Energy Efficient Solutions

solutions The Practical Guide for Industry, Commerce and the Public Sector • 2015/16

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cOntents

ENERGY EFFICIENT solutions Editor: tim mcmanan-smith tim@energystmedia.com t: 020 3714 4450 m: 07818 574308

Energy efficiency outlined introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 measurement & verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7 efficient design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9 esos compliance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11 the next 12 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13 Building controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-15 case study: Poundland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17 eu Policy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19

Sales director: steve swaine steve@energystmedia.com t: 020 3714 4451 m: 07818 574300

2020 vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21 compressed air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-23

Production: Paul Lindsell production@energystmedia.com m: 07790 434813

energy and the Boardroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-25 Building Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-27 energy risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-29 display energy certificates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31

energyst media Ltd, PO BOx 420, reigate, surrey rH2 2du registered at stationers Hall issn 0964 8321 Printed by Headley Brothers disclaimer: Opinions expressed by individual contributors may not necessarily be those held by the publisher. although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information published – this should be used at the readers discretion.

a view of government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Energy efficient solutions compressed air systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Hvac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34-37 monitoring & targeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38-40 amorphous transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

solutions The PracTical Guide for indusTry, commerce and The Public secTor • 2015/16

Official sponsor

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intrOductiOn

Efficiency is rising up the agenda

E

nergy efficiency is getting more attention that in the past, perhaps not where it should be but certainly better than where it was. It remains to be seen if the introduction of the energy savings opportunity scheme (Esos) will merely be a mandatory audit tick-box exercise or whether businesses will actually avail themselves of the opportunities and make genuine savings. However, one thing it has done is to the raise the profile of energy efficiency within organisations and the requirement for board-level sign off makes sure that it is taken to the top. another area of interest is the difference between what a building can optimally achieve and what it does in reality – the energy performance gap. the national energy foundation’s dr Kerry mashford, speaking at the Building services summit, summed it up nicely with: “in theory, theory and practice are the same, whereas in practice they aren’t.” the problem is that many contractors, developers and installers think that the end-user has not spent the time to properly understand the building, optimise control strategies for changes in use or they use the space in an unexpected way from what it was designed to do. Occupiers, on the other hand, believe that the building has not been designed correctly or that the technology installed what not as efficient as claimed. cBxchange, the public forum for building energy professionals at the cutting-edge of narrowing the performance gap through sharing data, information and best practice, states that, on average, buildings are currently consuming between 150% and 250% of their predicted energy and carbon values. the difference in energy use and carbon emissions of non-domestic buildings in some cases has added over £10/m² in unexpected annual operating energy costs. it is not just a question of bridging the performance gap through better commissioning, ensuring that build quality is high and that building users and understand and operate it within the confines of its design. it is also about the correct installation with proper measurement and verification. this has

become another big issue recently for the standardisation of the assessment of the implementation of energy saving projects. there needs to be a vigilance to ensure in a systematic way that the building is being used and optimised on a regular basis. this goes for newly occupied and newly refurbished buildings as much as for newly built ones. the commissioning stage of buildings and newly installed equipment is often too short and crammed in at the end of a longer process but a few extra days could make a real difference to the operation of the building. although there is a lot of legislation surrounding buildings such as the Building regulations and the energy Performance of Buildings directive these often focus on minimum standards and not enough on the actual performance of the building in use. the nef, for one, has a Building Performance evaluation – a tested and defined method that can be adopted to measure and monitor building performance before, during and after building projects. this provides the means of quantifying any performance gap and gives the insights into its root causes. these themes among others are discussed in more depth along with technological solutions that will enable you to achieve better energy efficiency within your organisation.

J e

• • • • •

i hope you find the guide useful.

e 0

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Energy Procurement Integrated Energy Services Revenue Recovery

zŽƵƌ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞ ĞŶĞƌŐLJ ƐŽůƵƟŽŶ Join us on stand D60-E59 at the Energy Event 2015 where our experts will be on hand to discuss all your energy needs, including: • • • • •

Energy Procurement Energy saving for your business >ĞŐŝƐůĂƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ ŐŽǀĞƌŶŵĞŶƚ ƵƉĚĂƚĞƐ Open Water 17 ESOS - deadlines and next steps

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events@biu.com 01253 789816 EES Guide 2015 40+4pp.indd 5

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measurement & verification

Measuring and verifying energy savings Robin Hale, director of the Energy Services and Technology Association (ESTA) talks about one of its most successful training initiatives, Certified Measurement and Verification Professional (CMVP)

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igorous evaluation of energy savings has long been recognised as a vital element in the promotion of energy efficiency and the de facto standard in this field is the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP). ESTA is the UK training partner for IPMVP’s sponsors and over 200 certified measurement and verification professionals (CMVPs) have been through our three-day training programme. This article outlines what they learn.

Ethos of IPMVP IPMVP requires: a. that evaluations should be as accurate as possible. It does not stipulate any particular degree of accuracy, but merely requires the parties (solution supplier and customer) to decide each case on its own merits, keeping the

cost of Measurement & Verification (M&V) in proportion to the savings anticipated in each case. b. that interactive effects should be taken into account. For example if a project to save fuel by heat recovery incurs additional electricity costs for fans and pumps (an adverse effect), or equally if reductions electricity consumption in office spaces decreased the need for air conditioning (beneficial) it is not fair to ignore these secondary impacts; c. that the analysis should be conservative; where there is uncertainty, pessimistic assumptions should be made; d. that all significant and relevant factors are measured; for example, if daylight availability were thought to be important in determining electricity consumption it needs to be recorded and accounted for;

e. that data are recorded and analysed in an open manner; if necessary a third party should be able to repeat the analysis, using data provided in the M&V report or attached to it.

Analytical methodology Under IPMVP, energy savings are calculated by comparing post-project actual consumption with a good estimate of what it would have been if no such project had been carried out. The procedure calls for energy consumption to be analysed during the baseline period against the factors that drive variation—the weather, production outputs, daylight availability, and so on—to create a formula for “expected consumption”. Then, during a post-project reporting period, ongoing measurements of the driving factors are plugged into that formula to get an estimate of what energy consumption would have been expected

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measurement & verification

if the system were still behaving as it used to do during the baseline period. The difference between this adjusted businessas-usual estimate and actual consumption gives a clean estimate of energy savings, undistorted by variations in the relevant factors.

M&V Plan One of the other very important things that trainee CMVPs learn about is the measurement and verification plan.

Readers may recognise this scenario: asked to verify a project retrospectively, you find that not all the necessary data were available, or that the supplier understood the principles of weather-correction but the customer did not, and doesn’t trust it. Or that there had been an unrelated one-off change like part of a building being demolished or a new product line being introduced. The M&V plan exposes

all these issues before the project is carried out and allows the parties to agree beforehand how they will be dealt with.

The training Anyone can download IPMVP free of charge and apply it on a self-taught basis, but for large or financially-sensitive projects, it would be prudent for the parties to stipulate that at the very least a Certified Measurement and Verification Professional reviews the M&V Plan, if not actually prepare it (also a favoured option) or indeed design and conduct the entire evaluation.

End-user organisations like BT, Oxford City Council and Whitbread have trained their own people, as have numerous solution providers, energy-services companies and consultants (many of them enjoying the good discount allowed to ESTA members).

For details of forthcoming training courses organised for ESTA by Vilnis Vesma of vesma.com can be found on the web site at www.esta.org.uk

The Energy Services and Technology Association (ESTA) represents over 100 major providers of energy management equipment and services across the UK. For more details visit the website at: www.esta.org.uk Energy Efficient Solutions | 2015/16 | 7

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Efficient design

Home Learning A post occupancy evaluation of several apartments built as part of the Galliard Homes’ Seager Distillery regeneration project in south London has provided useful lessons for Galliard Homes as described in a paper presented at the recent CIBSE Technical Symposium by Michael Lim and David Ross of AECOM and Steve Harper of Galliard Homes

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hen Galliard Homes builds its next apartment block, it will take the opportunity to add value to the scheme, better serve its occupiers and minimise its impact on the environment by incorporating learning from one of its previous schemes.

