SEPTEMBER 2020
PROMOTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY
www.eibi.co.uk
In this issue Heating Technology Smart Buildings Humidification CPD Module: Smart Grids
Leading a green recovery Where do we go from here?
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Device interconnection Product and service merging
A new way of working Building smart will cut emissions
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SEPTEMBER 2020
PROMOTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY
www.eibi.co.uk
In this issue
Contents
www.eibi.co.uk
Heating Technology Smart Buildings Humidification CPD Module: Smart Grids
Leading a green recovery Where do we go from here?
Device interconnection Product and service merging
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A new way of working Building smart will cut emissions
04/09/2020 10:31
SEPTEMBER 2020
10 26 FEATURES
10 Heating Technology
Could this project be the future for low-carbon heating and local generation? A collaboration of specialists has led to a new concept in low-carbon living
Andreas Schneider takes a look at how building smart is the only way to cut CO2 emissions and make the best possible use of the space of the offices of the future (26)
Mark Ferris discusses how the latest boilers meet the challenges head-on and have evolved considerably to remain the heat generator of choice (12)
New building automation controllers come to the market, while student accommodation feels the benefits of close control (28)
As energy managers strive to improve energy efficiency in their buildings, heating is a natural target. Dan Martindale looks at the rising use of prefabricated heating technologies (14)
Will Darby looks at how the Internet of Things is accelerating the use of new technology beyond the traditional building management and energy management systems (29)
Heat pump range extended while radiant panels are new to the UK. High-efficiency back up for CHP systems introduced (16)
24 Smart Buildings
30 Humidification
Kas Mohammed explains how smart buildings will help us adjust to a new world where data automation and connected technology will play a fundamental role in workforce management
What are the best conditions for people to work in? Pasquale DeMitrio looks at buildings, people, pathogens and minimising the spread of Covid-19 Close control of humidity is crucial in the manufacture and development of lithium-ion batteries. John Barker looks at the solutions available to make the process safe and reliable (32)
REGULARS 06 News Update Concerns grow over Green Homes Grant while the UK government consults on new standards for electrical appliances. And councils are failing to enforce energy efficiency regulations in rented homes
17 The Fundamental Series: CPD Learning
22 ESTA Viewpoint
Smart grids are likely to play an important role in the energy mix of the future. Dr Richard Bujko looks at how they might work
09 The Warren Report We can now take advantage of the Green Homes Grant. But there is one glaring omission in the technologies available to UK’s homeowners
21 New Products ‘Free for Three’ offer from boiler manufacturer, fan manufacturer adds to portfolio, and guidance on data centre cooling
As hosts of the COP26 summit the UK should be leading the way to a green recovery. But current government policies are falling well short, says Mervyn Pilley
34 Talking Heads As device interconnection continues to grow apace, Pilgrim Beart, the man behind the Hive smart thermostat, believes that the lines between product manufacturer and service provider are increasingly blurred
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 SEPTEMBER 2020 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 03
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Editor’s Opinion
Follow us on @ twitter.com/energyzine and twitter.com/markthrower1
Stampede to stay home
D
www.eibi.co.uk
The EiBI Team Editorial
espite the government’s best efforts to
installation of both lighting systems or new boilers
get us all to return to our offices there
of any kind. Both of these energy-saving options
hasn’t exactly been a stampede to board
have considerable numbers of trained and skilled
Managing Editor Mark Thrower tel: 01483 452854 Email: editor@eibi.co.uk Address: P. O. Box 825, Guildford GU4 8WQ
commuter trains and buses once again.
installers already available. All of these people can
Advertising
now play no part in the process. The reality is that we
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
With many employees being told not to return to
their desks for some time (I know one person who
are stuck with the gas boiler for many more years. So
has no need to show his face before August 2021!)
it is imperative that every effort is made to remove
there is a huge question mark over the future of
older boilers with the latest technology. Lighting has
offices around the country.
been a huge contributory factor in the overall decline
As a result, energy saving in the home should receive a lot more attention. If I’m working from
in electricity use this century. Similarly, those in the glazing and heating controls
home and I’ve got to pay increased heating and
industries – again including thousands of trained,
lighting bills then I should take an interest in doing
experienced operatives – are permitted to install only
this as economically as possible. Which is why, when
“secondary measures”.
it was announced, the Government’s Green Homes
Will this bring to the market the ‘tens of thousands
Russ Jackson tel: 01704 501090 fax: 01704 531090 Email: russ@eibi.co.uk Address: Argyle Business Centre, 8 Leicester Street, Southport, Lancashire PR9 0EZ
Grant seemed like a welcome shot in the arm for the
of new jobs’ the Government hopes it will? I very
entire energy-saving products sector. Unfortunately,
much doubt it. The current workforce will take up the
the reality is turning out to be somewhat different.
increase in demand. Had there also been a cut in VAT,
Even though grants may be available worth up to
for example, on energy-saving products to 5 per cent
£5,000 per home, if a household receives £1,000 to
then there would have been an upsurge in demand
pay for primary measures (predominantly air source
for insulation, lighting and heating controls, thus
and ground source heat pumps), they can qualify for
benefitting suppliers and home owners alike.
Classified sales
MANAGING EDITOR
Circulation
Mark Thrower
Sue Bethell Tel: 01889 577222 Email: circulation@eibi.co.uk
only a maximum of £1,000 towards any “secondary measures”. And in all cases, the householder must pay at least one-third of the costs. This entirely excludes any assistance for the
Nathan Wood tel 01525 716 143 fax 01525 715 316 Email nathan@eibi.co.uk Address: 1b, Station Square Flitwick, Bedfordshire MK45 1DP Sharon Nutter Tel: 01889 577222 Email: classified@eibi.co.uk
Administration/ production Fran Critchlow Tel: 01889 577222 Email: info@eibi.co.uk
THIS MONTH’S COVER STORY A ground breaking project in Berlin could show the way to the way homes are built and operated. Residents of the Future Living Berlin development can generate up to 90 per cent of their own electricity through air-towater heat pumps, and solar photovoltaics linked to a battery storage system. The FLB project comprises 90 residential apartments and 10 commercial units in the Smart City Quarter technology hub in the south of the city. The main technology provider, Panasonic has installed 17 Aquarea heat pumps on the site along with 600 HIT PV panels. See page 10 for more details Cover photo courtesy of Panasonic
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 | SEPTEMBER 2020
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Intelligent cooling. No cold drafts. # $ # " #" # $# ! # ! !"% # cool without any cold drafts. It provides intelligent home % # ! !"%#% $#%!#$ "%# ! %"! $#% %# %#%!# your personal preferences, automatically maintaining optimal conditions.
samsung.com/wind-free-comfort
Step 1
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The front panel opens, and Fast Cooling mode cools the room # "! # !" "#%!# !" "
The set temperature is reached in Fast Cooling mode, and the front panel closes.
Wind-Free™ mode spreads fresh air uniformly through thousands of micro-holes.
Wind-Free™ Cooling
Smart Operation
Energy Efficiency
Wind-Free™ Cooling technology uses thousands of micro-holes to disperse fresh air evenly without having residents experience any unpleasant blasts of cold wind. In Wind-Free™ mode air is spread softly and silently, creating a ‘Still Air’ environment1 that provides residents total well-being during day and night.
AI Auto Comfort2 introduces you to an intelligent way of living. It analyses your room conditions and usage patterns3, and then automatically adjusts the temperature. Temperatures can also be managed remotely using the SmartThings App4. Turning it on and off, selecting the cooling mode or scheduling its operation is just one touch away.
Samsung’s compressor with Digital Inverter Boost technology helps you to save on energy consumption. &%$#$%"! # ! # %$# # # "# " $ # # # !! # # % ! %# $% # " # # # " % ! $# # ! $ # $#%!# # # # cooling, the compressor optimises power usage which allows to minimise energy consumption.
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eibi.co.uk/enquiries Enter 4
news update For all the latest news stories visit www.eibi.co.uk
Renewables set new records Renewable generation shot up by 32 per cent in the second quarter of 2020 as biomass, wind and solar set new generation records. At one point renewable electricity sources were providing almost 70 per cent of Britain’s electricity. Analysis, conducted via Imperial Consultants, by academics from Imperial College London for Drax Electric, showed that emissions fell by a third compared to the same quarter last year, and the carbon intensity of electricity fell to an all-time low of 21g/kWh on the Spring Bank Holiday. At the same time wholesale power prices plummeted 42 per cent from same quarter last year as demand reduced. The report adds that the cost to balance the grid rose to over £100m per month as pumped hydro storage and CCGTs called on to manage low demand and high generation from wind and solar sources. Dr Iain Staffell of Imperial College London, and lead author of the quarterly Electric Insights reports, said: “The past few months have given the country a glimpse into the future for our power system, with higher levels of renewable energy and lower demand make for a difficult balancing act. To help the country decarbonise further it is vital that flexible technologies which provide power and system stability play an increasing role in our grid.” Alongside keeping power supply and demand perfectly in balance, National Grid ESO must also stabilise the system. It does this by ensuring there is not just the right amount of megawatts available to meet demand – but also the right kind of MWs. During Q2 wind and solar power provided a lot of the electricity required by the grid, which helped the carbon intensity fall to 153g/kWh averaged over the quarter – its lowest on record. However, these technologies are unable to provide all the services needed to stabilise the system, such as inertia, which is essential for maintaining the grid’s frequency at 50Hz and preventing power cuts.
GOVERNMENT-FUNDED SCHEME FOR HOUSEHOLDERS
Green Homes Grant worries increase There are growing concerns as to whether the new Green Homes Grant scheme can succeed in supporting the 100,000 jobs and improving energy usage in the 600,000 existing homes which Chancellor Rishi Sunak originally promised when he announced it (see EiBI July/August 2020). This will be the first Governmentfunded scheme open to every householder for over thirty years. The grants will not begin until late this month. All related work under the £2bn scheme needs to be completed and invoiced before next April. Work can be undertaken only by “installers accredited with TrustMark, working to specified standards with robust consumer protection practices.” Concern is being expressed focussing upon the very restrictive range of measures that are deemed to qualify to help ordinary private sector householders (a separate scheme is available for social housing). 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, in late August a final definitive eligible product list was published on the relevant government website, “Simple Energy Advice”. This entirely excluded any assistance for the installation of both lighting systems or new 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. Similarly, those in the glazing and heating controls industries are permitted to install only “secondary measures”. These can only be included if at least one of the primary measures have already been commissioned. And, crucially, “secondary measures” can only be “subsidised up to the cash amount of subsidy provided for a primary measure.”
So even though grants may be available worth up to £5,000 per home, if a household receives £1,000 to pay for primary measures, they can qualify for only a maximum of £1,000 towards any “secondary measures”. And in all cases, the householder must pay at least one-third of the costs. There are two categories of “primary” measures. These are lowcarbon heat, predominantly air source and ground source heat pumps. Last year, just 30,000 heat pumps were installed in homes in Britain. In contrast, around 1.6m condensing gas boilers were put in. While the Government website states clearly that “for low-carbon heating to be installed, households will need to have adequate insulation”, it is unclear how this is to be enforced. All forms of insulation are rated as “primary” measures, except curiously hot water tank insulation. The Committee on Climate Change has warned that the numbers currently employed in installing established retrofit installation measures for lofts, roofs and cavity walls has fallen by over 90 per cent since 2012. Currently, there is no commitment at all to continue with any energy-saving stimulus programme after March 2021.
Heat pumps ‘to play key role’ in net-zero London Heat pumps will have a critical role in tackling emissions from London’s buildings and delivering the Mayor’s 2030 net zero ambitions, according to a new report from the Carbon Trust. ‘Heat pump retrofit in London,’ commissioned by the Mayor of London, includes detailed analysis of the potential to retrofit heat pumps across a range of existing buildings in London and recommends an action plan for scaling up energy efficiency and heat pump retrofit across the capital. The report will help guide local authorities, social housing providers and others considering a heat pump retrofit, highlighting the principles of good practice system design. Decarbonising heat is London’s biggest challenge to achieving net zero emissions. Natural gas, used mainly for heating buildings and water, accounts for 37 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions in London. To achieve the Mayor’s net zero target by 2030, London will need to make a rapid transition from gas to low-carbon heat solutions, the majority of which will be retrofitted into existing buildings, as at least 80 per cent of buildings are expected to still be standing in 2050. Additionally, a prerequisite for the roll out of heat pumps in many buildings will be improved thermal
energy efficiency, which is likely to require significant investment from central government, alongside investment and co-ordination with local authorities and the private sector. Retrofitting energy efficiency measures, combined with heat pumps, provides multiple benefits including reducing energy bills, and enabling the heat pump to operate more efficiently.
