reducing the expense for homeowners and allow the costs to be recouped via energy bills. Instead the government has left improving energy efficiency up to individual households. That is not a strategy. It’s a cop-out.”
Lack of initiatives
The Financial Times reached a similar conclusion. The “most glaring gap,” its editorial stated, “is the lack of initiatives to cut energy use.” The paper concluded: “The Treasury is understandably resistant to new spending…yet such investment would have huge long-term benefits. An insulation effort starting with the neediest households could reduce energy costs long-term, unlike one-off help with bills. With signs that the war in Ukraine has made consumers more willing to turn down thermostats and lag their lofts, failure to follow up with ambitious efficiency plans would be a
big missed opportunity.” The Guardian editorial also pointed to the “missed opportunities” in the strategy, warning that it “carries some of the hallmarks of his flawed government: a prime ministerial penchant for grand projects that may or may not be deliverable; a tendency to be unduly influenced by vocal lobby groups on the right of the Conservative party; and a propensity to set targets without doing the necessary work to enable them to be met.” The government had missed a “golden chance” to fund “greater energy efficiency and better insulation in Britain’s leaky housing stock”, despite “the relief this would afford the less well-off in particular.” And then The Daily Telegraph stated it was patently clear the strategy “will achieve little in the short-term.” Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary, had admitted it was “more of a mediumterm three, four, five-year answer”. Michael Lewis, UK chief executive of Eon, was less vague. He said there was little in there that would “deliver a solution this decade, let alone this year”. The Daily Telegraph continued: “What appears remiss now will look positively negligent when prices spike yet further. What we are dealing with is a supply shock. And the only way to counter that in the short term is by reducing demand. The Government knows this full well…unfortunately, it conspicuously failed to address the issue again. “This is the definition of a false economy. Eon’s Lewis describes energy efficiency as the ‘fabled silver bullet’ because “it will help cut bills and carbon emissions while reducing reliance on foreign gas. It is a genuine triple whammy. “While no doubt well-intentioned,
Rishi Sunak’s attempts to alleviate the cost of living – including through a £150 council tax rebate for most homes and a £200 loan towards energy bills – have been overly complicated and badly targeted. And, as Helen Barnard of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has pointed out, the £2.4bn the Treasury lost cutting fuel duty would have covered the cost of insulating a third of all social housing in the country. “The consultancy E3G has calculated that new energy efficiency measures could reduce the heating bills for poorly insulated homes by an average of £500 and end the UK’s dependence on Russian gas (which is admittedly quite limited) within a year. The Telegraph concluded: “In the past the Treasury has opposed efficiency drives on the grounds that industry would struggle to summon up the necessary manpower and supplies. Well, sorry, but if you’re trusting industry to build eight nuclear reactors in double-quick time, you can certainly trust it to fill the nation’s wall cavities.” To be fair, in the introduction to the strategy there is a reference to energy efficiency being a “first step.” The strategy does concede that “the majority of our homes are energy inefficient. Improving the efficiency of our homes could reduce our heating bills by around 20 per cent and reduce our dependency on foreign gas. We want to continue making UK homes more comfortable and cheaper to run. Every therm (sic) of gas saved grows our energy security and brings jobs to the UK.” But there is a very revealing explanation for why no new plans are being proposed. It is that “this is not being imposed on people and is a gradual transition following the grain of behaviour. The British people are nononsense pragmatists who can make decisions based on the information.” But if an Englishman’s home really is his castle, then why did fears for COVID 19 lock everybody inside their castle? If we want people to support delivery of a collective good like energy security or climate mitigation, then it is sensible to see it as collective action. And for Government to lead it. The parallel with the pandemic is spot on.
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Ventilation & Air Handling
Lee Jenkins-Skinner is product manager at CIAT
Ventilation for better healthcare
Hospitals have unique ventilation requirements. Lee Jenkins-Skinner highlights recently updated guidance for primary healthcare premises
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here are a number of reasons that specifications for hospital ventilation systems are significantly more stringent than for typical commercial buildings. Use of healthcare premises is particularly intensive, with high power requirements, and high occupancy and traffic levels due to the constant flux of patients, staff and visitors. Patients may be highly susceptible to airborne infection risks, and their medical condition may require close control of the indoor environment. In terms of environmental impact, healthcare is a significant contributor to the UK’s climate footprint. Heath Care Without Harm reports that in 2019, hospitals and related buildings were estimated to account for around 5.4 per cent of the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Given the wide range of equipment and engineering systems needed to maintain an optimum indoor environment, the legal and technical requirements applying to ventilation for healthcare premises are complex. Useful guidance is provided by the Health Technical Memoranda (HTM) reference series, produced by NHS estate specialists and expert crossindustry panels. Guidance on hospital ventilation is explained in HTM 03-01. Published in 2021, this provides updated guidance drawing on the healthcare-specific aspects of current standards and best practices.
Authoritative overview
While not mandatory by law, unless specifically stated, HTM 03-01 is considered an authoritative overview of ventilation requirements for NHS and other healthcare premises. It makes clear that any departure from the guidance it contains requires detailed written justification as part of the works approval process. The guidance comes in two parts. Part A covers design, specification, installation and acceptance-testing of healthcare ventilation systems. Part B deals with the ongoing management, operation and maintenance of existing healthcare ventilation systems. Together, the documents provide an essential reference for specifiers,
Hospitals and related buildings account for over 5 per cent of the UK’s emissions
designers, suppliers, installers, and estate and facility managers. There have been many changes since the previous edition was published in 2007. A central element in the updated version is a focus on achieving carbon reduction targets, in support of UK legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. The main principle is that, as far as possible, ventilation should be delivered by natural means, passively without requiring power input. Next in terms of priority is mixed mode ventilation, involving a combination of natural and mechanical systems. Mechanical ventilation is the next most preferable option. Given the often high heat loads and intense use of hospital buildings, along with the importance of fine control in managing indoor climate, the guidance acknowledges that
it may be difficult to achieve total ventilation requirements through passive means alone. Some element of hybrid and/or traditional mechanical ventilation may be required.
Lowest lifecycle cost
The overriding principle in HTM-03-01 is to minimise energy consumption by choosing ventilation solutions with the lowest lifecycle environmental cost. To this end, the guidance is to switch systems off when not needed, and, when required to support set conditions, set-back to the minimum necessary to achieve and then maintain the desired state. For reducing energy consumption by mechanical systems, it points out that one of the biggest potential areas for savings is fans, as they account for around 40 per cent of total electrical energy used by ventilation systems. Recent technical advances have Because of the intense use of hospitals it is difficult to achieve total ventilation requirements through passive means alone
significantly improved the efficiency of fans and related motors. This has partly been driven by the energy-related products directive, and by substantial investment by manufacturers in the fundamental technology of impeller design, motors and electronic speed controls. The default choice for fans is now electronically commutated (EC) motors, which offer significant improvements in performance and efficiency. As a result of their ability to vary fan speed according to the airflow needed, EC motor efficiency can be above 90 per cent. When part of a system, EC fans consume up to 70 per cent less energy than conventional, single-speed fans. Improving health and safety is another key driver of the updated guidance. While the revision was carried out before the emergence of COVID-19, the authors point out that the guidance takes account of all known transmission evidence available at the time of publication. In this context, it states ventilation is firmly established as one of the principle mitigations against the virus, and should be part of a package of infection prevention and control measures. The authors conclude that the recommended ventilation rates proposed “are likely to provide a lower risk environment for COVID-19 airborne transmission.” The role of refrigerants as contributors to global warming and equipment efficiency should also be considered. The guidance advises that selection should be made carefully with reference to the current F-Gas Regulations, which are subject to constant review. The main consideration is to select the refrigerant with the lowest global warming potential for a given application. It also advises taking account of the life expectancy of equipment versus the future availability and increasing cost of the refrigerant. The detailed, up-to-date guidance contained in HTM-03-01 provides an excellent head-start and reference for HVAC practitioners and building managers responsible for delivering high quality ventilation for hospitals. It takes account of the complex needs of all stakeholders – patients, staff and visitors, as well as the hands-on professionals who install and service equipment during its life-cycle, balancing these needs with the requirement to improve energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
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Ventilation & Air Handling
Ian Dagley is general manager of Hoval Ltd
Decentralised systems normally work without supply and extract ductwork making design easier and reducing installation costs
Flexible ventilation for warehouses Maintaining a comfortable environment in high-ceilinged buildings in manufacturing, logistics and retail can be challenging. Ian Dagley explains how a flexible approach can help
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hen it comes to maintaining good indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort, with optimum energy efficiency, ‘shed’ type properties require a flexible approach that accommodates several key criteria. Whether they be for manufacturing, logistics, retail or leisure activities, the high ceilings and high air volumes of such buildings pose a number of challenges. For example, retail environments tend to change on a regular basis, so that ventilation requirements in certain spaces also change as aisles and merchandise are modified. Similarly, warehouses and factories often change layout, albeit not as frequently as in retail, and warehouses often have areas that are occupied only sporadically. Also, the owners of such buildings may want to keep their options open, in terms of how the building may be used in the future. Today’s cash and carry may be tomorrow’s exhibition space or art gallery and landlords don’t want to be spending on a new HVAC system every time the building’s usage changes. Therefore, the design of these systems needs to include some inherent adaptability. Increasingly, building owners and operators are also looking for energy savings through the use of low-carbon technologies such as air source heat pumps. Typical designs are centralised air handling plant serving a network of ducts and diffusers, decentralised
ventilation units operating independently of each other, or an integrated system that combines several units, each configured to the space it is serving.
Ductwork re-configuration
Centralised systems tend to lack adaptability without considerable re-configuration of ductwork and diffuser locations, disrupting activities and adding to cost. In contrast, decentralised ventilation systems, or ‘hybrid’ systems that combine the characteristics of both centralised and decentralised systems, are increasingly popular because of their versatility. Unlike central air handling units, decentralised systems normally work without supply and extract ductwork. This makes design easier and reduces installation costs. Installation is simple, using pre-wired units that are easy to change at a later date. When used for heating as well as ventilation, it is possible to incorporate an air source heat pump to provide some or all of the space heating – or to pre-heat a process in a manufacturing application. With decentralised ventilation systems it is easy to provide each space – or each zone within a large space - with its own ventilation unit, controlled independently of units in other spaces/zones to address different activities, variable occupancy patterns and changes in usage. The ability to adjust ventilation rates to the actual demand within each space (demandcontrolled ventilation) minimises
running costs without compromising on comfort. The latest designs of decentralised ventilation units also incorporate air injectors that distribute supply air at different temperatures to avoid draughts and ensure that the ventilation for each space within the building is optimised. The air distribution pattern can be changed automatically and is infinitely variable between vertical and horizontal, thereby delivering the desired adaptability mentioned earlier. Also, the air injectors give very effective air distribution, allowing a lower air volume to be used, resulting in a further reduction in investment. Air injectors also minimise thermal stratification, which can be very wasteful in high-ceilinged buildings. Well-designed vortex air distributors enable easy adjustment of the air stream range from 4m to 25m and regulate the scatter angle (induction) of the air stream as a function of the mounting height. Temperature stratification is thereby limited to 0.15 Kelvin per mounting height metre (K/m) – compared with up to 1.0K/m in conventional systems.