The learning follows a two year post occupancy study of the Seager Distillery mixed use development in South London. The development, built on the site of a former distillery, included the refurbishment of a 19th century warehouse, construction of a new crescentshaped 10-floor apartment block, an office pavilion and a residential tower. It was designed to comply with the 2006 revision to Part L of the Building Regulations.

The post occupancy performance evaluation focused on three apartments situated in an annex block completed under the first phase of the scheme.

The apartments are typical of the most common build-types within the block.

The findings from the POE study, which was funded under the TSB1 Building Performance Evaluation programme, were presented at the recent CIBSE Technical Symposium by Michael Lim of AECOM and Steve Harper of Galliard Homes. (Note: AECOM were not part of the development team for this scheme).

1

Technology Strategy Board, now known as Innovate UK

Building Fabric The study found that the apartments were actually more airtight than had been predicted. The design-stage Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) assumed an air permeability of 8m3/h/m2. However, the measured permeability was significantly less with values varying between 2.4 and 3.6m3/h/m2 at 50Pa for the apartments. In addition, thermographic imaging showed fabric U-values to be in line with design intent.

Ventilation All three apartments had mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) units fitted. These were designed to provide fresh, tempered air to the living spaces

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Efficient design and bedrooms and to extract air from the kitchen and bathroom. The units have both normal and boost settings for the fan.

The MVHR unit to apartment 1 was found to be set continuously to boost because the occupants were unclear as to how to operate the unit. Although the MVHR units serving apartments 2 and 3 were set to normal mode, the system did not appear to achieve the flow rates required in Part F (2006) of the Building Regulations, although this had not resulted in unsuitable conditions in these apartments. The units also used more electrical energy than was expected.

One suggested reason for the MVHR units’ increased energy consumption was that the filters were found to be dirty, particularly on the exhaust side, possibly from the unit being commissioned while dusty construction work was underway. Access to the filters was not always straightforward because, in some apartments, units were concealed behind a false ceiling which had to be removed. With the extract filter cleaned in apartment 1 the air flow rate improved to a figure closer to that measured during commissioning. Similar airflow improvements would be expected from cleaning the filters in apartments 2 and 3.

Feedback from the occupants was that face-to-face handover of the units would have been helpful to explain their operation and maintenance.

In addition, in all the apartments, the Specific Fan Power of the MVHR units was found to be higher than manufacturer stated performance. This could be because the duct runs in the apartments were longer than those the manufacturer used in their test or because the ductwork had a higher pressure drop per metre than in the manufacturer’s tests, or a combination of the two. Because ductwork was concealed in a ceiling void the researchers were unable to establish details of the installation.

Communal heating system Heating and hot water for the development is provided by a communal heating system. This comprises a 165kWth gas-fired combined heat and power engine and an 800kWth biomass boiler; both were installed to help reduce the scheme’s CO2 emissions as part of the planning process. An 18,000 litre thermal store buffers the CHP and biomass boiler heat output. The scheme also includes two conventional gas-fired boilers: a 1000kW unit installed in Phase 1, and a 1500kW

unit installed under Phase 2.

The heating system was developed and sized early in the scheme’s design as part of an energy strategy developed for the planners. Galliard Homes had negotiated a reduction in installed heating capacity from 4766kW to 3465kW because the system was considered over-sized.

However, even with this reduction, the system was found to over-provide for domestic hot water demand. “The correct boiler installed capacities are found to be much less in practice then even those set by the [higher diversity] Scandinavian design standards,” says Galliard Home’s Steve Harper. As a consequence, this appraisal had led to Galliard Homes recommending that different approaches to the design are adopted for schemes of 100, 300 and 1000 or more homes.

Overheating The study also identified significant heat losses from the heat distribution network.

“Galliard Homes has identified that the Part L pipe insulation requirements, applicable at the inception of the scheme in 2006 were, and remain, inadequate for use with community heating,” explains Harper.

Galliard Homes has since adopted the ECS/ NES Y50 enhanced insulation standard on its projects and intends to increase further the levels of insulation.

The communal heating pipework delivers heat to the apartments’ domestic hot water system year round. Because the heating pipework is often routed along communal corridors, heat losses from these pipes are thought to have contributed to overheating

in all three apartments in warm weather.

This could have been compounded by the lower MVHR rates, a lack of external shading, large areas of glazing and occupants’ reluctance to open windows because of external noise.

Energy use and SAP Actual heat consumed by the apartments was 40-60% less than predicted by SAP. The apartments’ improved airtightness, their reduced ventilation rate and the addition of unmeasured heat gains from the communal heating are all thought to have contributed to the reduction in heat demand.

Energy use for fans and pumps is higher than predicted for SAP, partly because an occupant had the MVHR unit set on boost permanently and also because the efficiency of the MVHR units was less than half that used in the SAP calculation.

The study highlighted some clear issues which have resulted in performance gaps between the design and actual building performance. The causes identified cover the entire process, from design stage, through to the quality of the construction process, and finally to commissioning of the building services and handover to the building occupants. Galliard Homes has identified a series of learnings directly and indirectly attributed to this study.

This article is based on the paper Building performance evaluation of dwellings – A case study of the Seagar Distillery development. To read the full version of the paper go to /www.cibse.org/technical-symposium-2015/ past-papers-case-studies-archive/2015

Table 1: Comparison of annual energy consumption between measured and SAP predictions for the three apartments

Space heating & hot water

Electricity – fan, pump & lighting

SAP

Actual

SAP

Actual

kWh/m2/yr

kWh/m2/yr

kWh/m2/yr

kWh/m2/yr

Flat 1

66.84

22.97

5.86

9.77

Flat 2

75.16

46.22

5.86

2.73

Flat 3

78.76

29.21

6.54

3.72

CIBSE 222 Balham High Road, London SW12 9BS Tel +44 (0)20 8675 5211 Fax +44 (0)20 8675 5449 www.cibse.org For membership enquiries membership@cibse.org Energy Efficient Solutions | 2015/16 | 9

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Esos compliance

Are you going to be charged £50K for ignoring Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (Esos)?

Some may see red tape, but Lord Redesdale, ceo of the Energy Managers Association, sees only upside in Esos.

He thinks completing the assessment in house is a big opportunity

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sos is an assessment that large companies have to complete by December 2015 or face a £50K fine.

If you have not heard of Esos or your company has not started the process, you are not alone.

Of the fourteen thousand companies who need to complete an Esos assessment, only around fifty so far have completed the process. If your company has over 250 employees or over £38,937,777 turnover and more than £33,486,489 on a balance sheet then your company needs to do an Esos assessment.

This assessment will need to be completed in December in order to avoid penalties from the Environment Agency.

It may take large organisations three months to complete this assessment.

Most companies will probably only start the process in the third quarter. This will be a problem as although there are seven hundred trained lead assessors out there; there are over nine thousand companies that will require their services. The average time to complete the assessment can be as much as three months.

How to get an Esos assessment done?

One route is to hire a consultant, who will charge you a daily rate to do the work. Care should be taken to make sure that the consultant has the relevant experience in your sector because the purpose of Esos is not bureaucratic. Its purpose is to eventually save companies money through implementing the energy saving measures identified by the Esos assessment. Companies may well save money on the Esos process, but waste money because they will fail to realise the value of the energy savings.