06 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | SEPTEMBER 2020
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news update For all the latest news stories visit www.eibi.co.uk
UK CAN SET OWN REGULATIONS FROM JANUARY
IN BRIEF
Consultation on appliance standards
Manufacturer set for rebranding
The government has been running a public consultation on how best to set ambitious new climate-friendly standards for electrical appliances. Most of these are already subject to Europe-wide agreements. When the UK leaves the EU on January 1, it will be able to set its own product regulations. Previously, these have always been agreed across the entire European Union, via the Eco Design directive. UK government statistics have shown that the most cost-effective energy efficiency policies for every category of consumer are those standards for energy-using products. Official figures have stated that, before lockdown occurred, it had been anticipated that during 2020 European product policies were together already saving the average UK household £153 a year, the average SME £17,000, and larger businesses around £62,000 on their fuel bills. Minister for Energy and Clean Growth, Kwasi Kwarteng said: “After
Ideal Boilers is to rebrand as Ideal Heating, to future-proof the positioning of its increasingly diverse range of products and solutions. The brand has offered cylinders and controls with its awardwinning range of domestic combi, system and heat-only boilers – alongside a comprehensive product range for the commercial market. The move is designed to communicate Ideal’s total heating system offering, with further expansion into low carbon technologies planned for the coming months.
we exit the transition period, we will be able to go even further and faster than the EU to set energy efficiency rules on new appliances. “Improving energy efficiency standards of the fridges, ovens and washing machines we all rely on will help save consumers money on their energy bills, while helping us meet our zero emissions target by 2050.” An additional option is setting requirements for smart appliances that can automatically adapt their energy usage in response to signals, such as the price of electricity, to save consumers money. Government analysis shows that if
the UK raised the minimum energy performance standards for the 5m ovens and hobs sold annually by one energy class, from A to A+, it could stop up to 300,000 tonnes of CO2 being released each year. Other areas for improvement under consideration include developing energy labels beyond the familiar A to F ratings, to include displaying the lifetime energy costs at the point of purchase. Changes could also include providing additional information such as the current cost of running a product, its repairability, re-usability, recyclability, and durability. All helping consumers make more informed choices. Head of home products and services at Which?, Natalie Hitchins, welcomed the Government’s call for higher energy standards. She said: “The chance to update and adapt energy product labelling to better suit consumers and wider UK needs could lead to improved overall standards for energy efficiency.”
First SMETS2 meter operates Britain’s first ever SMETS2 ‘three-phase’ smart meter has been installed at a property in Gloucestershire, marking a significant milestone for the country’s transition to a smarter, greener energy system. The device — which will provide homes and businesses on a ‘threephase’ electricity supply with the option of a smart meter — was installed by meter asset provider SMS plc at the home where there is a 12kW solar power array, electrified heating as well as an electric vehicle.
Retrofit plan could create 500k jobs
Yü Group buys up B2B portfolio of Bristol Energy Independent utility supplier to UK business, Yü Group plc, has acquired the B2B customer portfolio of ailing Bristol Energy Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bristol City Council. Yü Group has paid £1.24m in cash on completion and, as part of the acquisition, has acquired £1.0m of receivables of which the majority is due for payment to Yü Group in August 2020. A further £100,000 is payable by the group deferred for three months. In addition, the group has assumed liabilities totalling £580,000 payable in August 2021. The B2B book, for the financial year to 31 March 2020, showed revenues of £15.2m and generated an operating
loss of £0.48m. Yü Group will gain 4,000 meter points to its portfolio of 9,800, an increase of 40 per cent. Bristol Energy’s portfolio comprises a range of gas and electricity supply contracts running for up to three years, servicing a range of public sector and business customers. However, the acquisition does not include Bristol Energy’s forward commodity purchases. Bristol Energy management will provide full support for Yü Group throughout the transition of the contracts. Bristol Energy was put up for sale in June, just a month after Bristol City Council announced it wanted to cut its ties with the company.
A plan to retrofit 8.7m homes by 2023/24 could create over 500,000 new jobs, reduce household carbon emissions by 21 per cent by 2023/24 and cut household bills by an average of £418, according to new research published by the New Economics Foundation (NEF). NEF analysis of over 30 independent forecasts for the UK economy shows that GDP is set to be £136bn (2019 prices, 6 per cent) lower by the end of 2021 compared with pre-Covid forecasts, unless government takes action now. However, a four-year programme to retrofit millions of UK homes could boost annual economic activity by £28bn by 2021 compared to previous forecasts, and by £36bn by 2023/24.
SEPTEMBER 2020 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 07
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news update For all the latest news stories visit www.eibi.co.uk
Trump seeks shower reversal America’s President Trump has spent much of his first four years in office seeking to reduce established energy efficiency standards for many familiar items, from lightbulbs via clothes washers and dryers to boilers, and to cars and vans. But now, in the midst of a pandemic, the US Government is following up on Trump’s campaign pledge to get “rid of the restrictors” on showerheads. This is just part of his repeated false complaint that toilets, taps, and other household fixtures have all been ruined by efficiency standards. New rules will permit the reintroduction of showerheads that waste enormous amounts of water and energy, increasing utility bills and greenhouse gas emissions. This profligate showerhead proposal coincides with a new detailed study, published in the journal Science, which found that a “vast region of the western United States, extending from California, Arizona and New Mexico north to Oregon and Idaho, is in the grips of the first climate change-induced megadrought.” Currently, three-quarters of the showerhead models for sale use at least 20 per cent less water than the maximum allowed nationally This is mainly due to six states, comprising about 25 per cent of the U.S. population, having their own tighter showerhead standards. These measures have strong support in Congress, where any relaxing of standards would be rejected. So Trump is trying to get round the original 1994 law, which set a 2.5 gallon-per-minute maximum flow rate per showerhead standard. His proposal encourages manufacturers to make giant showerheads with several nozzles within them. Official test procedures will be altered to characterise each of those separate nozzles as a separate showerhead. The latest multi-nozzle showerheads would not only needlessly waste water, exacerbating shortages caused by drought. They would also boost carbon pollution from the electricity and gas used to power the shower. No one benefits from this gimmick.
ILLEGAL LETTING OUT OF PROPERTIES
Councils failing to enforce regulations Councils are failing to enforce energy efficiency regulations designed to protect renters living in the least energy-efficient homes. Fewer than six per cent of borough and district councils across England and Wales have taken any enforcement action against landlords illegally letting out properties with the lowest energy efficiency ratings. Since April 2018, it has been illegal for a landlord to start new tenancies for any property with energy performance certificate rating of F or G. In April 2020, this rule was expanded to cover all tenancies. The rules now mean that 290,000 rented homes – almost half of which house tenants living in fuel poverty – should receive improvements. One landlord told the i newspaper,
which undertook the survey: “Are people from the council coming out and asking to look at your Energy Performance Certificate? The answer is no. It is simply not being policed.” The Government estimates it will cost an average of £1,200 to £2,000 to bring an F or G rated property up to standard, and landlords can claim an exemption if costs exceed £3,500. As of early March, 9,269 exemptions had
been registered with the government for domestic properties. But fears are mounting that thousands of landlords flouting the rules are going unpunished. Of the 268 local authorities which responded to a Freedom of Information request from the i asking for enforcement details, only 17 had taken any enforcement action. Since 2018 a total of 449 compliance notices and just 17 financial penalties have been issued for breaches of the law. The most inefficient domestic properties are up to 2°C colder in winter than the most efficient ones. Bills are high, too – costing £1,000 more a year to heat. Many struggle to afford this: during winter 2018-19, 17,000 people in the UK died due to cold housing conditions.
TfL tests contract to buy direct from generators Transport for London, London’s single largest consumer of electricity, has launched a market test to be supplied with renewable power direct from generators. By changing the way electricity is supplied, the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, and TfL are seeking to move towards a greater use of renewable energy as a key measure in helping tackle the climate emergency. The aim is that all electricity requirements for the Underground are met via zero carbon sources by 2030. All passenger rail services operated by TfL are electrically powered and, as part of the London Environment Strategy, the Mayor has set TfL the goal of achieving a zero-carbon railway by 2030. TfL is one of the largest consumers of electricity in the UK, with a requirement for 1.6TWh per
annum, equivalent to the electricity consumed by over 437,000 homes which is 12 per cent of homes across London. TfL currently source electricity directly from the National Grid via the Crown Commercial Service. By developing plans to purchase power from renewable generators through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), TfL would enable the rail network to be supplied by
energy sources including wind and solar power, rather than a mix of power generators that emit carbon into the atmosphere. The market testing will explore all elements of these contracts so TfL can secure a good deal for London and will also look at the potential for meeting the GLA group’s wider demand for renewable electricity - a total of 143 GWh which includes Greater London Authority (GLA), London Fire Commissioner (LFC), Transport for London (TfL), Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and Old Oak Common and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC).
Bodies call for 5% VAT on energy-saving products A group of energy trade bodies is calling for the reinstatement of the 5 per cent rate of VAT on energy-saving materials and products. In a letter to Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, the Association for Decentralised Energy, Regen and the Electricity Storage Network, Energy UK, the Renewable Energy Association, RenewableUK and the Solar Trade Association, say that the qualifying
technologies should also be expanded to include storage, air-source heat pumps and EV charging equipment. The call comes in response to opposition to the increase last year of VAT on small-scale solar and storage systems. In addition, the bodies are asking the Government to provide temporary tax relief as a means of boosting the industry, giving confidence to investors
and allowing shovel-ready projects to immediately come forward. As part of a green recovery the bodies believe that clean energy technologies could provide 3m job-years and add over £125bn to the economy. They are asking for temporary rates relief in order to jump start these projects, but also looking to longer term reform, to ensure clean technologies pay their fair share of rates.
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09.20
THE WARREN REPORT
Andrew Warren is chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation
Why has lighting been left in the dark? We can now take advantage of the Green Homes Grant. But there is one glaring omission in the technologies available to UK’s homeowners
T
his month the Government’s Green Homes Grant scheme begins its life. This is the first publicly funded scheme offering grants to any household, no matter how affluent, to encourage installation of a wide range of energy saving products since the original Homes Insulation Grant scheme was abandoned back in 1988. Over the next six months, £1.5bn has been allocated to offer two-thirds of the costs of installing energy saving –products interestingly the exact same percentage as was on offer for the 15 years of that original scheme. There are two fundamental differences. The first is that individual households can now receive up to £5,000 from the Treasury. And the second is that every single measure must be installed by an official tradesperson, each with qualifications acknowledged under the TrustMark scheme. So, no DIY rolling out insulation in lofts. No fitting your own thermostatic radiator valves. And certainly, no internal wall linings done by old Bob, who used to work in the building trade years ago. The over-riding objective is to provide registered employment within the construction industry. Tens of thousands of new jobs will be delivered, according to Business Secretary, Alok Sharma. And that sadly means that one of the products that has already brought some of the greatest electricity savings of all, but has the potential to deliver so much more, has been unceremoniously disbarred from entry from the entire grants scheme. When, in early July, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the grants scheme, briefings were sent out to all the media
Average cost per household (assuming average is 16p/KWh)
Year
Energy
% Drop since 1990
1990
26.6TWh
0
2007
20.7TWh
22%
£127.40
2010
19.3TWh
27%
£118.77
2016
14.2TWh
47%
£87.38
2025
2.6TWh
89%
£16
explaining what products would qualify. In the list, as reproduced endlessly, was “energy-efficient lighting”. But when one month later the Government issued its definitive list of qualifying products, there was no mention of anything to do with lighting. What might have caused this U-turn? There was a warning from the world’s most powerful man, the Tweetmaster-inchief. It concerned the merits (or in his view the demerits) of installing LED lamps.
£164
Average UK household spend on lighting from 1990
Lightbulbs 'can cause cancer' I quote verbatim from a tweet issued by Donald Trump at 8.39 a.m. on July 17. It reads: “Remember, new ‘environment friendly’ lightbulbs can cause cancer. Be careful - the idiots who came up with this stuff just don’t care.” Or it may have been the knowledge that opinion surveys of LEAVE voters in the 2016 referendum reveal that buying lightbulbs familiar to the late Victorians, is up there as a “patriotic” icon akin to blue passports and selling vegetables by the pound rather than the kilo. Which
‘Lighting is one of the main reasons why overall electricity consumption has fallen by 16 per cent over the past 15 years’
means that there is a portion of the population that may well regard more environmentally friendly lightbulbs with hostility. Already much attention has been given to the undeniable fact that both the compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), and latterly the LEDs, which have been replacing incandescent lightbulbs, are so much more expensive to purchase. This places, it is argued, a quite unreasonable burden upon, in particular, “just about managing” households. What receives rather less attention are two key benefits that more modern illumination technologies bring. The first is their relative greater longevity. The second is that they require much less electricity to provide the same amount of illumination. And there is the (occasional) complaint that these new-fangled bulbs simply don’t provide as much light as the originals they replace is entirely soluble. The Observer recently splashed complaints from those in County Down, Northern Ireland living close to a lighthouse regarding its changeover to LEDs, with just a paragraph devoted to the positive response of the mariners such a lighthouse exists to assist. The proof of how important modern lighting can be comes in the remarkable table (above) prepared by the Lighting Association. In 2016, at the time of the last survey, the average household spent just £87.38 each year on lighting - only 17 per cent of the electricity bill. If consumption levels had remained as in 1990, the average household would now have been paying out £164 a year for illumination. The Lighting Association reckons that if, LEDs can replace all incandescents by 2025, then household lighting bills will have dropped to just £16 p.a. An annual financial saving of £148 per household. Lighting is one of the main reasons why overall electricity consumption has fallen by 16 per cent over the past 15 years. Sadly, there will apparently be no means of assisting this trend coming from the new Grant scheme. Which given the need to combat the absurd prejudices I cited earlier, could prove a serious missed opportunity.
