October 2020

OCTOBER 2020

PROMOTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

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In this issue Building Energy Management Systems Water Management Lighting Technology Batteries & Energy Storage CPD Module: Lighting as a Service

Getting smarter Apps to empower energy management

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Dealing with a crisis How water suppliers adapted

Lighting in harmony The rise of human-centric systems

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OCTOBER 2020

PROMOTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

www.eibi.co.uk

In this issue Building Energy Management Systems Water Management Lighting Technology Batteries & Energy Storage CPD Module: Lighting as a Service

Getting smarter Apps to empower energy management

Dealing with a crisis How water suppliers adapted

Contents

www.eibi.co.uk

Lighting in harmony The rise of human-centric systems

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06/10/2020 11:41

OCTOBER 2020

27 34 FEATURES

27 Lighting Technology

Energy 10 Building Management Systems Can machine learning help predict energy use? A project with one of the UK’s largest holiday providers is giving promising results according to Ashley Whichelow, Ioana Buzelan and Gabe Friedland Remote working is part of the new normal. Smart building apps can empower occupants and facility managers alike to make buildings safe and comfortable, says Kas Mohammed (13) Stacey Lucas looks at the indoor air that we breathe and how better air quality monitoring will be the muchneeded ‘breath of fresh air’ for building users (14)

24 Water Management

Wendy Monk looks back at how the water industry adapted to support businesses during the coronavirus crisis and what you should do if you run into problems Ian Thompson looks at how smart solutions including cutting edge pumps, digital tools and analytics can combine to match performance with water demand (26)

Automated smart lighting can revolutionise our workplaces. Steve Stark examines how humancentric systems can improve wellbeing and help make major energy savings Energy efficient lighting and our circadian rhythms go hand in hand. Neal Paley examines how modern lighting technologies bring the benefits of natural lighting indoors (28) Birmingham Botanical Gardens upgrades its lighting to LEDs while an improvement programme saves NHS Trust over £200,000 a year (30) The right light for the right site. Lighting in industrial facilities must meet the demanding requirements of dusty or damp environments (32)

33 Batteries & Energy Storage

To get towards net zero the government must not overlook the role of large businesses in facilitating a postCOVID-19 economic recovery, says Michael Phelan

REGULARS 06 News Update UK needs stronger leadership to reach 2050 target, while financial industry lobby groups oppose an ambitious climate change outcome.

Trial cuts energy use in Nottingham homes by 68 per cent

09 The Warren Report With the Green Homes Grant about to launch, the Government must come up with a longer-term strategy on energy saving if it wants to create thousands of new jobs

15 New Products New on to the market this month is an ultra-slim fan coil unit to maximise living space in high-

Mark Hobbins offers an insight to energy managers into the pros and cons of this option

rise residential buildings, and a condensing, wall-hung boiler

16 ESTA Viewpoint We may now exist in a world of Zoom meetings and where face-to-face contact is a distant memory, but the need to change our behaviour when it comes to energy saving remains

17 The Fundamental Series: CPD Learning It’s becoming more common for lighting to be offered as a service.

This month’s CPD module is sponsored by Tamlite Ltd

LUX Manufacturer

of the Year 2018

22 Products in Action A former tram station in Bristol has become the first building in the UK to benefit from large scale R32 air conditioning while variable speed drives have been called in to control skid-mounted booster pumps

34 Talking Heads Investment in large-scale hydrogen storage facilities supports the growth of renewable energy and brings benefits to local authorities, says Mark Griffin

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 OCTOBER 2020 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 03

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Editor’s Opinion

Follow us on @ twitter.com/energyzine and twitter.com/markthrower1

Getting connected

T

www.eibi.co.uk

The EiBI Team Editorial

he pandemic has changed working

to space utilisation and optimisation software or

patterns for good. I think we are all going

invest in standalone solutions that can help monitor

to have to face a new world of work. A

how every square metre of space is being used. The

Managing Editor Mark Thrower tel: 01483 452854 Email: editor@eibi.co.uk Address: P. O. Box 825, Guildford GU4 8WQ

survey from the British Council for Offices

focus post-pandemic will be to create workplaces

Advertising

(BCO) has found that in future white-collar workers

that are safe for employees and visitors. But energy

will adopt a mixed approach, combining remote

saving will also have to be a major priority for

working with some days a week in the office.

employers to minimise costs.

Sales Managers Chris Evans tel: 01889 577222 fax: 01889 579177 Email: chris@eibi.co.uk Address: 16-18 Hawkesyard Hall, Armitage Park, Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 1PU

“We are never going to go back how things were

Kas Mohammed states (see page 13) engagement

before,” said the BCO’s chief executive, Richard

apps will become a key to the smooth operation of a

Kauntze. “The idea that people will return to the five-

building. “In the ‘new normal’, occupants and visitors

day week in the office has gone, and I think a much

will need to more efficiently navigate the office. A

more blended approach is likely, two or three days in

mobile engagement app can help with every aspect

the office and two-three at home.”

of the office experience.

The implications for many companies are stark.

“The newest apps can include a full range of

They either will have to make the decision to

comfort control and maintenance features. This

reduce the office space they have or, if they are

includes simple control over temperature, lights, or

tied in to long leases, to make the best possible use

blinds in an office or meeting room.”

of the space that they have. As social distancing

There is clearly a huge global opportunity that

and working remotely might become the norms,

the COVID-19 pandemic will accelerate the uptake

workplaces will have to be reshaped, for instance

of connected equipment, apps and BMS platforms

using technologies that enable effective space

cross the commercial sector. The challenge is to meet

optimisation.

the demand quickly and ensure energy managers

Offices and financial institutions already represent the largest end-user industry for BMS

and building occupants can use them easily and successfully.

Russ Jackson tel: 01704 501090 fax: 01704 531090 Email: russ@eibi.co.uk Address: Argyle Business Centre, 8 Leicester Street, Southport, Lancashire PR9 0EZ Nathan Wood tel 01525 716 143 fax 01525 715 316 Email nathan@eibi.co.uk Address: 1b, Station Square Flitwick, Bedfordshire MK45 1DP

Classified sales Sharon Nutter Tel: 01889 577222 Email: classified@eibi.co.uk

Circulation

platforms (around 35 per cent of total revenue worldwide). A growing number of enterprise-level

MANAGING EDITOR

buildings will connect data from their BMS platforms

Mark Thrower

Sue Bethell Tel: 01889 577222 Email: circulation@eibi.co.uk

Administration/ production Fran Critchlow Tel: 01889 577222 Email: info@eibi.co.uk

THIS MONTH’S COVER STORY Birmingham Botanical Gardens (BBG) recently turned to EcolightingUK to upgrade its current lighting system to LEDs. With hundreds of fittings around the property, BBG make the decision to switch their halogen and fluorescent tubes to LED luminaires in order to lower its electricity and maintenance costs.

Areas at the 15-acre National Trust site including the gift shop, subtropical house and rear kitchen were among the indoor spaces receiving upgrades. Outdoor spots include the terrace, bandstand, pavilion and car park were also included. Each area required different types of luminaire, from floodlights to ceiling panels, and PIR sensors and DALI dimming options were also installed.

See page 30 for more details Cover photo courtesy of Ecolighting UK Ltd

Publishing Directors Chris Evans Russ Jackson Magazine Designer Tim Plummer For overseas readers or UK readers not qualifying for a free copy, annual subscription rates are £85 UK; £105 Europe airmail; £120 RoW. Single copies £10 each.

Published by: Pinede Publishing Ltd 16-18 Hawkesyard Hall, Armitage Park, Nr. Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 1PU ISSN 0969 885X This issue includes photographs provided and paid for by suppliers

Printed by Precision Colour Printing Origination by Design and Media Solutions ABC Audited Circulation Jan-Dec 2019 12,175

04 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | OCTOBER 2020

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

Lobbyists oppose climate change A new study argues that 19 out of 20 financial industry lobby groups are actively opposing an ambitious climate change outcome, with all but one of those surveyed lobbying to dilute and delay key regulations designed to align the financial system with the Paris Agreement.

Many of these “hidden” opponents are to be found in the City of London.

The research by climate analysts Influence Map reveals that, while a few financial institutions are found to be actively pushing for progressive policy - including BNP Paribas, Aviva, and Groupe BPCE - most institutions have tended simply to offer highlevel words in support of advancing sustainable finance. But they have rarely engaged at the detailed, tactical level.

Moreover, Influence Map accuses many of the associations representing specific industrial sectors of actively seeking to undermine proposed regulations.

These bodies tend to offer high-level support for green finance policies, while lobbying to weaken the stringency of proposed regulations.

The investigation details examples of hostile interventions from a number of powerful finance industry associations, including the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA), Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), and the European Banking Federation (EBF).

All these pushed back against the expansion of the EU’s policy taxonomy to cover environmentally harmful activities (see EiBI October 2019). They argued it should be limited to identifying certain financial products to be marketed as positively “sustainable”, rather than assessing all financial products on the established A to G basis.

“The greatest pushback from finance industry associations appears to be in areas that would either increase transparency of financing of damaging activities (e.g. the expansion of the taxonomy to cover environmentally harmful activities),” the report observes.

“Or require consideration of environmental (ESG) factors in mainstream financial decisionmaking (e.g. updating investor duties to incorporate ESG issues). These are also the areas where the least progress has been made.”

REPORT WARNS UK HAS NOT CONFRONTED SCALE OF THE TASK

Net zero ‘needs stronger leadership’ Stronger leadership and co-ordination from the prime minister is needed if the UK’s commitment to reach net zero by 2050 is to be credible, according to a report from the Institute for Government.

The report warns that over a year on from adopting the target the UK has not yet confronted the scale of the task.

A lack of co-ordinated policies, constant changes of direction, a failure to gain public consent for measures and too little engineering expertise and delivery capability has left the UK well off track to meet its target, the report adds. The absence of a comprehensive plan for achieving net zero has deterred private sector investment.

The report recommends that the government should: • take responsibility for net zero out of BEIS, which lacks the clout to develop and implement the

necessary plan, and create a new net zero unit in the Cabinet Office with a senior Cabinet Office minister given responsibility for net zero; • ensure that the Treasury makes net zero a big theme of the spending review and produces a tax strategy to support net zero; • build on parliament’s climate assembly initiative to maintain public support for action; • create a climate change cadre,

with science and engineering expertise at its core, within the civil service; • build on the successful model of the Olympic Delivery Authority to ensure big changes like housing retrofit and the switch to electric vehicles happen smoothly; and • support the creation of a dedicated parliamentary net zero committee to hold the government to account.

It calls on government to publish a clear plan setting out, sector by sector, how emissions reductions will be achieved and when decisions will be made where technology is uncertain. The Cabinet Office should be made responsible for co-ordinating the plan and holding departments to account for delivery.

Polling suggests two-thirds of people have not heard of net zero, despite the fact that it will mean changing the way they heat their homes, the cars they drive and what they eat.

Architects call for VAT boost for refurbishment Footage of buildings being flattened in a noisy demolition may be a popular feature of local TV news. But a new coalition of award-winning architects argue such structures should be protected to save energy and fight climate change.

They say property owners should be incentivised via the VAT system to upgrade draughty buildings, rather than knock them down. That is because so much carbon is emitted when creating the steel, cement and bricks for new buildings.

In the past there was debate about whether it was better to demolish an old energy-hungry building, and build a well-insulated replacement. But that is now widely considered a serious mistake because of the amount of carbon emitted during the construction of the new building.

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) estimates that 35 per cent of the lifecycle carbon from a typical office development is emitted before the building is even opened. It says the figure for residential premises is 51 per cent.

These calculations mean it will be decades before some new buildings pay back their carbon debt by saving more emissions than they created - and these are decades when carbon must be sharply reduced.

The architects’ coalition wants the government to change the VAT rules which can make it cheaper to rebuild than to refurbish a standing building.

The architects argue that VAT on refurbishment, repair and maintenance should be cut from 20 per cent to zero.

This would match the standard rate for new-build.

Alex Green, from the British Property Federation,

admits that sometimes the different VAT level is the key factor in determining whether a building is felled or saved for a new purpose.

But Treasury Minister, Jesse Norman, maintains that property owners already benefit from a reduced VAT rate on installing insulation under certain conditions. He said: “Going further would be very expensive: reducing VAT on all property renovation, repairs and improvements would cost the Exchequer approximately £6bn per year.”

“The government has no plans to review the VAT treatment of construction.”

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick is now arguing in favour of easing planning rules for owners wanting to demolish offices and replace them with new-build homes.

06 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | OCTOBER 2020

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

ANALYSIS OF ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATE DATA

IN BRIEF

Little improvement in EPC ratings

DSM provider sold in £15.4m deal

Now that half of buildings have acquired an Energy Performance Certificate since its launch in 2008, the Office for National Statistics has published its first ever analysis of EPC data.

Unsurprisingly, new homes are mostly far more efficient than older homes, producing less than half the carbon dioxide emissions and energy costs. However, the median energy efficiency rating bands for both types of homes have not changed in recent years.

Surprisingly, 14 local authorities have managed the unfortunate feat of having lower median energy efficiency scores for new flats than for existing ones.

Harlow, Essex, had the biggest energy efficiency score difference between new flats (a derisory 61, EPC band D), and existing flats (71, band C).

Last year, the average EPC rating issued for an existing house was band D; this is lower than the current target of having as many homes as possible in EPC band C by 2035.

During 2019 there were big differentials for new flats.

Cambridge had the highest median energy efficiency score for new flats, with 89 (EPC band B), and North Lincolnshire the lowest, with an astonishingly poor 59.5 (band D).