Automatic heat recovery
Lifecycle costs are also an issue and one key element in lowering running costs is heat recovery, where much of the heat energy in the extract air is recovered and transferred to the incoming supply air via a plate or rotary heat exchanger. In such cases, it is important that the system works automatically and is ‘user-friendly’.
A ‘system’ approach is based on a three-module concept, comprising a heat source (e.g. condensing boiler, heat pump), ventilation units providing recirculation or air changes, and a control system. If heat pumps are used instead of gas boilers, then decentralised units can be combined with reverse cycle air source heat pumps to provide heating or cooling. In some projects it may also be useful to interlink with existing heating or cooling solutions from different manufacturers. The system approach may also include zone control which, in conjunction with temperatureand time-based zone control, can optimally adapt the heating times and space temperatures to logistical and energy-related requirements. In all cases, it is particularly important to take account of installation and maintenance factors at the design stage of the project. This is another reason for the growing popularity of roof-mounted decentralised units, as they offer several advantages in this respect. The fact that they are installed at high level, or on the roof, means that installation has minimal impact on the activities below and the units are easily accessible from the roof for servicing and filter replacement. A further benefit is that they do not occupy any valuable floor space. Whether for retail, events, manufacturing or logistics, the different uses and requirements of shed type buildings are most easily met with a system based on decentralised units.
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Ventilation & Air Handling Oxford University choose low GWP chillers for medical laboratories Carrier chillers operating on the lower global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant R-32 have been selected to provide energy-efficient cooling for three world-renowned medical science laboratories at Oxford University. Four Carrier AquaSnap 30RBP aircooled scroll chillers with Greenspeed intelligence have been installed at the Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine at the John Radcliffe Hospital, and the University’s Old Road Campus Research Building (pictured), a leading institution in cancer research. The Carrier chillers were specified by Heaton Design and Engineering Ltd, a building services consultant based in Witney, Oxon. The high-efficiency Carrier chillers operating on R-32 were specified in accordance with Oxford University’s sustainability strategy of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2035. This
requires energy efficiency improvements and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from buildings across its estate, while at the same time enhancing occupant comfort and productivity. The Carrier R-32 units replaced less efficient chillers that were at the end of their working life, delivering a significant improvement in the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) . The University estates’ sustainability plan also includes adopting long-life, low environmental impact, low maintenance solutions that minimise external impacts and costs over the lifetime of equipment. In support of this goal, the Carrier chillers were treated with super enviroshield condenser coating to protect the aluminium heat exchange surfaces from corrosion and significantly extend their working life. As a result, the condensers are covered by an extended seven-year Carrier warranty.
The AquaSnap chiller is designed to deliver high-performance and optimal energy consumption in demanding applications. Its combination of outstanding energy efficiency, intelligent controls, connectivity and real-time data access give end users the tools to proactively manage buildings for
optimum occupant comfort and efficiency. The fast-track project, carried out by installer Aircon Services Ltd, enabled the laboratories to continue operating without loss of building services support while meeting the tight timetable for completion.
Good ventilation regime helps schools comply with latest regulations
Air handling unit offers tailor-made solution for industry and commerce
Maximum configuration flexibility, high energy efficiency, easy and quick handling during transport and installation are just some of the features of the CTAE air handling unit from VORTICE. In addition, the CTAE series offers an efficient and innovative construction technology that allows it to be included in any building project or production process. The advanced design ensures maximum energy efficiency and reduced operating cost. The sizes of air handling units allow all requirements to be met with a range of airflow rates from 500m3/h up to 190,000m3/h. The CTAE units represent a tailor-made solution for every commercial and industrial application, from meeting rooms, cinemas, hotels, restaurants and offices to pharmaceutical, chemical and mechanical manufacturing. Vortice sales director, Paul Gunner said: “The range of air handling units in the VORTICE range is extensive, as is the range of suitable control packages. We’re also excited to be able to offer selection software which provides all the technical data, performance sizing and dimensions of the units, helping the installer in the design of the complete system.”
With schools and offices getting back to a more normal state with masks (mostly) gone, assemblies/meetings resuming, no more bubbles keeping students and staff apart we need to keep everyone safe. On the 21st of August, the Government released a statement saying that schools will be provided with CO2 monitors. The catch is that only 300,000 monitors will be available which is not nearly enough to cover all schools or the majority of classrooms. Covid-19 is an airborne virus meaning the best way to keep everyone safe is to have good quality ventilation and tracking that by how much CO2 is in the air. From June 15th, 2022, Part F Volume 2: Non-dwellings are being updated for the first time in 12 years. Airflow is now providing Susurro units with built-in CO2 sensors suitable for keeping classrooms and offices safe. They are suited to retrofitting on a much smaller budget. As an alternative, Airflow is offering a range
of non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) CO2 monitors. With a bigger budget in mind finding a Duplexvent Flexi may be suitable. Not only does it give fresh air it also is a money saver on not wasting heat. What a perfect way to keep everyone safe and warm. All Airflow units can provide the data to calculate how much energy the system takes to run. They also comply with ErP2016 and ErP 2018 and meet the Class L2 air leakage standard set out in BS EN 1866. Having good ventilation helps comply with the changing regulations highlighted by Covid-19. Ventilating on its own does not mean that germs and impurities are gone this is especially true by only opening the windows to ventilate. A way to keep Covid-19 at bay is having filtration either on its own or alongside ventilation. The Purigo free-standing units with HEPA 14 filters (hospital grade filters) provided by Airflow are suitable for this job.
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Boilers & Burners winter then 16°C in summer. These were the “no-regret” interventions, the “low-hanging fruit” that characterise the ideal combination of decarbonisation plus positive life-cycle cost benefits. Time and again, attention to these areas has substantially reduced fuel demand. Gas prices increased rapidly late 2021 then became volatile end-2021/ early-2022, hovering around £2.00/ therm (£0.068/kWh). With the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, energy security became another reason to wean ourselves off fossil-fuels. So it’s now four times more costeffective to make energy efficiency (EE) interventions than it was last year, while simultaneously helping greatly towards national decarbonisation targets and improving fuel security. What’s not to like?
Low-carbon boilers
By Paul Stevenson, director, Larkdown Environmental
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e have got used to natural gas as a cheap, clean, easy-to-control fuel. It took over from town-gas and solid-fuel in the 1960s, so many of us have now had over 50 years of natural gas providing most of our thermal needs: washing, cooking, cleaning and space-heating. However, natural gas boilers are likely to become a thing of the past. In the UK, gas boilers are to be banned from new housing in 2025, and households will no longer be able to buy a gas boiler from 2035. The EU stopped short of banning them from 2030, but the directive states that member states should only subsidise new fossil fuel boilers until 2026. The search is on to find an alternative way of generating hot water at 60-80°C that is both cost-effective and environmentally acceptable.
It seems irrational to focus on looking for novel fuels, which are certain to be more expensive than natural gas, without first doing all we can to reduce demand. Back in early 2021 gas was still relatively cheap - wholesale gas was £0.50/therm, or £0.017/kWh¹ - see Fig 1. Yet even at 1.7p/kWh, it was costeffective to reduce the energy required to heat a building, through: • infrastructure improvements: wall/ loft/ floor insulation, draft-proofing, improved glazing, pipe insulation, heat recovery from HVAC systems; • boiler upgrades (more so industry and commerce): burner control, optimum gas-air balance, economisers, shut-off valves; and • “softer” interventions: building energy management, turning off equipment when not needed, not setting the thermostat at 24°C in
Fig. 1 In early 2021 wholesale gas was £0.50/therm
For details on how to obtain your Energy Institute CPD Certificate, see ENTRY FORM and details on page 20
Least-efficient housing
The UK has some of the oldest and least energy efficient housing in Europe. Around 19m homes (2/3 of the total) have an Energy Performance Certificate rating of “D” or worse. Fig. 2 shows (page 18) Carbon Brief’s report on “How will the UK’s heat and buildings strategy help achieve net zero?”² Things were going well until late 2012, then David Cameron’s government stopped spending on energy efficiency in early 2013. Since then, the number of loft insulation retrofits in UK plummeted from about 1,200m per year in 2010-12 to about 50,000 per year in the period 201720. It’s a similar story for cavity wall insulation. Again, this seems irrational. It was cost-effective to improve insulation 5-10 years ago, so surely the argument is four times stronger now? And if any new fuel is going to be even more expensive then it can only get worse. Next, can we decarbonise the fuel? There are several options: • continue to use natural gas boilers and “offset” CO₂; • blend hydrogen into natural gas; • hydrogen; • biomass boilers; • bio-gas boilers; • electrification of heat; and • air source and ground source heatpumps. If we continue with natural gas boilers and “offset” the CO₂ the numbers don’t look good. There are about 28m households plus 2m non-domestic business or public sector buildings in UK, admittedly not all on gas. According to UK Energy in Brief stats for 20213, the domestic sector consumed 299TWh natural gas, the energy Produced in Association with
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Boilers & Burners industry 89TWh, industry 99TWh and commercial/ services 90TWh. That’s 577TWh/y. Perhaps a hundred or so of the largest fossil-fuel power-plants, refineries, steel, cement, lime, glass and brick-works could be considered large enough point-sources to merit carbon capture. The rest would need off-setting. Assuming 420TWh gas is boilers and other small point source emitters, combined these emit 80MtCO/y. Carbon sequestration from forestation varies considerably depending on species, location and management⁴. Using 8t/Ha/y and 50y to reach maturity of 400t CO2/Ha would mean we’d need to afforest 200,000Ha (2,000km²) per year, just to offset these emissions. After 50 years, we would have had to afforest 100,000km² of land. The UK is only 242,000km². And that still doesn’t address fuel security issues. So not really feasible. What if we partially decarbonise the gas network by blending 20 per cent hydrogen into 80 per cent natural gas. This is about as much as we can blend in without needing to repurpose the gas-grid or replace millions of burners. Hydrogen-blend is mentioned several times in the recent UK Net Zero (NZ) Strategy and is being trialled in NW England.