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Heating Technology For further information on Panasonic visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 125
Housing for the future Could this project be the future for low-carbon heating and local generation? A collaboration of specialists has led to a new concept in sustainable living
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ground-breaking project in Berlin could show the way to the way homes are built and operated. Residents of the Future Living Berlin development can generate up to 90 per cent of their own energy needs through air-to-water heat pumps, and solar photovoltaics linked to a battery storage system. The FLB project comprises 90 residential apartments and 10 commercial units in the Smart City Quarter technology hub in the south of the city. Groundbreaking for the units by developer GSW Sigmaringen was in July 2017, with the heat pump installation taking place in December 2019. The main technology provider, Panasonic, has installed 17 Aquarea heat pumps on the site along with 600 HIT PV panels. Panasonic has also developed an intelligent energy management solution to optimise the use of energy and couple electricity with the heating sector. Ralf Becker, project leader energy group, Panasonic R&D Centre Europe, said: “The solution is a world first, developed as a joint-venture with leading research institutions for decentralised energy management. In simulations
Photovoltaics and heat pumps combine to supply residents at Future Living Berlin with up to 90 per cent of energy needs
together with university test labs we achieved an improvement of used energy by up to 15 per cent.” Utilising the renewable energy, the air to water system is used for space heating and warm water generation but can also be used for cooling. For increased performance, the heat pumps include a cloud-based connectivity feature for installers called Aquarea Service Cloud which makes them even more reliable. It saves further CO2 emissions as maintenance visits can be organised much more efficiently and partly even conducted remotely.
To achieve further sustainable and green objectives, residents can take advantage of green car sharing, and shared washing machines.
Digital and connected goal The digital and connected goal of Future Living Berlin starts within the residential apartments. The equipment follows the idea of being smart and connected. Panasonic TVs and smart speakers are part of an overall IoT infrastructure, which includes an apartment manager as the central hub. Digital and connected solutions
are further extended to include wider security, safety, and smart building solutions that enhance the overall comfort of residents. This comfort is enhanced by very high building standards. Triple glazing is standard, making the heat requirement very low. According to Birgid Eberhardt, head of smart home at GSW, air source heat pumps were preferred for two reasons. “The climate conditions in Berlin are better suited to air source and the very sandy ground conditions would make ground source extremely expensive and unsafe.” FLB is taking advantage of German Mieterstrom regulation or ‘tenantgeneration.’ Residents can choose the microgeneration package as an option from the energy provider Polarstern. The price of electricity is around 15 per cent cheaper than the alternative from the grid, FLB says. Panasonic has no doubts that the technologies could be reproduced elsewhere in Europe. “There is ample scope to reproduce it in the UK,” Enrique Vilamitjana, managing director Panasonic AC & Heating Europe told EiBI. “We need to find the right partners but we are definitely looking at the UK,” he added. “This market has always been promising but the German market has been difficult, too. Now with a good framework in place we see a market growing 30 per cent a month. This will happen in the UK. We are offering the ability to optimise energy performance – to offer technology that solves the complexity issues.” Although Panasonic is working on hydrogen projects in Japan, Vilamitjana does not believe there will be “a realistic hydrogen market for a while. There is some way to go.” Panasonic has been working on similar projects in Japan for the last six years. At Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town (SST), 50km north west of Tokyo, more than 1,500 residents have moved into the over 500 detached houses. The aim here is to reduce CO2 emissions by 70 per cent (compared to 1990) and water use by 30 per cent. A third of energy comes from renewables. The town includes PV panels, battery storage, and residential smart energy management systems. And also features a domestic-sized hydrogen fuel cell.
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Mark Ferris is key account and training manager at ELCO Heating Solutions
For further information on ELCO Heating Solutions visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 126
View things differently Mark Ferris discusses how the latest boilers meet the challenges head-on and have evolved considerably to remain the heat generator of choice
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n paper, specifying the correct commercial boiler for a project is simple. But as many a building services engineer can testify, not every boiler is the same – even if their specifications match! Indeed, when it comes to comparing the gas-fired commercial units on the market today, there are still vast number of options available, but some significant differences beneath their white metal exteriors. So, how do building services engineers specify the right units for a project? First, it’s important to remember that, despite manufacturers hitting the ‘ceiling’ of achievable efficiencies, commercial boilers are continuing to develop and evolve, with the aggregate of smaller, marginal gains helping to offer improved performances – even if they are not always in plain sight. The main area of focus for established manufacturers is a commercial boiler’s heat exchanger. This vital component requires careful examination, as it will heavily reflect on a unit’s longterm performance and its lifetime efficiency. Inside a heat exchanger’s complex fusion of metals lies an extremely harsh environment, which puts an appliance under tremendous stress from the very first minute it’s fired. As a result, this requires careful attention for a number of reasons. Despite most boiler efficiencies plateauing in recent years, it is still critical to maximise heat transfer in a heat exchanger. As a result, manufacturers spend hundreds of man hours carefully designing water flows to ensure they are as turbulent as possible, alongside bespoke burner designs and ‘flame pictures’. This combined approach enhances heat transfer and extracts every possible joule of energy from the water. In addition, it is becoming more common for a heat exchanger to utilise laser-welded fin tubes. This
Boilers continue to develop thanks to the targeting of marginal improvements
attention to detail further promotes the best possible heat transfer between tube and fin.
NOx emissions criteria Of course, there is another key attribute to any modern gas condensing boiler and that relates to its NOx emissions. This is certainly not a new concept for specifiers and building services engineers, as promoting the use of low emission levels has been used in the environmental assessment scheme BREEAM since 1990. The ‘Pol 02 NOx emissions’ project criteria under BREEAM aims to ‘encourage the supply of heat from a system that minimises NOx emissions, and therefore reduce pollution of the local environment’. NOX emissions are given greater credit under BREEAM, offering the maximum two credits to the assessment criteria. Another consideration when examining a commercial boiler’s heat exchanger is whether it has evolved in any way. It is often assumed that boiler technology cannot be reinvented, or indeed viewed differently during the design process. ELCO Heating Solutions has taken a new stance on boiler design, especially where the heat exchanger is concerned. For example, our new THISION L
PLUS and TRIGON L PLUS units have built-in redundancy, thanks to their dual heat exchanger design. This creates a cascade system within one boiler, with the two heat exchangers capable of working independently from each other. Such an approach has huge benefits, offering a cascade setup for enhanced turndowns, plus built-in backup should one heat exchanger require attention. We have also developed these latest boilers to include optimised combustion zones to achieve the very best NOx results. In fact, both of our new units achieve annual NOx emissions of less than 24mg/kWh – with specific models reaching 21.7mg/kWh, in accordance with EN
15502. This level of manufacturing expertise ensures all boilers are future proofed against any upcoming tightening of standards in the near future. An important aspect to consider when specifying a commercial boiler is the material a heat exchanger is manufactured from. This is absolutely key – not only for the boiler’s immediate operation, but throughout its entire lifetime. Stainless steel is often chosen because its properties allow a heat exchanger to maintain published performance figures for its entire operating cycle. However not all materials behave in the same manner, for example some aluminium heat exchangers have shown a reduction in efficiency over their lifetime, due to gradual corrosion of the metal (on the gas side) under certain conditions. The acidic nature of products of combustion (pH about 5 for natural gas) can affect aluminium – and detailed castings – over time, with a subsequent possible reduction in heat transfer efficiency. If the pH is outside the values of 4-9, then the protective layer (alumina) is likely to be removed and heavy corrosion may take place. Stainless steel, on the other hand, has an inherent resistance to corrosion, which is especially important when a heat exchanger is exposed to the demanding conditions inside a boiler’s hydraulic system. As outlined, not all commercial boilers are necessarily the same; many models remain static in an advancing market, whereas others continue to develop and evolve, thanks to the targeting of those marginal improvements. For specifiers and building services engineers selecting a boiler, examining the different heat exchangers, emissions levels and materials used are three crucial starting points. As a result, it will soon become clear which models are pushing the boundaries and those that are not!
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Dan Martindale is commercial sales director at Baxi Heating
For further information on Baxi Heating visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 127
The rise of prefabrication As energy managers strive to improve energy efficiency in their buildings, heating is a natural target. Dan Martindale looks at the rising use of prefabricated heating technologies
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n recent months, COVID-19 has, understandably, been at the forefront of our attention. But while the crisis may have forced many energy managers to reflect on their processes, prioritising the energy efficiency of their building stock continues to make perfect economic and environmental sense. A reliable, well-controlled heating system will not only minimise building running costs in these difficult times but is central to generating a comfortable and productive environment for returning occupants. And with more fresh air needing to be brought into a building’s HVAC system or windows opened to improve ventilation and prevent transmission of the virus, the heating system will need to work even harder to optimise thermal comfort. In the many buildings that still rely on old or failing boiler plant for their heating, upgrading to modern, highly efficient condensing boiler technology remains one of the most cost-effective solutions. The challenge is to adhere to the safety guidance around such work while still achieving the required highquality results. Fortunately, technology is already available that can help ensure both quality installation and on-site safety at all times. One such option is to use prefabricated heating equipment. Off-site fabrication is wellestablished in construction as a means of delivering quality, customisation and cost benefits with reduced waste. On larger-scale heating projects, off-site manufactured packaged plant solutions are increasingly used to achieve the same benefits and more. By carrying out most of the manufacturing off-site, using specialist machinery in a qualitycontrolled factory environment, the highest build quality can be achieved through improved control procedures and end-of-line testing. At the same time, this technique reduces waste, leading to a lower environmental impact.
The opportunity to use prefabricated rig systems for multiple boiler installations brings multiple benefits
‘We are exploring the feasibility of integrating clean hydrogen’ When it comes to boiler replacement projects, the opportunity to use prefabricated rig systems for multiple boiler installations again brings numerous benefits. The prefabricated rig systems approach can be applied to the full range of installation sizes from single boiler systems to multiple high output wall hung or floor standing boiler arrangements. Turnkey solutions like these minimise disruption through faster project completion, reduce safety issues through controlled off-site fabrication and maximise energy savings benefits through best quality installation.
Mini plant room system What exactly do we mean by a prefabricated rig system? Effectively, it is a mini plant room system, complete with a bespoke configuration of boilers, pumps, low loss headers or plate heat exchangers, and ancillary items including a dosing pot and pressurisation unit. The multi-boiler rig arrangement increases the turndown ratio and improves the modulation
capability of the boilers, maximising efficient energy use and reliability. Customised controls and panel can also be integrated into prefabricated rig designs to deliver optimised operation at all times, further reducing energy demand and costs. The rig design also addresses long-term performance as individual boilers can easily be taken off-line for servicing as required, with minimal disruption or impact on system performance. Manufacturer ‘flat pack’ cascade packages are, of course, widely available to simplify multiple boiler installation. But they still require a significant amount of on-site assembly work. In contrast, a prefabricated rig system is designed and delivered pre-assembled as a complete package, ready for easy connection to the system. With installation and commissioning taking just days rather than weeks, using a solution like this dramatically reduces any system downtime for building users. It also provides energy and facilities managers with the opportunity to carry out numerous boiler room refurbishment projects within
the same fixed time scale, and the ability to complete any previously interrupted projects across their sites swiftly and safely. Crucially, in the current climate, prefabricated rig systems remove the need for ‘hot works’ and any on-site fabrication related to the boiler assembly. This enables health and safety requirements to be more easily met and policed for the benefit of both site workers and building occupants. Good manufacturers will offer either bespoke-designed or standard prefabricated rig systems to provide rapid, flexible solutions for plant rooms of all sizes. A key benefit of the bespoke rig system is that all project and site requirements – from space and access limitations to project-specific controls and optimal pipework for connection to the system – can be resolved from the outset, at the design stage. Typically, each boiler rig system will be designed using BIM tools and 3D computer-aided design (CAD) systems. Front-loading the design in this way provides energy and facilities managers with the opportunity to provide input at the early stages, while bringing assurance of a quality outcome. The drawings then form part of a comprehensive operations and maintenance documentation manual, part of the building’s ‘golden thread’ of information, to facilitate easier future servicing and replacement. Energy efficiency is a key pillar in the UK’s approach to net zero – and action is needed now. We and other manufacturers are actively exploring the feasibility of integrating clean hydrogen into the future energy mix to offer a low disruption solution to low-carbon heating in our older building stock. But while we innovate with future heating technology, it’s important not to neglect the existing opportunities to reduce energy waste and emissions from heat in our buildings.