On average, in both England and Wales, social rented flats and houses with an EPC are rated more

Demand side management specialist Flexitricity has been sold in a deal worth £15.4m. Switzerland-based parent company, Alpiq Digital has signed an agreement with Reserve Power Holdings, which is owned by investment manager Quinbrook, for the sale of the company.

Edinburgh-based Flexitricity partners with businesses throughout Great Britain to provide reserve electricity to the National Grid. It became the first virtual lead party to trade in the UK’s balancing mechanism after it was opened up to allow independent aggregators to take part.

energy efficient than privately rented flats and houses respectively. There remain major concerns regarding the large numbers of buildings still being rented out without any EPC, reckoned to be approaching half in the private rented sector.

Almost 80 per cent of homes with an EPC use mains gas to power central heating. Around 11 per cent have electric heating. Just 0.8 per cent have a heat pump. And in 2019 the small number of new homes where a heat pump is installed halved in Wales, and dropped by onethird in England.

Smart meter installations top 1m in 2020 Over 1m smart meters have been installed in GB in 2020 so far following a recovery from a massive drop in installations due to COVID-19, according to ElectraLink, the body responsible for operating the data hub that underpins the UK energy market.

Just under 183,000 smart meters were installed in August – 20 per cent more than July. The figures for last month still show a 17 per cent drop against the same period last year, but the gap is closing. Over the same eight months last year, 1.761m smart meters were installed.

East England had the highest figure with 24,000

installations, southern England followed closely with 22,000 installs and east Midlands with 18,000.

The fall in installations seen in 2020 were as a result of lockdown, with installations pausing from March before restarting again in June.

As a result, the government extended the obligation for suppliers to take all reasonable steps (ARS) to install smart meters by six months, with suppliers now having until July 2021 to meet the installation milestones required for the ARS stage of the smart meter rollout.

August was not the only month to see a resurgence in installations, however. Installations in July grew by 120 per cent compared to June, with 52,000 meters installed.

The cumulative number of installations since the programme began is now 13,806,000.

Scotland pledges £1.6bn to tackle fuel poverty Nearly £1.6bn to directly support up to 5,000 jobs and tackle fuel poverty is at the heart of plans to drive Scotland’s green recovery.

Part of an enhanced Green New Deal, the investment will transform heat and energy efficiency of buildings and rapidly accelerate the decarbonisation of an area which makes up a quarter of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions.

An additional £500m is being invested in Scotland’s natural economy including £150m to help

deliver a 50 per cent increase in woodland creation by 2024 and an extra £150m for flood risk management, vital to increasing climate change resilience.

The plans, outlined in the Programme for Government 2020/21, are among a range of measures to protect biodiversity, create green jobs and accelerate a just transition to netzero.

Other commitments include: • £100m Green Job Fund; • £60m to help industrial and

manufacturing sectors decarbonise, grow and diversify; • boosting youth employment opportunities in nature and land-based jobs by expanding apprenticeship and undergraduate schemes in public agencies, including Scottish Forestry, Forestry and Land Scotland and NatureScot; and • £70m to improve refuse collection infrastructure and develop a new route map to reduce waste and improve recycling as part of plans to drive a thriving circular economy.

Centrica snaps up ailing supplier Centrica plc has agreed to acquire the energy supply customers of Robin Hood Energy Ltd for an undisclosed sum.

Robin Hood Energy currently serves around 112,000 residential customers, and 2,600 business customers across 10,000 sites.

Robin Hood Energy posted a £23.1m loss in its April 2018 to March 2019 results. Nottingham City Council – which owns the company – has been looking for ways forward for the company which was launched in 2015.

But despite changes, the supplier continued to struggle, leading Nottingham City Council to write off £24m of debt in August.

Primary energy infrastructure win Vital Energi have won the £17m contract to deliver the primary energy infrastructure package for the Greystar and Henderson Park, Nine Elms Park plots B and D development between Battersea and Vauxhall, south London.

The 14-acre development, situated on the former Royal Mail centre, will create a total of 894 rental homes in plots B and D with the addition of high spec amenity areas and retail units at ground floor. Each block will be served via their own district heating, chilled and water services plant and the development will be future proofed to enable easy connection to a wider district heating network in the future.

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

Manchester clean energy funding Energy Systems Catapult and five local authorities in Greater Manchester have won funding for a pioneering clean energy project that will develop 10 renewable schemes across the city. It is hoped it will create a blueprint that can be replicated in other regions across the UK aiming for net zero carbon emissions.

Unlocking Clean Energy in Greater Manchester (UCEGM) brings together five local authorities that have declared a “climate emergency” – Manchester, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, and Wigan.

The three-year £17.2m project – led by Energy Systems Catapult and part-funded with £8.6m from the European Regional Development Fund – will capitalise on under-utilised council-owned sites and buildings, to develop: • 10MW of solar PV and hydroelectric generation; • battery storage; • electric vehicle (EV) charging, and • smart energy management systems.

Energy Systems Catapult will focus on the development of innovative new business models to maximise the value from the electricity generated, for example by taking advantage of regulatory changes, or utilising flexibility between clean energy assets distributed across the city as part of Manchester’s emerging local energy market.

Richard Halsey, capabilities director at Energy Systems Catapult, said: “This project represents the opportunity to create a blueprint that is replicable and can help delivery of smarter cleaner local energy systems, minimise costs and carbon emissions.

“It will deliver new renewable energy generation on underutilised public land. It will incorporate energy storage and electric vehicle charging using digital systems to better align variable renewable generation to meet future local energy demands.

“Finally it will develop innovative business models that can unlock private sector investment and grow local businesses.”

RETROFIT HOMES STUDY BY NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY

Trial cuts homes energy use by 68% A study led by Nottingham Trent University has trialled a project which is cutting energy use and carbon emissions from heating and powering 463 homes in the Shenton area of Nottingham by 68 per cent.

Installing measures to improve the building fabric, including “wraparound” insulation for solid walls on older Victorian properties and other houses where appropriate, then adding ground source heat pumps, has generated the energy savings.

Overall, the upgrades cut carbon dioxide emissions from the properties by 550 tonnes a year.

They also boosted people’s wellbeing, with 86 per cent of the householders involved reporting an improvement in the quality of their

home and more than half (52 per cent) saying it was significantly improved.

The researchers said a national programme of retrofitting homes with measures such as solid wall insulation, heat pumps and solar panels is needed to meet goals to cut the UK’s carbon pollution to zero by 2050.

Professor Anton Ianakiev (left), of the university’s School of

Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, who led the study, said: “We need dramatic improvements in our housing stock if we are to meet the net-zero target by 2050.”

Prof Ianakiev said the project has revealed both the practical difficulties that must be overcome in terms of retrofitting homes en masse, but also the benefits. He hoped it would provide many lessons for others to roll out efficiency improvements. “Making homes fit for the future needs of society is a major challenge that cannot be ignored,” he added.

The study, in partnership with Nottingham City Council and Nottingham City Homes, was a five-year, £5m scheme as part of the Europe-wide Remourban initiative.

Global oil demand ‘could plummet by 80%’ BP is predicting that global demand for oil will drop by up to 80 per cent by 2050 if governments around the world boost their climate targets and take action to bring about a green recovery from COVID-19.

The energy giant’s 2020 Energy Outlook Report focuses on three different potential scenarios; rapid, net zero and business as usual (BAU). The Rapid Transition Scenario looked at the impact of significantly higher carbon prices, along with specific, targeted measures that would help carbon emissions from energy use to fall by around 70 per cent by 2050.

The Net Zero Scenario assumes the same high prices and policy measures, but reinforced by significant shifts in societal behaviour and preferences, which

would allow carbon emissions from energy to fall by 95 per cent globally in 2050.

The BAU Scenario government policies, technologies and social preference follow the same trajectory that they are on currently. While this

would mean carbon emissions fall – peaking in the mid-2020s – progress would be slow, with emissions less than 10 per cent below 2018 levels by 2050.

The report states that under all scenarios oil demand will remain “broadly flat” on 2019 levels until a slight peak in 2030, followed by a decline of 10 per cent between 2030 and 2050. This assumes that “government policies, technologies and social preferences continue to evolve in a manner and speed seen over the recent past”.

The report concludes that renewables will be the “fastestgrowing source of energy” in the coming decades in all scenarios assessed.

Programme maker commits to net zero by 2030 ITV has committed to becoming a net-zero carbon business by 2030.

The television company says it will work alongside colleagues, suppliers, programme makers to achieve net zero across its scope 1 and 2 emissions, business travel and all produced and commissioned programmes, by 2030.

ITV will require all programmes it produces and commissions to meet Albert certification. BAFTA’s Albert is a carbon calculator that provides businesses and individuals across the broadcasting sector with resources

to help them not only minimise the environmental impacts of their operations, but change the narrative around sustainability issues. The Albert Creative Offsets programme will be utilised to invest in certified tree planting projects.

As a core component of ITV’s social purpose strategy, the ambitious commitment will be achieved through a reduction of 46 per cent in emissions from ITV’s buildings and energy use, in line with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5oC, and

a reduction of 28 per cent in business travel and supplier emissions.

ITV’s science-based targets will be submitted to the Science Based Targets Initiative partnership later this year.

ITV will achieve net zero on all programmes it produces and commissions by requiring all programme makers to achieve Albert certification and therefore reduce the impact of their production. In addition, it will take part in Albert’s offsets programme that invests in certified tree planting projects.

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THE WARREN REPORT

10.20 Andrew Warren is chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation

This drive must go beyond six months With the Green Homes Grant about to launch, the Government must come up with a longer-term strategy on energy saving if it wants to create thousands of new jobs

T

he biggest governmentfunded drive to improve the energy efficiency of English homes in thirty years gets underway this month. A measure of its priority is that, just before it launched, the Prime Minister used part of his five-minute address to a United Nations Heads of Government meeting in New York, to laud the key role of massively improving energy efficiency in combating the threat of climate change.

As part of the UK’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, he described a “huge”, a “very, very ambitious” programme, “retrofitting our homes, and our commercial premises.”

We would, the PM promised, “be changing the windows, changing the boilers, changing the lagging.”

With an enormous giggle, Boris Johnson re-emphasised to the (virtually) assembled dignitaries: “We will never be lagging on lagging.”

Agreed, that is far from a new joke. I can recall Classic FM presenter, David Mellor, producing precisely the same line almost 40 years ago when a youthful junior energy minister. But there is no question of the serious intent behind its latest enunciation.

Back in July, Chancellor Rishi Sunak set out a £2bn Green Homes grant scheme, part of a wider “over £3bn” plan to upgrade homes and public buildings.

When first announced, the plan was set to improve 600,000 existing homes and sustain 100,000 jobs.

Last month Treasury Minister Kemi Badenoch announced that, by including an extra 50,000 public sector buildings improvements, this initiative “could

support 140,000 green jobs.”

The grants on offer are worth up to £10,000 per home for lowincome households in fuel poverty, and £5,000 for anybody else.

All installers must be accredited with TrustMark.

Initially, national newspaper and websites were told that permitted measures would be very wide-ranging. As well as insulation and heat pumps, these would include double, triple and secondary glazing of doors and windows, appliance thermostats and smart heating controls, modern lighting systems and high-efficiency condensing boilers.

However, a final definitive eligible product list has been published on the relevant government website: “Simple Energy Advice”. It identifies primary and secondary energy-saving measures. This list entirely excludes any assistance for the installation of both lighting systems or new gas boilers of any kind. Both of these energy-saving options have considerable numbers of trained and skilled installers already available. All of these people can now play no part in the process.

Three categories of primary measures for heating There are three categories of “primary” measures on the heating side. These are low-carbon heat, predominantly air source and ground source heat pumps. Last year just 44,000 heat pumps were installed in homes in Britain – including new homes. Plus 600 biomass pellet boilers.

In contrast, around 1.6m condensing gas boilers were put in, with very different training required. It is reckoned that there are still at least 5m elderly gas boilers still in use, mostly around 50 per cent rather than 95 per cent efficient. This grant scheme ignores them.

While the Government website states clearly that “for lowcarbon heating to be installed, households will need to have adequate insulation,” it is unclear how this requirement - seldom currently promoted by heat pump manufacturers - is to be enforced.

Then there are those in the glazing and heating controls industries, again including thousands of trained, experienced operatives. They are only permitted to install “secondary measures.” Such measures qualify for funding only if at least one of the primary measures has already been commissioned. And, crucially, “secondary measures” can only be “subsidised up to the cash amount of subsidy provided for a primary measure.”

‘The final Green Homes Grant product list excludes help for the installation of lighting systems or new gas boilers’

So, even though grants may be available worth up to £5,000 per home, if a household receives just £1,000 to pay for primary measures, they are blocked from claiming a penny more than a maximum of £1,000 towards any “secondary measures.” In all cases, the householder must pay at least one-third of the costs.

All of which leaves “lagging”- or as it is more usually called, insulation – to deliver the big numbers. The vast majority of English homes remain seriously underinsulated. But, while only a very small percentage are fully insulated, most have at least got some insulation. The last national government scheme, operating in the 1970s and 1980s, concentrated entirely upon loft insulation.

Much of it was installed on a DIY basis. It isn’t very thick. And most such insulation will have moved around subsequently, leaving large gaps through which the heat escapes. Symptomatic of this relative unprofessionalism is the fact that, until this January, there was no nationally recognised loft insulation guarantee. And the Green Homes grant scheme is entirely about creating jobs, not DIY. What about cavity wall insulation?

Eight years ago, over half a million existing homes had it installed. Last year, the total was just 43,000. Solid wall insulation numbers are trickier, somewhere between 12,000 and 20,000 homes were reckoned to have been improved in that way last year.