Partial decarbonisation
So we have partial decarbonisation without infrastructure upgrades or new burners. So far, so good. If we replace 20 per cent methane with hydrogen, the inference one might draw is that the blend will save 20 per cent CO₂ emissions. But it doesn’t. By volume, hydrogen’s calorific value is only 30 per cent that of methane’s, so an 80/20 blend will have a CV 86 per cent that of natural gas. To deliver the same energy, we actually need a 93.0/23.3 blend. This means that CO savings are 7 per cent (only if the hydrogen is “green”). Better than nothing, but this point should be made clearer. The economic case doesn’t look too attractive. A recent EU study suggests 20 per cent hydrogen blend would add 11 per cent to the unit cost for domestic users, 24 per cent for industrial users.⁵ Furthermore, there will be additional pumping to force the extra 16 per cent blend around the distribution network. As for offsetting, we would still need to afforest 93,000km² over 50 years. Overall, it’s not deep decarbonisation; it feels more like tinkering at the edges. Hydrogen has been widely heralded as the “fuel of the future”, but many believe it is being promoted as a panacea for, well, just about everything.
repurpose the gas grid, it would need three times the energy to pump. A “leakier” gas at treble the pressure; • houses, offices, industrial sites, etc would need new burners; and • the environmental case also looks unclear. A recent review by Stanford/ Cornell⁶ suggested that, far from being low-carbon, “blue” hydrogen actually causes greater CO₂(e) emissions when one factors in fugitive methane emissions.
Fig. 2 Government pending on energy efficiency came to a halt around 2013
Hydrogen is a man-made energy carrier. It is a ‘zero-carbon-at-use’ fuel, but has to be made from either fossil fuel or electricity. Globally, 80Mt/y hydrogen is currently made for ammonia/ fertilisers, methanol, oil-refining and de-sulphurisation. It is used where there is no real alternative. The process requires hydrogen as an ingredient as well as benefitting from the energy it releases, i.e. “dual fuel and feedstock”. Over time, this list may grow to include “hard-to-decarbonise” processes: metal refining from ore, marine or rail transport and seasonal energy storage. For instance, ore refining could use “just enough” hydrogen to strip away the oxide or sulphide and hydrogen storage would be one of several storage systems. There are various colours associated with hydrogen, but the three most important are: 1) Grey hydrogen Steam methane reforming (SMR) natural gas, releasing CO₂ to atmosphere. Currently, “grey” hydrogen accounts for 98 per cent of hydrogen production. However: • only 70 per cent of the methane’s energy ends-up in the hydrogen, so we need (100/70) x methane to generate the same net energy;
• we also cause (100/70) x fugitive CH4 emissions and, with its 20-year global warming potential of x 86, anything that emits extra methane is bad news; • the SMR process is not cheap so CAPEX and OPEX are issues; • it still doesn’t address fuel security. So, unless you actually need hydrogen per se, why bother? 2) Blue hydrogen The SMR plant is a point-source emitter, making it easier to capture most of the CO₂, which defines “blue” hydrogen. However: • it has the same SMR-related issues as grey hydrogen - above; • only 80-90 per cent of the CO₂ gets captured and we still suffer CH4 emissions; • the CO₂ needs collecting, liquefying and pumping underground. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) CAPEX and OPEX isn’t cheap and consumes energy; • given the volumes of CO₂ that need capturing, we will quickly run-out of depleted gas/oil fields, so will need to explore saline aquifers, which are riskier; • we need to get the hydrogen to its end-use. This means compressing and transporting it, which further reduces net energy. Even if we could
Fig. 3 The 'clean hydrogen ladder' is a guide as to where we should use hydrogen
3) Green hydrogen Made by electrolysis of water into hydrogen and oxygen, using renewable electricity, green hydrogen is an extravagant fuel; requiring over twice electricity to generate, compress and transport, so we should be prudent how we use it. Basically, hydrogen is not the answer to everything, especially hot water, space heating and private vehicles. These already have cost-effective low-C alternatives, so why consider an expensive/ extravagant fuel? The “clean hydrogen ladder⁷” by Michael Liebreich (see Fig. 3) provides a useful pecking-order of where we should consider hydrogen. Several bodies have also reported that the environmental and economic case for using hydrogen as a fuel for space heating is poor. The Fraunhofer Group suggested that the economics simply didn’t stack up⁸ and heating all UK buildings with green hydrogen would necessitate increasing UK’s existing offshore wind capacity by a factor of 40.⁹ Biomass boilers can be considered CO₂ neutral if the source is properly managed. There are already many biomass boilers, particularly away from the gas grid. Most biomass is actually used for grid power generation. By 2020, biomass power accounted for around 12 per cent per cent of the UK’s electricity generation, and 40 per cent of UK’s total RE contribution. However: • in 2018, the UK imported 8Mt of wood pellets. There are Scope 3 embodied energy from upstream processing, drying and transporting the pellets to point-of-use; • these biomass imports do not address fuel security; • burners need to be managed to prevent emissions of soot/ particulates (PM2.5 and PM10), carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and other pollutants. The impact from sub-standard fuels or burner systems on air quality are wellrecognised and the biomass source as well as the burner system now have to meet strict guidelines.¹⁰ and • with increasing summer temperatures, there has been a
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Boilers & Burners growing number of wildfires that have destroyed millions of hectares of forest. Globally, these emitted 1,760Mt of CO₂ in 2021¹¹ plus millions of tonnes of dust/ soot/ unburnt hydrocarbons, not to mention the damage to ecosystems, wildlife, human life and property.
Biomass at power plants
Biomass boilers will continue to make a contribution to UK decarbonisation. However, most biomass will continue being used at power-plants, fulfilling obligation to increase the RE content year-on-year. Bio-methane boilers are a straight substitute for natural gas, but there won’t be anywhere near enough biomethane to replace natural gas. Biomethane (and syngas) is likely to end-up as a series of stand-alone boilers or CHP plant. Their biggest environmental challenge is avoiding methane leakage. Bio-methane may in fact be better purposed for tackling the “difficult to decarbonise” industrial sectors, such as ore refining or high-temperature processes. Electrification can already satisfy many low-temp thermal and transport requirements. All-electric boilers have been around for decades. Many homes, buildings and industrial sites have immersion heaters as the boiler’s fuel or as back-up. Similarly, wall panels, storage heaters and IR heaters use electricity. Historically, the barrier to their widespread use was cost: electricity being typically four to five times the unit cost of gas. If we are obliged towards greater electrification, isn’t it better to generate several times more thermal energy from every unit of electricity put in? Heat pumps combine the global growth in RE power generation with potential to generate low-grade heat via electricity, with the bonus of getting a lot more out of our system than we put in. Heat pumps operate like a domestic refrigerator. The refrigerant fluid has variable boiling/condensing temperature, depending on pressure. By utilising this principle, they can extract heat from a colder place (garden) and “dump” it in a warmer place (indoors).¹² For heat-pumps, we use the ‘coefficient of performance’ (CoP) as the measure of efficiency, where: CoP = heat output/ electrical input. In Fig 4 the CoP is 3.0, i.e. 3kWh of useful heat are delivered for 1kWh of electricity (or it is 300 per cent efficient).¹³ Fig 5 shows the CoP variations of a typical heat pump, depending on the temperature difference between source and the heat-delivery side.
Fig. 4 Coefficient of Performance is used to measure heat pump efficiency
If the temperature difference between the boiler and outside is relatively small, the CoP will be over 4, but for very cold winters, the CoP may fall to 2. Currently, heat pumps cost more to operate than conventional gas boilers, although with recent gas price hikes, this gap has narrowed. Historically, wholesale costs represented 30-40 per cent of domestic gas bills but will soon represent 60-70 per cent. An average UK gas-heated home was £584/y, now is £984/y (increase of £400 or 57 per cent), whereas heat pump costs have risen from £919/y to £1,251/y (£340 or 27 per cent).¹⁴ The price of gas looks certain to continue rising faster than electricity, making heat pumps increasingly attractive.¹⁵
Two types of heat pumps
There are two main types of heat pumps: • air-sourced heat pumps (ASHP) which extract heat from ambient air. These are the most common and are relatively cheap to install. Their main downside is that during winter the CoP can drop below 3 (unfortunately, when needed the most); and • ground source heat pumps (GSHP) which extract heat from the ground. Once we get below about 2m depth, the ground tends to be 10-11°C all year, therefore the GSHP’s CoP remains high during mid-winter. The downside is that these need extra costs to dig up ground or drill vertical pipes.
There are many myths and misconceptions about heat pumps, most of which have been “busted”. For instance, heat pumps work well in cold climates (Scandinavia), work well in older buildings, work with standard radiators and so on.¹⁶ Clearly, they work better if the building is properly insulated, but that’s the same for any heating system. We are living in interesting times with: • high fossil-fuel price rises, which look here to stay; • geo-political unrest and the need for better fuel-security; • stricter environmental legislation to help limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2050; and • rapidly falling costs for RE and low-C equipment. These factors have made that the financial case for EE and RE interventions considerably stronger. What messages should we take from this? We need to: • embrace the road to deepdecarbonisation; • remain aware that what is cost effective and acceptable now is likely to change. Greenhouse gas emissions will become more expensive, so it’s better to get ahead of the game rather than play catch-up later; • improve the efficiency of existing building stock, industrial processes, etc. Do this anyway, regardless of how we heat things;
• continue to develop RE and low-C resources. For the UK, this will be largely wind generation, solar PV, biomass, hydro and heat pumps. The UK is also well positioned to exploit other RE sources, in particular tidal and wave energy; • develop additional long-duration energy storage, for both electrical and thermal energy. Hydrogen is likely to be one of several options; • electrification where possible. Clearly, we won’t be able to electrify everything, but we can electrify hot water/ space heating (and private vehicles), which combined account for a huge portion of fossil-fuel consumption; • if we are looking to electrify heat, then get as much heat as possible per kWh of electricity, therefore heatpumps; • save any bio-gas and CO₂ offsetting for the “difficult to decarbonise” sectors, such as high-temperature industries; • grow more trees; • hydrogen will have a place in the net zero mix, but it’s not a panacea. Hydrogen to generate hot water or space heating doesn’t make sense. Making “green” hydrogen for boilers/space heating will gobble-up RE electricity that could be more effectively used elsewhere, helping us reach net zero quicker. Perhaps in 50 years’ time, when we have excess RE and can afford to be extravagant, it will have its place.