The second route for Esos, is to train somebody from in house on how to be a lead assessor. The EMA has fought hard to make sure that in house personnel could undertake this work. The reason is that those responsible for energy in a large

organisation often have the experience needed to undertake Esos work. To be trained by the EMA a candidate must have a relevant qualification, which is a fairly broad condition, a minimum of 2 years’ experience and show that they have knowledge of energy auditing.

Why is the EMA so keen on in house lead assessment? The answer is simple.

It will be the job of those in house personnel to implement the energy saving measures they identified. Most employees responsible for energy already will have identified many of the issues that an Esos assessment will raise. The real value of Esos, which is the British iteration of the European Directive, is that the Esos report has to be signed off by board directors. If the report is produced by a consultant only one signature is needed.

If the assessment is done in house two directors will need to sign off. In my view this is the wrong way round however the argument was that the in house lead assessor would not be independent in his/her thought process.

Why was Esos mandated in the first place?

The European Union has a problem.

To meet its energy efficiency targets, Europe needs to spend sixty billion euros on energy efficiency measures.

The reality is that most companies are only spending a fraction of that amount.

Europe cannot mandate companies to spend money on energy efficiency but it can make the largest companies undertake an assessment to see what measures they could take. It is slightly perverse that even energy managers have

complained that this is a bureaucratic imposition. Esos gives energy managers the perfect opportunity to get energy efficiency measures in front of the board.

Many energy managers complain that boards rarely discuss energy and so most companies fail to take energy efficiency seriously. The EMA projects that prices for electricity are likely to rise dramatically over the next year. This is not due to underlining price rises for fuel costs but to pay the charges the Government has imposed to renew our ageing and collapsing energy infrastructure. The amount that needs to be spent is colossal and because successive Governments have ignored the problem, it is very likely that the light may well go out before Christmas.

The Esos lead assessor will be presenting his/her findings to the board, if they complete the process on time in December. Would it not be ironic if during that presentation there was a brownout or a full blown blackout? Companies have long ignored this issue because energy has been cheap and reliant. Energy is about to become expensive and at peak times scarce. Would it not be helpful if a report highlighting measures they can take to reduce consumption and cost was available?

The EMA aims to: 1. Improve the standing of the Energy Management profession and those working within it 2. Establish best-practice in Energy Management 3. Put Energy Management at the heart of British business theema.org.uk

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The next 12 months

What next for the energy sector?

Louise Kingham OBE FEI, chief executive, Energy Institute, advises on what to expect in the energy sector over the next 12 months

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here are several issues worth highlighting in the coming year but, for now, I will focus on developments in the energy efficiency, security and sustainability areas, which represent the core elements of the energy trilemma.

Energy efficiency compliance The beginning of 2015 saw the rollout of the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (Esos) – the UK Government’s response to Article 8 of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive, which mandates all large organisations to carry out energy audits. A large organisation under Esos is defined as employing 250 or more people, or managing an annual turnover of over £38,973,777 and a balance sheet of £33,486,489. The scheme is estimated to affect thousands of businesses, and those who do not comply by 5 December will face a potential fine of £50,000 and this becoming public knowledge.

Compliance requires organisations to appoint a qualified Lead Assessor, externally or in-house, to calculate their total energy consumption, audit the most energy intensive areas and identify energy efficiency measures that they can apply to save energy. The resulting report must then be signed off at company board level and lodged with the Environment Agency.

This is where compliance stops and where good practice should start. Why? Our concern is that recommendations from energy audits will not be actioned, and the Esos requirement will become little more than a tick box exercise. Yet, acting on the audit advice is good for the bottom line and can turn loss into profit; it is good for the environment and demonstrates the socially responsible pledges companies can make, as well as the benefits that can be passed onto the customer.

To ensure UK business benefit from Esos and energy efficiency, they need to call upon experts with high levels of skills, knowledge and experience, focusing on

making recommendations that can easily be put in place.

As the leading professional membership body for the energy sector, the Energy Institute (EI) has over 40 years’ experience of supporting energy management professionals. To assist organisations with Esos compliance, we run approved registers of Lead Assessors, who have all achieved chartered status, as well as offer free guidance and an advice service to ensure company directors don’t sleepwalk into difficulty.

EI members have contributed to the development of Esos both through the policy consultation process and directly via DECC’s Expert Advisory panel. The EI’s Lead Assessors are therefore well placed to provide the relevant advice for compliance through those registers.

To date, the response to Esos has been disappointingly slow. More than a mandatory scheme from the UK Government, energy efficiency, when implemented, can generate huge savings for organisations. As the 5 December deadline approaches, the demand for Lead Assessors is set to jump, so make sure you are not too late in hiring the expertise required to reap the benefits of both complying with Esos and running an energy efficient business.

Securing our energy In HM The Queen’s speech in June 2015, revisions to the Energy Bill were highlighted specifically covering energy security and investing in new energy infrastructure.

This included the domestic oil and gas production sector. In 2014, oil constituted 41% of the UK’s energy mix and was the main energy source for transport (97%). However, the UK is a net importer of petroleum products, with an import balance of 2mn tonnes in 2013. This trend is expected to continue for the immediate future. On-going investment in the UK Continental Shelf will go some way to help reduce such reliance on imports of oil and gas.

Electricity market reform (EMR) will continue to ensure the necessary investment is made to transition to a low

carbon electricity system at the lowest cost to consumers. A capacity auction was held last winter to secure capacity commitments from power generators, at a fixed price, which was lower than many anticipated, ensuring enough electricity is produced to meet peak demand. This helped unlock some new capacity and brought forward new investment to improve the UK’s resilience to energy disruption.

One of the key principles of the Energy Bill is that ‘there will be affordable and reliable energy for businesses and families’. The revised Bill contains plans for investment in new energy infrastructure such as nuclear and renewables, which fit in with EI members’ thinking. In a recent study, EI members see that building more nuclear and renewables capacity, as well as focusing on energy efficiency, is among the best measures to enable the UK to meet its emissions targets.

The election of a Conservative majority government in the UK has meant that shale gas exploration looks set to expand over the coming years. The boom in the US has highlighted the potential for this resource, but it doesn’t come without its challenges as the UK situation is very different to the US. There has been a vigorous debate about the potential benefits and risks of developing shale gas, and the UK Government proceeding ahead with issuing planning licenses across the country.

As an independent body, the EI does not advocate the use of one technology or resource over another, but provides the sound science needed to inform the policy-making process and stimulate a balanced debate. It is within this context that we published ‘A guide to shale gas’ earlier this year. For many, a major concern has been the environmental issues surrounding water quality and management as well as concerns as to the quality of basic information and expression of scientific fact with regards to the subject. This free publication outlines the fundamentals of shale gas; explains what it is and where it comes from, the production process, impacts, legal framework requirements and highlights the continued

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The next 12 months

challenges that would need to be considered. First and foremost of these is the challenge of public acceptance, which will require a far more open and transparent debate going forward.

A united stand on climate change The United Nations’ 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) will be held in Paris from 30 November to 11 December. The objective of COP21 is to sign, for the first time in 20 years of UN negotiations, a legally binding and universal agreement on how to prevent a 2°C global temperature rise.

At the EI’s International Petroleum Week conference in February 2015, Ben van Beurden, Chief Executive, Royal Dutch Shell, gave an address to energy professionals calling for the industry to make its voice heard in the run-up to COP21. He said the issue was one of balancing a ‘moral obligation’ – ensuring energy access for all with fighting climate change. Mr van Beurden believes this is a chance for the energy industry to discuss opportunities and explore new horizons.

Many countries have now submitted their pledges for COP21, outlining their commitment to limiting greenhouse gas emissions, including the US and Russia.

The US stand by their original agreement, made with China last year, to reduce emissions by 28% below its 2005 levels by 2025, while Russia’s target is a 25-30% reduction on 1990 levels by 2030.