To expand both these and other markets will undoubtedly be possible. But to reach those official numbers of 140,000 new jobs and improve 650,000 buildings, it will require an awful lot of hiring and an awful lot of training. All for a scheme currently set to conclude on March 31.

For businesses to be able confidently to respond to this ambitious programme, Government needs to set out details of a longer-term energy efficiency strategy within a few weeks. In the 2019-2024 Conservative manifesto, a minimum £9.3bn of relevant expenditure was committed.

Confirming its go-ahead should ensure that industry can properly invest. And the Prime Minister will be then permitted to repeat his commitment not to lag on lagging.  OCTOBER 2020 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 09

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Building Energy Management Systems For further information on Utilidex visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 125

Ashley Whichelow (left) is sustainability team leader, Bourne Leisure, Ioana Buzelan (centre), post graduate student at UCL School of Management, and Gabe Friedland, product manager, Utilidex

Models to predict the future Can machine learning help predict energy use? A project with one of the UK’s largest holiday providers is giving promising results, according to Ashley Whichelow, Ioana Buzelan and Gabe Friedland

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he process of setting annual energy budgets and then tracking and reporting on variations can be a challenging activity for organisations with a large energy spend. In most cases not only are organisations tracking their energy consumption and costs, but they are also overlaying investment opportunities in energy efficiency and/or on-site generation, which are set to have an impact on their budgets.

Ordinarily, this entails a large amount of spreadsheet work to create the budget in the first place, and then on-going monthly analysis and discussions to explain why spend either exceeds or is less than what was originally expected. This process is not only time consuming, but also very difficult to pin down and explain the exact reasons as to why budget variations occur.

Utilidex is continually looking at how technologies can be utilised to help answer the challenges of the energy management community. In recent R&D activity, the company worked with University College London’s School of Management via an internship with their MSc Business Analytics course. The aim was to predict commercial electricity consumption in travel, hospitality and the leisure sector using machine learning.

Utilidex, alongside a long-standing client Bourne Leisure, one of the largest providers of holidays and holiday home ownership in the UK, and the UCL School of Management, undertook a research project to explore how data science techniques could help solve energy budgeting inaccuracies and improve the validity of energy management investment cases. Through a mixture of energy monitoring systems, including sub-metering across sites, and a focus on team engagement through sustainable commitment conferences, Bourne had already reduced its carbon emissions by 43 per cent between 2013-2019.

Utilidex delivers a range of integrated software products supporting end customers, consultants and energy suppliers for data management, billing, trading, budgeting and energy management.

The energy management community has traditionally used a historical data set to create an energy forecast and extrapolated demand data forward. At this point they may make an allowance for new projects that might reduce energy consumption and also make provision for additional expansions, such as new site extensions that might cause an increase in demand.

Budget deviations The goal of the research was to understand budget deviations for electricity consumption by explaining how much energy should have been used according to exogenous features. To do this, we examined the impact that weather forecast indicators and seasonality may have on electricity consumption, with a view to create a predictive model for the energy consumption.

With a focus on their

explanatory abilities and predictive performance, two widely used machine learning approaches were applied to perform a regression task in a supervised learning setting.

They are used for both statistical inference and to predict electricity consumption. This included analysing data with multiple linear regression models, as well as applying decision tree analysis.

Energy mater data was incorporated, with a variety of hourly weather data such as humidity, pressure, cloudiness and wind speed alongside the more traditional temperature and precipitation factors. For the linear regression models, the input data was also transformed creating interactions aiming for better explanation of the consumption variations. Utilidex also explored the significance of seasonality, months of the year, days of the week, bank holidays and seasonal holidays.

The models were trained using three years of data and tested their performance when predicting a specific unseen budgetary month’s consumption.

It was found that linear and non-linear regressors tend to

be inconclusive and provide unreliable results when predicting, because they rely on too granular observations and too rigid assumptions, which cannot be addressed entirely with data transformation and feature interaction efforts. Overall, linear regression with interactions and random forest show the best performance, assessed by the fit to the data and prediction error on unseen data. From an inference perspective, it was discovered that seasonality features – months, weekdays, periods of the day – as well as opening times and occupancy tend to have a higher importance than weather indicators when explaining consumption variation. This stronger seasonal effect could be explained by a more general data influence, which overtakes the granular instances and changes of weather indicators at an hourly rate.

Nevertheless, the research is based on a limited dataset which restricts both models and findings from generalising. Linear regression is based on specific and rigid statistical assumptions which tend to easily be violated, while the decision trees tend to easily overfit the data and become computationally more expensive.

The findings motivate further research of more advanced models, which can better forecast power consumption accounting for the exogenous variables specified across time, such as (S)ARIMAX or neural networks. Furthermore, it would be wise to reconsider the influence of factors such as occupancy.

The initial indication on how energy forecasting could prove more accurate with better techniques is promising although there is a lot more to do. Alongside a wider data range and machine learning approaches we believe there are several ways that the appliance of data science could yield business value for most energy management participants. 

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Kas Mohammed is vice president of digital energy, Schneider Electric

Building Energy Management Systems For further information on Schneider Electric visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 127

Engagement with your app Remote working is part of the new normal. Smart building apps can empower occupants and facility managers alike to make buildings safe and comfortable, says Kas Mohammed

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he global pandemic has changed how most businesses operate.

Remote working is the clearest example of the ‘new normal’. Many companies are now operating a hybrid working model, with facilities at part capacity, creating new challenges for facility managers who must ensure safety, while enabling productivity.

To meet this challenge, building managers must turn to smart building technology. It has the potential to increase occupant engagement, which in turn, can deliver a range of benefits. The feedback gained through apps plays a vital role in creating a safe and productive building. They allow facility managers to monitor and control occupancy, comfort, energy usage and improve communication.

Office spaces can be made safe and sustainable, while improving the health, happiness and productivity of occupants.

Today’s workforce of millennials and Gen Z are also digitally savvy. Increasingly, ‘mobile-first’ professionals expect the same level of connectivity, convenience, and control outside work as they experience at the office.

These trends are driving the development of a new breed of mobile engagement apps that are empowering employees with a digitised workplace experience.

These smart apps deliver highvalue, easy-to-access digital services that keep tenants connected and informed, whether working at the office or from home. The most powerful of these apps act as a platform that lets a company integrate a flexible choice of building management, IT, and concierge services into a single, unified portal.

Smart building engagement apps act as a mobile central communication hub – a single ‘source of truth’ where employees can immediately access the latest

Tech savvy: ‘mobile-first’ professionals expect the same level of connectivity outside the office as they experience in the office

information on company and site policy. An app can also integrate COVID-19 information feeds from Government bodies and local sources.

Critical notifications Building managers can deliver critical notifications about changing site situations – sent as either high-visibility push or banner notifications – directly to each user’s phone. In this way, employees know exactly what to expect today and during the week.

Facility and HR teams can target communications by all employees or sub-groups, such as departments and teams.

Safety can be further supported before an employee visits the office.

The engagement app can be used to complete a health form for a preassessment. Once inside the office, their mobile device will enable a safer, touchless experience. Surfaces they regularly interact with – from elevator buttons, to room comfort controls, audio/visual devices in meeting rooms, and digital badges – can now all be remotely controlled.

In the ‘new normal’, occupants and visitors will need to more efficiently navigate the office. A mobile engagement app can help with every aspect of the office experience.

Engagement apps can deliver a wide range of useful information made available through the

integration of multiple data sources – from internal facility, property, security, and HR systems to external news and transportation feeds – all delivered through a singular, convenient view. For example, when drivers arrive at the office, the mobile app can help them quickly locate available parking spaces.

It can then be used as a ‘digital passport’ at the security entrance.

Inside the building, the app can be used for wayfinding. If the organisation is using hot-desk flexible workspace scheduling, the employee can quickly locate an available, clean desk. In turn, facility teams can access maps of real-time occupancy throughout the building.

An engagement app can also help navigate to meeting rooms or other points of interest, such as the location of personal protective equipment.

The newest apps can include a full range of comfort control and maintenance features. This includes simple control over temperature, lights, or blinds in an office or meeting room. If there are problems with systems or equipment, the app can be used to communicate with the helpdesk. The employee can also self-report a maintenance issue by using their mobile device to take a picture and submit a ticket directly into the facility management system.

Common activities during the workday are also streamlined.

An integrated company directory makes contact with anyone just a tap of a finger away. When it comes time to book a meeting, the app will find and reserve an available room, as well as helping arrange catering for guests and registering them for a site visit.

When concierge services are included, employees can quickly access information and reservations for the cafeteria, fitness club, or transit. They can also use opt-in channels for clubs, communities, or people with common interests, etc.

The engagement app will also keep people working from home more closely connected to the office, their co-workers, and community activities.

Engagement apps are helping deepen the employee connection.

With unique customising and branding, the app becomes an extension of the smart building workplace and company experience, directly in the hand of each employee.

And extensive data analysis tools can help the administrator see how the app is being used, by persona, location, service, and device. Using this insight, apps can be continuously improved over time by adding or changing services.

Organisations should seek an open, agile engagement platform that can dynamically adapt services to the changing needs of the company and its people. 

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Building Energy Management Systems

Stacey Lucas is commercial and marketing director at Sontay Ltd

For further information on Sontay visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 128

Benefitting from clean air Stacey Lucas looks at the indoor air that we breathe and how better air quality monitoring will be the muchneeded ‘breath of fresh air’ for building users

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acilities managers are continually tasked with keeping buildings not only energy-efficient, but clean and safe for occupants.

The COVID-19 pandemic presents itself as another risk to be mitigated, with building managers now incorporating regular cleaning into their schedules, particularly of air conditioning filters and cartridges that can circulate harmful bacteria if they are unhygienic.

Thankfully, there is plenty of data available to help create a healthy environment, with humidification solutions playing a huge part in decreasing virus transmission. Studies indicate that maintaining a humidity of 50 per cent relative humidity (rh) will reduce transmission. A relative humidity of between 30 per cent and 60 per cent significantly influences the survival rate of viruses (both airborne and not), and reduces the transmission and infectiousness level.

With such a focus on controlled, healthy environments, facilities managers are under increasing pressure to keep occupants safe and comfortable. It is important now more than ever to adopt solutions that will make their work lives easier.

Building sensors, installed as part of an efficient central management system, offer an ingeniously smart and effective way for facilities managers to monitor indoor thermals, as well as giving property owners more control over energy usage; a benefit that not only helps reduce heating and lighting costs, it facilitates a significant reduction in a building’s carbon footprint. Their usage could therefore be a factor in driving environmental-initiatives, such as the UK government’s pledge for carbon-neutral status by 2050.

Sensors can control a myriad of elements that affect our indoor climate including temperature, which in relation to an office environment is found to be comfortable at around 22°C. However, relative humidity, if not managed correctly can make a room

Sensors can control a myriad of elements that effect our indoor climate

‘Small but mighty, a building sensor can be a facilities manager’s extra arm’ feel hotter or colder than the actual temperature reading. A sensor can overcome this issue by managing humidity levels and ensuring an ideal 50 per cent reading is maintained.

In terms of air quality, airborne volatile organic compounds (VOC), pollutants which are found in paints and other building materials, are known to have a detrimental effect. Air quality sensors are able to measure VOC levels and alert the BMS or occupants of the need to take action when a potentially hazardous reading is recorded to allow for

ventilation to kick in.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also focused a lot of attention on the amount of indoor space people should be allowed to share in order to maintain distance and prevent viral spread.

For facilities managers tasked with monitoring the performance of a building, a CO2 sensor with traffic light display provides a clear visual indication of when a workplace or apartment requires ventilation due to deterioration in the indoor air quality. When we exhale we emit CO2, which if left unchecked in a busy office environment for example, can lead to headaches due to increased discomfort levels.

Traffic-light display A CO2 sensor with an LED traffic light-style display can help alleviate this issue. When showing green, for instance, the sensor is indicating that a room isn’t over-occupied and the risk to air quality is low. Should the sensor show amber, it’s a sign that windows require opening or fewer people need to be in the room to maintain the same healthy indoors environment. When the sensor turns red it is a call to action, as it indicates

there is not enough ventilation and possible over occupancy in the room.

At these last two stages, if a sensor is connected to a building management system, it will activate relevant ventilation procedure.

In the COVID-19 pandemic, these sensors serve another important function particularly in spaces which don’t have modern ventilation or air conditioning systems. Installed on a wall, sensors are a great way of gauging a level of occupancy in a room. If an area such as a classroom is over-occupied, the display on the LED will turn red, indicating there is a high level of CO2 or too many bodies in a single space. This easyto-read visual marker with its traffic light display will enable teachers, for instance, to take it upon themselves to reduce the occupancy of a space to ensure safe distances are kept and open a window or door to aid ventilation. Allowing teachers to react in this way will prevent the risk of viruses passing from one student to the other, all the while improving the air quality within a classroom.

Light level and occupancy sensors offer further relevance to the ongoing pandemic, particularly in relation to a lockdown. Many offices in towns and cities remain empty while lights and other energy sources continued to burn unmonitored within the buildings themselves. An estimated 40 per cent of a building’s energy costs are attributed to light usage. Therefore, installing a sensor which operates lighting based on a building’s occupancy and interior light levels has financial and environmental benefits.

Small but mighty, a building sensor can be a facilities manager’s extra arm, playing a huge part in ensuring properties, particularly workspaces, are managed safely and sustainably for the benefit of occupants. These smart little devices are becoming vital to the way building managers control and maintain a dwelling, ensuring that the spaces we live, teach and work in are always a breath of fresh air. 