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Radiant ceiling panels give added heating flexibility
Double addition to heat pump range Rising demand for low carbon heating and hot water solutions has prompted manufacturer Lochinvar to add two new product ranges so that it now offers an extensive portfolio of heat pumps suitable for a wide range of non-domestic applications. Amicus LT air-to-water heat pumps provide low temperature hot water (LTHW) at up to 60°C for space heating and domestic hot water systems. The technology works by capturing energy extracted from ambient air. Amicus Boost water source heat pumps are designed to be used as part of hybrid systems. They extract energy from water sources such as heat recovery and reclaim systems. LT models are suitable for supplying low temperature heating systems such as underfloor heating or hybrid systems with high efficiency gas-fired boilers and water heaters. They can also be integrated with an Amicus Boost heat pump to provide even greater energy and carbon savings. They can achieve a coefficient of efficiency (COP) of 4.61 (more than 400 per cent energy efficiency) at an indicative temperature of 7°C and flow temperatures of 30°C to 35°C. They have heating capacities from 22 to 464kW and will operate successfully at outdoor temperatures as low as -20°C delivering seasonal COP ratings of up to 4.13. The key to the LT’s high efficiency is its use of stage compressors. As the operating temperature approaches set point, the controls automatically turn off one or more of the unit’s compressors. This ensures the heat pump achieves its target output with the lowest possible energy consumption. Amicus Boost heat pumps have heating capacities from 30kW to 496kW. They have a COP of up to 5.14 (over 500 per cent efficiency) and can provide water temperatures up to 78°C. ONLINE ENQUIRY 131
Zehnder Group UK has launched the Zehnder ZFP, range of radiant ceiling panels to ensure businesses and other organisations can heat and cool their buildings comfortably and efficiently, while achieving substantial energy savings. The panels are suitable for a wide-range of environments requiring heating and cooling solutions – from sports halls and showrooms, to logistics facilities, fulfilment centres and factories. Zehnder ZFP delivers a number of benefits and advantages including an optimum indoor climate all year round, while the panels can achieve a proportion of radiation of over 80 per cent. The individual elements of the Zehnder ZFP are designed as an innovative modular system that can be combined with each other according to the project requirements to create tailored project solutions. Each solution is produced to a customer’s exact requirements and supplied in line with the
on-site workflow. The individual product components can be combined to suit the needs of each project. For example, a design for a sports hall may include ball guards, raised headers, perforation and acoustic insulation, while a solution for a logistics hall could incorporate LED light fixtures. David Simões, marketing and product manager - RHC at Zehnder Group UK, said: “The technology… can be operated with a broad range of system temperatures. That is why it can be combined with heat pumps with their lower flow temperatures without any problems.” ONLINE ENQUIRY 133
Back-up boilers meet heat networks’ needs UltraGas 1550 is the latest addition to Hoval’s UltraGas family of ultra-efficient condensing gas boilers (15kW to 2,300kW) with net efficiencies up to 109.9 per cent and average NOx emissions of less than 40mg/kWh. With the growth of heat networks using combined heat and power (CHP) as the primary heat source for base loads, there is also a need for suitable back-up boilers to meet peak heat loads efficiently – as well as appropriate low carbon and renewable heat sources. Hoval general manager, Ian Dagley, explained: “Resilience, reliability, efficiency and low emissions
are all key criteria for heat network projects, and we have a range of products to meet these needs. Our UK-manufactured steel-shell boilers, for example, are ideal for many such projects because of their wellestablished quality and long life. “Many heat network projects also face a problem of limited plant room space, so the latest addition to our UltraGas range, the compact UltraGas 1550 – with a footprint of just 3.3m2 for a capacity of 1,550kW - is proving popular for saving space,” he added. ONLINE ENQUIRY 132
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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 03 | SMART GRIDS
Smart Grids Power On By Dr Richard Bujko PhD,MBA,MSc, BSc
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common definition of a smart grid is a digitally enabled electrical supply system that simply collates and distributes value added energy data. This data is activated by information from the functions of all participants including generation suppliers, network operators and energy demand consumers. The aim is to improve the efficiency, resilience, economics and sustainability of future electricity services and products serving these stakeholders. Key global drivers accelerating the development of the smart grid include the transition to a decarbonised and decentralised energy business model. This is occurring as the percentage of renewable energy on both UK and EU networks rapidly increases and electricity demand is expected to increase with the advent of electric vehicles and heat pumps. Renewable energy sources (RES) represented close to 26 per cent of UK generation in 2019 due mainly to a rapid expansion of onshore and offshore wind farms together with some further expansion of large scale solar farms. When taking into account other low carbon sources such as the existing fleet of nuclear plant and the newly converted large scale biomass stations, the penetration of low- and zero-carbon sources in the UK has risen to 37 per cent1. The EU in their European Smart Grid Technology Platform report (EUR 22040)2 anticipates that electricity demand across the whole of Europe will continue to increase annually on average by 1.4 per cent to 2030 and for RES to sustain its long term growth trajectory from a current baseline of 13 per cent to reach 26 per cent over the next decade. The proliferation of household solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in the UK, now numbering over 1m individual units1 is also reducing net electricity demand at the domestic sector level. However, this is gradually being outweighed by other sources as the UK Government’s Climate Change Policy prioritises
Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) have implemented a fully operational smart grid on Orkney. Their network system monitors and controls the islands’ electrical loads and generation to optimise the total capacity available within their subsea cable interconnection with the Scottish mainland. The smart grid has enabled the same amount of renewable generation to be connected to Orkney’s distribution network as would have been made possible by conventional network reinforcement at a fraction of the cost8. Conventional network upgrading and reinforcement costs of £30m were avoided together with long lead times and a substantial impact on the environment. The total cost of developing and delivering the Orkney Smart Grid was in the order of £0.5m.
decarbonisation and its current target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. In accordance with this sustainability agenda, conventional transportation is being replaced with low-carbon alternatives including plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and battery powered electric vehicles (BEVs). Traditional forms of space and water heating and cooling solutions originally supplied by fossil-fuel boilers and air conditioning systems are gradually being replaced with lower carbon propositions such as (reversible) heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar thermal systems.
'Gateway ' to smart grids The rollout of smart meters across the whole of the residential sector in the UK will provide a ‘gateway’ into the smart grid and allow the individual consumer to become an active player in the new energy marketplace. Owning back-of-the-meter selfgeneration in the form of roof-top solar PV panels in conjunction with battery storage, BEVs and thermal
storage, means the growth of the ‘prosumer’. This new generation will be empowered to offer energy and balancing services to the local distribution network operator. The mass of granular data will demand increased digitisation and encourage the development of microgrids at the community level and virtual power plants. The idea has been posited by ABB Energy Industries3 at a large-scale grid level. It capitalises on special software to allow intelligent trading of energy and capacity services within the new sophisticated energy marketplace. From the 1930s to the late 1960s, power grids comprised mainly of a number of large centrally controlled power generation stations fired predominantly by fossil fuels which supplied electricity via high voltage transmission lines – national grid - in bulk to major load centres. Electricity was subsequently transported by numerous distribution networks to a wide-ranging portfolio of industrial, commercial and residential customers.
Produced in Association with
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The main benefits derived included improved security of supply, reduced operating costs and relatively lower transmission and distribution losses. Over the past decade this traditional ‘business model’ has gradually been transformed with the availability of competitively priced large scale renewable energy sources in the form of offshore and onshore wind farms and solar photovoltaic (PV) farms. In addition, electrical demand has become more dynamic and variable with the replacement of conventional heating systems with low-carbon alternatives and fossil fuelled transportation commonly referred to as e-mobility. The transition to renewable energy sources and distributed but weather–dependent power generation continues to impact the new energy landscape and the challenges of delivering safe and secure operation of the developing smart grid is becoming paramount. This is exacerbated by the significant increase in the total number of small scale and decentralised power generation units which are beginning to dominate the new energy network and compound the unpredictability faced by modern smart Grids.
Ensured perfect balance In the past, electrical systems simply acted as a continuous supply chain which matched instantaneously the supply of electricity from large power stations to customer demand. This ensured a perfect balance as there is little scope for storage to facilitate ‘smoothing’ of critical peak demands especially during the winter months. This challenge will be exacerbated by the acceleration in the number of small-scale distributed generation units whose output will be determined by whether the ‘wind blows’ or ‘the sun shines’. This will be further compounded by the increased complexity associated with flexible and less predictable customer demand and behavioural patterns due predominantly to changes in the frequency, duration and level of charging (in the short to medium term) of a wide range of BEVs and the variation in the output of heat pumps during the winter months. Therefore to operate the electricity system of the future - the smart grid - both securely and safely there will be more reliance on the expertise of skilled control engineers and sophisticated, intelligent control and monitoring systems4. The three main parameters that need to be controlled
Fig 1 and 2 : Smart grids and how they might operate2
for a smart grid are: • frequency – matching generation and demand on a second-by-second basis to guarantee stability of the system and ensure delivery of electricity at a frequency maintained within designated limits; • voltage – generators and transformers ensure that voltages remain stable and electricity is supplied within specified limits; and • current – provision of spare capacity ensures that the current limit of every component and circuit comprising the electrical system is not exceeded and consequently limits the risk of damage or failure and mitigates the potential impact of blackouts. The planned rollout of smart meters at the household level has facilitated the monitoring and control of energy usage in real time at the commercial and domestic level as well as mitigating the inherent intermittency of renewable generation. Apart from the main benefit of being capable of reading meters remotely, smart meters will enable accurate and timely measurement of solar panelderived electricity exported to the grid and facilitate payment measures. In addition, smart meters will help utilities and independent energy suppliers to formulate different electricity tariff structures which reward consumers for demand management services. This is already leading to increased adoption of smart appliances in the domestic sector and home energy management and control systems such as Nest and Hive. The new business model for the supply and consumption of energy that is now evolving places more emphasis on the consumer. The latter can both self-generate and store electricity locally providing them with the possibility to become self-sufficient
and go ‘off-grid’ and even export any surplus power back to the new grid structure. In the past, power flow have always been in one direction from the centralised power stations which controlled both the security and quality of electricity supplies but future smart grids will enable bi-directional energy flows and encourage the growth of ancillary services in flexibility, voltage and frequency management to maintain future security of supplies to critical businesses.
Zero energy emissions One of the key drivers for the development of smart grids is the global transition to achieve a target of zero energy emissions by 2050 or sooner. This has involved decentralisation of legacy fossilfuelled power generation stations and the associated decarbonisation of key activities such as heating and transportation. The universal rollout of smart meters has enabled more accurate monitoring and control of both micro-generation and dynamic demand but has resulted in a plethora of granular energy-related data. The latter has to be constantly synthesised and manipulated by sophisticated communication networks relying on artificial intelligence and detailed algorithms to deliver reliable and resilient power delivery and informative actions. Apart from the domestic sector, local councils are also embracing new developments in technology such as smart LED street lighting systems. These are gradually being integrated with battery storage to provide fast charging electric vehicle (EV) capability particularly for future EV owners without off-street parking. As the battery capacity of future EVs increase, a number of utilities are exploring
the potential commercial benefits of vehicle to grid (VtG) technologies – as well as similar concepts such as Vehicle to Home and Business applications. Aggregators and partnerships between car manufacturers and utilities5 – such as Nissan and EoN – have been formed to trail the provision of demand management services from a collection of to exploit advances in VtG technologies and virtual power plant (VPP) software. This would also allow the incorporation of hydrogenfuelled technologies and fuel cells. Some of the key benefits of smart grid are to: • enhance the connection of low and zero carbon generators; • encourage and reward the entry of new demand management service providers to stabilise the operation of the grid; • facilitate further growth in electricity demand that minimises the reinforcement of existing network capacity or avoids the commissioning of new transmission lines; • reduce the overall carbon footprint of the grid in compliance with the UK Government’s Climate Change agenda and 2050 net zero emissions target. Therefore, unlike traditional network grid structures, a smart gridbased system facilitates two-way communication between established utilities of third party renewable energy providers and their direct and indirect customers allowing future networks to respond dynamically to variable power demand profiles and stabilise network operation. The key challenges include: • the opportunity to immediately manage voltage and frequency on grids to guarantee security and quality of supplies mitigating the impact of total power failure – blackouts – or diminished power delivery capability –
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brownouts. • the incorporation of smart meters will need to be subject to rigorous security evaluation particularly in regards to anonymising individual customer data to ensure data protection; • the extensive use of advanced technologies to identify and resolve system faults in real time and support ‘self-healing’ networks that will minimise the impact on business critical operations and vulnerable household customers; • the adoption of innovative and pragmatic solutions especially involving the distribution grid which has operated historically in a traditional but very reliable fashion for the last 60 years; • the novel and reliable provision of demand, voltage and frequency management services by third parties; • future progress in meeting decarbonisation targets and sustaining a positive trajectory in renewable energy growth and the number of new nuclear plant being commissioned in future years.