REFERENCES 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)
9) 10 ) 11 ) 12 ) 13 ) 14 ) 15 )
Fig. 5 CoP variations of a typical heat pump
16 )
https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-data-and-research/ data-portal/wholesale-market-indicators https://www.carbonbrief.org/in-depth-qa-how-will-theuks-heat-and-buildings-strategy-help-achieve-net-zero https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/ uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1032260/ UK_Energy_in_Brief_2021.pdf, p26 https://www.fao.org/3/y0900e/y0900e06.htm From: “Putting facts into perspective on hydrogen’s role in the energy transition”, 2022, https://h2sciencecoalition. com/data-resources/ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ese3.956 and https://cleantechnica.com/2021/08/12/theoryversus-reality-the-dirty-hydrogen-story/ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/clean-hydrogen-ladderv40-michael-liebreich/ https://www.iee.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/iee/ energiesystemtechnik/en/documents/Studies-Reports/ FraunhoferIEE_Study_H2_Heat_in_Buildings_final_ EN_20200619.pdf https://www.csrf.ac.uk/blog/hydrogen-for-heating/ https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/ cat11/1708081027_170807_AQEG_Biomass_report.pdf https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/12/siberiaamerica-wildfires-emissions-records-2021/ How Heat-pumps work, 2022, https://home.howstuffworks. com/home-improvement/heating-and-cooling/heatpump.htm https://heatpumps.co.uk/heat-pump-information-withoutthe-hype/what-is-the-cop/ EIBI March 2022: https://eibi.co.uk/news/cost-of-runningheat-pump-27-more-than-gas-boiler/ https://inews.co.uk/news/gas-boiler-switch-heat-pumpsolar-panels-cut-energy-bills-1512037/amp https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2015/11/top-10myths-about-heat-pumps
MAY 2022 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 19
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SERIES 19 / Module 02 10
“Energy in Buildings and Industry and the Energy Institute are delighted to have teamed up to bring you this Continuing Professional Development initiative”
Refrigeration Boilers & Burners
ENTRY ENTRYFORM FORM
MARK THROWER Managing Editor
Please answers below by placing a cross in the in box. Don't some questions might havemight more than Pleasemark markyour your answers below by placing a cross the box.forget Don'tthat forget that some questions haveone more correct answer. Youanswer. may findYou it helpful to mark the answers in pencil first before filling infirst thebefore final answers have in than one correct may find it helpful to mark the answers in pencil fillingin inink. theOnce final you answers completed the answer sheet, return it to the address Photocopies are acceptable. ink. Once you have completed the answer sheet,below. return it to the address below. Photocopies are acceptable.
Questions Questions
6) What is a typical range for COP? 1) Refrigeration accounts for what percentage of 1) Howglobal much did gas wholesale prices increase during 2021? 6) how many tonnes of hydrogen are total electricity use. 1-3 18approximately □Globally, SERIES SEPTEMBER SERIES 17 | MODULE 03 09 | MARCH 20202020 currently per cent □ 10 □ 1-4 made per year? Doubled per cent 2-5 □ 14 □ None Trebled per cent 3-10 □ 17 Quadrupled 8Mt/y □ SMART GRIDS 80Mt/y SPACE HEATING □ 19 per cent □ Please mark your answers below by placing a cross in the box. Don't forget that some Please mark your answers7) below by placing a cross the box. Don't forget that some Which of these isinnot a type refrigeration 2) Which of these is not a low-carbon optionquestions for boilers? might have more than one correct answer. You may find itof helpful to mark the questions might have more than one correct answer. You may find it helpful to mark the answers in pencil first before filling is in the the final answers in ink. Once you have completed compressor? 2) What percentage of a supermarket’s energy 7) What global warming potential of methane over a answers in pencil first before filling in the final answers in ink. Once you have completed □ Biomass the answer sheet, return it to the address below. Photocopies are acceptable. the answer sheet, return it20-year to the address below. Photocopies are acceptable. use is accounted for by refrigeration? Scroll □ horizon? “Grey” hydrogen □ cent □ □ xScrew Heatper pumps 1 □ 70 □ QUESTIONS □ 60 per cent □ xScript 28 QUESTIONS □ 50 per centof mature woodland or forest is1)responsible Reciprocating □ □main The establishment of the ■ Facilitate the connection of distributed x 86 3) One hectare □ 1. Which is the most common heating 6. Which is thegeneration ‘delivery end’ ofvariable a vapourloads transmission grid began in whichmedia in renewable and cent □ wetdecade? systems? compression heat pump system? for40 howper much CO2 absorption? such as electric vehicles and heat pumps 8) What savings could be expected from a 1oC ■ High temperature hot water ■ The evaporator ■ 1940s 8) What is biomass mostly used for in UK? 200t □ What doeshead the abbreviation VPPcontrol? stand for? reduction from 7) floating pressure 3) is the most common type of refrigeration ■ Steam The condenser ■ 1930s ■ What Biomass boilers ■■ Volume □ 400t □ purchase programme ■ Low temperature hot water The compressor ■ 1960s cycle? 2-4 per cent □ Biomass 800t heaters ■■ Voluntary The slinkyprotection programme ■ Cold water □ □ 3-5 □ Absorption □ Fossil-fuel 2) Which key parameters need to beper cent ■ Virtual power plant power plants □space controlled by smart grids? Vapour condensation 4-6heating per cent 7. Which of these factors is used by a weather □ 2. What is the most common□ 4) If natural gas is approx 10kWh/m3, what is the energy Voltage and frequency ■ fuel in the UK? compensation controlbe system? Electricity cannot stored in large Vapour compression 5-7 per cent 8) □ □Which ■ Frequency and current 9) quantities by householders? density of hydrogen? of these is ■ not a majorthermal emission Building inertiaconcern from ■ Fuel oil □ Vapour evaporation ■ Voltage, current and frequency only large utilities and industrial/ biomass boilers? ■■ False Time as of day ■ Electricity □ 3kWh/m3 commercial energy providers can provide 9) Increasing a condenser size by 30 per cent Naturalthe gas Outsidefacilities air temperature ■ What’s ■ storage 3) main source of large-scale 10kWh/m3 Carbon dioxide □ Which part of the refrigeration system □ might realise savings of? 4) Coalusesgeneration connecting Date ■ renewable ■ to ■ False monoxide □ 30kWh/m3 □ the grid? the most input energy? 5 per cent □ Carbon ■ True as householders can store electricity Biomass 3. What is a typical dry bulb□ space temperature 8. Which of these factors is used by ancharging optimum ■ Soot andcent particulates in standalone batteries or when 10 per □ Evaporator □ forWind a home? start control system? farms ■ their electric vehicles 5) What’s the difference between net zero fuel and zero □ Compressor □ 15 per cent ■ Level of building occupancy ■ 160Cfarms ■ Solar emission fuel? 10) Which these sectors be benefit difficult to electrify? Condenser perof cent Outside airmain temperature 9) iswould the of smart meters? ■ 190C ■ What □ □ 20 4) What are the main forms of variable 220C Boiler capacity They avoid the need for meter readers ■ ■ ■ Zero emission fuel does not release CO2 at the point of use Residential and building heating □ at the □ Defrosting electrical loads connecting 240C Boilerprovide flow temperature ■ household accurate and timely ■ They ■ level? vehicle transport 10)Small What percentage of recovered heat could □ Net-zero fuel does not release CO2 at point of use □ information on power flows across the be ■ Electric vehicles and heat pumps smart grid There’s no difference High temperature industrial processes ‘high-grade’? 5) □ COSP is short for □ 4. What is currently the most common 9. Which types of space heating system can ■ Smart meters They facilitate the systems export of ■ construction material for panel5 building management besurplus used to control? per cent □ Coefficient of System Pressure □ radiators? ■ Home automation devices electricity from household solar PV panels Cast iron Any ■ ■ □ Coefficient of System Performance ■ Pressed steel □ 10 per cent ■ Wet systems What is the main threat to smart grids? What does the technology VtG represent? 15 per cent 10) □ Coefficient of Specific Performance 5) Castof aluminium ■ Cost ■ Air handling plant implementation□ ■ Geometry Turbochargers Please complete your details below in block capitals. □ 20 per cent ■■ Variable Copper Boilers to allow the effective aspect ■ Cyber □ Coefficient of Specific Pressure attacks ■ designed
ENTRY FORM
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How to obtain a CPD accreditation from the Energy Institute This is the second module in the nineteenth series and focuses tenth and final module in the nineteenth series and on Refrigeration. is accompanied a set of multiple-choice focuses on BoilersIt and Burners. It isby accompanied by a set of questions. multiple-choice questions. To qualify for a CPD certificate readers must submit at least eight of the ten sets of questions from this series of modules to EiBI for the Energy Institute to mark. Anyone achieving at least eight out of ten correct answers on eight separate articles qualifies for an Energy Institute CPD certificate. This can be obtained, on successful completion of the course and notification by the Energy Institute, FREE OF CHARGE for both Energy Institute members and non-members. The articles, written by a qualified member of the Energy Institute, will appeal to those new energy management and to Energy in and and the Energy Institute are Energy inBuildings Buildings andIndustry Industry and theto Energy Institute aredelighted delighted to with more experience of the subject. have teamed up you Professional havethose teamed upto tobring bring youthis thisContinuing Continuing ProfessionalDevelopment Development initiative. Modules from the past 18 series can be obtained free of initiative. This is module series and focuses onon Smart Grids. It charge. Send yourin request to editor@eibi.co.uk. Alternatively, This isthe thethird ninth module inthe theeighteenth seventeenth series and focuses Space is accompanied bydownloaded a set of multiple-choice questions. Heating. is accompanied by a set of multiple-choice questions. theyItcan be from the EiBI website: www.eibi.co.uk
How to obtain a CPD accreditation from the Energy Institute
To Toqualify qualifyfor foraaCPD CPDcertificate certificatereaders readersmust mustsubmit submitat atleast leasteight eightof ofthe the ten tensets setsof ofquestions questionsfrom fromthis thisseries seriesof ofmodules modulesto toEiBI EiBIfor forthe theEnergy Energy SERIES JUNE 2021 � MAY 2022 Institute to Anyone achieving at eight of Institute tomark. mark.19 Anyone achieving atleast least eightout out often tencorrect correctanswers answerson on eight articles qualifies eightseparate separate articles qualifiesfor foran anEnergy EnergyInstitute InstituteCPD CPDcertificate. certificate.This Thiscan canbe be 1. Electric Vehicles obtained, obtained,on onsuccessful successfulcompletion completionof ofthe thecourse courseand andnotification notificationby bythe theEnergy Energy 2. Refrigeration Refrigeration Institute, Institute,free freeof ofcharge chargefor forboth bothEnergy EnergyInstitute Institutemembers membersand andnon-members. non-members. 3. Underfloor Heating* Heating The Thearticles, articles,written writtenby byaaqualified qualifiedmember memberof ofthe theEnergy EnergyInstitute, Institute,will willappeal appeal 4. Combined Heat & Power* Power to those new to energy management and those with more experience to those new to energy management and those with more experienceof ofthe the 5. Humidification* Passivhaus subject. subject. 6. Smart Buildings* Modules from the past 16 series can be obtained free of charge. Send Modules fromBuildings the past 16 series can be obtained free of charge. Send your to 7. Photovoltaics & Batteries* yourrequest request toeditor@eibi.co.uk. editor@eibi.co.uk. Alternatively,they theycan canbe bedownloaded downloaded BatteriesAlternatively, from website: fromthe the EiBIHandling* website:www.eibi.co.uk www.eibi.co.uk 8. EiBI Air Handling
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11 Batteries 11 Energy Efficiency Legislation BEMS & Storage Batteries & Storage 22 Energy as a Service 22 Building Controls Refrigeration Energy as a Service 33 Water Management 33 Smart LED Technology Water Grids Management 44 Demand Side Response 44 Lighting District Heating DemandTechnology* Side Response 55 Drives & Motors 55 Heat Pumps* Air Conditioning Drives & Motors 66 Blockchain Technology 66 Metering & Monitoring* Behaviour Change Blockchain Technology 77 Compressed Air 77 Air Conditioning* Thermal Imaging Compressed Air 88 Energy Purchasing 88 Boilers Burners* Solar Thermal Energy&Purchasing Terms: in submitting your completed youChange* are indicating 99 Space Heating 99 answers Behaviour Smart Buildings Space Heating consent to Management EiBI’s holding and processing the personal data 10 Centre 10 Heat & Power* 10 Data Biomass Boilers 10 Combined Data Centre Management* you have provided to us, in accordance with legal bases set out