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New Products For further information on products and services visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter the appropriate online enquiry number

Software to make any building smart

LED panels for commercial projects Sylvania is delighted to introduce Quadro, a range of architecturally styled LED panels with enhanced glare control and installer adjustable light output to bring a new unique dimension to office and commercial lighting projects.

The Quadro ceiling recessed luminaires feature adjustable lumen output settings from 2250-4650lm (at 4,000K colour temperature) using eight individual DIP switch settings selected on installation. Combined with glare control to deliver a lighting scheme to UGR < 16 and an efficiency of up to 150lm/w, the luminaire is suitable for lighting applications requiring comfortable light to assist with well-being and productivity such as in offices, meeting rooms, circulation areas and other commercial lighting applications.

High performance is a feature of Quadro, which delivers up to 4,650 lumen (luminaire lumen output on Multipower, 34W, 4,000K version), and up to 150lm/W (luminaire efficacy on Multipower, 15W, 4,000K). It has an energy class of A++ and a lifetime of 50,000 hours life at 70 per cent of the original output L70. As well as Multipower versions, Quadro is also available in DALI and threehour emergency versions.

Available in Warm White (3,000K) and Neutral White (4,000K), the range includes 600x600mm and 625x625mm modules and its slim design with depth of only 18mm (48mm including driver) makes it perfect for shallow ceiling voids.

For ease of installation, the loop in-loop out facility with push fit terminal block allows for quick wiring on the Multipower version.

ebm-papst’s Building Connect is a complete suite of building management software and IoT devices that meter, operate and optimises operations, turning any building into a smart one.

Building Connect enables a building to be smart by using wireless controllers operating everything from lighting to ventilation, to heating and cooling, connected to hundreds of sensors that are constantly collecting information around the clock.

Using artificial intelligence, the Building Connect system not only learns the most efficient way to utilise energy based on how the user interacts with the building, but automatically adjusts its performance in real time. This gives a truly connected, fully autonomous, self-managing building, that is claimed to save between 20 and 70 percent which would otherwise be wasted. With plug and play connectivity and automated configuration, Building Connect can be installed into any existing structure.

The Building Connect suite of building management software and IOT devices consist of Intelligate LINK, Intelligate HUB, BASE Operating Platform, Environmental Sensor and Current Transformers. The LINK M2M Gateway enables simple and flexible integration across various energy and automation protocols. The HUB controller is a remotely configurable automation device designed to integrate with almost any building HVAC and lighting equipment to increase their intelligence and enabling smart lighting, heating, and cooling systems without replacing infrastructure. Finally, the 3100 Series Split Core Current Transformer provides a lowONLINE ENQUIRY 101 cost method to monitoring electrical current.

ONLINE ENQUIRY 102

Easy installation for wall-hung boiler

Fan coil unit maximises living space

Ideal Heating has launched Independent Heat, a condensing, wall-hung boiler for large domestic, light commercial and commercial installations.

Independent Heat is exclusively for independent merchants, sitting alongside Ideal’s Independent Combi and System domestic boilers.

Based on the market leading Evomax 2 boiler, Independent Heat is available in outputs from 40kW to 150kW natural gas, and 40kW to 80kW LPG. Efficiencies are up to 99.7 per cent full load and up to 110 per cent part load.

The units boast robust cast aluminium silicon alloy heat exchangers and are fully compatible with all Evomax 2 accessories including frame and header kits, brazed plate heat exchangers, controls and flues. In addition, the internal flue non-return valve is part of the sump assembly.

Ideal says Independent Heat has been designed for easy specification, installation and servicing and is fully interchangeable with current Evomax models for easy retrofit.

Carrier has developed an ultra-slim fan coil unit (FCU) designed to maximise living space in high-rise residential buildings, boosting return on investment (ROI) for developers.

At 150mm high, Carrier’s new Idrofan 42EP range of ducted horizontal FCUs is the slimmest of its kind available. It can be installed in buildings with very low-height ceiling voids and under-floor applications, saving space and enabling developers to maximise property and rental values.

The unit is very quiet, with noise ratings as low as NR22, making it particularly attractive for use in residential and hotel applications. It is also ideal for use in commercial offices, where similar space constraints and expectations for high performance increasingly apply.

“The 42EP can be used to enable higher ceiling heights within a building to give a premium feel to residential apartments,” said Matthew Maleki, Carrier’s FCU product manager. “It also gives developers the opportunity to add extra floors within a given permitted building height, again significantly increasing return on investment.”

The unit requires around 30 per cent less void height for installation compared with standard units, creating significant additional useable space within a building envelope.

Alternatively, space saved can be used to add additional stories within a given permitted building height.

To ensure high-quality indoor air is maintained for building occupants at all times, there is an optional CO2 sensor which links to fresh air valves. If CO2 concentrations exceed acceptable limits, fresh air is drawn into the living ONLINE ENQUIRY 104 space to maintain air quality.

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ESTA VIEWPOINT

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

A time to be on our best behaviour

We may now exist in a world of Zoom meetings and where face-to-face contact is a distant memory, but the need to change our behaviour when it comes to energy saving remains, says Mervyn Pilley

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t’s now over six months since the national lockdown started and ESTA’s last physical event. The roller coaster that is running a trade association in 2020 continues with, in addition to the pandemic, the spectre of Brexit threatening to replace the ghost of Jacob Marley at Christmas.

Economic activity is still very difficult with local lockdowns starting to address a second wave of coronavirus. The furlough scheme support is coming to an end and many members will be facing very difficult decisions about staffing levels.

Despite the challenges thrown up I am pleased that there have been some ESTA successes. The most important of these has been the launch of our Energy Conscious Organisation – EnCO programme. Some two years in the making, the following extracts from the EnCO Business plan summarise the need for the importance of the programme both in the UK and globally: • to tackle the climate emergency an approach is required to embrace behaviour change improvements, particularly from an energy perspective, which evidence would suggest is equal to or greater than improvements using technology which currently receive significant investment; • a short-to-medium-term vision is that ‘energy-conscious organisations’ will generate 10 per cent of energy reduction savings through behaviour change by 2025/30; • this target can be exceeded by organisations embracing a more structured, code-of-practice-driven approach to behaviour change; • the potential is significant as this market is largely untapped. Furthermore, evidence shows that behaviour change projects are low payback and low investment (even when including the cost of internal resources); • EnCO provides the methodology and

approach for delivering behaviour change programmes as a holistic, robust, best practice approach; and • the initial energy conscious organisation vision is to generate ‘50 to 100 proven case studies using IPMVP in the next three years’ such that EnCOs become a mainstream.

ESTA has run its first training programmes and has the first batch of registered EnCO Consultants and approved EnCO practitioners. More training dates have been set and we will soon be publishing details about how organisations can become EnCOs. There are many ESTA members that have supported this programme, but special thanks are due to Jes Rutter, John Mulholland, James Brittain and Martin Fry for their support and many hours of hard work. ESTA is working hard to gain support in all parts of government as we fully believe that behaviour change is a strong part of the energy efficiency programme needed to enable the Government to meet its legal net zero target. This is challenging as unfortunately many in Government do

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

‘Behaviour change is an effective, lowcost, energy efficiency methodology’

not seem to have accepted that behaviour change is an effective, quick-payback, high-value, and low-cost energy efficiency methodology.

At our AGM in September, the first virtual one in our history, the members voted for ESTA to join the Energy and Utilities Alliance. This will significantly increase our capability to deliver more support and opportunities to members going forward while retaining our autonomy and independence to carry on the normal day-to-day activities that members have come to expect from us.

With a combined membership of 300 the alliance will be a stronger voice for the energy efficiency sector.

On the international front, I spoke at a webinar as one of many speakers on the subject of a post-pandemic green recovery. While it appears that trade show opportunities are unlikely to happen this year ESTA will continue to look to both recruit international members and provide global work opportunities for existing members after the end of the EU transition arrangements at the end of the year. Deal or no deal, energy efficiency needs will always be global, and I am determined that our strapline – making energy happen – will have meaning for ESTA members around the world in 2021 and beyond.

Other discussions about some exciting new workstream projects and member benefits continue. One of the plus points about the world of virtual is that things that used to take a long time to engineer can potentially be achieved more quickly.

The spirit of innovation is also being embraced more rapidly. ESTA is in active discussion with several training providers looking to introduce a range of new training products early in 2021. While the majority of these will be online, we are still keen to return to face-to-face training courses as quickly as we can.

As I have already said I am very aware that I will not be seeing any of you at trade shows this year. Having spent 46 years of working life thriving on face-to-face networking I miss the interaction that comes from time spent in the presence of people. While I am very happy to engage with anyone who wants to have a discussion with me over a Zoom meeting, it really is not the same.

I am looking forward to a time when we can get back together again to discuss all things energy and ESTA. 

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

SERIES 18 | MODULE 04 | LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY

Lighting as a service

By Mark Hobbins CEng FEI and Euan Donaldson OCADLED

LUX Manufacturer

of the Year 2018

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t is not new for lighting to be provided as a service. It has become more prevalent for many suppliers to offer this as an option for customers. We are going to explain what we mean by Lighting As A Service (LaaS), what are the key features and benefits to it and considerations energy managers should take when considering this approach to lighting. This is not meant to be read as an endorsement for LaaS as the single route to take but instead to provide some insight into seeing it as an option for an organisation when exploring project finance or a route to enable a lighting project to be undertaken.

So, what do we mean by Lighting as a Service? Most lighting installations are traditionally procured as a capital project, payable upfront or on completion of the project to a supplier. LaaS is fundamentally different from that, as payment is through an agreed subscription cost paid periodically.

The supplier is being paid periodically for a comprehensive provision of lighting, say monthly for five years. It is a way of avoiding a large capital expenditure by paying a flat fee over an agreed period.

It is not the same as hire purchase though, as it generally has a performance mechanism (the service) included with it. It would be closer to leasing or performance contracting than hire purchase or asset financing. For example, the supplier has to guarantee a performance like a minimal lighting level, as well as other characteristics of the lighting like colour rendering, colour temperature, for the duration of the service contract. Not just pay the cost back over time with an interest rate attached to the loan.

It would be the responsibility of the supplier for maintaining the system and any costs to do so, during the service agreement period, to ensure meeting the performance

CPD module sponsored

by Tamlite Ltd

requirements. For example, if there is a failure it would be at the cost of the supplier to replace it. In the agreement there is likely to be a service level expectation too. For example, failures have to be fixed within five working days.

So, instead of putting up capital investment for a lighting upgrade at the beginning of your project, you can turn the investment into an operating expense for the company, and ensure the desired performance requirements. With only a portion of the money you save on reduced energy bills being outlaid, you budget a monthly expense payment for your lighting. It’s a way to take advantage of the lighting upgrade and potentially making it cash flow positive from day one.

By not buying the lighting system yourself, however, it means the organisation does not retain ownership. The organisation is bound to the supplier for the length of the service agreement. This may be considered too long a duration to some. It is also likely to mean that overall, the system will cost more as

interest and fees are incurred in the subscription costs.

Responsibility of the supplier The key features and benefits to LaaS are: • lighting requirements are the focus of the agreement, so the organisation knows these shall always be met. It is performance driven; • the maintenance is the responsibility of the supplier, including compliance.

• subscription costs are known and easier to budget for; • any costs risks sit with the supplier for the duration; • most of the risks are transferred to the supplier; • the organisation may not have a capital budget to pay outright but still wants to reduce operating costs; • the organisation can use the savings to pay for the subscription cost as the savings are being realised; • capital can be deployed to other projects; • the service can then be thought as Produced in Association with

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cost neutral for the organisation with savings coming in and then paying the subscription cost (although you would expect it to be a benefit overall). It is, therefore, cash flow positive from the outset; • a reduction in own staff time by outsourcing it to the supplier; • it would be considered off balance sheet so positively impact operating income; • increased monitoring of the lighting system performance; and • no asset depreciation write-offs.

Another aspect to consider is that the suppliers/manufacturers are motivated to make better-quality, longer-lasting and easier-to-reuse products, by virtue of retaining ownership. We have seen this with some manufacturers already in the LaaS model. For example, Philips has a policy of reusing as many lighting components which LaaS lends itself to. The company can maximise recycling and improve its own circular economy agenda by offering this as an option. Other manufacturers are also doing similar things.

Figure 1: LaaS overview model (Source: Signify (formerly Philips Lighting))

Scope out the service

require lighting levels of >500lux and a uniformity of 70 per cent.

They required a colour rendering of >80Ra with a colour appearance throughout of 4,000k.

A supplier would then design a lighting system to meet these requirements, taking a maintenance factor into consideration. Knowing

Let’s look at some of considerations and the process for LaaS. The starting point would be to scope out the service required by the organisation. This would be a process of turning performance requirements into design criteria.

For example, an assembly hall may

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what the hours run are likely to be, they can work out the useful life of the lighting system. They can then model different rated hours of the fittings with light output degradation and lamp performance expectation.

This allows them to budget both costs and maintenance provisions over the lifetime of the agreement.

Light output degradation is stated as the light output as a percentage of the initial light level, so L70 would be 70 per cent of its initial light output at a rated life (say 80,000 hours). Similarly, lamp performance expectation is a percentage of failed fittings/LEDs not able to meet operational expectations. So, B10

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or drop in performance of the fitting or system. Some also take it a step further and can produce maintenance and compliance reports.

With the subscription being an ongoing operating cost rather than a large capital outlay the additional cost to provide more encompassing controls or more adaptive controls can be explored in depth and possibly included. This is due to the cost being spread over the duration of the contract and is more manageable. Therefore, it may seem like a small increment. An organisation is likely to go for a more sophisticated system as a result which is also in the supplier’s favour.