This debate in Paris will no doubt be intense and what is agreed will have a significant impact on the energy sector going forward. In the short term, however, fossil fuels will continue to play a role to satisfy increasing worldwide demands for energy. Education and public engagement will therefore be key in order to make this message understood and accepted.

EI members have recently cited public engagement as a major challenge for the

sector in 2015. People are at the heart of the energy industry, both as the resource driving its delivery and the consumers it serves. Energy users must become more involved in the dialogue of the energy system. It is a two-way process of both sharing and listening and we have a role to play here. In fulfilling its duty to the energy profession and society, the EI aims to deliver more opportunities for stakeholders to meet and engage with each other. All players have important insights to bring to the debate, and must be involved to effectively deliver a safe, sustainable and secure energy future for the benefit of society.

The Energy Institute (EI) is the professional body for the energy industry, delivering good practice and professionalism across the depth and breadth of the sector.

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Building Controls

Focus on the long-term costs not shortterm savings Steve Harrison explains why 10-80-10 is the important ratio to bear in mind when planning to save energy in the long-term.

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mid the reams of legislation and incentives being injected and infused into various parts of the UK’s building industry, one of the biggest challenges facing the sector is yet to be remedied - its costfirst culture.

It is an approach with a glaring flaw.

It dismisses the fact that 80 percent of the cost of a building over its lifetime is swallowed by the ownership, occupation and maintenance of that building.

Furthermore, of that 80 per cent, 80 percent is accounted for by the cost of operating and maintaining the building services – the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and lighting.

Just ten per cent of the entire lifetime costs of a building are made up by its construction. And yet, it is here in this small margin that clients and contractors attempt to squeeze budgets hardest. Not only is this difficult to achieve, it almost inevitably leads to higher operational costs in the long-term.

One route to a solution for this problem is for those constructing new buildings and refurbishing existing ones to think further than the capital costs, and peer into the longer-term to see what a better building controls strategy could do for their clients’ operational costs.

Controls and building energy management systems (BEMS) play a major role in the operating costs of a building.

The majority of facilities managers are aware of the building controls within their properties and have a degree of understanding of how they work. But to achieve higher long-term energy savings and ensure they are optimising building controls and BEMS, users are strongly advised to take ensure they fully understand how to use the controls they have – even if that means training for their

in-house team.

Only companies who truly understand the systems they have installed and how to measure, monitor and control the building services are able to make best of use building controls and help them achieve their objectives of saving energy and reducing carbon emissions. This knowledge will also contribute to a more comfortable indoor environment, with fewer complaints from building occupants to the FM team.

That’s not to say that things aren’t improving. Building controls are being used more and more in buildings.

The 2013 Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) Market Information Service (MIS) figures indicate an a rise of 3.5 per cent from 2012 with the total value of the product supplied into the market showing an increase of just over 12 per cent.

The rising market is testament to the number of companies who see building controls as a means to save energy, but what is also encouraging is the continuing trends towards an increase in the amount of building services equipment which incorporates on-board controls technology. Smart kit makes for smarter buildings.

And equipment manufacturers are

including sophisticated controls in their products in the full knowledge that controls greatly increase energy efficiency.

However, although controls affect every element of a building, they are still traditionally specified as part of the mechanical contract. This can give rise to a scenario whereby lighting controls, say, which fall under the electrical contract, are installed separately from the rest of the control system.

This doesn’t preclude them from working, but a trick is missed in not integrating them into a single BEMS, which can initially add some cost and time, but which provides a holistic approach and facilitates a more usable and useful system for building managers. Furthermore, ‘value engineering’ or reducing costs of the controls installation during the build may provide a quick gain, but in the long term can result in reduced comfort and higher operating costs.

The rise in demand for controls and intelligent equipment, also presents the building services industry with another challenge; meeting the need for the right skills and the right people.

The BCIA recently launched the Building Controls Professional Assessment (BCPA) in conjunction with National Electrotechnical Training (NET). The initiative provides an

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building controls

Assessment of Occupational Competence (AOC) which ensures that every apprentice is assessed not just on their knowledge, but also on their skill and professionalism.

This will also be used as a method for assessing existing operatives in the sector, and for current controls engineers to demonstrate their proficiency. A higher grade of professional can only lead to higher energy savings from the equipment they commission.

On the legislative front, the new Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme should encourage companies to take note of what they can do to save money, although under the scheme the ‘opportunities’ identified do not have to be taken up. If it works, the Esos should lead to more awareness about how cost effective building controls are when it comes to saving energy.

The more significant step forward for the profile of the controls industry was the recognition in the new Part L 2013 Compliance Guide of BS EN15232 which offers a methodology for grading building energy management systems.

There has never been a better tool to help to support the case for building controls and BEMS as being central to energy efficiency in buildings.

BS EN15232 identifies levels of building

controls, from A to D, and resulting energy savings. The Standard can therefore show payback for investment in building controls, offering a clear basis for business decisions about what to invest in rather than that cost-first approach.

In the future, if the Standard can be incorporated into the main body of Part L and if the regulations can recommend a minimum level B, this would help reduce energy use and carbon emissions from the UK’s commercial building stock in a very cost-effective way.

The Standard sends a clear message that assessing controls with a longer term view than just that of their initial cost at the design and construction stage will make a significant impact on the cost of a building’s operation. There is no clearer way to illustrate the financial value to a business of addressing controls at this point in a building’s conception.

Approaching the design of control systems with the knowledge that

building services account for such a large proportion of the whole life costs of a building should remove the last hurdle to building controls becoming a key feature of a building’s design, and a key piece of the sustainability puzzle.

And if any further encouragement were needed, there is a looming deadline in 2018 for building owners and operators who will be outlawed from letting commercial buildings with an EPC rating of F or G. If large commercial property managers are on the ball they are already reviewing their building stock to see how energy performance can be improved. Thanks to BS EN 15232, the math’s can now be easily done to show just how important a role building controls technology can play in that process.

Steve Harrison is BCIA president and global product manager for Belimo.

The Building Controls Industry Association represents the interests of a wide range of businesses in the building controls industry. With its specialised programme of training, education and marketing, the BCIA upholds high standards of performance for organisations and individuals. For more information see www.bcia.co.uk Energy Efficient Solutions | 2015/16 | 15

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case study

Saving energy and pennies at Poundland National Energy Consultants, British Independent Utilities (BIU) is working with national retailer Poundland on a cost saving exercise across their 450 stores.

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oundland’s USP is to sell a range of products at amazing value, however the retailer was spending over £7.5m annually on gas and electricity.

As a valued customer of BIU since 2008, the consultancy wanted to offer Poundland energy and cost saving solutions. Initially BIU began working as their energy procurement specialist before expanding their services into other areas such as energy management, bureau, water audits and energy alarms.

From April 2009, Poundland began installing AMR Meters within all their required stores. However, BIU identified that whilst the meters appeared to be recording data correctly, Poundland was not taking any action to identify errors in consumption or implementing methods to improve energy efficiency; either on an individual store basis or as a company as a whole.

With this in mind, BIU developed a system, which would track, record and monitor intricate energy usage right down to a singular store basis. They would then carry out energy audits on relevant stores, with the ultimate aim being to reduce unnecessary consumption and lower energy costs.

Development

System and Process Features

Working closely with Poundland’s Energy Manager Jonathan Hughes, BIU identified how Poundland used energy and how it would need it reporting.

From this, BIU recognised the need to monitor energy consumption on various different levels. These ranged from the company as a whole, through to regional areas, right down to individual store level. Another crucial element to the reporting was to set a maximum level of consumption per store, which would trigger an alarm if exceeded.

As a long-term procurement client, BIU was familiar with the amount of energy Poundland typically used and by crossexamining this with individual store data such as size and historic usage; BIU was able to set a realistic consumption target for each outlet.