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details the Energy Institute withthis whom this CPDis series with thewith Energy Institute (EI) with(EI) whom CPD series run is in contractual partnership. will process your details in run contractual partnership. The EIThe will EI process your details for Terms: submitting your answers you are consent to EiBI’s for the purposes ofcompleted marking your answers and issuing your CPD Terms: in submitting your completed answers youand areindicating indicating consent to EiBI’s thein purposes of marking your answers issuing your CPD holding and data you us, holding andprocessing processing thepersonal personal data youhave haveprovided provided totimes us,in inaccordance accordance certificate. Your the details will be kept securely at allto and in a with legal bases set out under data protection law. Further to this, EiBI will share with manner legal bases set out under data law. Further to this,laws. EiBI will share complaint with all protection relevant data protection For full your details the Institute (EI) whom this yourdetails detailswith with theEnergy Energy Institute (EI)with with whomvisit thisCPD CPDseries seriesis isrun runin in on the EI’s privacy policy please www.energyinst. contractual contractualpartnership. partnership.The TheEI EIwill willprocess processyour yourdetails detailsfor forthe thepurposes purposesof ofmarking marking org/privacy. your youranswers answersand andissuing issuingyour yourCPD CPDcertificate. certificate.Your Yourdetails detailswill willbe bekept keptsecurely securelyat at all alltimes timesand andin inaamanner mannercomplaint complaintwith withall allrelevant relevantdata dataprotection protectionlaws. laws. For Forfull full details the privacy please details onhear theEI’s EI’smore privacypolicy policy please visit www.energyinst.org/privacy. Toon from thevisit EIwww.energyinst.org/privacy. subscribe to our ••To more the EI to mailing list: https://myprofile.energyinst. Tohear hear morefrom from thevisit EIsubscribe subscribe toour ourmailing mailinglist: list:visit visithttps://myprofile. https://myprofile. energyinst.org/EmailPreferences/Subscribe energyinst.org/EmailPreferences/Subscribe org/EmailPreferences/Subscribe
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20 24 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | SEPTEMBER MARCH 20202020
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Products in Action
Blooming business turns to radiant heating Following on from rapid growth during the Covid-19 pandemic, Freddie’s Flowers needed a larger warehouse in addition to its current unit in Isleworth, west London to expand its successful fresh flower mail delivery business. The new warehouse near Heathrow is four times bigger than the previous unit. The company employs approximately 130 staff who work shifts enabling the factory to function 24 hours a day distributing up to 52,000 boxes of fresh flowers to subscribers every week. The new warehouse was empty when it was bought and lacked an energy efficient heating system that kept staff warm while they were packing boxes. Combat Heating Solutions Ltd was able to provide the ideal solution in the CoRayVac radiant tube system which offers a bespoke design allowing for the constraints of the building structure. Combat designed a heating system to facilitate the packing area and the rest of the floor space as the roller shutter door to the entrance of the building needs to be kept open for deliveries and vehicle loading. Radiant was the only heating option that allowed this indoor/outdoor ambiance as a warm air system would be constantly flowing out of the door and heating the external atmosphere. The system was installed
by Hevac Services Ltd. CoRayVac is an energy efficient system due to its vacuum operated, burners-in-series design, combined with its ability to condense. Lowering exhaust temperatures puts more heat in the space, less waste through the exhaust. Models are available with inputs of; 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 kW. Burner features include: three-try, direct spark ignition, pre-purge, filtered combustion air and cast-iron burner head. Continuous aluminium reflectors maximise 100 per cent reflection of the energy emitted by the radiant tube down to the floor. End caps and continuous reflectors keep tube convective heat losses to a minimum and consequently the heat exchangers retain more heat for emission. The system utilises heat-treated aluminised steel tube which radiates the energy.
Barn conversion benefits from heat pump solution When the owners of a five-bedroom Essex barn conversion wanted to replace an ageing oil boiler, they turned to Modutherm and its Alira air source heat pump. Central to the installation was the need to maintain comfortable room temperatures all year round by utilising the existing underfloor heating and radiator circuits in the 300m property. The 8.5kW heat pump was easily connected to the existing 4-zone manifold, delivering a flow temperature of 45ºC to the underfloor circuits and oversized radiators. Each zone is thermostatically controlled, allowing the entire home to be maintained at a comfortable temperature. For the property’s DHW requirements, the owners opted to install a new 300 litre Juniper XL stainless steel heat pump-ready cylinder, alongside Modutherm’s wall mounted Hydraulic Module. Compatible with a wide range of cylinders, the
module contains all the heating system components for simple servicing and maintenance, while its compact dimensions allowed it to be installed into the ground floor airing cupboard. Choosing a location for the Alira heat pump was also made simple due to its low sound pressure levels of 45dB(A). Combined with a ‘Silent Mode’ for even quieter operation at night, this allowed the unit to be easily sited beneath a bedroom window without any concern. The Alira outdoor natural air source heat pump is available in a range of four models from 7.1kW - 10.1kW.
Lighting ensures justice is seen to be done Built in 2017, the Inverness Justice Centre is the first in a new generation of Scottish courts, devised to bring together, in one location, the various organisations that support the justice system. TRILUX lighting worked with consultant Arup to devise a lighting scheme that complements the concrete and the acoustic oak veneered surfaces in the courtrooms. Linear lines were key to the lighting design. The TRILUX LED light channel was the primary fitting used throughout the building. The lighting was designed to seamlessly provide a bright, natural white light line. Designers selected
the linear lines and the silver finish to tie in with the natural concrete finish in the offices and communal areas. The light channel’s extruded micro-prismatic optic offers glare reduction and high visual comfort due to a contrast-reducing effect of the refractor surface. In the courtrooms, a rectangular arrangement of the light channel presides over the main proceedings in the form of a striking suspended light pendant. Since the building’s completion, it has won the Scottish Design Award Public Building of the Year 2021 and the Scottish Property Architectural Excellency Award Public Building of the Year 2021. MAY 2022 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 21
Energy in the Public Sector
Hywel Davies, is CIBSE technical director
Zero-carbon study centre
Hywel Davies explains how consultants have set about optimising the building services performance at a new, award-winning Oxford college library
T
he new Library and Study Centre building at St John’s College, Oxford, saw the project crowned champion of champions at the recent CIBSE Building Performance Awards. St John’s College Oxford was founded in 1555. For such a historic establishment, the design brief for its new library, study centre and archive building was remarkably forwardlooking. “The brief was to explore the options for a carbon-neutral building,” says Tom McNeil, senior building performance engineer at Max Fordham, the project’s building services engineers. Since the building opened to students in autumn 2019, the consulting engineers have been working hard with the college’s FM team, the main contractor, the M&E contractor and the BMS and controls engineer to minimise the building’s energy use and get it as close to carbonneutral as possible. The consultant’s approach to targeting carbon neutral was to develop a building services solution based on passive measures such as natural ventilation and daylighting, which it then combined with an all-electric building services installation. The Library and Study Centre building is located at the rear of the college president’s garden, adjacent to a 17th century wall, to minimise its impact on the college’s historic quadrangles.
Natural light gains
Daylight modelling informed the location of the building’s windows to ensure spaces benefit from natural light, while controlling solar gains to prevent overheating. The main reading rooms incorporate east-facing windows, clearstory glazing and glazed roof-lights to flood the space with natural light. Considered positioning of the glazing ensures a daylight factor or 4–5 per cent in the main reading rooms, which helps minimise the need for artificial light during the day. Thermal modelling using CIBSE TM52 methodology and the CIBSE Design Summer Year established the appropriate glazing specification (G value) for each area without sacrificing thermal or visual comfort.
BMS data provides the team with an understanding of how well the building is performing. The outputs show the first-floor spaces are significantly warmer than those on the ground floor as a result of higher solar gains and less thermal mass. The temperature on the first floor has only risen above 28ºC three times, so “overheating does not appear to be a problem,” says McNeil. In the ground floor reading room, monitoring shows the temperature has not risen above 24ºC all summer. In winter, heating coils fitted to the reading room supply vents temper the air delivered from the plenum. Heat to the coils is from three ground source heat pumps (GSHPs), which are connected to an array of thirty boreholes, each 55m deep, set beneath the Great Lawn to the east of the library. The GSHPs also supply low temperature hot water to an underfloor heating system and to trench heaters close to the windows.
Now up to temperature
Study in comfort: St John’s College Library and Study Centre won the top CIBSE award
At night, a low-energy lighting scheme, triggered by movement sensors, provides background illumination; this is enhanced by task lighting on desks. The building’s discrete location and its linear north-south orientation adjacent to the historic wall made it hard to ventilate naturally. To increase the building’s permeability, a large concrete plenum open at both ends runs the full length of the building underneath the ground floor. From the plenum air rises through a series of openings before exiting through motorised openable windows in the reading room roof-lights.
Natural ventilation rates are controlled by the Building Management System (BMS) using a mix of windows and low-level louvres, which open and close based on CO2 levels and internal temperatures. Smaller rooms with established occupants have local manual controls. The BMS will also open some windows at night to enable night-time cooling. Concrete soffits have been left exposed to provide access to thermal mass to help minimise overheating during periods of high solar gain. Night cooling flushes the absorbed heat from the structure, recharging it ready for the following day.
Space temperatures are maintained between 19-21ºC in winter. Initial feedback was that some rooms were struggling to reach this temperature. The response was to increase the heating system weather compensation curve to increase the set point of the buffer vessel, which would slightly increase the flow temperature of the circuit feeding the underfloor and trench heaters (which had previously been lowered to save energy). This was done cautiously as it does decrease the efficiency of the heat pumps. The rooms are now up to temperature and the increased flow temperature is now in line with that of the original design. Heating is also supplied to the basement archive room. This contains the college’s collection of rare books and manuscripts so its temperature and humidity are carefully monitored, with the temperature maintained between 12ºC and 15ºC. The space is also fitted with mechanical ventilation and local dehumidification units but it is largely passive in operation. The final element of the scheme is the photovoltaic panel array installed on the building’s roof. These generate a maximum of 42kWp, which contributes to meeting the building’s electrical demand, although it is not enough to enable the scheme to achieve the client’s carbon neutral aspiration. A year after its opening, energy measurements show the Library and Study Centre achieving measured carbon emissions of just 18 tonnes of CO2 per year (11kgCO2/m2/yr).