Public sector potential

would mean 10 per cent expected to be failed at the rated life. In some cases it may not be the entire fitting that would fail but may only be one or some parts like the driver or LED chips.

In practice, they are likely to look at the installation cost of installing the lighting to L90 rather than L70 and B10 rather than B50. Then while not taking away from the performance requirements, decide if the higher upfront cost for the better L and B rating schemes are more beneficial in their financial model (a whole life costing if you like) than at a later date in the service contract period. This will also filter into how the subscription costs are too.

The longer the agreement the more likely the suppliers would install better L and B rating schemes.

Similarly, the longer the operation hours the more likely for better L and B rating schemes to be installed. An organisation may make the rated performance a requirement but are likely to wait until the modelling is done.

If the useful life of the lighting scheme is greater than the contract length at the lower L and B rate schemes there is likely to be little benefit financially to install better

L and B rated schemes for either party. The organisation will want to balance the subscription cost with the energy savings and the L and B ratings will all have an effect on this and so their decision.

Figure 1 shows a typical LaaS model over a period of time. The operating cost positive position can be seen against the previous/existing operating costs in the first column of the chart. The final column on the right shows the position if/when asset transfers back to the organisation.

Service level agreement On selection of the scheme, a service level agreement would be formed.

This would include items such as: • the duration; • the subscription cost and frequency; • any adjustments for inflation (more so in longer agreements); • minimum performance requirements that the supplier has to guarantee; • responsibility of the supplier and of the organisation; • reference to the reviewable design data; • how performance is monitored or checked; • agreed reactive service levels (if

something fails or is not meeting requirements); • provisions of how the transfer of the asset’s ownership to organisation; • early exit cost or mechanism for calculating early exit; • penalties for not meeting service requirements; and • exclusions, for example if there was damage caused by organisation.

The reactive service levels are likely to increase the subscription cost, the higher requirement as well as the level of penalties they may incur. The supplier manages the risk in the contract.

The installation would then be planned and implemented in a similar manner to any other lighting project.

The difference would be mobilising the monitoring and checking procedure as well as the report/ communication lines. The supplier has the incentive to ensure more responsibility for the quality of the installation as it is their asset, as well as commissioning properly and on time.

Modern control software can provide real-time feedback to the supplier minimising the involvement of the organisation. Sensors can provide feedback on performance requirements, like lighting levels as well as software alarms for failures

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LaaS has great potential in the public sector. This may be an enabler for projects around increasing connectivity in smart cities and towns. Interoperable, and adaptive urban lighting systems can play a role as part of a widespread connectivity or larger application.

It’s a way for local authorities to commoditise street lighting, using the savings they would get from installing newer lighting, then using the additional savings over the subscription cost to reduce the cost of the connectivity part. It may be that the local authority can commoditise the interconnectivity part too. It also moves the risk of owning the assets and operating them away from the local authority.

LaaS has a place to provide organisations with another option to lowering operating costs away from traditionally capital project finance or if they need to be more flexible deploying capital. For many energy managers who don’t hold large capital budgets and may have lost out to other competing capital projects or struggle to compete, yet still need to provide energy efficiency gains for the organisation, this should be a consideration.

The organisation may be thinking of it as a way of commoditising energy savings. For the supplier it is widening their route to market by being more flexible and also motivating product development, as well as a way to foster longerterm relationship with customers.

This is one of the reasons why more suppliers are offering this as an option.

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

OCTOBER 2020 | EIBI | 19

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SERIES SEPTEMBER SERIES 18 17 | MODULE 03 09 | MARCH 20202020

ENTRY FORM

SERIES 18 | MODULE 04 | OCTOBER 2020

SMART GRIDS ENTRY FORM SPACE HEATING

Please mark your answers below by placing a cross in the box. Don't forget that some Please mark your answers below by placing a cross in the box. Don't forget that some questions might have more than one correct answer. You may find it 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 in the final answers in ink. Once you have completed answers in pencil firstbelow before filling in the final answers in ink.

Onceforget you have Pleasethe mark your answers cross in the box.

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LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY

answers in pencil first before filling in the final answers in ink. Once you have completed the answer sheet, return it to the address below. Photocopies are acceptable.

QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS

1) The establishment of the main 1. Which is the most common heating media in

transmission grid began in which QUESTIONS wetdecade? systems?

High temperature hot water ■is1940s 1) LaaS■ similar more to which type of ■ Steam ■ 1930s finance?

1960s Low temperature hot water ■ purchase ■ Hire■ Cold water ■ finance ■ Asset 2) Which key parameters need to be contracting ■ Performance controlled by smart grids?

2. What is the most common space heating ■ Mortgage ■ Voltage and frequency

2) ■ ■ 3) ■ ■ ■ ■ 4) ■ ■ ■ ■ 5) ■ ■

6) ■ ■ ■ ■

■ Facilitate the connection of distributed 6. Which is thegeneration ‘delivery end’ ofvariable a vapourloads renewable and compression heat pump system? such as electric vehicles and heat pumps evaporator ■ The LaaS motivates manufacturers to what?

7) does abbreviation The condenser ■ What Produce lowerthe quality productsVPP stand for? purchase programme ■ The compressor ■ Volume Produce higher quality products protection programme ■ Thethe slinky ■ Voluntary Reduce impact on a circular economy ■ Virtual power plant Decrease the need for better controls 7. Which of these factors is used by a weather compensation controlbe system?

8) Electricity cannot stored in large What would anbyorganisation not need to do quantities householders?

Building thermal inertia ■ when entering a LaaS? False as only large utilities and industrial/ ■ Time of day ■ Consider how performance is monitored commercial energy providers can provide Outsidefacilities air temperature ■ storage Mobilise the service contract Date ■ False ■ a monthly subscription cost Pay as householders can storebalance electricity ■ Truethe Include on company’s 8. Which of assets these factors is used by ancharging optimum in standalone batteries or when sheet start control system? their electric vehicles ■ Level of building occupancy True or False?

Are lighting systems likely Outside airmain temperature 9) is the benefit of smart meters?

■ What to be more comprehensive with LaaS Boiler capacity They avoid the need for meter ■ ■ model over a traditional capital readers project Boilerprovide flowmodel? temperature ■ They accurate and timely ■ procurement information on power flows across the Truesmart grid 9. Which types of space heating system can False They facilitate the systems export of ■ building management besurplus used to control? electricity from household solar PV panels ■ Any LaaS as an option to organisation provides ■ Wet systems what?

10) What does the technology VtG represent?

■ Air handling plant Flexibility forGeometry project finance Turbochargers ■ Variable Boilers to allow the effective aspect ■ designed

fuel in the UK? 7) ■ Frequency and current oil LaaS is considered off ■of Fuel True■ False?

Voltage, current and frequency Electricity ■ sheet finance? balance ■ Naturalthe gas ■ What’s main source of large-scale True3) ■ Coal ■ renewable generation connecting to False ■ the grid?

Biomass 3. What is a typical dry bulb space temperature ■ ■ Whofor takes most of the risk for the a home? farms ■ Wind lighting system within LaaS? ■ 160Cfarms ■ Solar Manufacturer 8) ■ 190C Supplier 4) 220Care the main forms of variable ■ What loads connecting at the Buyingelectrical organisation 240C ■ household level?

Electricity provider ■ ■ Electric vehicles and heat pumps 4. What is currently the most common meters ■ What■ isSmart generally not included a LaaS construction material for panelinradiators?

■ Home automation devices agreement?

■ Cast iron 9) Service period steel Pressed ■ What 5) is the main threat to smart grids?

Maintenance Castof aluminium ■ Cost implementation ■ ■ Monitoring Copper ■ Cyber attacks ■ ■ A way to make a lighting installation Upfront capital cost ■ Lack of experience and expertise ratio of a turbocharger to be altered as cheaper overall to the organisation 5. Which of these is a key component of a 10.conditions What is a thermostat? change A way for organisations to shirk their ■ mechanical system?

What are ventilation the main benefits of smart L70 6) of a fitting would indicate that it is ofresponsibilities Trapped Gas associated ■ A temperature sensitive switch ■ Volume compliance to a thirdwith party grids? likely■to respiration A fan A temperaturetosensor ■ outsourcing Use make redundancies ■ Reduce the need for centralised power Vehicle to Grid enabling EV batteries to ■ Have■ degraded to 70 per cent of its initial ■ An atrium ■ A proportional control device generation discharge to the grid to ‘smooth’ high light■output at the end of its useful life A chimney A digital display device ■ lighting unable to electricity peakcontrols demand are profiles.

Encouragetoconnection ofof electric vehicles 10) Modern Have■ 30 per cent its initial Opening windows ■degraded

offer, what? light output at the end of its useful life ■ Real time monitoring ■ Have had 70 per cent expected to be capitals Please complete yourdetails detailsbelow belowin in■block block capitals Software alarms failedPlease at the complete rated life your Performance measurement ■ ■ Have had 30 per cent expected to be failed at the rated life ■ Eliminate compliance responsibility

Name Name......................................................................................................................................................................... .........................................................................................................................................................................(Mr. (Mr.Mrs, Mrs,Ms) Ms).................................... ....................................

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Business ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PleaseBusiness complete your details below in block capitals Business Address .................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Business Address .................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Name .........................................................................................................................................................................

(Mr. Mrs, Ms) .................................... ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Business ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

How to obtain a CPD accreditation from to theobtain Energy How a Institute CPD accreditation Energy and the Energyin inBuildings Buildings andIndustry Industryand andInstitute theEnergy EnergyInstitute Instituteare aredelighted delightedto to from the Energy have haveteamed teamedup upto tobring bringyou youthis thisContinuing ContinuingProfessional ProfessionalDevelopment Development

initiative. initiative.

Energy in Buildings and Industry and the Energy Institute are delighted to have This the module ininthe series and focuses onon Smart Grids.

It Thisis isup the ninth module theeighteenth seventeenth series and focuses Space teamed tothird bring you this Continuing Professional Development initiative. is accompanied by a set of multiple-choice questions. questions.

Heating.

It is fourth accompanied set eighteenth of multiple-choice This is the modulebyinathe series and focuses on Lighting as a To for readers must at Toqualify qualify foraaCPD CPDcertificate certificate mustsubmit submitquestions. atleast leasteight eightof ofthe the Service.

It is accompanied by a setreaders of multiple-choice ten tensets setsof ofquestions questionsfrom fromthis thisseries seriesof ofmodules modulesto toEiBI EiBIfor forthe theEnergy Energy To qualify for a CPD certificate readers must submit at least eight of the ten Institute Instituteto tomark. mark.Anyone Anyoneachieving achievingat atleast leasteight eightout outof often tencorrect correctanswers answerson on sets of questions from this series of modules to EiBI for the Energy Institute to eight eightseparate separatearticles articlesqualifies qualifiesfor foran anEnergy EnergyInstitute InstituteCPD CPDcertificate. certificate.This Thiscan canbe be mark.

Anyone achieving at least eight out of ten correct answers on eight separate obtained, obtained,on onsuccessful successfulcompletion completionof ofthe thecourse courseand andnotification notificationby bythe theEnergy Energy articles qualifies for an Energy CPD certificate.

This be obtained, on Institute, free for Energy members and non-members.

Institute, freeof ofcharge charge forboth bothInstitute EnergyInstitute Institute members andcan non-members. successful completion ofaathe course and notification by the Energy Institute, The written qualified member of Institute, will appeal Thearticles, articles, writtenby by qualified member ofthe theEnergy Energy Institute, will appeal free of charge both Energy Institute members and non-members. to new to management and with more tothose thosefor new toenergy energy management andthose those with moreexperience experienceof ofthe the The articles, written by a qualified member of the Energy Institute, will appeal to subject. subject. those new tofrom energy with more of the subject.

Modules the past can be free of Modules from themanagement past16 16series seriesand canthose beobtained obtained freeexperience ofcharge. charge.Send Send your request to they Modules from the past 16 seriesAlternatively, can be obtained free ofdownloaded charge. Send your your request toeditor@eibi.co.uk. editor@eibi.co.uk.

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SERIES 17 16 SERIES MAY 2019 - APR 2020

SERIES 17

SERIES 18 SERIES 17 18 SERIES

11 Batteries BEMS & Storage 1 Batteries & Storage 22 Energy as a Service Refrigeration 23 Energy as a Service Management 3 Water LED Technology 344 Water Management Demand Side Response District Heating 455 Demand Side Response Drives & Motors Air Conditioning 566 Drives & Motors Blockchain Technology Behaviour Change 677 Blockchain Technology Compressed Air Thermal Imaging 788 Compressed Air Energy Purchasing Solar Thermal Space 899 Energy Purchasing SmartHeating Buildings Data Centre Management 910 Heating 10 Space Biomass Boilers

11 Energy Efficiency Legislation Batteries & Storage 1 Energy Efficiency Legislation 22 Building Controls Energy as a Service Building Controls 33 2Smart Water Grids Management 3 Smart Grids 44 Lighting DemandTechnology* Side Response Lighting Technology 55 4Heat Pumps* Drives & Motors Heat Pumps* 66 5Metering & Monitoring* Blockchain Technology Metering &Air Monitoring* 77 6Air Conditioning* Compressed Air Conditioning* 88 7Boilers &Purchasing Burners* Energy 99 8Behaviour Boilers &Change* Burners* Space Heating 10 Heat & Power* Behaviour Change* 109Combined Data Centre Management*

MAY 2018 - APR 2019

MAY 2019 - APR 2020

MAY JUNE- APR 20202020 - MAY 2021 MAY/2019

MAY / JUNE 2020 - MAY 2021

10 Data Centre Management 10 Combined Heat & Power* **ONLY available to from date ONLY available todownload download fromthe thewebsite websiteafter afterpublication publication date * ONLY available to download from the website after publication date

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Products in Action For further information on products and services visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter the appropriate online enquiry number

VSDs chosen to control booster pumps

Bristol home for air conditioning first

SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions recently chose 12 Danfoss VLT Aqua AC variable speed drives to control skid-mounted booster pumps. Nevertheless, this project posed two interesting challenges: how to make convenient and costeffective provision for cascade operation of multiple pumps, and how to avoid delays in setting up and commissioning the drives at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic made it impossible for Danfoss engineers to visit the SUEZ site.