In addition to actual consumption, BIU also needed to identify habitual usage of energy at each store; for example, the stores, which had air conditioning units or additional machinery.

BIU also needed to identify who was responsible for turning off equipment at the end of a working day. This would require ongoing energy audits for each individual store to assess and monitor usage patterns.

BIU’s energy audits process is managed by qualified Low Carbon Consultants. Key features were implemented for Poundland: such as the fitting of energy alarms across 438 stores. These would be triggered if energy spend exceeded the capped amount by £5 or more.

BIU also dropped in automated dialing of meter readings each night on a per store basis, which allowed full access to data from the previous day. BIU conducted energy audits and site surveys to identify causes of over-consumption and then provided recommendations on ways to reduce usage.

Weekly reports were submitted, which detailed usage of each day and also highlighted areas of over- consumption, outlining additional spend.

In order to simplify the data, graphic and written reports showing exact dates and times of when additional or unexpected energy was used were designed. Alongside reporting on causes of over-consumption – in some cases this would be obvious such as switching off equipment or lights.

To enable area managers or energy managers to compare and monitor store usage, BIU produced league tables for each store and regional area.

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case study

BIU Services Outcomes, Behavioural Change and Benefits BIU detected technical errors across 72 areas, which resulted in faulty machinery being replaced or repaired. Alongside this, training processes were implemented where machinery was being used incorrectly or not being used at all. Areas for staff training were identified to train employees to use equipment effectively – all part of a wider behavioural change programme.

Energy efficiency measures were carried out, including replacing lighting with more efficient bulbs, introducing automated cut-off for equipment (timers, temperature etc.).

Human errors were identified where employees were not turning off equipment at correct times. Last but by no means least, store open and closedown procedures were put in place to ensure all staff were following the correct process.

Paul Hutton, Energy Consultant at BIU, said: “This process demonstrates BIU’s dedication to energy efficiency.

Energy Alarms focus on reducing cost, consumption and carbon. The process not only looks at technical errors but also encourages behavioural change. When working with multi-chain organisations it is easy to forget that each individual site

operates differently. The Energy Alarms process recognises this and has resulted in significant changes on a per site basis and on a company wide scale.”

Savings A total of £458,362 was saved from BIU’s Energy Alarms from inception to July 2014 and 2,434 tonnes of carbon. Added to this, in excess of 4.5 million kWh of energy was saved.

Jonathan Hughes, Energy Manager, Poundland, said: “We have worked with BIU for over seven years across various service departments and we were very keen to take up their Energy Audits service.

The BIU Energy Audit process has not only saved us money, it has helped us improve our internal operations and staff training, enabling us to run more energy efficient stores across our entire portfolio.”

BIU covers a wide range of energy services for medium and large businesses including: • Energy procurement • Energy saving methods, implementation and reporting • Policy and legislation - including P272, Project Nexus, CRC • Esos (phase 1 through to full 4 year strategies) • Energy surveys and audits including AMR, Energy alarms • Invoice validation and bureau services • Historic bill auditing to identify error charges and incorrect billing detail • Open Water 17 - what the deregulation means and how we can help your business We cover electricity, gas and water along with advice and support on energy efficient methods. To find out more please contact one of our qualified energy consultants at hello@biu.com or visit our website www.biu.com. Or you can call our head office on 01253 789816.

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EU policy

The EU Energy Efficiency Directive – much more than Esos The big noise is all around Esos. But there is a lot more to the EU Energy Efficiency Directive - and the public sector has a major role to play, according to the UK Association of Energy Engineers

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ith UK Plc heavily focussed on the Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme (Esos)1 at the moment which stems from Article 8 of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive there are a number of areas that appear to have been forgotten about.

• Firstly, the Directive is not just all about Article 8 (Mandatory Energy Audits) of the Directive - there are a range of energy efficiency related initiatives encompassed by the Directive (see box out) including article 3 with National energy efficiency targets each member state needs to attain (20% by 20202).

• Secondly, although it is a Europeanwide Directive the UK does appear to be ahead of the game by the design and implementation of the Esos but we can do more in terms of the implementation of measures proposed.

• Thirdly, the Directive also talks about the exemplar role that the public sector can play in reducing energy consumption across the EU. ‘’Article 5 of the Energy Efficiency Directive requires Member States either to renovate, each year from 2014 to 2020, 3% of the floor space of their central government building stock in eligible buildings that does not meet minimum energy performance standards, or to take alternative measures to achieve equivalent energy savings by 2020 in eligible buildings owned and occupied by central government.’’ (National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP), 2014).

Public bodies are not all currently in the Esos3. So there is an opportunity here for the UK Public Sector to get involved and there is always the 1 2 3

The UK Government’s transposition of Article 8 of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive.

Final energy consumption in 2020 of 129.2 Mtoe on a net calorific value basis for the UK. Some public bodies are if there is a proportion of private sector money large enough to meet Esos criteria

Snapshot of the EU EED

showing the range of elements of the Directive that may have been forgotten about under the limelight of the Esos.

3 = National Energy Efficiency Targets 4 = Buildings Energy efficiency in end use 5 = Demonstrate exemplar role of public sector 6 = Purchasing energy efficiency in the public sector 7 = Obligation scheme for suppliers 8 = Audits and energy management systems 9 = metering 10 = Billing information 11 = Cost of access to billing information 12 = Consumer information 13 = Penalties 14 = District heating & cooling 15 = Efficiency in transformation, transmission and distribution 16 = Qualification, Certification and accreditation 17 = Encourage success – info and training 18 = Promotion of ESCOs 19 = Removal of Barriers¢ 20 = Energy Efficiency Fund 21 = Review & Monitoring option to exceed renovation targets and to exercise greater purchasing power. According to DUKES4, 2014, the public sector consumes about half as much energy as commercial buildings.

One of the outcries about Esos from those involved in the energy industry is that despite Director-level sign-off, there is nothing to make organisations involved in Esos implement the 4

Digest of UK Energy Statistics.

opportunities offered in the audit. Indeed, some captured by Esos have made it clear to Lead Assessors that they only want ‘compliance audits’ or to spend the minimum amount of money. This can lead to a false economy or money poorly spent. Anecdotally heard, some organisations actually only have 4 employees and a small office in the UK but still meet the Esos turnover thresholds due to the nature of the business. Clearly, this depends on the energy footprint of the organisation however initial thoughts are in these circumstances, what real opportunity would there be to improve on energy consumption, that will impact our national targets?

Article 3 of the Directive is about binding national energy efficiency targets, meant to focus the mind of Member State governments where failure to meet targets may be met with penalties for non-achievement. That means, if Esos doesn’t cause a dent in our national targets, we may need to do ‘something’ else past just audits.

Some Members States have started to look at how they can incentivise opportunities under a certain payback (e.g. 2 years) to be implemented.

Although this is a good idea, there needs to be careful design and thought around a) Financial recompense or a tax break to enable this b) Be mindful of the fact that it is easy to magic the numbers to be just over 2 years so careful thought needs to be applied in any scheme design c) Potentially more audits may be required

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EU policy of the Lead Assessor’s work around opportunity assessment.

Here, we can use experience and learning from schemes such as the Electricity Demand Reduction (EDR) Pilot and the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC_EES), when it was a league table with a reward savings pot of money, to help the Esos create real opportunities and achieve the National Targets.

The UK can lead by example across Europe, with some countries still appearing to have not yet quite bottomed out the equivalent versions of Esos. Organisations such as the UKAEE have an advantage of being connected into other European Chapters and working at a grass roots level to identify issues - for example any skills gaps around the training and certification, and having internationally recognised qualifications for Esos-equivalent lead assessors such as the CEM® (Certified Energy Manager) that could be applied in Europe. Creating a level playing field in the quality of lead assessors is important - including recognising where additional training may be required (such as the recent Transport Energy Audits the UKAEE hosted) but also as the Directive covers a wide range of areas such as metering, billing and district heating., UKAEE are looking to provide more courses on these subject areas and aims to provide training packages from the AEE suite of courses so there is no need to re-invent the wheel in Europe. Energy professional are encouraged to join the UKAEE at no membership cost to contribute to the development of these areas.