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Energy in the Public Sector
Jamie Cameron is director of digital solutions at Johnson Controls
Local authorities have been identified as ‘integral’ in the battle for net zero
Local authorities can lead change Jamie Cameron says that local authorities and businesses must work together to have a strong chance at creating an environment that is sustainable, efficient, and healthy
T
he starting pistol in the race to decarbonisation has sounded, but it is not a prize to be won by a single runner. The benefits are countless, including greater efficiency, capital, and even occupier happiness and engagement – not to mention a planet fit for living and lasting. The overwhelming majority of companies see a clear competitive advantage from their sustainability focus and the goal of achieving net-zero carbon. They now need support and leadership from local governments to succeed in this vision. In the government’s Net Zero Strategy launched in October, local authorities are identified as ‘integral’ in the battle for net-zero, with the government estimating that 82 per cent of all UK emissions are within the scope of influence of local authorities. For some local authorities, decarbonisation is not happening fast enough. Many have not yet finalised plans on how they can successfully meet their own targets as well as the UK-wide goals set by the government. New research has found that to accelerate decarbonisation efforts, there are still barriers that we must overcome, but there are also huge opportunities to engage. Local authorities must align with increasing demands, while simultaneously effectively measuring the progress of sustainability initiatives. Energy
efficiency projects represent an investment opportunity for local authorities but knowing where to start can be challenging. Ultimately, it means more needs to be done before we make significant headway.
Roadmap to decarbonisation
The COP26 Climate Summit brought together world leaders, academics, business executives and others to create a roadmap to decarbonisation. The journey starts with decarbonisation advisory services and moves through assessment of digitally enabled environments, infrastructure efficiency, renewables, and clean energy procurement, through to certification and impact measurement. At each stage public sector support, guidance, and cheerleading will be required to maintain the race’s momentum. It’s clear that tech will have a pivotal role in assuring these plans succeed and national progress depends on
the uptake of smart technologies. Many of the buildings we use every day, for example, need an overhaul to meet new regulations and aid the government in its sustainability goals. Smart technologies improve energy efficiency, cut costs, and boost operational efficiency, which drives productivity and profits. But how do we get there? Governments and businesses need to leverage operational technology such as the building management systems, utility data, and HVAC with external information technology such as the weather, social media, work order and business data to create a truly smart intelligent environment. Luckily, many buildings already have the technology in place to transform into genuinely smart buildings. The key is making sure that the data coming from those devices is connected and presents a bigger picture to anyone who needs it. We’re
nearly there on the way to intelligent buildings. But for those wanting to deliver the experiences occupants need and want, by lowering energy consumption to achieve net-zero goals and save on costs, smart buildings are an investment not only in the here and now, but for the future. With new technologies such as digital twins, IoT, ML, AI and Automation, smart buildings can operate without much human interference at all. Building management systems can maintain and optimise buildings on their own, and only need humans when they are notified. With a digital twin, if a product is having any issues, or is nearing the end of its lifecycle, it can notify and send out an engineer with the right part to fix it first time. The building can remain energy efficient while bringing down costs to the business and freeing up the time for engineers, building owners and facilities managers to spend on the more pressing issues at hand. Research has found that in buildings with clean air technology, productivity can increase by 11 per cent, with cognitive scores increasing by 101 per cent. To achieve this, businesses will need to install ventilation, filtration, and disinfection technology, which must be linked to an occupancy measuring solution and technology to measure air quality. As we transition our working lives back into offices more, the focus needs to be on indoor air quality to get the most out of those using buildings, especially since we spend 90 per cent of our day indoors. It’s important that workspaces are not only comfortable and conducive to a good day’s work but also afford a high level of collaboration. Integrated smart technologies facilitate this, allowing colleagues to better coordinate across departments, whether they’re working from home or in the office. Businesses now have the opportunity to create an environment that’s sustainable, efficient, and healthy. To improve the spaces and places where we spend most of our time, investment in the right technology is needed. In line with the governmental plans, local authorities and businesses must work together to have a strong chance at creating an environment that is sustainable, efficient, and healthy. We now must progress from regular buildings with siloed solutions to truly smart buildings. And governments need to be leading the charge so others can follow suit. Only then, will we be able to achieve everyone’s goals for the future.
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Energy in the Public Sector University looks to partnership for net zero ambitions
The University of East London has established a strategic partnership with Siemens to collaborate on their net zero carbon aspiration to 2030, identifying opportunities to reduce overall energy use, drive the shift to renewable energy and transform its campuses in Docklands and Stratford. To help UEL meet these ambitious targets, Siemens is now delivering improvement measures across the university to cut its energy consumption, as well as engineering solutions for producing low-carbon energy on-site and specifying and installing renewable generation infrastructure across the campuses. In parallel, the university is working with Siemens to embed sustainability across the curriculum to allow students to develop the skills they need to succeed in a green economy. The partnership is also exploring the creation of a Living Lab for teaching and research. The net zero carbon roadmap identified four focus areas for UEL’s
campuses: introducing renewable energy sources to campuses and reducing overall energy consumption; supporting sustainable enterprise; leveraging real-time energy data through a ‘Living Lab’ and nurturing a strong talent pipeline. The first project phase will cut 10 percent of the university’s carbon emissions and reduce operational costs by installing LED lighting in all buildings and upgrading the
building management systems. A second workstream will focus on engineering the design of sustainable energy technology – including solar panels installed on rooftops and in car parks, ground source or water source heat pumps fed by the Thames and electric vehicle charging solutions. The photovoltaics alone could provide a significant amount of zero-carbon, zerocost energy per year. The majority of this
energy will be consumed on-site, with the remainder stored or exported to the grid. During the second phase, Siemens will support UEL in creating an innovation hub for local green energy enterprises, giving students the opportunity to engage with the latest green technologies on campus. UEL will also provide the opportunity for students to further strengthen their industry skills through mentoring and internships with Siemens. The third workstream of the partnership will see the development of a ‘Living Lab’, to make the data captured across the campuses available to students and researchers. To support the energy transition in the wider east London area, the university and Siemens will explore pragmatic ways of introducing local-scale energy projects that make an immediate difference to local communities. Faye Bowser, head of energy & performance services, Siemens said: “Due to its urban setting in central London, the University of East London cannot allocate swathes of space for renewable generation. There is no greenfield space for additional energy generation, so the only way for it to evolve is through innovative technology.”
Voltage reduction technology helps council cut emissions
Lighting makeover lends library big savings The lighting at Bath Central Library has recently undergone a refurbishment that has delivered an energy saving of almost 60 per cent. The council required a design that improved performance and delivered energy savings to help keep budgets low while enhancing the library experience. The lighting brands Zumtobel and Thorn delivered a design that met the council’s brief and energy-saving requirements. The winning project scheme consisted of Thorn’s Omega Pro 2 and Chalice and Zumtobel’s SLOTLIGHT infinity, and VIVO II spotlights. Visitors are welcomed at the reception desk by the bright, ambient light from Chalice 200 downlights. Chalice provides a high lumen output of 3,000 lm while distributing a comfortable, glare free illumination creating the ideal working environment. Its efficacy
reaches as high as 125 lm/W for low energy consumption. Maintenance costs are also kept low thanks to its 50,000-hour lifetime. Navigation in the library is critical. To find the right shelf and book, Omega Pro 2 connectivity-ready square recessed luminaires were selected and installed in the main library, meeting, and exhibition rooms, delivering the right light to aid concentration. SLOTLIGHT infinity direct/indirect is installed in varying lengths of continuous rows throughout the children’s library, story area, study area, homework, and IT section. Additionally, VIVO II spotlights have been used to highlight the meeting and exhibition room features. Library staff can select different beam widths for the spotlights, enabling easy reconfiguration if the exhibition is changed.
Cumbria-based Copeland Borough Council has recently adopted voltage reduction technology to improve its energy management. Recognising the potential to save on energy costs, reduce emissions and bolster power resilience, Copeland Council went to Powerstar for its energy optimisation expertise. Critical for the maintenance of sensitive data was the sourcing of a reliable and secure system that could demonstrate high efficiency and low failure rates. Powerstar recommended voltage regulation technology to reduce the council’s incoming voltage to a level more appropriate for their on-site equipment. As well as saving energy and cutting costs, reduced voltage lowers the operating temperature of vital equipment, extending its lifespan and improving its reliability. The voltage regulation technology at Copeland Borough Council saved 59,760kWh per annum at the time of installation, equivalent to 32.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. Former councillor Allan Holliday, previous portfolio holder for the environment and sustainability, commented: “The voltage regulation system is a great example of a change that we can make which helps the environment and saves money without any effect on the services we provide. By making this change, we can reduce the amount of energy we use in the building, yet still operate all of the same technology and systems that we currently use.”
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Energy in the Public Sector
Sites connected as Thames Valley smart energy system continues to grow
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pilot project to create a smart energy system in Thames Valley has reached a major milestone after Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS) and its partners connected four of West Berkshire Council’s sites to the growing network. SGS’s work with both West Berkshire Council and Reading Borough Council forms part of the ADEPT (Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport) SMART Places Live Lab programme, a two-year £22.9m project funded by the Department for Transport. Photovoltaics (PVs) at each of the four sites – West Berkshire Council’s head office and Northcroft leisure centre in Newbury, The Willink School in Burghfield Common, and Building 150, a warehouse on a former army base – have been linked using Cirrus Flex, a distributed energy resources management system (DERMS) created by Glasgow-based energy software specialist SGS. The smart energy platform allows the council to monitor and analyse the amount of electricity generated at the sites and to begin planning for its net-zero operations. Since going live in 2020, the council’s head office and Building 150 have generated a combined 122MWh of
electricity - saving the equivalent of 29 tonnes of COǍ and generating enough electricity to power 32 homes for one year. The council could also use the platform to manage energy use across the facilities, which would help it to cut its carbon dioxide emissions and save money. Neighbouring Reading Borough Council is already working with SGS to monitor its solar PV and electric vehicle (EV) charging sites, and aims to control, optimise, and interact with wider grid services. The Live Lab’s energy workstream focuses on smart energy management systems for integrated buildings and EV charging to monitor and, where feasible, control energy devices. The Thames Valley Live Lab project has recently concluded and work is underway to explore how the trial can be extended to increase the benefits for local councils of reducing their carbon dioxide emissions and costs, while increasing their energy selfsufficiency. The smart energy platform created during the live lab could form the basis to deliver and utilise clean energy for buildings, services, and transport at the lowest cost to local authorities, while meeting their mandatory net-zero targets.
Energy Efficiency & Building Standards
Steve Addis is product manager at Lochinvar
Transformation of building culture should prove what is needed to revamp energy and carbon performance
stone towards the Future Homes and Buildings Standard that aims to make all buildings ‘net zero ready’ from 2025. All new residential buildings, including care and children’s homes, and student accommodation, must also be designed to reduce overheating, under changes to Part F and the introduction of Part O. Changes to ventilation will also be introduced to improve indoor air quality and reduce the spread of airborne viruses in new non-residential buildings, including the mandating of CO2 monitors and additional standards for recirculating ventilation systems in all new offices.