Danfoss VLT Aqua Drives have support cascade operation but have always required additional hardware and extra connections between the drives to implement it. SUEZ was looking for a simpler option that would eliminate the need for the additional connections between the drives. This was important because the booster pumps are supplied as a ‘plug-and-play’ solution that requires a minimum of on-site configuration and set up.

With this in mind, engineers at Danfoss developed new firmware for the drives which supports cascade operation entirely over the Modbus connection that SUEZ uses to provide overall control for its installations. With the new firmware, no additional connections are needed between the drives, which simplifies installation on site and reduces the risk of errors. In addition, this new solution provides full cascade control without the need for extra hardware.

In addition, SUEZ wanted Danfoss to help commission the drives. Normally this would have been no problem, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, the Danfoss engineers couldn’t travel to the SUEZ factory.”

Working together, engineers from SUEZ and Danfoss devised a solution based on the use of TeamViewer. With the aid of this package in conjunction with the free downloadable Danfoss MyDrive software toolkit and MCT10 programming software, the Danfoss engineers were able to sit at their own desks and view the desktop of a computer connected to the VLT Aqua Drives in the SUEZ factory.

The engineers at the two companies also talked to one another by phone while they were configuring and commissioning the drives.

A former tram station in Bristol has become the first building in the UK to benefit from large scale R32 air conditioning.

The Art Deco building in Gloucester Road was originally a main station for electric trams, and is now occupied by one of the largest environmental business networks in the UK – Future Economy Network.

Renamed the Future Leap Hub, the refurbished ground floor now brings together likeminded companies and acts as a showcase for sustainable businesses. It offers a carbon-neutral, co-working space, meeting rooms and an event space for hire, in which weekly, sustainability themed events are hosted.

The F-Gas Regulations are affecting all air conditioning systems and the next step in the phase down of refrigerants with high global warming potential (GWP) takes place in January. The air conditioning industry has been transitioning to R32, which has a significantly lower GWP than previous R410A systems but this has not been possible for larger VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) systems until the launch of the City Multi R32 VRF at the end of 2019.

“We looked across the market at a whole host of technologies for our heating and cooling and when Mitsubishi Electric’s R32 system was recommended to us by EnviraMech Services, we quickly realised it was absolutely the right product for us,” said Alan Bailey, director of the Future Economy Group and Future Leap Ltd. “So far, we’ve been really pleased with the end result.”

When I first started talking to Alan about his requirements it was obvious that he wanted a system that would help promote energy efficiency and future-proof the building,” explained Terry Macleod, Managing Director of Envira-Mech Services Ltd. The three PURY YNW-A outdoor condensers are installed in a compound in an old storage yard and these serve 14 PEFY fan coil units throughout the ground floor.

Although R32 is mildly flammable, and room sizes were considered during the design phase, the level of ventilation mean that leak detection wasn’t required.

The Future Leap Hub has been re-opened since July and now offers Bristol businesses 70 socially distanced desks as well as an ethical cafe and lifestyle shop.

ONLINE ENQUIRY 105

University technology building benefits from insulation Coventry University is laying the groundwork for future developments in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) with a new, state-ofthe-art postgraduate facility, completed with a building service specification featuring premium performance Kingspan Kooltherm Pipe Insulation and Kingspan Therma Duct Insulation.

The Beatrice Shilling Building is the third collaboration between Coventry University and designers. The four-storey

facility provides a range of cutting-edge facilities including a specialist rapid prototyping area, laser facility and science and technology labs. Constructed

by Speller Metcalfe, the new building is linked to the undergraduate teaching block, ECB1, through a covered bridge on the third floor.

As part of its commitment to reduce its carbon emissions by 20 per cent relative to a baseline period of 20089, the University has developed a

ONLINE ENQUIRY 106

sustainable building framework which focuses on full lifecycle emissions and costings for new buildings. The Beatrice Shilling Building was the first to be constructed under this framework and this contributed to the specification of over 7,000 m Kingspan Kooltherm Pipe Insulation for all domestic, heating and chilled water service pipework across the building whilst 400m2 Kingspan Therma Duct Insulation was fitted on external ductwork.

ONLINE ENQUIRY 107

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Data Centre Technology For further information on products and services visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter the appropriate online enquiry number

Data centre cooling with SWEP heat exchangers Data storage has become one of the world’s fastest growing businesses as cloud storage becomes more and more commonplace. Storing data consumes a great deal of energy and produces a lot of heat, so large-scale data centres need powerful cooling to ensure optimum running of their IT equipment.

Estimates from various sources suggest that data centres account for between 2 and 5 per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. And cooling systems are responsible for almost 40 per cent of the power consumed in a typical data centre.

Installing and maintaining an efficient cooling system will greatly reduce operational costs and energy use. And key components for many of the best-optimised data centres across the world are SWEP Brazed Plate Heat Exchangers (BPHEs).

Energy efficiency in cooling systems is not the only driver for ensuring a data centre’s maximum effectiveness.

Optimisation of floor space is also a key element. White space is the functional area within a data centre for IT equipment,

while grey space is where the mechanical equipment (i.e. switchgear, transformers, chillers etc.) is located. The advantages of using SWEP BPHEs in the premium white space area include their compact footprint, high efficiency, modularity and cost-effectiveness.

SWEP BPHEs can be used as major components in several cooling applications in data centres: • free cooling, which augments or temporarily replaces a refrigerant chiller supplying chilled water to an industrial process or aircon system; • intermediate circuit as a glycol breaker, enabling the use of water as the coolant in cold circuits; and • designed with double integrated coils; one for condensing and another for free cooling.

Any downtown in data centre operations is highly detrimental to business operations, so the provision of highly efficient cooling is a rapidly growing market. And key technologies like SWEP BPHEs are playing a vital role in maximising the efficiency of the industry, now and in the future.

ONLINE ENQUIRY 126

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Water Management For further information on Wave Utilities visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 129

Adapt to the crisis Wendy Monk looks back at how the water industry adapted to support businesses during the coronavirus crisis and what you should do if you run into problems

T

he term ‘unprecedented times’ has been used abundantly since March; it’s certainly true that we all continue to deal with exceptional circumstances.

The water industry is no different and the scale of change has been significant. In terms of COVID-19 support, here’s what recent regulatory changes mean for your business.

It seems like a lifetime ago when we were advised to ‘work from home if you can’. On 23 March, the order came for some businesses to close to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Like many, we found ourselves working remotely. Not only did we need to get teams up and running from home, we had an immediate need to support customers in the best way possible.

As lockdown started, customers told us they were concerned about bills. That same week, we were involved in industry discussions and within a few days Ofwat, the water regulator in England, introduced an urgent change to support businesses and water retailers.

Had nothing changed, businesses would have continued to receive bills based on water use during

‘normal’ operations. Likewise, retailers would have received invoices for wholesale charges.

This is because the market works by estimating charges based on past consumption.

Unable to pay bills Ofwat and MOSL, the market operator, recognised that businesses closed by the Government would be unable to pay their bills. In turn, retailers would be unable to pay wholesale charges. Without action, there was a high risk that retailers would default on charges, putting the market in danger of collapse.

The code change aimed to relieve this pressure, recognising that where businesses were closed, they were either not using water or using very little, and that it would be difficult to get meter reads.

An existing flag in the central market system meant wholesale charges could be suspended for a period of vacancy. This functionality allowed retailers to apply a vacant flag for premises closed due to COVID-19 between 16 March and initially to 30 June 2020.

This was later extended to 31 July.

The change became effective on 30 March and retailers were able to

‘There was a risk retailers would default on charges putting the market in danger of collapse’ pass the benefits to customers.

After such a short turnaround we had to quickly adapt. Using various contact methods, we set out to collect evidence of closure in line with the guidelines for retailers.

We set up a dedicated team so we could make swift decisions and act efficiently, including senior management, technical experts and operational leads.

Ofwat and MOSL set clear expectations that we must use temporary flags appropriately.

We set to work to pause accounts by cross-referencing the Government’s list of business closures - specifically looking at SIC codes - doing desk research and asking customers to contact us online to confirm closure dates and provide meter reads where possible.

We made thousands of premises vacant, and MOSL reported that

Wendy Monk is director of regulation and compliance at Wave Utilities

by mid-summer, around 250,000 premises became vacant due to COVID-19 (around 18 per cent of the market). The pandemic broadly doubled the number of vacant premises in the market.

Meter reading services stopped due to lockdown. Although services have increased since measures eased, customer-supplied reads have become invaluable to help keep accounts on track.

Premises that closed but continued to use water also presented issues. The Code stated that premises could be temporarily vacant if not open to workers, the public or visitors or there’s a significant decrease (reduction of 95 per cent or more) in usual activities. Many retailers interpreted this as economic activities. However, Ofwat confirmed this as reduction in water use.

For some customers where premises were made temporarily vacant in good faith, this means the flag will be reversed if consumption is over 5 per cent.

Where flags have not been applied for qualifying vacant premises, they can be retrospectively applied.

Ofwat ended the scheme on 31 July in line with many restrictions easing. If your business has been closed and water use is below 5 per cent of your usual consumption, you shouldn’t expect charges to apply if your closure was between 16 March and 31 July 2020. If you reopened before 31 July, you should supply this information.

If closure consumption is above 5 per cent, you should expect charges when billing restarts. We know water is vital to businesses and we’ve introduced a repayment scheme for customers having difficulty paying.

Occasionally, consumption may mean a leak, so please provide meter reads as and when you can.

If you’ve unexpected consumption during closure, contact us as soon as possible.

If you haven’t already, let a supplier know your circumstances.

You should also get in touch if you’re having difficulties paying and we’ll let you know the support available. Don’t forget to provide meter readings, as this will help you receive more accurate bills. 

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Water Management

Ian Thompson is the Managing Director of Xylem UK&I

For further information on Xylem UK visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 130

Smart water management Ian Thompson looks at how smart solutions, including cutting edge pumps, digital tools and analytics can combine to match performance with water demand

S

mart water solutions is a relatively new field that combines intelligent equipment and wireless smart networks with digital approaches, such as cloud analytics, powerful data modelling, and the internet of things.

While still in its infancy, developers who are open to the technology’s innovative approach can reduce energy consumption, contribute to lower emissions, and improve operational efficiencies — whether they are creating new communities or simply upgrading existing stock.

Worldwide, developers are creating buildings at an astonishing rate as they respond to burgeoning populations and rapid urbanisation.

At the same time, thousands of public and private dwellings, offices, shops, and more are being converted, upgraded, and adapted to meet the demands of the modern world.

But these residential and commercial properties are responsible for an enormous amount of energy consumption — an estimated 20 per cent of all energy used, much of which is expended on heating, cooling, and water management.

As energy managers struggle to drive down both their costs and their carbon footprints, water management becomes a crucial piece of the energy efficient jigsaw.

Today, buildings must be water and energy efficient, as well as flood resilient, all on a budget that allows for profit and growth.

With developers and energy managers under this increased pressure, smart water solutions can enable them to do more with less.

In the broadest terms, the approach utilises intelligent, energy-efficient equipment which interacts with sensors and digital tools, such as analytics, to monitor use and respond to change in a way that simply hasn’t been possible before.

Cutting-edge pumps, variable speed pump controllers, packaged pump systems and UV/ ozone treatment equipment can, for example, drive up efficiency by matching performance

Smart water solutions could play a key role in addressing a deepening global water crisis

to demand. Once connected to a building’s monitoring system, such systems can predict, and adjust to, future usage patterns. In addition, constant pressure systems with variable frequency drives can speed up or slow down pumps depending on a building’s real-time water requirements, thus providing reliable, constant pressure on demand without waste.

Almost instant hot water is an expectation in today’s buildings – yet it can be energy intensive. Fortunately, modern hot water recirculation systems work on the same “supply and demand” principle meaning they are much more efficient. They can also boost safety by keeping water in the central heating pipework above 55°C, ensuring it is free from contaminants such as legionella.

The challenge of waste water Wastewater is another area of interest for many energy managers in the buildings and construction space. It must be collected, transported, and disposed of, all of which can be a real challenge, especially in hospitals and other public buildings where kitchen or feminine hygiene waste disposal can clog up systems.

Reliable products and sound pump system design are crucial if systems are to remain sustainable in the longterm.

When the Civic Hospital of Partinico, in Palermo, Italy, needed to increase capacity at the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the team turned to state-of-the-art tech and built a

treatment plant inside a fibreglass tank.

Wastewater is lifted into the tank by energy-efficient pumps before being treated with chlorine. Pumps and mixers remove the disinfectant and the water is discharged into the city’s sewage system. All the equipment used in this innovative solution is built on cutting-edge technology that not only prevents clogging, but enables low energy use.

Another example of what can be achieved with smart water solutions comes courtesy of Thames Water. The utility installed smart meters across its network of 15m customers, and began to collect and analyse daily data reports.