Finally, the Public Sector has so much to offer in terms of reducing the UK’s binding national targets (more explicitly provided in NEEAP), and with the promotion of ESCOs and EPCos as well as other innovative approaches.

As cash-strapped organisations, which if the forecast is right under the new Government, will only become more cash-strapped - then the Energy Performance Contracting model is one that can become attractive to the Public Sector (for those that have scope for energy consumption reduction).

Procurement frameworks such as the Mayor of London’s RE:FIT or SALIX funding continues to break down the barriers to investment as the model begins to expand to areas such as Scotland. Will Europe be the next stop?

Innovative approaches such as Bristol City Council’s municipal energy company Bristol Energy or the Low Carbon Oxford initiative catalysed by Oxford City Council are also providing new opportunities to engage on city wide, cross sector working that will be crucial in driving down energy consumption, creating more growth

in the energy efficiency sector and ultimately addressing the broader aims of the EU EED. Rajvant Nijjhar | president | UK AEE | The UK Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers

To promote the Scientific and Educational interests of those engaged in the energy industry and to foster action for sustainable development.

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2020 vision

ACE’s seven energy efficiency asks for the 2015-2020 Parliament Following the recent General Election day, ACE (Association for the Conservation of Energy) launched its seven key energy efficiency asks for the next Parliament. Written by Jenny Holland 1. A new energy white paper The cheapest, safest and most secure form of energy is the energy we do not use. That is why energy efficiency must be allowed to compete on equal terms with new supply capacity. In the past UK energy policy has focused heavily on the supply-side – power stations and fuel distribution infrastructure – as opposed to reducing demand for energy. We urgently need a new Energy White Paper that puts demand reduction on a level playing field with conventional supply-side measures.

2. Buildings energy efficiency as infrastructure investment There is a gaping hole at the heart of the UK’s National Infrastructure Plan. The most crucial element of our infrastructure – the bricks and mortar of the homes we live in and the places we work – is missing from the Plan’s

list of priorities. No other investment can achieve as much to help struggling householders and businesses, stimulate economic growth and create jobs in every constituency in the UK. As part of this, we are calling for: • home energy efficiency to be made a top infrastructure priority; • investment to be supported with a long-term revenue stream; • 2 million low income households to be made highly energy efficient by 2020; and all 6m such households to be brought up to this standard by 2025.

3. The public sector must take a leadership role Both national and local government are significant owners, lessees and occupiers of non-domestic buildings – and therefore have a huge role to

play in helping to drive the market for energy efficiency. The new Government should start by making it mandatory for public bodies to procure energy efficient buildings. The energy performance of these buildings must be clearly displayed to demonstrate that the public sector is leading by example.

4. Zero carbon standard for new homes and commercial buildings The last Government proposed to dilute the previously agreed Zero Carbon standard for new homes. This proposal must be reversed, and a genuine Zero Carbon Homes standard must be introduced via Building Regulations in 2016. The proposed exemption for small sites is not justified and must also be withdrawn. For commercial buildings, there is still no clear definition of what Zero Carbon means, nor is there a clear

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2020 vision trajectory towards the 2019 target. As an urgent priority, the new Government must work with industry to clarify the definition and to set out the timeline to 2019.

5. Minimum energy efficiency standards for existing buildings ACE successfully campaigned for a minimum standard (Energy Performance Certificate Band E) to be introduced in the Private Rented Sector from 2018.

Unfortunately the new regulations allow landlords to be exempted from the standard if they can’t make the necessary improvements without incurring upfront cost. This loophole must be removed to prevent a two-tiered approach and huge administrative complexity. In addition the new Government should: • broaden the scope of the minimum standard to include houses in multiple occupation, which are often home to our most vulnerable citizens; • consult swiftly on introducing minimum standards in the owneroccupier and non-domestic sectors; • set out a trajectory, giving the market adequate notice, for tightening existing and future minimum standards.

6. Incentives for energy efficiency retrofits In order to stimulate the market, we must introduce systemic incentives to encourage the able-to-pay to invest in retrofits. These should include: • revenue-neutral stamp duty and/or council tax adjustments that reward more energy efficient homes. These would lead to between 650,000 and 1.75m additional retrofits every year; • revenue-neutral business rate adjustments that encourage small business owners to invest in improvements.

7. Improving access to finance for energy efficiency measures Access to competitive finance for energy efficiency investments is critically important. We therefore need a concerted and sustained initiative, led by Government, to enable lenders and borrowers to understand the attractiveness of energy efficiency as

an investment, and to unlock the use of personal and business loans and mortgages. This initiative should include: • increasing the attractiveness of Green Deal finance by reducing the interest rates on offer through Government underwriting; • enabling a wider range of lenders to access this low-interest capital and offer it to their customers; • banks providing highly competitive loans (underwritten by Government) to their small and medium-sized business customers for the installation of energy efficiency measures; • increasing awareness of, and trust in, energy services and third party finance offerings to all businesses, and encouraging these businesses to consider funding energy efficiency investment from sources other than in-house funds.

Jenny Holland is the head of the parliamentary team at ACE

Association for the Conservation of Energy Westgate House, 2a Prebend Street, London N1 8PT Tel: 020 7359 8000 Fax: 020 7359 0863 Email: andrew@ukace.org Web: www.ukace.org

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Compressed Air

Standardising compressed air efficiency Compressed air is often regarded as the fourth utility, yet, despite being a pivotal component in many manufacturing and industrial processes, the amount of energy used by a system can sometimes be overlooked

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vital part of efficiently managing a compressed air system is to undertake frequent energy audits, a process that has recently been standardised.

Here, Chris Dee, executive director of the British Compressed Air Society discusses how EN ISO 11011, the new European standard for compressed air efficiency, will improve energy performance for the industry.

Standardising energy audits It is advisable to carry out regular energy audits on all aspects of a compressed air system, with incorrectly specified equipment, leaks, poorly sized pipework, long distance, excessive bends and fittings all affecting energy efficiency levels.

For some years responsible compressed air equipment manufacturers and suppliers have been offering energy audits as part of their service and maintenance routines. However, until recently there was no framework for manufacturers and suppliers to adhere during an audit, meaning results could vary in terms of accuracy.

Recognising this, BCAS undertook over four years of work together with the ISO Technical Committee 118, culminating in the introduction in August 2013 of a new international standard for compressed air system assessment, called EN ISO11011 (Compressed air – Energy efficiency – Assessment).

In March this year, the standard has gained even more traction and has been formally accepted by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) as an approved European Standard.

The EN ISO 11011 assesses compressed air use, critical production functions and poor system performance. Such assessments help to identify and quantify

PNEUROP Plenary sets the green agenda

PNEUROP is the European association of manufactures of compressors, vacuum pumps, pneumatic tools and allied equipment and speaks on behalf of its members in European and international forums.

The annual PNEUROP Plenary, which this year is hosted by BCAS, takes place in Stratford-upon-Avon from the 25th - 27th June, with the topic of green energy firmly on the agenda. Issues including the ‘PNEUROP Green Challenge 2020’ project and the Eco-Design Directive are all being discussed.

Through the Green Challenge project, PNEUROP plans to highlight the importance of compressed air and vacuum equipment in helping to reach Europe’s 2020 energy saving goals. The first step in this process will be to discuss how the correct storage of CO2 and hydrogen in compressors and vacuum pumps can be made clearer.