Sustainable power system As smart grids mature there is likely to be more congruence with the Internet of Things (IoT) as more advanced telecommunication protocols develop such as 5G permitting the cost-effective integration of all energy users. This will result in the delivery of a high-quality, sustainable power system exhibiting the highest standards of security and quality of power supplies. As governments worldwide are compelled to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy, smart grids will significantly support a more holistic concept which not only encapsulates electricity flows but also incorporates different technologies in the areas of heat, cooling, fuels, transport and water. This new state of the art network will interact proactively within local districts leading to micro-grids as well as in large cities leading to the concept of ’smart cities’. Networking protocols such as ‘Zigbee’ will enable wireless control of household appliances and eventually lead to universal communication and co-ordination between all relevant stakeholders operating home energy management systems. Technical giant Microsoft and the European natural gas utility Snam have recently launched their first Cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) project for energy networks. The ability to collate, process and enhance larger
amounts of data will lead to predictive maintenance operations and more accurate and timely analysis of energy demand through the use of neural networks6. Digitalisation forms a strategic role in Snam’s programme for innovation and the energy transition to low carbon sources in which the company is investing £1.3bn as part of a £5.9bn overall expenditure plan by 2023. Digitisation within the smart grid will offer the capability for all energy consumers to proactively participate in its daily operation. This will be facilitated by rapid technological advances enabling all stakeholders to become more informed, involved and active in the formulation, design, planning and utilisation processes. In addition, there is likely to be more development from IT and software developers of smart grid solutions in areas such as demand flexibility response and the provision of ancillary services in the form of frequency and voltage management. Smart grids will generate a mass of ‘big data’ and as the majority of sophisticated sensors and technologies such as connected edge meters and EV home charging stations will operate at the ‘edge’ of the new grid, they are likely to become more susceptible to cyber attacks. This will also inevitably lead to increased risk and complexity for future IT and communication designers as new protocols such as 5G and advanced artificial learning (AI) develop and become an integral component of future smart grids. Key challenges with granular data will include problems associated with impersonation, data
tampering, authorisation and privacy as well as cyber attacks. The rollout of smart meters can be regarded as one of the preliminary stages of development of the smart grid. This has the dual benefit of providing a compelling business case to the incumbent energy utility by leading to substantial reduction in the labour required to fulfil manual meter readings. In addition, it enhances the accuracy of energy invoices and accelerates the automation of bill processing. Real time access to business energy usage provides increased visibility of manufacturing and commercial activities that can lead to the provision of valuable demand, voltage and frequency management services and other grid-balancing options.
Leverage financial benefits Domestic consumers connected to the ‘edge’ of the new smart grid can leverage the financial benefits of small-scale solar PV generation in combination with battery storage to function as prosumers. It is possible for them to export their excess power to the grid and receive appropriate monetary benefits. The formation of numerous microgrids could develop. These could comprise small energy autonomous communities ‘islanding’ themselves from the main network. The communities will be characterised by sufficient self-generation capability to adequately meet their seasonal energy demand. Alternatively, they have longterm power purchase agreements with reputable and local energy services companies (ESCOs) that supply their
total requirement for energy both in terms of electricity and heating. ESCOs may be operated by established utilities or third-party energy service providers. They generally operate large scale combined heating and power (CHP) units in combination with possibly commercial scale solar photovoltaic farms and battery storage. This arrangement will support the transition to net zero emissions and in particular reduce levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) such as NOx and SOx. Smart grids have also encouraged the development of small-scale virtual power plants (VPPs) which effectively balance renewable generation and variable consumption patterns. They can comprise a network of decentralised power generating units such as wind farms, solar parks, and combined heat and power (CHP) units and downscale activities associated with power consumers and both battery and thermal storage systems. All the key elements are interconnected and despatched via a central control room of the VPP but maintain independence in their operation and ownership7. They can provide both load management benefits and the ability for the power generation and power consumption elements of the network in the VPP to effectively trade in any future energy exchange. The concept of smart grids encompasses major benefits including more advanced grid visibility, asset controllability, enhanced performance and security and support key network activities such as operation, scheduled maintenance and planning of future developments incorporating low and zero carbon technologies.
References
Amsterdam New West district contains around 40,000 households of which 10,000 are served by a new smart grid. The area is characterised by a high penetration of smart meters and the largest number of solar panels in Amsterdam9. The smart grid has delivered a number of key benefits including: reduction in the frequency and duration of power outages; increased capability to accommodate E-mobility; facilitate active participation from sustainable energy suppliers and has avoided sharp increases in the price of electricity transmission.
1) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ government/uploads/system/uploads/ attachment_data/file/904823/DUKES_2020_ Chapter_6.pdf 2) http://ec.europa.eu/research/energy/pdf/ smartgrids_en.pdf 3) http://ec.europa.eu/research/energy/pdf/ smartgrids_en.pdf 4) https://www.theiet.org/media/1251/smartgrids.pdf 5) https://uk.nissannews. com/en-GB/releases/release24e04f6ba8d469de0a7c8c77ad013745parking-up-to-power-business-eon-and-nissanannounce-major-v2g-project-milestone 6) https://www.current-news.co.uk/news/ microsoft-launches-first-iot-energy-networksproject-in-collaboration-with-snam 7) https://view.imirus.com/427/ document/13399/page/43 8) https://www.ssen.co.uk/Orkneysmartgrid/ 9) https://www.iotevolutionworld.com/topics/ smart-grid/articles/60654-amsterdam-smartgrid-plan-gains-traction.htm
For details on how to obtain your Energy Institute CPD Certificate, see entry form and details on page 20 SEPTEMBER 2020 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | 19
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ENTRY FORM
SMART GRIDS 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 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. 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 transmission grid began in whichmedia in wetdecade? systems? ■ High temperature hot water ■ 1940s ■ Steam ■ 1930s ■ Low temperature hot water ■ 1960s ■ Cold water 2) Which key parameters need to be controlled by smart grids? 2. What is the most common space heating and frequency ■ fuelVoltage in the UK? ■ Frequency and current ■ Fuel oil ■ Voltage, current and frequency ■ Electricity Naturalthe gas ■ What’s 3) main source of large-scale Coal ■ renewable generation connecting to the grid? Biomass 3. What is a typical dry bulb space temperature ■ forWind a home? farms ■ ■ 160Cfarms ■ Solar ■ 190C 4) 220Care the main forms of variable ■ What electrical loads connecting at the 240C ■ household level? Electric vehicles and heat pumps ■ 4. What is currently the most common ■ Smart meters construction material for panel radiators? ■ Home automation devices ■ Cast iron Pressed steel ■ What 5) is the main threat to smart grids? Castof aluminium ■ Cost implementation ■ Copper ■ Cyber attacks ■ ■ Lack of experience and expertise 5. Which of these is a key component of a mechanical system?of smart 6) What are ventilation the main benefits A fan ■ grids? the need for centralised power ■ An atrium ■ Reduce generation ■ A chimney ■ Encourage connection of electric vehicles ■ Opening windows
■ 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 ■ The evaporator 7) does the abbreviation VPP stand for? The condenser ■ What purchase programme ■ The compressor ■ Volume ■ The slinkyprotection programme ■ Voluntary ■ Virtual power plant 7. Which of these factors is used by a weather compensation controlbe system? 8) Electricity cannot stored in large by householders? Building thermal inertia ■ quantities only large utilities and industrial/ ■ Time as of day ■ False commercial energy providers can provide Outsidefacilities air temperature ■ storage ■ Date ■ False ■ True as householders can store electricity 8. Which of these factors is used by ancharging optimum in standalone batteries or when start control system? their electric vehicles ■ Level of building occupancy Outside airmain temperature 9) is the benefit of smart meters? ■ What Boileravoid capacity the need for meter readers ■ They ■ Boilerprovide flow temperature ■ They accurate and timely ■ information on power flows across the smarttypes grid of space heating system can 9. Which They facilitate the systems export of ■ building management besurplus used to control? electricity from household solar PV panels ■ Any ■ Wet systems 10) What does the technology VtG represent? ■ Air handling plant ■ Variable Geometry Turbochargers Boilers to allow the effective aspect ■ designed ratio of a turbocharger to be altered as 10.conditions What is a thermostat? change of Trapped Gas associated with ■ A temperature sensitive switch ■ Volume A temperature sensor ■ respiration to Grid enabling EV batteries to ■ A proportional control device ■ Vehicle discharge to the grid to ‘smooth’ high A digital display device ■ electricity peak demand profiles.
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How to obtain a CPD accreditation from the Energy Institute Energy Energyin inBuildings Buildingsand andIndustry Industryand andthe theEnergy EnergyInstitute Instituteare aredelighted delightedto to have haveteamed teamedup upto tobring bringyou youthis thisContinuing ContinuingProfessional ProfessionalDevelopment Development initiative. initiative. This series and focuses onon Smart Grids. It Thisis isthe thethird ninthmodule moduleininthe theeighteenth seventeenth series and focuses Space is accompanied by a set of multiple-choice questions. questions. Heating. It is accompanied by a set of multiple-choice To Toqualify qualifyfor foraaCPD CPDcertificate certificatereaders readersmust mustsubmit submitat atleast leasteight eightof ofthe the ten tensets setsof ofquestions questionsfrom fromthis thisseries seriesof ofmodules modulesto toEiBI EiBIfor forthe theEnergy Energy Institute Instituteto tomark. mark.Anyone Anyoneachieving achievingat atleast leasteight eightout outof often tencorrect correctanswers answerson on eight eightseparate separatearticles articlesqualifies qualifiesfor foran anEnergy EnergyInstitute InstituteCPD CPDcertificate. certificate.This Thiscan canbe be obtained, obtained,on onsuccessful successfulcompletion completionof ofthe thecourse courseand andnotification notificationby bythe theEnergy Energy Institute, Institute,free freeof ofcharge chargefor forboth bothEnergy EnergyInstitute Institutemembers membersand andnon-members. non-members. The Thearticles, articles,written writtenby byaaqualified qualifiedmember memberof ofthe theEnergy EnergyInstitute, Institute,will willappeal appeal to tothose thosenew newto toenergy energymanagement managementand andthose thosewith withmore moreexperience experienceof ofthe the subject. subject. Modules Modulesfrom fromthe thepast past16 16series seriescan canbe beobtained obtainedfree freeof ofcharge. charge.Send Send your yourrequest requestto toeditor@eibi.co.uk. editor@eibi.co.uk.Alternatively, Alternatively,they theycan canbe bedownloaded downloaded from fromthe theEiBI EiBIwebsite: website:www.eibi.co.uk www.eibi.co.uk
SERIES SERIES17 16
SERIES SERIES18 17
MAY MAY2019 2018--APR APR2020 2019
MAY JUNE- APR 20202020 - MAY 2021 MAY/2019
11 Batteries BEMS & Storage 22 Energy as a Service Refrigeration 33 Water Management LED Technology 44 Demand Side Response District Heating 55 Drives & Motors Air Conditioning 66 Blockchain Technology Behaviour Change 77 Compressed Air Thermal Imaging 88 Energy Purchasing Solar Thermal 99 Space SmartHeating Buildings 10 Centre Management 10 Data Biomass Boilers
11 Energy Efficiency Legislation Batteries & Storage 22 Building Controls Energy as a Service 33 Smart Water Grids Management 44 Lighting DemandTechnology* Side Response 55 Heat Pumps* Drives & Motors 66 Metering & Monitoring* Blockchain Technology 77 Air Conditioning* Compressed Air 88 Boilers Burners* Energy&Purchasing 99 Behaviour Change* Space Heating 10 Heat & Power* 10 Combined Data Centre Management*
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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
Triple free benefits come with condensing boilers Potterton Commercial has introduced a ‘Free for Three’ offer of free commissioning, free extended warranty and free service kit across its aluminium and stainless steel wall-hung and floor-standing condensing boiler ranges. The offer, which runs until 31st October 2020, applies to Potterton Commercial’s popular Paramount, Sirius and Eurocondense boilers. Dan Martindale, commercial sales director for Baxi Heating, said: “We pride ourselves on delivering reliability and have done so for over a century. For this reason, Potterton Commercial boilers already come with the offer of free boiler commissioning by our experts as standard to ensure smooth operation and enable our free extended 5-year warranty to be activated. “But to maintain high boiler efficiency, it’s essential to carry out regular servicing. So, for a limited period, we are going “Free for Three’ and including our carefully selected genuine parts service kits in our winning offer.” Potterton Commercial’s comprehensive service kits have been carefully selected to contain all the parts required to complete a full recommended boiler service on the first visit, all handily boxed in an easily transportable package. As the kits contain only genuine parts, specifically designed for Potterton Commercial boilers to meet the required safety and quality standards, they are guaranteed to fit better and more easily. In this way, the service kits deliver cost and time savings and, with less time required to be spent on site, make it easier to adhere to safe working guidance. Using only officially tested and approved parts also maximises boiler reliability and longevity, while ensuring full compliance with warranty terms and conditions.