Performance metrics
Safety fears can deliver better performance Embracing a new safety culture in buildings should not hamper our efforts to deliver net zero carbon. In fact, it should help, according to Steve Addis
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he biggest change to construction practices in half a century is racing towards us with the enactment of the Building Safety Bill later this year. This will introduce such a profound change to manufacturing, planning, procurement, installation, inspection, competence, and compliance that many are arguing it will derail our carbon reduction plans. Delivering a 75 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2035 on the road to net zero by 2050 already seemed pretty ambitious before adding on the burden of totally revamping the safety culture of an entire industry at the same time. However, the transformation of building culture in this way should prove exactly what we need to revamp our energy and carbon performance. Poor energy performance is often the most obvious symptom of a building that is generally not fit for purpose. Making our buildings better will have benefits for both safety and performance. As well as setting much higher professional competence standards through the new Bill, the government has also set the tone through its
approach to revising our Building Regulations. For example, it has joined up the ventilation and heating targets by running consultations on Parts F and L in tandem.
Requirements of Part L
As a result, new homes will have to cut their carbon emissions by 30 per cent and non-domestic buildings by 27 per cent to meet the requirements of the
revised Part L – while at the same time tackling poor indoor air quality and overheating. Better energy performance must be delivered but not at the expense of the ventilation rates essential to protect the health and well-being of occupants – so making buildings better all round. These new targets will come into effect in June this year with the new regulations regarded as a stepping
The government is proposing three performance metrics against which new non-domestic buildings will be measured: primary energy, a CO2 emission target, and minimum standards for fabric and fixed building services. The introduction of a primary energy metric is designed to make energy efficiency of each building a priority, regardless of the heat source. The more enlightened approach to regulation will help and greater focus on safety will be driven by lawyers and insurers, but there will also be considerable commercial incentives for building owners and managers to do the right thing for their occupants and the planet. We also have Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), which could also be transformational because they place a regulatory requirement on refurbishment. Since 2018 a minimum EPC rating of E has been in place for new tenancies, but from 1st April 2023 this will be extended to cover existing leases making it unlawful for a landlord to let any commercial property with an EPC rating of less than E. That is just the start, however, as the MEES level is set to rise to B by 1st April 2030 with landlords given two “compliance windows” starting in April 2025 to achieve it. All properties will have to be at least C rated by 2027. This is an example of how regulation can be made to work in harmony with commercial drivers by setting the legal benchmarks that underpin a better performing and, therefore, more financially viable building stock. It is a rapidly changing landscape for anyone designing, installing, and commissioning heating, hot water, and renewable systems, and clients now have even more incentive to demand the highest standards of competence and compliance.
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New Products
Smart PIR sensors can be remotely programmed and adjusted via an app UK manufacturer DANLERS Ltd is offering a new range of Smart PIR sensors. With built-in photocells, the sensors are claimed to be quick and easy to set up and remotely programmed using DANLERS’ free app, which is available on both Android and iOS. This saves both time and commissioning costs. All DANLERS ISI Smart PIR sensors can be adjusted simply and quickly via the app. Product settings such as occupancy timeouts, optimal lighting levels, setbacks and fade rates can be adjusted to create effective energy saving solutions.
The product range includes: • ceiling flush ISI Smart PIR sensors for flush mounting into false or plasterboard ceilings; • ceiling surface ISI Smart PIR sensors for mounting directly onto solid ceilings or onto a range of different mounting boxes; and • high bay ISI Smart PIR sensors for mounting directly onto solid ceilings or onto a range of different mounting boxes. These are available in three detection pattern options: narrow, spot and wide detection.
Additional validation for light switch module with energy harvesting ZF GROUP’S battery-free and wireless RF pushbutton module is now being enhanced with the launch of ZF’s stamp ‘Energy Harvesting by ZF’. Partners can use ZF’s new stamp to help market their products using the compact generator by highlighting their commitment to a sustainable technology. A tiny and compact generator (20.1 x 7.3 x 14.3mm) produces enough energy by pressing the button by means of induction, so that it can reliably transmit RF commands to a paired receiver. As a wireless solution it guarantees flexibility and the possibility to retrofit easily according to individual requirements. As a battery-free solution and with a lifetime of 1,000,000 switching cycles, maintenance and disposal of EDWWHU\ UHSODFHPHQWV FDQ EH DYRLGHG { The RF light switch module from ZF is claimed to be the only one that is compatible with the RF standard KNX-RF. In addition, it supports the RF standard EnOcean 3.0. In cooperation with onsemi, ZF has published a reference design for an Energy Harvesting Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy switch and a demo light switch module. It is compatible with standard frames and can also be combined with customer-specific control and design panels. MAY 2022 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 29
Batteries & Energy Storage
Bert Claessens is head of large asset optimisation at Centrica Business Solutions
The future is now for batteries Battery storage is critical to a net zero future – both in supporting the transition to renewables and the switch to emission-free heat and transport, says Bert Claessens
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he UK’s ambitious 2035 green grid target is reliant on unlocking the potential of battery energy storage to create a flexible and agile renewable power system that can balance supply with demand. This will enable greater utilisation of wind and solar power to maintain grid balance and plug the inevitable supply gaps when there is low wind, or the sun doesn’t shine. The IEA forecasts that the global renewable energy generation capacity will increase by 60 per cent over the next five years. As such, there will be increasing demand to store energy at times of surplus in order to keep the lights on during times of deficit. BloombergNEF (BNEF) hails the 2020s as ‘the decade of energy storage’. In its Global Energy Storage Outlook, forecasters predict a twentyfold global expansion in non-EV battery capacity this decade, with the UK one of the top international markets. This chimes with our own UK estimates, which show that between 40 and 50GW of flexible capacity will be needed to support the transition to renewables. We believe that battery storage will provide the majority of this standby capacity, which could also include everything from hot water tanks, to industrial demand response, pumped storage and gas peaking plants. In an ideal world, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) would be co-located alongside every wind and solar farm, every business site using large-scale onsite generation, and at standalone locations with grid resilience challenges. But until now the economic case has not been so convincing.
With more renewable energy generation will come greater demand for batteries
becoming increasingly attractive to energy investors and developers. Over the next 5 years, as a business we’re investing in solar battery storage to deliver a further 650MW of renewable energy capacity for customers through our Centrica Energy Assets project.
Four reasons why battery storage makes sense
• cost reduction - now is the perfect opportunity to decrease energy costs by using battery storage for peak power avoidance. Increasingly, our business and public sector customers are using a combination of solar and battery storage to mitigate the current high commodity prices and help manage fleet charging in a costeffective way. These behind the meter sites are reducing the risk of exposure to volatile prices by using their stored energy when network tariffs and third-party non-commodity charges are highest and buying power from the grid only at
Sharply falling costs
Today, sharply falling battery costs combined with rapid growth in wind and solar output make battery energy storage systems a sound investment option. That’s especially so in the current economic climate of record high energy prices and volatile trading markets, which are boosting flexibility revenue potential. BESS solutions unlock a range of benefits, which is why the technology is being rapidly adopted across multiple energy sectors and is
the cheapest rates; • carbon reduction and regulatory compliance - battery storage, especially when combined with solar, is a fast and cost-effective way for organisations to reduce their carbon footprint. In this way they can deliver on their net zero goals while getting ahead of increasing energy costs and carbon taxes plus tighter regulation, such as the upcoming Taskforce on ClimateRelated Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Batteries are also playing a key role in decarbonising the national electricity supply by enabling greater utilisation of renewables on the network; • improved energy resilience organisations are also using solar battery storage as an uninterrupted power supply that can create carbon free back-up power to ensure
In an ideal world batteries would be co-located alongside every wind farm
resilience in the event of grid supply disruption. This can be used to support or replace carbon intensive diesel and gas emergency power generators. Together with Fluence, we’re collaborating with Google to supply and optimise a zero-emission battery- based energy storage backup system at a hyperscale data centre in Belgium; and • driving revenue from energy optimisation - perhaps the biggest reason to invest in battery storage is to capitalise on flexibility revenue opportunities. Battery storage optimisation is increasingly complex, but there’s a big opportunity to fully exploit faster response revenue stream opportunities across multiple markets, including ancillary services, capacity markets and wholesale and balancing markets.
Market opportunities
New flexibility market opportunities in 2022 will include the launch of National Grid’s Dynamic Moderation and Dynamic Regulation frequency response services. In addition, there’s the potential to combine flexibility from a range of assets as part of a multi asset Virtual Power Plant (VPP). Our VPP project at Belgium’s Terhills leisure park, is Europe’s first large-scale, multi-asset clean energy smart grid. Centrica recently announced a deal to acquire a 30MW battery just outside of Aberdeen, that will work alongside offshore wind farms in the North Sea to smooth out the supply and demand curve, storing excess power for periods of time when demand outstrips supply. We will take a multimarket optimisation approach – using our proprietary FlexPond platform to identify opportunities to support the balancing of the grid network from months in advance right up to real time. In its recent Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan, the government sets out how we will transition to a smart, decarbonised, flexible energy system. Putting ‘flexibility first’ can also bring financial rewards to all energy consumers. The government estimates that this approach could reduce the annual costs of managing UK energy networks by £10bn by 2050. By the end of the decade, battery storage is likely to be the rule rather than the exception – whether that involves grid level batteries like the 49MW storage system that Centrica operates at Roosecote, batteries mounted to garage walls, or the storage capacity of electric vehicles.
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Batteries & Energy Storage
Energy partnership wins approval for big Midlands battery storage development PENSO POWER and LUMINOUS ENERGY, partners in the Welbar Energy Storage joint venture, have secured full planning approval for a 350MW connection capacity battery storage development at Hams Hall, east of Birmingham and close to the M6 Toll in north Warwickshire. The Hams Hall site has a 350MW transmission network connection, and the approved design allows for deployment of more than 1,750MWh of battery storage. The Hams Hall project is expected to provide a broad range of services to support the UK electricity system including potentially longer duration services, with scope for more than five hours duration. Hams Hall is part of a large pipeline of projects that BW Group committed to fund under the agreement that it announced with Penso Power in October 2021. Penso Power, Luminous Energy and BW Group will become joint shareholders in the development, with Penso Power overseeing the project’s deployment and managing the project once it is
operational. Richard Thwaites (above), chief executive of Penso Power said: “We are pleased that planning has been secured for Hams Hall, an important project in our multigigawatt pipeline. This project is globally significant in scale, and we expect it to play an important role in ensuring the resilience of the UK’s electricity system.” David Bryson of Luminous Energy said: “Now more than ever the UK needs to take back control over its energy supply. Energy storage is critical in supplying affordable, clean power, while also enhancing the UK’s grid reliability. This project, one of a pipeline we have in development, will also contribute financially to sustainable and green initiatives locally.” Erik Strømsø, Managing Director of BW Renewables said: “This marks a milestone in our partnership with Penso Power, and we look forward to bringing this project to energisation, so that it may support the continued transition towards green energy in the UK.”