With the EU striving for compressed air regulation to be published by the end of 2015, the Plenary PNEUROP will also be discussing the Eco-Design Directive, which sets out principles to be adopted by compressed air designers and manufacturers to ensure all aspects of a compressed air system run more efficiently. energy waste, the balance between compressed air supply and demand, energy use and total compressed air demand.

Prior to EN ISO 11011, the onus was on individual manufacturers and suppliers to decide how best to measure energy consumption and what recommendations to make to their customers.

With the introduction of EN ISO 11011, companies can now offer advice and carry out auditing procedures on a level playing field. Like-for-like energy audits can only benefit the end-user and make it easier for them to decide what action to take.

For example, one of the key features of ISO 11011 is to establish a ‘baseline’ performance of a compressed air system. The purpose of base lining is to

understand fully the current performance levels and costs of a compressed air system, and to correlate the results with the plant’s present production levels.

As improvements are made to the compressed air system, it will be possible to estimate improvements by comparing the new measurements with the original baseline.

BCAS would strongly encourage end-users to see the value in assessing their compressed air usage within a standardised framework in order to define, with much greater accuracy, system energy consumption and performance. In doing so, EN ISO 11011 should deliver sustainable and measurable results for the businesses that take it on board.

British Compressed Air Society Tel: 020 7935 2464 www.bcas.org.uk info@bcas.org.uk BCAS is the UK trade body which acts as a “onestopshop” for compressed air and vacuum. It has a range of fact sheets, publications, training courses and seminars. BCAS members be they manufacturers, suppliers or users of compressed air equipment, all benefit from specialist tailored advice on technical and legislative matters.

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Energy and the Boardroom

Taking energy efficiency from the boiler room to the boardroom Over 70% of the energy used within commercial buildings is controlled and can be effected by the facilities manager. The BIFM outlines key drivers to leverage that control at board level

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usinesses are facing more pressure than ever to plan their approach to energy management. How does a business plan for energy efficiency and where does the Facilities Manager fit into this. Compliance/ Cost/ Reputational issues are all challenges businesses must address and many businesses struggle to define a strategy and plan to cover these areas. The drivers, can be further explained under these 3 key areas:

Compliance

at a leadership level within business

Reputation The green and low carbon agenda alongside wider sustainability issues are well understood by businesses. Many businesses and institutions understand both the costs of doing nothing and the brand benefits of tackling these issues – but do they understand how energy efficiency fits in to this?

As you can see in these three areas and

drivers, businesses can complete a review without saving any energy. However at BIFM we believe our members and the businesses they serve can use these drivers and pressure to create a case for real change and driving energy efficiency by; • using Esos as a road map to opportunities, • modelling the predicted price pressures and cost consequences can create a business justification ( a very simple question to the Board of Directors –

UK Government established Esos to implement Article 8 (4-6) of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive (2012/27/EU). The Esos Regulations 2014 give effect to the scheme.

Esos is a mandatory energy assessment scheme for organisations in the UK that meet the qualification criteria. The Environment Agency is the UK scheme administrator.

Organisations that qualify for Esos must carry out Esos assessments every 4 years. These assessments are audits of the energy used by their buildings, industrial processes and transport to identify costeffective energy saving measures.

Organisations must notify the Environment Agency by a set deadline that they have complied with their Esos obligations. You do not need to register as the Environment Agency do not expect to hear from organisations until 2015 when they are fully compliant. So do businesses settle for a report/ compliance or use this as a option to plan

Cost For many businesses and institutions energy accounts for less than 5% of its overall cost base. Therefore many businesses don’t focus on energy as an area of strategic importance. People, logistics, and general real estate benefit from much better focus than energy management. Buying well (unit price) tends to be well led and understood but how to use less energy or planning for significant price increases seem to have limited buy in from businesses and simple effect plans appear to be poorly understood 24 | Energy Efficient Solutions | 2015/16

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Energy and the Boardroom

•

what will the effect on our bottom line be if energy prices double?) aiding the business in understanding the reputational benefits of being a leader in this area and creating ever better work environments (energy efficiency, shouldn’t leave people too hot or too cold or sitting in the dark, more give them the optimum work environment).

The role FM needs to play Over 70% of the energy used within commercial buildings is controlled and can be effected by the Facilities Manager. FM is looking to guide its customers through change and looking at businesses signing off on a strategy to implement change. Our members are custodians of the budgets that facilitate change. What they need from the products, solutions and consultants is clear and concise information.

For too long energy efficiency has been dealt with in boiler rooms of business and not the boardroom and FM is looking to use the strategic drivers listed as the tools to change this.

If our suppliers can understand the need to support joined up thinking and we can engage our organisation in a proactive and planned way, using Esos as the tool for change and the basis of a plan can result in real step changes in building performance.

FM believe Esos, Cost pressures and Reputational issues create an opportunity for investment. However alongside this is the need for great partnership with both supply chain & building occupants.

Energy efficiency isn’t just about changing light bulbs or optimising boilers for FM it’s about space utilisation, operating hours and staff engagement. Technology can support change but the changes only sustain if the building occupant and

crucially the stakeholder sponsor them.

FM wants (with its partners in business and its supply chains) to lift the agenda based on the legislative, cost and reputational issues businesses face. FM sees Esos as an opportunity to highlight to business the opportunities that exist and create the need for change. These changes will come down to 6 key areas in commercial buildings: 1. How do we work as a business (ie are people able to work flexibly do we have a large field force) 2. Do our buildings support our culture (ie does the business say it works collaboratively but everyone has their own desk)?

3. What’s the effect on our business if energy prices double?

4. How is our energy managed today?

5. What are our aims and can we create an SLA? 6. Do we have a supply chain we can create collaborative contracts with?

Energy efficiency then comes down to a change management program which includes (but isn’t limited to) technology.

Space utilisation and more importantly underutilisation is becoming a key area of focus for FM, alongside creating the case for technology investment. In many businesses FM is seen correctly as the right home for energy management and we see Esos in particular as an opportunity to further define business requirements.

The unique pressures being placed on businesses from this increasing important area means we believe the time of change is upon us and FMs aim is to get this key issue out of the boiler room and into the boardroom to ensure the right funding and approach is agreed.

The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) is the professional body for facilities management (FM).

Founded in 1993, it promotes excellence in facilities management for the benefit of practitioners, the economy and society.

Supporting and representing more than 14,000 members around the world, both individual FM professionals and organisations, and thousands more through qualifications and training. bifm.org.uk Energy Efficient Solutions | 2015/16 | 25

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BuiLding PerfOrmance

New guidance released on bridging the energy performance gap in buildings A new report produced by the BRE Trust and the Energy Services and Technology Association aims to help facilities managers and building operators bridge the energy performance gap in their building portfolio, so consumption and costs can be reduced for business benefit

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irector of ESTA, Robin Hale says ‘Buildings rarely perform as well as their designers predicted – energy consumption and costs can be as much as double what was expected with damaging financial implications for occupant organisations. This ‘performance gap’ and how we tackle it is one of the most critical challenges faced by the built environment sector. As well as outlining the issues, this report shows how a freely available tool can be used to find the solutions.’ to truly understand how a building uses energy you need to know something about the building itself and about how it is used. in current parlance, that requires both an asset and an operational energy rating. an asset rating models the theoretical, as designed, energy efficiency of a particular building, based on the intrinsic performance potential of the building envelope (the fabric) and its services (such as heating, ventilation and lighting).the higher the numeric rating, the worse the building is, and the greater the opportunity to reduce carbon emissions by improving the building itself. However, the asset rating provides no information about how the building is operated in practice. the operational rating records the actual energy use from a building over the course of a year, and benchmarks it against buildings of similar type. factors other than building quality, such as unregulated loads (e.g. it, plug-in appliances) or building user behaviour also create emissions, which are reflected in the operational rating. there is significant confusion in the non-domestic property market between the two different building energy ratings currently in use. Property owners mistrust asset ratings because they don’t map directly onto measured fuel bills. currently, operators of commercial and public sector buildings have two indicators of a buildings energy performance available to them. the first is an energy Performance certificate (ePc) rating which is the theoretical assessment of

a buildings energy needs in optimum conditions. the second is a display energy certificate (dec) which is based on actual energy consumption. the dec is almost always higher due to occupant behaviour, non-standard hours of operation, and unregulated loads such as it and office equipment. in the report - Bridging the performance gap – understanding predicted and actual building operational energy (iP 1/15 author andy Lewry explains how the uK government’s green deal assessment tool - gd-sBem - can be used to reconcile the differences between the two sets of information. ‘By inputting both theoretical and actual consumption data, gd-sBem can help building operators really understand the energy use in a building, highlighting where improvements can be made and the costs and related payback periods of investment. the tool can also help larger organisations report against the requirements of the uK government’s energy savings Opportunity scheme (esos). accompanying the report is a sister publication: Producing the business case for investment in energy efficiency (iP2/15). this offers practical guidance to building operators on how to make a sound financial case for investing in energy efficiency improvements that will bridge the energy performance gap.