ONLINE ENQUIRY 101
Plug fan offering extended Fan manufacturer Nicotra Gebhardt has extended its PFP plug fan offering with the introduction of a new 4.1kW external rotor motor. This new addition extends the range to cover motors from 1kW to 4kW with impeller sizes from 280mm to 630mm. The PFP, a compact EC plug fan, combines Nicotra Gebhardt’s efficient and highly configurable control platform with outstanding aerodynamics, making it the ideal solution for medium-pressure applications around 1000Pa. Featuring a lightweight, high-efficiency aluminium impeller, the PFP delivers efficiency gains due to reduced motor influence and low interference loss within the fan enclosure. Greg Llewellyn, managing director of Nicotra Gebhardt UK, said: “The addition of this new motor size extends our lightweight plug fan range. The next step will be to add higher motor powers and larger impeller sizes to give customers more alternatives to our already strong line-up of high efficiency fans. Whatever the type of fan; forward or backward curved, plenum or scroll fan, or indeed whatever application, we can provide our customers with the right solution.”
Dedicated brochure details cooling products for growing IT sector Mitsubishi Electric has launched a dedicated brochure for the IT cooling sector to highlight the advanced range of critical cooling equipment available for data centres. With the huge growth in data use due to the increase in homeworking, the pressure on servers has never been greater and businesses therefore need a range of advanced, reliable systems that can suit anything from a small server room to a larger data centre. Mitsubishi Electric has combined its
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advanced air conditioning with the years of expertise of the RC Group to develop a range of specialist systems that make it possible to ensure the correct room conditions all year round. The brochure contains detailed information on the following products for this sector: • MSY-TP High SHF wall-mounted system; • s-MEXT-G00 DX R32 & R410A close control systems • i-NEXT DX close control system • w-NEXT chilled water close control
system • New – multi-density VRF close coupled system • NR-FC-Z / i-FR-G05-Z / TRCS-FC-G05-Z Chillers for IT cooling. The new brochure, along with an updated set of product information sheets and links to watch our recent webinars, can now be found on Mitsubishi Electric’s dedicated IT cooling microsite: thinkITcooling.co.uk
ONLINE ENQUIRY 103
ONLINE ENQUIRY 102
ESTA VIEWPOINT
For further information on ESTA visit www.estaenergy.org.uk
A slow road towards a green recovery As hosts of the COP26 summit the UK should be leading the way to a green recovery. But current government policies are falling well short, says Mervyn Pilley
T
here is an overwhelming consensus from the UK population that any post pandemic response should be based around tackling the environmental crisis more urgently through a ‘green recovery.’ The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, through his recent summer economic update, has been working hard again to try and deal with the immense challenges facing him. However, the general view of his announced plans is that it represents an encouraging but far too small start along the road. One must hope that an autumn statement will go far faster and further. It was always likely to be ultra-difficult for the chancellor to keep everybody happy due to the costs of dealing with the pandemic and the resulting knock-on effect of the economy. The road to economic recovery is littered with obstacles. Despite that, it would seem to make sense for more joined-up policy thinking. In view of the likely huge increase in the UK unemployment figure it would surely be sensible to strive to invest in creating jobs in what should be a fastgrowing sector – green jobs involving
carbon reduction. Unfortunately, the Government has failed to employ joinedup thinking at sufficient scale. While there are areas of hope, it is noticeable that the £9.2bn earmarked in the Conservative Party manifesto has not really begun to be spent. Yes, a manifesto is just that and not a policy but even that was not enough when compared with green recovery spends in other countries in Europe. There is a debate of just how much of the newly announced spending is new money and not just a rehash of previous announcements. Talking about rehashed things, the green homes grant scheme is effectively a rehashed green deal policy and, as was shown then, it is very unlikely that homeowners will be sufficiently motivated by promises of part payment towards insulation of their homes. One must ask why the Government does not use the tax system far more to change behaviours. It is ironic
Mervyn Pilley is executive director of ESTA (Energy Services and Technology Association)
‘It would surely be sensible to strive to invest in creating jobs in what should be a fast-growing sector’
that the Government withdrew the Enhanced Capital Allowances on the 1st April this year that has immediately taken away an incentive for UK plc to invest in equipment offering energy efficiency solutions. Unfortunately, this is another example of how energy efficiency is treated as the poor relation of carbon reduction whereas it should be an absolute cornerstone of a carbon reduction plan. The Government itself, albeit with a different Prime Minster, has enshrined net zero targets in law so it must do what is needed to avoid breaking its own law. Installers are needed, both for that scheme and retrofit at scale. Interestingly, it is the creation of an army of installers that would potentially help solve a large part of the rise in unemployment. The installers required to carry out retrofit to residential and commercial property is going to be supplied in the most part by SMEs. Main consultants may be the organisers/ facilitators, but the SME supply chain will provide the labour. What does not help, therefore, are confusing policies for incentives to take on trainees and apprentices that never seem to last for long. Very small, one-off grants are not going to solve the big problems. SMEs will have a lot of expensive barriers to jump through to get onto the Government’s chosen quality approval schemes for retrofit. A far greater incentive will be needed to persuade companies to take on a long-term and sustainable workforce. Why could this not be achieved through the tax system? This type of incentive would actually cost the Treasury less as the tax take would go up from PAYE on employees as well as more corporation tax on businesses’ increased profits. The same issues apply to the construction sector in general. Brexit and an ageing workforce, coupled with the abject failure of schemes such as the apprenticeship levy, have meant that the skills shortage in all areas of construction and engineering is only going to get worse. Time is short for all of us. As hosts of the rearranged COP26 we should be leading the world in green policies. Unfortunately, the ambition just is not there. There is going to have to be major increase in green policies in the forthcoming autumn budget.
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Smart Buildings For further information on Schneider Electric visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 134
Kas Mohammed is vice president of digital energy, Schneider Electric
Welcome back to the office Kas Mohammed explains how smart buildings will help us adjust to a new world where data automation and connected technology will play a fundamental role in workforce management
A
s lockdown restrictions ease, more workers are returning to the workplace. Over the past few months, the concept of an office has altered past the point of return – open-plan offices and hot-desking suddenly look more risky than revolutionary, busy is bad and airflow isn’t just positive, it’s necessary. Facility managers have a raft of other key considerations before they can welcome back occupants. Fundamentally, they must take care of everyone’s wellbeing by putting all available safeguards in place. This includes developing specialised strategies that meet the individual demands, enabling social distancing, and effectively and consistently communicating any updates. While safety is the current priority, ensuring buildings support wellbeing, productivity and development is also key. While facility managers have traditionally relied on verbal feedback, smart building technology, from sensors to software, will now play a vital role in creating safe and productive buildings. Modern technology can monitor and control occupancy, comfort, energy usage and improve communication. As a result, office spaces can be made safe and sustainable, while improving the health, happiness and productivity of occupants. Many people are concerned and anxious about being in or travelling to workplaces. A recent study of 2,000 adults commissioned by Bupa Health Clinics found as many as 65 per cent of people in the UK are anxious about returning to their office. Another report from the TUC, showed that 39 per cent of UK workers are concerned about their ability to socially distance from colleagues. Clearly, workplaces need to become smarter and more flexible to cater to the new realities. However, one crucial piece of
Modern digital management systems ensure energy managers can understand the real-time and long-term uses of spaces
the puzzle is often ignored. All the health and safety strategies available can be implemented, but without effective communication they risk being ignored or misunderstood.
Workplace information To improve communication and provide instant access to workplace information, building managers are increasingly turning to fully customisable, centralised mobile applications. Such apps, linked to building technology, can send automatic and personal updates to occupants on everything from parking restrictions, desk changes, densely populated zones, meeting room bookings, comfort controls, transport issue and more, all on a single platform. Furthermore, administrators and HR departments can be granted the ability get instant feedback on strategies, usage and services, to greatly improve decision-making at a business level. The return to work is likely to put greater stress on the office environment, with flexible shifts and hours becoming more common. This widely considered tactic aims to reduce the large numbers of people travelling at peak times and therefore the spread of infection. Some high-profile businesses, including Facebook and Google,
have already employed large-scale flexible work schemes. In light of the environmental impact, with lower levels of pollution and energy use from fewer commutes, some are touting an end of the traditional office. However, there is research that suggests that remote working is not for everyone. According to a survey from the Society for Human Resources, 71 per cent of us are struggling to adjust to remote work, 65 per cent say maintaining employee morale has been a challenge, and more than a third are facing difficulties with company culture. Clearly, there are positives and negatives on either side of the argument, with individual circumstances determining the best course of action. Fundamentally, an effective level of personal, instant and ongoing management requires a smart, connected building management system. Modern digital office management systems provide facility managers with the ability to understand the real-time and long-term uses of spaces with the office to improve comfort, enhance productivity, and reduce facility service costs. Creating safe zones, improving flow, flagging vacating desks and updating on numbers, is all
automatically and instantly fed to office admin teams to ensure safety, comfort and efficiency. Without micro-managing or dictating rigid policies, these teams can effectively manage their workforce from afar, gaining unparalleled insight on activity. Society, business and buildings have passed the point of no return. We are entering a new age, where data, automation and connected technology will play a fundamental role not just in manufacturing and IT, but in workforce management, engagement, safety and development. Data, combined with the latest technology, holds the key. We must create a smarter workplace with joined-up systems allowing us to monitor and automate key processes, including staff seating and office access based on capacity and occupancy levels. Modern office management technology can ensure that social distancing is maintained by ensuring occupants are located appropriately in agreed zones (enabling lighting/heating, etc. to be switched off or reduced in areas that aren’t occupied). It can determine the best office flows to minimise unnecessary contact and ensure these are being followed. Empty desks can be flagged and cleaned as soon as they are vacated, while fresh air is pumped during the hours required or when levels drop below a certain point in specific areas. Smart office technology enables effective communication with, as well the management and understanding of the occupants of a building. We have to come to appreciate the role these abilities play in creating a healthy, comfortable work environment and a more enjoyable and productive workplace - now is the time to build our workplaces back better with smart, connected technology at its foundation.
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The fastest wa ay to measure energy EMpro energy measuring devices acquire your energy data and communicate it to higherrlevel control and management systems. The devices can be conďŹ gured and integrated into the network in minutes. ormation visit: For more inffo .phoenixcontact.co.uk/empro www w..p
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Smart Buildings For further information on EnOcean visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 135
Andreas Schneider is CEO of EnOcean
More than energy efficiency Andreas Schneider takes a look at how building smart is the only way to cut CO2 emissions and make the best possible use of the space in the offices of the future
O
ur society is facing major challenges – caused by a global transformation. These include climate change and the need to drastically cut CO2 emissions. However, global developments such as increasing urbanisation and ageing populations also demand answers. Business as usual is simply not working any more. In exaggerated terms, this means that simply constructing higher buildings or adding more streets won’t solve the problem. Only smart, networked use of existing buildings and infrastructure will produce a sustainable concept. Although technology cannot be the sole answer, when combined with other factors, digitalisation, in particular, supports this change and makes it easier for people. After all, digitalisation supplies data for new workplaces and living environments and thereby makes for a livable future in a rapidly changing world. Buildings are currently being put to the test, as they are some of the world’s biggest CO2 producers. They account for one third of all CO2 emissions in the EU. The energy savings potential is equally high – for example, with smart building control in residential and commercial structures. The EU has set clear targets for its member states with the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Existing buildings are supposed to be CO2 neutral by 2050, with a focus on networking and smart building control, among other things. For example, the digitalisation of heating and air-conditioning systems is intended to provide information about a building’s actual energy efficiency. The EU is serious about this: Member states were required to implement the directive into national law by March 2020. To meet legal requirements,
Raw data collected by millions of sensors can be the solution for the huge demands that will be placed on the buildings of the future
the various disciplines must be intelligently interconnected and digitalised in keeping with a smart building or smart home. Standardised interfaces and open wireless standards like those specified by the EnOcean Alliance, Bluetooth SIG and Zigbee Alliance form the basis for this.