As well as using this information to quickly locate leaks, the organisation found that the meters resulted in increased customer engagement Cutting-edge pumps and variable speed controllers can drive performance efficiency

that led to a 13 per cent decrease in water consumption. The monitoring of pressure and temperature also gave the company a much better understanding of the network’s overall performance.

Smart water solutions are a relatively new phenomenon, and work to quantify their full impact is ongoing. But early indications suggest the technology could deliver savings of between £9.5bn and £11.5bn a year through reductions in capital and operational expenditure.

All industry sectors appear keen to embrace the possibilities. Nowhere is this more pertinent than in building and construction.

There are three guidelines that energy managers can follow: • don’t try to do everything at once, instead ask where smart water solutions might be able to deliver the most impact. Consider these as the initial use cases for exploring technological solutions – and learn from them; • don’t be afraid of workarounds today while laying the foundation for tomorrow: Of course, a digital strategy is beneficial, but you don’t need it straightaway. Start piloting smart water solutions in high impact areas to drive value, and use the findings to inform a robust digital strategy; and • be part of the conversation by building technology and thought partners. As the sector undergoes something of a digital revolution, several technology and water utility organisations, as well as industry networks, are leading the way.

Working in partnership with them can help all parties understand each other’s needs so that the necessary capabilities can be built more quickly It’s early days for smart water solutions, but what we do know is that they could play a vital role in addressing a deepening global water crisis and accelerating the transition to the smart, resource-efficient buildings of the future.

And developers who are willing to think innovatively and help drive the conversation stand to reap the benefits. 

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Steve Stark is sales director trade UK & Ireland at Ledvance

Lighting Technology For further information on Ledvance visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 131

Smart lighting, smarter working Automated smart lighting can revolutionise our workplaces. Steve Stark examines how human centric systems can improve wellbeing and help make major energy savings

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ven before lockdown, more and more workplaces were moving to smart automated lighting systems. The choice of products available to choose from is amazing – smart lamps in a wide variety of shapes, smart luminaires, products for indoor and outdoor use or plugs for integrating conventional light sources into more advanced systems. Using Bluetooth, ZigBee, an app or simply their own voice, office lights can easily be adapted to suit the changing workplace, especially as many more of us now have an office at home.

The ‘unprecedented times’ we are living in have already shone a light on the hygiene hazards that come from multiple hands touching a shared light switch, but there are even more reasons for workplaces to adopt these smart systems.

First, automated systems provide managers with the valuable opportunity to adapt workplace lighting to workers’ circadian rhythms.

Humans are known to be heavily influenced by variations in natural light throughout the course of the day. A human-oriented lighting concept such as BIOLUX uses smart controllable LED lighting systems to simulate the characteristics of natural daylight, combining the visual and nonvisual biological effects of light.

Artificial light that synchronises with our circadian rhythms is proven to make us happier, healthier and more productive not only in office scenarios, but also classrooms, warehouses and health facilities. Once the timings of the workday have been touchlessly programmed, an automated lighting system can co-ordinate with our own natural rhythms, providing an optimum workspace.

It has been scientifically proven that workspaces which use human centric lighting systems have improved employee wellbeing, concentration and reduced staff sickness.

Furthermore, smart lighting installations require offices to transition their lighting to LED luminaires, which are significantly more efficient than traditional incandescent or fluorescent lights.

Too many workspaces are lagging behind and still using yesterday’s inefficient, energy-hungry lighting, at the expense of reduced financial cost. Moreover, the fluorescent lighting that many workspaces and facilities are settling for contains harmful mercury gases and produces a yellow-tinged lighting, which can cause migraines and eye strain among workers. An upgrade to smart lighting improves employee health and wellbeing in the process.

In addition, lights that are not switched on all the time and tailored to the individual requirements of an office provide excellent energy savings.

Luminaires can be programmed with the start and end times of a working day to illuminate the office only when necessary. They can be further programmed to turn themselves off when a room

or floor of an office is unoccupied.

Smart lighting systems achieve ultimate energy efficiency by protecting themselves against our own human inefficiency.

Controllable LED lighting A human-oriented lighting concept known as human centric lighting (HCL) uses smart controllable LED lighting systems to simulate the characteristics of natural daylight with brighter, bluer light during the day which reduces in brightness and blue content in the evening. The easy controllability of LED lighting makes it possible to replicate and even idealise natural light, to better support human circadian rhythms. This enables everyone to be happier, healthier, and more productive.

Traditional electric lighting

Human centric lighting simulates the characteristics of natural daylight

has typically allowed dimming but provided few, if any, other practicable options to adjust the light to suit the users’ needs. Now, with simple electronic or software control and the right combination of emitter types, an LED light engine can manage the spectral content with great precision to produce almost any colour or adjust “white” light throughout a range of correlated colour temperatures (CCT) expressing ambiences from warm, to cool, to daylight white. At any desired dimming ratio.

Arising from this new-found flexibility, concepts such as colour quality, mood lighting, and humancentric lighting have gained traction. Each offers an approach to creating a more comfortable, compelling environment.

Large lights from above that imitate a sunlit (blue) sky have the greatest biologically activating effect. Therefore, at the start of the day until lunch time and after the lunch break, bright, cold white light with a high blue component (such as 6,500 Kelvin at an illuminance of 300 lux at the eye) should be used. Indirect light which includes both ceilings and walls is ideal for this. Towards the evening the lighting should be changed to direct warm white light without blue components (such as 2,700 to 3,000 kelvin) to help our bodies relax and prepare for the night.

The BIOLUX HCL Controller has been designed to automatically adjust the intensity and spectral content throughout the day in keeping with current knowledge about human responses to natural lighting. The controller is easy to install, with automated selfconfiguration, and is designed to apply correct circadian timing to let users begin applying human centric lighting without any prior knowledge. A simple rotary switch and display allows advanced users to optimise the lighting for individual needs or specific situations. Wirelessly connected luminaires such as LEDVANCE‘s 4000lm HCL Panel and 2000 lm HCL Downlight convert the settings into optimised light that complements the effects of natural light throughout the day. 

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Lighting Technology For further information on TÜV SÜD visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 132

Neal Paley is specialist lighting designer at TÜV SÜD

Slave to the rhythm

Energy-efficient lighting and biological rhythms go hand in hand. Neal Paley examines how modern lighting technologies bring the benefits of natural lighting indoors

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igh-efficiency lighting technologies offer up to an 85 per cent improvement in energy efficiency compared with conventional lighting technologies, while providing an equal or better quality of light. A host of voluntary certification and labelling programmes enable the identification of the most energyefficient lighting products, which are consistent with a building’s particular needs. These regulations and voluntary programmes are being continuously updated to reflect the introduction of new lighting technologies that promise even greater energy efficiency.

For example, in the UK, Part L of the Building Regulations (England and Wales) contains requirements relating to the conservation of fuel and power. The commitment within this is to raise the energy performance of buildings by limiting heat losses and excessive solar gains, ensuring that energyefficient fixed building services are installed, and that the building owner is provided with the information required to maintain the building and its services.

Lighting technologies have evolved significantly over the last five years. The rise of the LED has created a very fast-moving lighting industry. This momentum will continue without doubt.

Manufacturers are making huge leaps in the light output of LED modules, which are becoming more efficient and smaller in size, while utilising powerful wattages. Thermal management is also improving and heat sinks to dissipate the unwanted heat are becoming smaller. All of this technology can now easily be fitted in the palm your hand, as LED light sources are becoming brighter, smaller and more efficient.

To take advantage of this innovation, and develop the optimum energy-efficient lighting, the designer must ensure that

Illuminance and changing colour temperatures should be dynamically tuned to the time of day

the most efficient luminaires are used and in the most effective combination. The design, from both a creative and technical perspective, must therefore be considered in its entirety. Other technical considerations must also be made. For example, not all drivers are fully compatible with every downlight or linear LED and any dimming may therefore not be smooth, as it could flicker or not dim down to a really low level without a sharp cut-off.

Reality of wireless lighting Wireless lighting is now also a reality across the commercial and residential sectors and is increasing in popularity. Although Bluetooth is still relatively new in the lighting controls world, its mesh technology brings simple wireless control to large installations.

The familiarity of Bluetooth and the open protocol nature of the technology will mean its entry into the mainstream lighting market is not far off.

Biologically effective lighting can sustainably strengthen our sense of wellbeing, especially in rooms in which people spend long periods and in the winter months when our internal clock is poorly synchronised. Illuminance and changing colour temperatures

‘Lighting should bring the dynamism of natural light indoors’ should therefore be dynamically tuned to the time of day.

Modern lighting concepts should bring the dynamism of natural daylight indoors to support human biological rhythms and the lighting level should be designed to meet the requirements of the relevant visual tasks. Human centric lighting usually means intense blue-rich light in the morning, or at times when you want people to be alert, and warmer, softer light in the afternoon and evening

There are negative consequences of disorganising our circadian system

when things are winding down.

For example, an activating effect can be achieved by 250 lux vertical illuminance at eye level with a colour temperature of 8,000K. Lighting can also help us unwind, with around 200 lux vertical illuminance at eye level and a colour temperature of no more than 3,000K. Large-format luminaires and illuminated ceilings can simulate the sky during the day, delivering energising planar light with a high blue content and more than 500 lux illuminance.

In the evening, the body needs a chance to produce the sleep hormone, melatonin, which can be facilitated by lower illuminance and directional warm white light from direct luminaires.

Mobile working and hot-desking are growing within an office space and people may work in different spots throughout the working day. This means task lighting is increasingly important, which helps users of the space work better if lighting can be tailored to individual requirements and they have some control themselves.

Today, lighting can be fully electronically controlled throughout the day to create programmed lighting atmospheres that support circadian rhythms, so having full lighting control in offices is very important. The rise of wireless controls and power-line communication means that it is no longer such a headache to add controls to an office space even if it is an existing building.

While circadian rhythm lighting can be a great enhancement for the users of a space, this does come at a higher cost. This is mainly due to the lighting control system required. However, as the technology becomes more widely available, just like when LED technology was first introduced, the price will start to decrease, and we will without doubt see working and living spaces implement this type of technology more widely. 

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Lighting Technology For further information on products and services visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter the appropriate online enquiry number

Programless configuration of lighting systems Beckhoff is making available its TF8050 Lighting Solution software, a ready-made PLC application library for its PC-based control systems.

Offering easy configuration, control and monitoring of DALI/DALI2 devices, TF8050 is decentrally scalable and supports limitless DALI lines each with a combination of up to 64 ballasts and switching devices. Fast functional changes, address changes, system expansions and cross-DALI line groupings can be carried out without operational interruptions.

Based around the ‘human-centric’ control concept, TF8050 provides simple, programless configuration of complex lighting systems. With features such as Circadian colour temperature control, daylight control, constant light regulation and scheduler/holiday setting, a web browser is all that’s required to configure, define functionality, commission and monitor the system.

Alternatively, configuration can be achieved via an Excel spreadsheet which provides a secure way of backing up and restoring lighting projects.

To simplify the maintenance and management of lighting systems,

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information such as hours run, power consumption, readdressing of ballasts and fittings, and fault and status monitoring is instantly available to facilities managers. This information can also be displayed on any device with a web browser or via one of

Beckhoff’s panel-mounted or in-wall display panels.

TF8050 supports the latest generation of DALI2 sensors, including motion and Lux sensors from the likes of Steinel and B.E.G. Regular pushbutton and retractive switches can be simply incorporated into the system using Beckhoff’s standard digital input terminals.

Beckhoff’s open hardware architecture and flexible programming environment mean that lighting applications can be extended with the user’s own code, for example, to incorporate heating, cooling and shading control using a wide array of industry standard networks such as BACnet, Modbus, M-Bus, KNX or wireless EnOcean, providing a huge advantage over traditional standalone lighting control systems. All operational data can be passed in real time into cloud platforms using MQTT, AMQP or OPC UA. ONLINE ENQUIRY 133

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Gardens shine in the glow of new luminaires Birmingham Botanical Gardens (BBG) recently turned to EcolightingUK to upgrade its current lighting system to LEDs. With hundreds of fittings around the property, BBG made the decision to switch their halogen and fluorescent tubes to LED luminaires in order to lower its electricity and maintenance costs.

Areas at the 15-acre National Trust site including the gift shop, subtropical house and rear kitchen were among the indoor spaces receiving upgrades.

Outdoor spots include the terrace, bandstand, pavilion and car park were also included. Each area required different types of luminaire, from floodlights to ceiling panels, and PIR sensors and DALI dimming options were also installed.

Colour changing lights were also specified for the job as they were necessary for both aesthetic and practical purposes to create visual effects and ambiance at the many events hosted on site.

James Wheeler, chief executive at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, commented: “We are working with Aston University on an EU-funded project to reduce the Gardens’ carbon footprint and Ecolighting was recommended as a firm to approach for a tender for the work.

“Our new lighting is a big improvement on previous installations,

making us better lit, safer for visitors, more secure and more energy efficient,” Wheeler added. “This saving in electricity consumption is enabling us to put in improved lighting of our buildings and gardens which is more flexible, creative, colour changing and more easily tailored to the mood and theme of our events. We will receive a benefit of up to 90 per cent savings on our

NHS trust makes huge savings thanks to LED upgrade As part of the NHSI Improvement Program, Energys Group has delivered an LED upgrade at Croydon University Hospital. Over 6,000 fittings were replaced across the whole site using products from Energys’ extensive LED range and utilising Energys’ Smart Illumination controls where appropriate.

The financial impact of this project has been significant: energy savings are £206,000 per year (which represents savings of almost 2.5m/kWh P/A). ROI will be achieved in 3.46 years. These cost savings can now be used for other

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projects or front-line services.