Batteries & Energy Storage
Matthew Lumsden is CEO of Connected Energy
When it comes to battery energy storage system many companies feel they lack the expertise to carry out a project
Create and use your own energy An energy audit is the first step for any organisation wanting to introduce sustainability measures, says Matthew Lumsden. It can then assess the viability of a battery energy storage system
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ny business with an energy bill of over £100,000 per annum would benefit from a battery energy storage system (BESS). Many large manufacturing or multi-site businesses have bills in excess of £500,000 a year so it’s easy to see the appeal of a BESS. They can help in other significant ways too, including managing grid fluctuations or overcoming grid constraints and for some businesses, ensuring a consistent supply of energy is as mission critical as reducing the bill. Connected Energy supplies BESS made from second life vehicles batteries, and these particular BESS also offer carbon reduction opportunities on a scale which most businesses would find impossible to achieve in any other way.
Lack of expertise
According to the latest Energy Efficiency Indicator Survey from Johnson Controls, almost a quarter of organisations wanting to introduce sustainability initiatives such as a BESS are unsure of the savings, or feel they lack the expertise to evaluate or execute such projects. Here’s a summary of a
recommended ten-step energy audit: • Look at buildings from the outside in Identify where heat is being lost and any ways in which it can be prevented. • Look at workflow and staff movement To leave doors and windows open is unsustainable. If this is being done to create ‘fresh air,’ look at other options. • Make simple swaps and upgrades Are refrigeration units energy efficient? Has lighting been switched to LED? • Look at the internal building configuration Identify naturally warmer areas within the building and work with them. • Review the existing heating system Check the existing heating is working well. • Identify energy cost hot spots One piece of machinery might be identified as especially energy intensive. Could it be operated over the weekend when energy costs are lower? • Analyse your fuel bill Breakdown energy consumption to the lowest possible level and
compare times, days of the week, and months. • Project your energy consumption Make informed projections of energy consumption against the business plan.
Facing grid constraints
New equipment, whether in quantity or by design, can drive up energy consumption and may mean you face grid constraints. A site would be considered grid constrained if the gap between energy supply and maximum consumption is around 50kW or less. An extra 100kW of connection could cost £1,000 or £100,000 depending on the site and the constraints in the area. As an illustration, one electric vehicle charger will require anywhere from 15kW to 350kW depending on how quickly you want to charge your EVs. With all the basics addressed, the opportunities available from incorporating on-site generation should be explored. The aim should always be to create and use as much of your own clean energy as possible. If you have existing solar or wind renewables on site, could energy be stored in a BESS? The process of conducting an energy audit highlights what a
strategic process it is, touching on every part of the business, the buildings it operates from, and future business plans. Once completed it provides a level against which meaningful targets such as carbon and cost reduction goals can be measured. The importance of this final step can’t be overestimated, as sustainability measures become linked to the cost of finance, as banks won’t lend on what they class as ‘distressed assets’, buildings where energy costs or carbon output is unmanageable. Having identified that a BESS will be a benefit, the next step is to review the feasibility at your particular site. The final decision is over the choice of supplier and BESS type. All BESS are made from thousands of batteries, operated and monitored remotely through sophisticated electrical and electronic management systems. The batteries can be new or second life vehicle batteries, and this is a fundamental point of difference. A BESS installed at Cranfield University illustrates the ability of a BESS to solidify many different energy improvements. Connected Energy supplied three containers, each housing 24 second-life Renault Kangoo EV car batteries to operate across the Cranfield campus. One takes excess solar generation at the weekends and delivers this back to the campus on Monday. Two others connect the battery storage system directly into two of the site’s electricity transformers. The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) has just commissioned a new BESS system from Connected Energy. The choice of BESS made from second life batteries was crucial, for reasons Ben Smith, Low Carbon Smart Building Specialist from the AMRC makes clear: “Every single KPI a business could mark itself against would be better by using end of life batteries to store clean energy.” A BESS made from new or second life vehicle batteries will allow the benefits of cost reduction, grid connection and selective energy usage to be achieved. In the current climate it would be an unacceptable waste of resources to discard the value in a battery prematurely. Over its lifetime in operation, a second life BESS can save an additional 450 tonnes per MWh of CO2 equivalent compared to using first life batteries.
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Advertisement Feature
Batteries & Energy Storage
Transformers add to the efficiency of Sussex battery energy storage system WILSON POWER SOLUTIONS recently supplied 14 x 2.8MVA transformers to the 34MW/68MWh Contego project near Burgess Hill in West Sussex. The project was developed by Harmony Energy and Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV). The site uses a battery storage system of 28 Tesla Megapack lithium-ion batteries with Tesla’s Autobidder AI software for real-time trading and control. This project is connected to the UK Power Network’s (UKPN) distribution network, providing the capability to store energy from renewable sources to be used during peak hours. This also increases the flexibility of the UK National Grid, while playing a part in the country’s attempt to move away
from fossil fuels. All 14 Transformers that have been supplied to the Contego site are 2800kVA Wilson Ecotrans transformers, constructed out of aluminium and filled with oil. The Transformers are also hermetically sealed which means no air, moisture, dust, etc. can enter the tank which will dramatically reduce maintenance costs. Wilson Power Solutions are proud to support this revolutionary battery energy storage project, taking a huge step towards the UK National Grid’s goal to decarbonise Britain’s energy grid. Our Wilson e3 Ultra Low Loss Amorphous Transformers are considered the UK’s most energy-efficient distribution transformers. This product has
helped many organisations reduce their energy waste and carbon losses. As a result, we received the Sustainability Impact Award from the Institute of Environmental in 2019 and the Innovative Energy Project of the Year award for the Western Europe Region from the
Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) in October 2021. Every battery storage project we have worked on in the past has had unique requirements. Wilson Power Solutions service these projects through our special transformers with bespoke design and build customised to the site needs and specifications.
TALKING HEADS Josh Gill is CEO and founder of Everflow
Josh Gill
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he economic challenges facing UK firms have no doubt re-ignited the drive to identify any opportunity to cut business costs, improve efficiency, and reduce waste. As inflation skyrockets and the war in Ukraine rages on, most UK firms are understandably fearful of the looming cost crunch brought on by a rise in energy bills and other critical supply costs. Electricity and gas supply has dominated conversations around commercial utility costs. Curiously, little comparative discussion surrounds the costs of commercial water supply. While water utility costs make up a smaller proportion of overall running costs, we have seen increases recently in rates for wholesale water and retail water default rate. Additionally, a sizeable 6 per cent of the UK’s carbon emission can be attributed to water use. Given the widespread desire from UK businesses to lower supply costs, both from a financial and environmental perspective, it is worth fully considering the untapped opportunities in the UK’s water and wastewater retail marketplace. The water utility bill is so often an overlooked business cost because, until recently, the power of choice was mainly out of the hands of businesses through regulations mandating the exclusive use of local water suppliers. The deregulation of the industry in 2017 opened the floodgates, creating the world’s largest competitive water and wastewater retail market. This empowered businesses to switch providers/renegotiate their contracts via water utility brokers when they were dissatisfied with services provided, injecting much-needed competition among retailers and delivering two clear benefits. One of the driving factors behind creating an open water retail market was the desire to help businesses secure savings on water rates, both by allowing them to switch from default contracts to fixed contracts and by incentivising retailers through competition to offer increasingly attractive rates. Annual data from Ofwat illustrate that the desire to lower bills has been the primary driver behind business customers’ decision to switch between retail providers. According to Ofwat, nearly half of all
Gill: 'raising awareness among business customers is crucial and this is where water utility brokers play a role'
The UK’s easily forgotten utility
UK businesses may be eager to cut costs yet continue to overlook the water utility bill. Josh Gill looks at the opportunities available and the role brokers can play
business customers (45 per cent) felt that savings equal to, or less than, 10 per cent would entice them to switch providers and the annual saving rate made by customers switching in 2020/21 provided this desired level of saving for all firms that made a move. Naturally, the financial savings will often depend on the size and consumption levels of the business; however, beyond providing the ability to fix water costs, the water market has also delivered highly improved costsaving services for many businesses. The Consumer Insight Survey 2021 showed that one-in-three businesses that switched contracts reported timesaving in the payment of water bills, particularly customers with multiple sites across various regions who were able to consolidate their bills across multiple premises. The deregulation of the water market
There is certainly more to be done to achieve a more costeffective market
provided the opportunity for a level of increased competition that not only delivered financial cost-savings but greater innovation and a refreshing focus on sustainability. With an open market, Everflow was able to identify and seize a gap in the market for a sustainability-focused water supplier capable of using technology and reducing the environmental impact on its customers. Additionally, we work with industry bodies and the regulator to make water smart metering more widespread. We believe that only when businesses are
fully aware of their usage, as they are with their electric and gas, will they be able to identify problems (i.e., inefficient appliances) and address the issue. Ultimately, the benefits of an open water market – including innovation, improvement to services and lower prices – require intense competition driven by customer engagement in the market. Without customers the competitive incentive will quickly dry up along with the desired benefits. Thankfully, since the market opened, there has been an upward trend in awareness of the need and the ability to switch providers. Nevertheless, the level of engagement is far below other utility markets with CIS 2021 finding that only 9 per cent of all customers in the water market had been active in the prior 12-months. Raising awareness among business customers is crucial and this is where water utility brokers play their crucial role. Such brokers can provide UK businesses with the insights and advice needed to navigate the uncharted waters of this new marketplace. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of deregulation, little was done to incentivise utility brokers to engage in the water market properly; the system was disjointed, complicated, and delayed. This was a key issue Everflow immediately sought to address. Our commitment to brokers can be seen through our investment in innovative technology, providing brokers with the tools to make switching customers as cost-effective and straightforward as possible, therefore incentivising their crucial participation in this ecosystem. Since its inception five years ago, the water retail market has made significant strides forward with fantastic new tools and support quickly emerging from this new space – driven by brokers, wholesalers, and retailers – delivering fantastic real-world savings for businesses. There is certainly more to be done to achieve a more costeffective and sustainable market, and there is no doubt that improved customer engagement via brokers will be the driving factor going forward. You can lead the horse to water, let us hope it drinks.
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DIRECTORY CONTACTS
To advertise in this section contact classified sales on Tel: 01889 577222 Email: classified@eibi.co.uk www.eibi.co.uk
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TURNKEYaM&T Meter and monitoring any utility. In house designed hardware and software. SME’s, City Wide Projects, Large Organisations. Pulse, Modbus, Mbus. www.energymeteringtechnology.com enquiries@energymeteringtechnology.com Tel: 01628 664056
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LET US SOLVE YOUR METERING PROBLEMS
EMT resolve issues with meters and aM&T systems that have been badly fitted and are inappropriate or wrongly installed, systems that have never functioned properly and unsuitable or wrongly configured software. We have considerable knowledge and can help assess, recommission or replace any aM&T system to render them as useful tools for your utility management needs.
For more information on how we can help, Tel: 01628 664056 Email: enquiries@meteringtech.com www.energymeteringtechnology.com
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