Certifying complete buildings The Smart Buildings Alliance (SBA) presented its Ready2Services concept on this basis in 2018. Complete buildings can be certified so that the sensors and gateways used are interoperable with the entire network infrastructure and the various IT applications. Employee well-being and productivity can be increased in offices through different parameters such as human-centric lighting (HCL) and demand-
based use of space. The use of IoT solutions allows companies to adapt their planned use of space to actual and ever-changing requirements, thereby identifying and cutting hidden costs. In the US, the LaSalle real estate consulting firm has come up with an interesting calculation. The 3-30-300 rule is an example of the average cost ratios incurred by a company. • $3 for energy; • $30 for space; • $300 for salaries. All figures are per square foot (0.09m2) per year. Because of the legal requirements mentioned above (EPBD, Title 24), companies must take action and lower their energy consumption to reduce the CO2 emissions of buildings. In many cases, a logical step is to invest in a smart, radio-based heating control system. At first glance, this pays off only where energy consumption is concerned, but in fact it is an initial step toward digitalised building spaces and thus offers additional savings potential. If a certain basic infrastructure consisting of radio-based sensors, gateways and actuators is present, the system can be easily expanded. One common application is to optimise the use of rooms in commercial buildings. For example, if 30 to 40 percent of the
desks remain unused on a regular basis, it is worthwhile to introduce a hot-desking concept, in which the employees flexibly share desks depending on occupancy. To do this, additional presence sensors are needed to record the presence of people in a room or at a desk and send this information to the cloud, where an algorithm controls occupancy. This approach can reduce the cost of space, especially in expensive urban locations. Attractive work environments have been proven to increase employee productivity. According to LaSalle, optimisation has the greatest impact in this area. Concepts such as employee wellness take these findings into account and optimise work environments for employees. They include control of room temperature, air quality, humidity and lights, as well as including IoT solutions for demand-oriented cleaning service of restrooms and kitchens. Such applications create new tasks and business areas for facility management. The idea is no longer to simply manage a building but to offer new services. However, smart buildings are the wave of the future and not only for environmental reasons. The ability to charge electric cars must be provided, while demographic change requires new approaches to looking after people in need of care, and crowded conditions in cities demand better use of space. Raw data collected by millions of sensors can be the solution for all these scenarios. This data forms the basis for energy efficiency, CO2 reduction and better use of resources. In light of the large number of sensors required, these devices must be standardised, radio-based, self-powered and easy to retrofit. The energy harvesting technology from EnOcean enables new and existing buildings to be sustainably digitalised and made smart – without any cables or battery waste.
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Smart Buildings For further information on products and services visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter the appropriate online enquiry number
Managing student accommodation
Controllers ‘transform’ buildings Siemens Smart Infrastructure says its new building automation controllers, Desigo PXC4 and PXC5, transform buildings into high-performing, energy efficient assets. The controllers offer a wide range of benefits for automating small and medium-sized buildings to get the most flexible and scalable building automation. With a licence-free Desigo Engineering Framework, devices can now be seamlessly integrated in the same framework for intuitive engineering. Features such as open by design for successful integration of different protocols and easy wireless access facilitate building automation. Both controllers were designed to expand and strengthen the Desigo portfolio and focus on one specific automation element - the Desigo PXC4 for HVAC plants and Desigo PXC5 for system functions and integration. The new controllers were
simultaneously released with the Desigo Engineering Framework, which consists of the HIT Portal, a web-based planning and selection tool; the engineering and commissioning tool ABT Site for PC users and the commissioning tool ‘ABT Go’ app for mobile use. The framework doesn’t require a license and can support the building throughout its entire lifecycle. With a wide number of preconfigured functions as well as program blocks and various example sites, the engineering tool ABT Site offers simplified programming to highly reduce engineering complexity. Thanks to the open by design approach, multiple protocols can be integrated and mixed easily. With this setup, projects can now be processed easier, faster and more reliably – on- site or remotely. ONLINE ENQUIRY 136
Radio network for testbed project MMX Communications Services, a telecoms systems integrator, has developed in partnership with Siemens, an ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio network for the Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND), based at Keele University, UK. SEND is Europe’s largest testbed for the research and development (R&D) of renewable and smart energy technologies. Keele University, with Siemens, has created a centrally controlled, self-healing energy micro-grid across the campus. Integrating electricity, gas and heat, this smart energy network has helped Keele reduce carbon emissions by 4,000 tonnes and save £2m in energy costs per annum. The project involved the digitalisation of 24 substations, the installation of over 1,500 smart meters, 500 home controllers and a 5MW renewable integration package. The UHF network is central to the activity at SEND, allowing the energy research and business community at the ‘at-scale living laboratory’ to collect, analyse and utilise energy data with the aim of developing technologies to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency. ONLINE ENQUIRY 138
Automation can make a huge difference to the energy budget of student accommodation. If all students were diligent and turned their heating off when they left their room, unnecessary use of energy would not be a problem. PIR sensors are used for this purpose but they are often set to activate when the occupant returns, rather than focussing on saving energy. Prefect Controls’ Irus automated energy management system is designed for student accommodation using PIR. A node in each room monitors temperature, humidity, light, and decibels. Managers access data on the web-based portal and set maximum temperature and time profiles for boost, setback and frost modes in individual rooms. The PIR sensor on the room node can be set to presence or absence detection. Presence detects an occupant entering the room and activates a programme to bring the room to a comfortable temperature. This is very convenient for the person in the room - but not so great for those paying the energy bill. Switching the PIR to absence detection makes a lot more sense. This way, on entering the room the student needs to press the button to activate the boost mode, which will run for a pre-determined time period before reverting to the setback mode. Should they leave their room shortly after pressing the button though, the control unit’s PIR will notice the room is empty and cut short the boost programme, thus not heating an empty room. If we conservatively estimate that 30 minutes of unnecessary heating is avoided in this scenario, and then multiply that for a 1,000-bedroom facility, the numbers equate to almost 21 days of preventable heating. Consider that in terms of annual use and it becomes clear how automating a heating system with Irus can make savings of 40 per cent. ONLINE ENQUIRY 137
Gateway eases device integration Contemporary Controls’ EnOcean to BACnet gateway makes it easy to integrate EnOcean devices into BACnet networks. The gateway allows users to discover and select EnOcean devices on their network. The gateway will then create new virtual BACnet devices for the BACnet network. These virtual devices will have the appropriate BACnet objects. The process begins by selecting the appropriate EnOcean Equipment Profile (EEP) for the EnOcean device. This provides the gateway enough information to know which objects to create for this virtual BACnet device and how to map the received data to these objects. This virtual device will have the properties of the device contained in its BACnet objects and will update this data whenever the device transmits new data. As more devices are added to the gateway, more virtual BACnet devices will be created. All these exist on their own virtual network. This allows head-ends to easily discover these devices and receive the data via BACnet. ONLINE ENQUIRY 139
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Will Darby is managing director of Carlo Gavazzi UK
Smart Buildings For further information on Carlo Gavazzi UK visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 128
Distance learning
Will Darby looks at how the Internet of Things is accelerating the use of new technology beyond the traditional building management and energy management systems
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MS and EMS systems have been used to control the day-to-day operations of a building, such as ventilation, lighting and comfort control for decades. But for every pound spent on energy, a business could be spending 10 times that amount on leasing office space and 100 times that on employees. Using space more efficiently and increasing employee productivity are likely to have a bigger impact on reducing a business’ energy use and increase its profitability. Now, an ever-increasing number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices are making workplaces, homes, campuses and even towns smarter and more energy efficient by improving utilisation, reducing costs, predicting maintenance needs and increasing the reliability of energy assets. A building that in the past would have had a few strategically positioned BMS sensors, can now have hundreds of low-cost, network-connected sensors throughout, all of which will continuously collect data. To be of use, however, this data must be meticulously collected and analysed. There is a variety of different ways in which data can be collected. Which is the best will depend on the number of devices connected and the area over which they are distributed. Data collection is relatively easy if all meters and sensors are located relatively close together so that the wireless transmission of data can be achieved using Bluetooth, ZigBee or WiFi, for example. All of these systems are economic to run and can transmit large amounts of data over short distances without the need for cabling. This means that there is minimal cost for cabling while installation is straightforward, particularly for retrofit applications. If, however, the IoT devices are located remotely or are spread over a large area, such as a campus or
There is a variety of different ways data can be collected. Which is the best depends on the number of devices connected
manufacturing site, then cellular technologies such as 3G, 4G and 5G could be used to transmit the data over the increased distance. They could even transmit the data internationally. Unfortunately, this solution is relatively costly to set up and maintain because it requires a mobile phone contract and SIM for each measurement point if they are to connect to the cellular network.
Cost-effective alternative A more cost-effective alternative to collect data from IoT devices located over a large area is to use a Low Power Wide Area network (LPWAN). These work by ensuring IoT devices send only small packets of data (up to 50kbit/s) periodically or infrequently over networks spanning many kilometres. LoRa is the most common long range, low power technology. The LoRa Alliance is an open, non-profit association formed to promote the adoption of this technology. In Europe, LoRa uses the licence-free radio frequency band at 868 MHz to transmit data.
‘IoT devices are making workplaces, homes, campuses and even towns smarter’ LoRaWAN is the network on which LoRa operates. The network architecture deployed is a star topology, in which gateways relay messages between end devices and a central network server. Communication between the IoT device and gateway is bidirectional. If, say, an energy manager wants to connect numerous meter devices dispersed over a large campus, for example, with minimal wiring and installation costs. If the manager were to opt for a traditional wireless solution, such as WiFi, this would be unable to operate over the area of the campus without the deployment of numerous wireless repeater stations to take the signal and to re-broadcast it. Carlo Gavazzi’s solution is to use
its UWP-A Long Range Wireless Endpoint Adaptor to convert each meter into a long range wireless endpoint. The UWP-A’s ease of installation, without the need for repeaters even over a long range, and the plug-and-play connection to Carlo Gavazzi’s meters make set up easy for installers and system integrators. The UWP-A can transmit measured data to the UWP-M gateway using LoRa technology. The UWP A and UWP M embed end-to-end data encryption to ensure data is secure. The UWP-M acts as a gateway for numerous UWP-A devices. It connects to the Carlo Gavazzi UWP 3.0 platform which acts as a data concentrator to provide the data to the system servers. The UWP 3.0’s Web-App allows users to check data and to generate reports. By working in the license-free EU 868MHz band, the UWP-A allows installers to set-up a secure wireless network from scratch to cover an industrial facility, a shopping mall or a big building. Where an existing LoRaWAN network already exists, in a smart city for example, connection is even easier: all a systems integrator has to do is to use a Carlo Gavazzi UWP-A end point adaptor to convert a Carlo Gavazzi meter into an LoRaWAN enabled unit. This simple solution allows system integrators to deploy a monitoring solution using standard LoRaWAN gateways via an existing LoRaWAN system and also to join public Smart-City networks for large-scale deployments of energy efficiency monitoring systems. Whenever a project is focused on sub-metering and cost allocation in large buildings, industry, farms and cities, Carlo Gavazzi’s LoRaWAN systems offer a cost effective, secure and robust wireless network solution, without the expense of the SIM card, signal repeater devices and removing the need for cabling.
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Humidification
For further information on CAREL visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 130
Get in the healthy zone What are the best conditions for people to work in? Pasquale DeMitrio looks at buildings, people, pathogens and minimising the spread of COVID-19
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ports announcers will commonly state that the athlete was really in a ‘zone’ during times of success. What does that mean when an athlete is in the ‘zone?’ The ‘zone’ is a place of optimal peak performance. Perfectly synchronized. Everything seems to come together and work out perfectly when in that zone. With regards indoor air quality, what can it mean to be in that zone? How do we find that optimal performance? That perfect zone? Where everything just comes together and works perfectly for optimal performance. Well, with regards to healthy indoor conditions,
In the zone: our buildings have to match top performance to keep us all healthy
that perfect zone is when the indoor relative humidity is kept between 40-60 per cent! That is what getting in the zone means to us. Get into the healthy zone that brings out optimal performance. So let’s take a look at what that really means. What is the
significance of this healthy zone? There are three core reasons that 40-60 per cent indoor relative humidity is optimal.