Energys Group’s range of LED lamps with built-in lighting controls were selected for this project. This technology operates on a fitting-by-fitting basis.

This offers the Energy & Estates team at Croydon two major energy advantages.

First, the hospital is able to benefit from the very latest lighting controls without the need for an extremely expensive controls system. Each fitting operates independently which means that, if desired, users can have a single fitting with controls without any

expenditure on electricity for lighting.”

As a project that strays outside the norm for Ecolighting, the lighting required for the site’s beech trees and aviary lawns were a stark contrast to its usual applications. To meet the outdoor requirements, RGBWW floodlights are being installed at the front of each rose garden in front of each of the two aviaries and new underground channels for cable with concrete plinths were required to provide power.

RGBWW floodlights were also specified in the terrace, bandstand and pavilion. The gift shop has received LED ceiling panels and spotlights and emergency lighting has been upgraded in the subtropical house.

Following the successful initial installation, BBG asked Ecolighting for extra works to be carried out. These include an external sign, upgrades in its Mediterranean and Arid houses, the Japanese garden as well as new lighting for its toilet blocks.

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additional cost. Second, by operating independently, each fitting responds directly to its specific environment.

Detailed site information was provided by the NHS Trust. However, to ensure that we had a complete picture prior to project commencement, we undertook a site-wide survey of the hospital. The key findings and reported benefits to the hospital including the large energy savings, maintenance savings and operational benefits enabled the application for funding to be approved across the hospital.

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Lighting Technology

For further information on products and services visit www.eibi.co.uk/ enquiries and enter the appropriate online enquiry number

The right light for the right site

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Lighting in industrial facilities must meet the demanding requirements of dusty, damp or vibrating environments. The right light in the right place improves efficiency, eliminates errors and boosts concentration.

LEDVANCEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trunking system TruSys is one of numerous specific LED lighting solutions for industrial use. The latest addition to the TruSys product family of trunking systems, the TruSys PERFORMANCE luminaires, consists of three different models: TruSys Performance On/Off, TruSys Performance DALI and the TruSys Performance EM (emergency). All generate up to 11,200 lumens with a colour temperature of 4,000K. Additionally, they have a very high system efficacy of up to 160 lumen per watt and an average lifespan L80/B10 with up to 60,000 hours.

In factories with many open milling machines, damp-proof luminaires are needed which can withstand residues in the air. The damp-proof luminaires from LEDVANCE are suitable for a wide range of applications as they come in several versions (switchable, DALI, through-wired, battery for safety lighting).

Offering IP67/IP69K protection, the damp-proof special luminaires are extremely robust and specially suited for industrial use with oily environments or uncovered outdoor applications thanks to high-quality PMMA plastic in combination with stainless steel components.

The newest addition to the LEDVANCE product family of high bay luminaires is the high bay VALUE which offers a very homogeneous light distribution due to a frosted tempered glass cover. Due to modern attractive slim and compact design, the luminaire is weight and size optimised. The new HQI LED HIGHBAY lamps are ideal for use in large, high spaces such as production halls or high bay warehouses. With 13,000 lm and 20,000 lm they are an attractive LED alternative for applications with high lumen package demand. The HQI LED HIGHBAY models are a cost-efficient replacement for traditional 250 W and 400 W metal halide lamps with quartz technology (HQI) and can be operated on conventional control gears and ignitor.

The SubstiTUBE T5 UN and SubstiTUBE T8 UN are energy-efficient all-in-one solutions, replacing traditional T5 and T8 fluorescent lamps. The LED tubes are made of glass, and bending is thus avoided. They can be used in sensitive areas thanks to a shatter protection film.

ONLINE ENQUIRY 142

Batteries & Energy Storage

Michael Phelan is CEO and co-founder at GridBeyond

For further information on GridBeyond visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 140

Don’t ignore big business

To get towards net zero the government must not overlook the role of large businesses in facilitating a post-COVID-19 economic recovery, says Michael Phelan

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nvestment in new environmentally friendly residential projects and modernisation of the old housing system. That is part of the Government’s strategy to fight unemployment and the post COVID-19 recession. The goal is to provide green jobs and affordable housing, while simultaneously advancing decarbonisation.

While it is encouraging to see the Government take action on its commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, in reality, these goals will not be achieved without empowering and further incentivising industrial and commercial businesses (I&C) to retrofit their operations with new technologies and become more flexible with their energy consumption.

The UK’s plans leave little emphasis on retrofitting the industrial sector to ensure it meets the needs of a net-zero economy.

In contrast, the EU’s €500bn investment in zero-carbon buildings and industrial processes has been driven by the understanding that widespread uptake of flexibility and energy efficiency solutions by large businesses will lower their costs and support job creation, to fight against post-pandemic recession. “With a strong European manufacturing base, Europe can show worldwide industrial leadership...Our joint industries and associations are committed to making a green economic recovery a collective success”, wrote the representatives of electricity, heating, cooling, building and transport sectors in their letter to EU leaders in April this year1.

Energy retrofitting in the context of the energy intensive I&C sector means making production plants and operational processes more efficient, resilient, and controllable.

New energy technologies, such as intelligent energy platforms, enable flexible energy consumption that helps to integrate more renewables onto the grid, and real-time energy performance monitoring of each connected asset.

Industrial and commercial energy users will need to be incentivised to retrofit their operations with new technologies

AI and machine learning algorithms find patterns of consumption to automatically ascertain production and processing schedules for optimal costs and greater efficiency. In-depth analytics benchmark the current performance against historical data and industry operational standards, enabling early fault recognition and supporting predictive maintenance processes to prolong assets’ life cycle and reduce risk of operational downtime.

The most powerful technological solutions, such as ‘hybrid battery and demand network’, help to unlock energy flexibility of seemingly inflexible assets, retrofitting even older machinery and making it more resilient to any new decarbonisation standards the industry should expect as part of the net-zero strategy.

Missed an opportunity The Government’s current green recovery strategy lacks not only focus on modernisation of the existing industrial sites, but it has also missed an opportunity to include advanced energy technologies as integral elements of the new building specifications, especially when it comes to high energy consumption sectors. With estimates showing non-residential buildings being on average 40 per cent more energy intensive than

residential, the fight against climate change will not be won without the involvement of I&C business and their willingness to embrace innovation and new technologies.

Property investors should see the pandemic as an opportunity to advance climate resilience standards for buildings, both to support the low-carbon economy and deliver financial and operational benefits through active participation in the energy markets.

Ultimately, large energy users across multiple sectors, such as metals, chemicals, refrigeration and data centres, that choose to take advantage of demand side response (DSR) programmes, help grid operators to achieve decarbonisation targets while benefiting from substantial revenues and savings.

These opportunities should not be overlooked, especially in light of recent energy market forecasts from the grid operator.

National Grid’s annual report, Future Energy Scenarios, projects that the value of energy flexibility grows in line with the increasing integration of renewables. The volume of ‘pure’ demand side response derived from load rather than on-site batteries or generation, is likely to double within the next two to three years from the current level of 1GW to 2GW. Consequently,

we anticipate that the growing demand for DSR services is likely to boost the monetary value of its provision. This would inherently provide large energy users with a greater opportunity to access new sources of revenue. When this is offered without any impact on their operational capabilities and capital expenditure budget, the business case is increasingly financially viable, particularly in the current economic situation.

The need for greater energy flexibility on the grid is becoming a more prominent topic of discussion, not only for energy experts, but also among decision makers in various political spheres. In response to the Government’s recovery plans, the Net-Zero All Party Parliamentary Group; a coalition of MPs with an interest in shaping and accelerating energy policy, called for the ministers to enhance demand response incentives for I&C consumers to encourage greater participation in balancing services.

Due to the combination of increased demand flexibility requirements from National Grid and the growing social and political pressure to deliver against net-zero targets, now is an ideal time for I&C consumers to explore opportunities in the energy markets and intelligent energy technologies.

Advanced AI-powered platforms enable access to new revenue streams through participation in balancing services, in addition to increased efficiencies, savings and overall business sustainability.

The Government’s current economic recovery strategy focuses on creating new green jobs through investments in the residential sector, however, large businesses need to step in and play their critical part in day-to-day decarbonisation and advancement of the country’s climate change commitments.  1) https://www.eceee.org/all-news/news/ eugreenrecovery-to-restart-europe-call-toeu-leaders/

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TALKING HEADS Mark Griffin

Mark Griffin is business development manager at BOC

A future role for hydrogen

Investment in large-scale hydrogen storage facilities supports the growth of renewable energy and brings benefits to local authorities, says Mark Griffin

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ecarbonising transport is high on the agenda for many city councils and local authorities, and hydrogen-powered vehicles are increasingly seen as an attractive option. But when hydrogen transport is combined with large-scale storage, it can play a much bigger role in cutting carbon emissions, believes Mark Griffin, business development manager at BOC. According to the National Grid Future Energy Scenario, the UK needs to increase its capacity for renewable generation to about 100GW to reach its target of net zero by 2050. “That’s about double the capacity that was in place at the end of 2019,” Griffin states. “But the more we rely on renewable sources of energy, the harder it is for electricity suppliers to balance supply and demand. This is where large-scale hydrogen storage facilities come in. By storing surplus energy, they can help to balance the grid – a win-win situation for all parties. Electricity suppliers get the flexibility they need, city councils and local authorities receive financial rewards for grid balancing, and the price of clean hydrogen fuel for transport comes down for everyone.”

Energy storage can balance supply and demand, believes Griffin. When electricity demand is high, energy companies must either bring more power online or encourage users to reduce demand. When demand is low, suppliers must either lower production or find ways to store the surplus power. “The driving force behind this is the requirement to keep alternating current at a continuous frequency of 50hz," he observes.

"A shift in the balance of supply and demand will affect the frequency – so electricity producers, suppliers and traders must work together with large consumers to ensure the grid remains stable.“ If large energy users are able to react quickly to vary their electricity demand on request, they can, of course, get paid for their flexibility by grid operators.”

There is a number of ways to store surplus electricity, and each has its own unique advantages, adds Griffin. “Pumped storage hydroelectricity uses surplus

Griffin: 'everybody benefits from reduced carbon emissions as renewable energy becomes more viable'

‘Driving up the demand for hydrogen opens up different investment models’ electricity to pump water from a reservoir to a higher elevation. This is one of the most efficient ways of storing energy – but relies on very large-scale geographical solutions. Most of the sites where PSH could be effective are in use and creating new sites would have a significant impact on the environment.”

Large-scale battery storage facilities offer another way to store electricity. The recently completed Pelham Battery Storage Project in Hertfordshire can store up to 50MW and release it to add capacity to the grid when needed. “Its big advantage is flexibility and speed of reaction. But battery storage facilities tend to have a relatively short discharge time – making them less suitable for prolonged shortages of power,” states Griffin.

A third option, however, is hydrogen. Using electrolysis, hydrogen can act as a very cost-effective energy store, which has similar performance to PSH without requiring suitable geographical features. “The flexibility of the proton exchange membrane technology used within the electrolyser enables the electrolysis process to be switched on and off very quickly to help balance the grid. Its long discharge time – particularly when stored at scale – makes it a natural choice to complement battery and hydro as a means of balancing the grid,” he adds.

City councils can benefit from financial incentives A shift towards large-scale hydrogen storage will also provide a supply of affordable clean fuel for transport. By investing in largescale hydrogen projects, city councils can benefit from financial incentives offered for grid balancing and put the infrastructure in place needed to decarbonise transport hubs. These refuelling stations

could also be made available to the public – a potential game changer in terms of the cost of hydrogen at the pump.

Finally, large-scale hydrogen storage facilities will help support the grid as renewables become a larger part of the energy mix – bringing benefits to everyone involved. “The UK grid benefits from increased flexibility, while hydrogen storage facility owners benefit from financial incentives offered for grid balancing activities,” states Griffin. “Transport companies then benefit from reduced prices in hydrogen fuel. And of course, everybody benefits from lower transport emissions and reduced carbon emissions as renewable energy becomes more viable.”

While the initial investment required for hydrogen storage is high, it becomes feasible for city councils and local authorities when they begin converting transport hubs to hydrogen power.

“When cities are able to commit to fleets of 50-100 vehicles or more, the economics of hydrogen refuelling change dramatically, adds Griffin. “Driving up demand for large volumes of hydrogen opens the door to different investment models, including the option to have BOC fund the capital cost of the refuelling station.”

One of the best examples of this is the Kittybrewster refuelling station in Aberdeen.

BOC worked with Aberdeen City Council to develop and install a tailored, state-of-the-art hydrogen refuelling station at Kittybrewster.

The facility produces green hydrogen from electrolysis on site. Hydrogen is stored as a compressed gas until it is needed and then pumped into vehicles, much like refuelling a petrol or diesel vehicle. The station opened in 2015 and was originally designed to refuel single-deck buses. In 2018 it was scaled up to offer public refuelling of cars and vans, with further upgrades to accommodate double decker buses.

Griffin adds: “With an expanding fleet of hydrogen buses and other vehicles, Aberdeen City is now reaping the rewards of hydrogen as a fuel. With the potential to provide energy storage and grid balancing services, there are opportunities to develop the role of hydrogen even further.” 

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DIRECTORY CONTACTS

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Cooling

Controls & Inverters

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Meters - Water, Oil, Gas & Heating Lighting Controls

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Meters Heat Networks

Temperature Sensors

METERING DOCTORS LET US SOLVE YOUR METERING PROBLEMS

To find out more about promoting your business to over

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For more information on how we can help, Tel: 01628 664056 Email: enquiries@meteringtech.com www.energymeteringtechnology.com

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