Protection from pathogens One of the biggest reasons this is the optimal healthy zone is
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that the human immune system is optimised when the relative humidity is between 40-60 per cent. What occurs during this time in the human body is our nasal passages, throat and lungs are all properly protected from the attack of pathogens. The mucosa, or protective fluid that protects our interior tissue, is at an ideal viscosity. It allows the cleansing of particles to happen properly. When this part of the immune system is working, the bacteria cannot penetrate our tissue and wreak havoc on our bodies. As we breathe in, the pathogens are correctly processed and killed off before they can duplicate and spread. Many of our buildings are kept way below this optimal zone, especially during the colder and winter months. It is common to find buildings at 20 per cent RH and lower during these months. Exactly the opposite of what is
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Pasquale DeMitrio is head of sales - North America, CAREL USA
mentioned above happens to our this healthy zone will help reduce respiratory immune system. Due to the ability of pathogens to travel the low humidity levels, we become further and longer distances. very vulnerable to infection. The Now think about when the RH mucosa becomes coarse and stiff, per cent is low and how that opens and allows pathogens to take hold up the door for further spread of and penetrate our body tissue. This infections. These particles become will lead to infections and illness. light, airy, and very buoyant. They Not exactly the healthy zone we are can float for hours, days, weeks, looking for. and even re-contaminate areas The second key reason for this that were previously cleaned. The healthy zone is the route of travel recent example of COVID-19 has for pathogens is minimised. As the really brought this to light. The humidity level is kept between entire world is wearing masks 40-60 per cent RH, the particles over their faces to prevent the in the air become heavier and less Low humidity levels can lead us to become dehydrated and pathogens can take hold buoyant. They can travel only short distances and settle out quickly. Once they settle out on surfaces, it is much easier to clean up and prevent further spread. Staying in
inhalation of aerosols containing the virus. Through the winter months, when indoor humidity is low, that is when we see an annual increase in flu and other viruses, including COVID-19. Thirdly, we have to look at how viruses respond to different humidity levels. In 2014, the US-based National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a study looking at the flu virus (Noti, et al). It found that the infectivity of the flu virus was reduced by 85 per cent once the
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RH level reached 40 per cent. The study also looked at lower levels of humidity and the virus thrived at 30 per cent and below. Once again, this healthy zone of 40-60 per cent RH is creating a difficult environment for viruses to thrive. Reducing the infectivity of the flu, and potentially other viruses, including COVID-19, would certainly qualify as optimal peak performance. Considering what it means to be in the zone, there is a perfect area that protects our immune system. Which also happens to be the same zone that makes it very difficult for pathogens to travel around. And, it’s the same zone that reduces the actual infectivity of viruses. If we are looking for perfectly synchronised events to call the zone for indoor air quality, we found it. Monitor and control indoor RH per cent to between 4060 per cent and your building will be in the zone.
Humidification
John Barker is managing director at Humidity Solutions
For further information on Humidity Solutions visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter ENQUIRY No. 140
Towards a stable environment Close control of humidity is crucial in the manufacture and development of lithium-ion batteries. John Barker looks at the solutions available to make the process safe and reliable
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ithium battery technology is changing all the time, and in quite dramatic ways. New materials and chemical reactions are being tested every day, to reduce costs and meet ever-growing demand. But to be carried out efficiently and safely, it’s important that these tests are done in specially designed, ultra-low humidity dry rooms. This is primarily because of the chemical reactions that can happen if conditions are not met. With batteries, you have chemical components like lithium-ion, lithium iron phosphate, graphene. These chemicals need a stable environment with less than 1 per cent humidity, as they are highly sensitive to moisture. A reaction between lithium and water is exothermic, which means it generates heat, and produces a substance called lithium hydroxide, along with hydrogen. The heat from that reaction can, if left unchecked, potentially lead to burning or an explosion. To minimise this risk manufacturers need to keep the water content in the air to a minimum at all times. As well as the safety concerns, keeping air moisture levels low is necessary to help achieve high levels of product yield, better quality control, energy efficiency, cycle life and even end storage capacity for every battery produced. When we look at this kind of installation ‘known as a dry room’, the applications are actually much wider than just lithium batteries. With the advent of consumer electronics, electric vehicles, solar power and grid storage applications, there is a huge variety of battery production processes, each using a unique chemical process and needing its own environmental controls.
This means that as well as the chemistry side of things, a lot of other things factor in to deciding what the dehumidification capacity needed for a dry room. The dehumidification system must be custom designed with enough drying capacity to maintain the dry room at the specified condition. Most battery manufacturers require a room’s humidity/average moisture level to be maintained as low as -40°C dew point (0.5 per cent relative humidity at 22°C) and sometimes even lower. Some of the factors that need to be taken into account include: • dry room size; • type of chemistry and process; • moisture infiltration; • personnel activity within the room; and • airlocks for material and personnel movement. And that’s just the beginning. All of that means that it is very difficult to find a single solution that can address all of these issues, falls within budget and is reliable enough to stand up to the rigorous safety standards required by the industry. Specialist advice is clearly required to ensure you design and install the correct system for your facility. Humidity Solutions is able to
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design and deliver bespoke humidity control systems due to strategic distribution partnerships with dehumidification specialists around the world who can address every unique project without having to buy multiple systems from multiple places. One such example is the solution provided by Cotes, the Danish dehumidification equipment manufacturer, to Nexeon in the UK. A UK expert on silicon materials for batteries, Nexeon has been working to bring ground-breaking silicon anodes to market for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries. The company has patented a new way of structuring and etching silicon for use in such anodes, resulting in extended cycle life and a significant increase in battery capacity.
Commercial-scale facility The Nexeon pilot plant is configured to represent a commercialscale manufacturing facility. An advanced technology dry room is crucial for this capability because moisture dramatically reduces the performance of the electrolyte. It is essential that the levels of moisture in the air are kept as low as possible. According to Nexeon, one of the biggest practical challenges
A large-capacity dehumidifier ensures that manufacturers of batteries keep water content in the air to a minimum
of the process lies in the moisture introduced by the unusually many visitors to this new facility. Moisture from their bodies has a relatively big effect on the very low humidity levels in the dry room. Nexeon opened a fully automated pilot plant for silicon anode production in 2010. The site was set up based around a manufacturing dry room delivered by Scientific Climate Systems Ltd. The site was equipped with a Cotes CRP40000 adsorption dehumidification system, configured to remove unwanted moisture from 13,000m3 of air per hour. The dry room and the CRP40000 dehumidifier — installed outdoors in a corrosion-resistant AISI 304 stainless steel cabinet — were commissioned during torrential downpours in summer 2010. Nevertheless, the new installation met or exceeded all the required specifications, and achieved an exceptionally low -74.5°C dew point. According to Nexeon’s engineering and operations director, Ian McDonald, the Cotes CRP40000 adsorption dehumidifier makes it possible to maintain the required dew point and to quickly return humidity to the desired -60°C level, minimising fluctuations after visitors have exited. This large-capacity dehumidifier unit was specially configured to comply with Nexeon requirements, with a focus on minimising energy consumption. The CRP40000 dehumidifier was therefore fitted with an indirect gasfired regeneration heater to dry the air, and an unusually large proportion of the dry air is recycled. Also, a pre-cooling system was fitted to help avoid any extra energy consumption caused by temperature fluctuations and other variations in operating conditions.
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Humidification
For further information on products and services visit www.eibi.co.uk/ enquiries and enter the appropriate online enquiry number
Healthcare website from humidity specialist CAREL is highlighting its knowledge and experience in indoor air quality with the launch of a new website devoted entirely to healthcare. “Our goal is help spread awareness on the positive relationship between relative humidity control and people’s health,” commented Stefano Ruzzon, group head of sales, HVAC projects and dealers. “Through this new website, we intend to disseminate knowledge that contributes to the creation of healthy environments, with the aim of preventing infections, increasing productivity and ensuring the comfort of patients and staff”. With three different sections, the site highlights the close relationship between relative humidity control and air quality, and consequently personal well-being. The site features both technical diagrams and more descriptive contents, so as to provide a broad overview of the topic and make it more readily accessible to different readers. Specific documents are also available, such as white papers and success stories. Indoor air quality, being a critical element in people’s health and well-being, has always been at the centre of CAREL’s attention. Indeed the company has acquired significant expertise in this area, the result of its extensive experience in air conditioning, air handling and humidification, as well as its participation at specialist conferences and seminars and synergies with international networks aimed at disseminating and advancing knowledge. “The healthcare website is designed primarily for consultants who need a reliable educational tool before identifying solutions for healthcare facilities that are highly efficient and easy to install and maintain,” Ruzzon added. “At the same time, however, we hope that this site can also be a useful tool for end users, a source of valuable information regarding the impact of relative humidity on how healthy their work environment is”. • https://healthcare.carel.com ONLINE ENQUIRY 146
CONDAIR GS
New condensing gas-fired steam humidifier
The new Condair GS provides hygienic steam humidification at a third of the energy cost of electric steam humidifiers. Its condensing technology uses heat from the exhaust gases to pre-heat the incoming water. This saves energy and reduces flue gas temperatures, allowing for economic plastic rather than stainless steel flues.
Discover more about the Condair GS www.condair.co.uk/GS T: +44 (0)1903 850 200
Humidity Control and Evaporative Cooling eibi.co.uk/enquiries Enter 15
1hr in-house CPD seminars available
TALKING HEADS Pilgrim Beart
Pilgrim Beart is chief executive officer and founder of DevicePilot
The world is getting connected As device interconnection continues to grow apace, Pilgrim Beart, the man behind the Hive smart thermostat, believes that the lines between product manufacturer and service provider are becoming increasingly blurred
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ives may feel as though they have been put on hold in the last few months but Pilgrim Beart believes that COVID-19 has been speeding up the development of new technology to connect the devices in our buildings and homes. “If you are an existing hardware manufacturer, connecting your product isn’t just another feature, it can totally reshape your business model,” the chief executive and founder of IoT management company DevicePilot, a service monitoring platform for connected devices, told EiBI. Beart’s excitement stems not from seeing specific applications arrive but when they are connected to others to maximise their potential. “You have devices like solar panels and electric vehicles that can be connected. I’ve had solar panels on my home since 2011 and now have a smart meter and an electric vehicle. I now have an agile tariff where the price changes every half hour based on the retail price. The joining up to be done is to charge the car when the electricity is really cheap. All the hard work has been done.” Beart believes that a similar trend will be seen in commercial buildings. “BEMS and HVAC systems are incredibly old fashioned and very hard to understand. Almost every building you go into is either over-heated or under-heated, let alone energy efficient. It’s the worst of all worlds and you just wonder how we managed to get here. I think it’s because it’s just because there have been incumbent suppliers doing the same old thing and nobody has challenged.” Beart looks to his own experience with smart thermostat, Hive. Back in 2006 he founded AlertMe which was sold to British Gas in 2015 and became the basis for a product that has become a household name. “Before Hive and Nest came along very little had changed for many years.” But as Hive developed and the customer base grew so the operational problem was growing exponentially. “When you supply devices into the world managing becomes difficult,” said Beart. “You need to deliver system availability. There are the same general problems of management – correct
Beart: 'incumbent suppliers have been doing the same thing and nobody has challenged'
‘The Internet of Things and service are very much two sides of the same coin’ installation, devices going off line. Devices not working properly is just not good enough. Managing them becomes difficult. That was the big learning curve.” And that was the inspiration to set up DevicePilot. “Our customers are companies that deploy the technology. As they deploy more they have this operational challenge and they discover that DevicePilot can help them. The great thing about connected devices is that you can see what is going on. If occupants are fiddling with heating controls then they are probably not happy. Instead of reacting then you can see to take action before the customer knows there is a problem. That transforms the customer experience.”
Devices increasing by a factor of ten every decade Beart believes that this demand can only increase. “The reason is because we are deploying more and more of this technology. The number of devices is increasing by a factor of ten every decade and it’s going to carry on. If they don’t work then the world is in trouble. You want to get to a point that the device is so reliable you take it for granted, like a light switch. But it takes a lot to get to the mainstream in the same way as smartphones. They are reliable and easy to use.”
Beart recalls that one of DevicePilot’s early customers was Pod Point, the EV charging point supplier. “They had deployed their equipment and it wasn’t working quite as it should have,” added Beart. By using Device Pilot they could see for the first time exactly what was going wrong and solve the problem. It drives up quality. Then when you’ve solved the technical problems you can move onto the business problems. You can see if the charging points are all in use and customers aren’t able to charge. So you can do something about it.” It is this transformation from being a product supplier to a service provider that will be a feature of the future. Suppliers that sell a product and forget it will find that controlling it remotely will transform their business. “It will lead them to become a service provider. The Internet of Things and service are very much two sides of the same coin.” And the provision of energy as a service is part of this growing wave, believes Beart. “It seems strange that it hasn’t been thought of before. Councils are now buying light as a service. They are realising that a few companies do it better and more economically.” This is a change Beart can see extending to the home. “It’s part of a massive trend in everything. Increasingly, people don’t want to buy a car. They just want the convenience of using one when they need it. People are happy to pay a fee for their security but not energy at the moment. But what people want is a comfortable home, not a thermostat. What needs to happen is that heat and light are provided as a service.” Beart can see a rapid evolution in the market in the coming years. “A whole eco-system starts to develop when you join things up,” he adds. “The more connected devices you have the greater the needed for a single pane of glass to give you the big picture of what is going on. It is a really interesting place to be. Our purpose is to shine alight to show everyone what is going on in a building. This is as valuable to the end user as it is to the service provider. Things are really beginning to join up.”
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