‘One of the biggest obstacles to the adoption of energy efficiency measures in an organisation is a poor business case’ says author Lewry, ‘typically you have a three minute window of time in which to make a compelling pitch. critical to your success are clear and concise metrics that address the consequences of a do-nothing

strategy and messaging that appeal to a non-technical, financially driven audience. this guide shows you how to get it right.’ robin Hale said ‘Both reports are issued at a critical time as the sector gets to grips with the introduction of esos, the government’s mandatory energy assessment and energy saving identification scheme for large organisations and the eu’s energy performance of buildings directive which will make it illegal to rent a building that is energy inefficient by 2018.’ copies of iP 1/15 Bridging the performance gap – understanding predicted and actual building operational energy and iP 2/15 Producing the business case for investment in energy efficiency are available to order or download from www. brebookshop.com. use the code “Perfgap” for a 20% discount.

BRE Bre, Bucknalls Lane, Watford Wd25 9xx, uK Tel: Call 0333 321 88 11 enquiries@bre.co.uk bre.co.uk

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Building performance

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energy risk

So you don’t think energy’s a risk to your business?

Energy risks – the lurking perils. So what’s your problem?

I

was chairing the Energy Management Forum conference recently and there was an informed panel debate taking place around the merits of being an Intelligent Client (and the dangers of NOT being one!).

So I fired a question at the audience of over 100 - an eclectic mix of energy, environmental and sustainability professionals representing a very diverse cross-section of public/private, industrial/ commercial organizations – OK….. how many of your organizations have a risk management plan which factors in issues such as energy and business continuity?

I currently have a bee in my bonnet about water efficiency, so would include water in this risk management thinking.

Can you run your building without toilet and washing, and maybe cooking, facilities? Unless you’ve been very forwardlooking and have significant water storage, no, you’d have to send everyone home.

Could your business survive? Probably, albeit the less distractions from core activities the better.

I, for one, have to admit being very surprised at the response. Only 3 (very experienced and informed) hands were raised and, even allowing for many in the audience not being directly involved in energy risk management, it displayed a decidedly worrying trend with fairly recent memories of the panics of price spikes in 2008 fairly fresh in the mind not to mention speculation around the possibility/probability of power black-outs this coming Winter.

You cannot be serious?

Well, far be it for me to suggest, ALL organizations need to have as a minimum a basic plan as to how they would cope not only with severe price volatility of energy, and as we’ve seen it does happen, but all the vagaries around energy and water supply security. What would you

do without them? Not a lot! You hadn’t thought about a back-up generator? You left all that stuff to someone else? It’s your future and that of your organization which are on the line if things go seriously wrong and you’d done nothing to mitigate the impacts. There are enough potential problems for modern businesses without another layer of more predictable and manageable ones which, with a bit of planning and foresight, you could mitigate completely.

And let’s be clear – you could go out of business if events which have materially presented over recent years are replicated again. There are also many new dangers waiting to challenge your astuteness in forward contingency planning – the energy sector is full of them. Check out some of the geo-political issues. No-one would spread bet on the risks – or would they? Those with no mitigation plans are already doing so in my view.

Not to mention regulatory risks of being fined and/or “named and shamed” under current legislation!

What should you do?

Well, if you’re a responsible director of any sort of organisation a good start is to try and evaluate the types of risks around energy and water which you might realistically face. If you’re lucky & have specifically responsible employees you’ve got a massive start, as they’ll most likely be able to guide you through some of the potential horrors and bear-traps, as well as giving their informed views on how you can mitigate them.

Often, especially if they’re relatively junior and maybe not involved in these issues full-time, you may need to seek external help. Knowledge of your sector and the types of risks which have the highest probability of occurring are top priorities in terms of the required knowledge base.

Insights into how your entire business could survive an extensive range of tangible and threatening risks are valuable, necessary and a priority.

At a comparative level, would you turn down a cost-effective assessment of health

& safety/fire risks at home? Probably not.

Moving on to other issues which may have a less than catastrophic, but still important, negative impact on your organisational performance – these can also be identified, ring-fenced and mitigated.

Better still, if you’re concerned about cost of consultants, have one or more of your own team trained to a high standard – they’ll know the business better than any consultant, but you need to be prepared to

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energy risk

give them time away from the day job.

What could possibly go wrong?

But, if you’re sceptical, and let’s face it many are, just consider how you’d look to your customers if your business or organization experienced negatives from risks which were severe but highly probable? It certainly won’t look good on the marketing front and before you know it your customers will, unless you’re a monopoly, have migrated to a supplier

who HAD considered the consequences and had done something effective about them.

If you need help on any aspect of risk planning around energy there are

Empirical solutions to your problems available. Can you afford to leave such an important area to chance? In our view no! www.empiricalenergy.com

Mervyn Bowden C ​ hartered Energy Manager FEI FIET Formerly Head of Energy Management for the Marks & Spencer Group Mervyn has extensive experience in both the supply & demand side of energy management as well as, more recently, in management consulting and the design & delivery of related training subjects.

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display energy certificates

VolDECs – the solution to the landlord and tenant energy split Malcolm Hanna, Technical Director, National Energy Foundation

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here’s a growing need for those responsible for buildings to monitor and manage their energy use better - whether it’s because of the commercial bottom line, the ‘push’ of government legislation and initiatives, the desire to combat climate change, or the comfort and productivity of occupants.

Evaluating a building’s energy performance enables you to manage energy use better and to identify and prioritise opportunities for energy-related improvements – whether they’re capital investment, occupant education or building modifications.

It’s often difficult, messy and complex to understand how much energy a building is using, and how it breaks down into uses, time periods, zones and tenants. However, the old adage: “If you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it” applies but many people responsible for buildings often don’t know what to measure, how to measure it, how often it should be measured or how to interpret the data. In short, there are many reasons for not taking action, or not taking it well!

The first stage of a prioritised energy efficiency plan is to assemble key data and information about how the building stock is currently performing - annual energy use, cost data for each building, floor area, and thereby the annual energy use per square metre. Together with the building type (such as office, shop, depot, etc.), you can then use this information to compare the performance of buildings across your own portfolio and, if appropriate, against published UK benchmarks for different types of building.

Comparing your buildings with each other and also with others of a similar design or use enables you to identify potential opportunities for energy efficiency improvement and to prioritise further, more detailed investigations.

The National Energy Foundation, working in partnership with Phil Jones of Building Energy Solutions, has recently developed VolDECs. This is a new initiative

supported and piloted by Legal & General to help owners, managers and tenants to easily understand their energy use as the basis for action and improvement.

What are VolDECs? VolDECs are a new and innovative voluntary operational energy rating scheme, initially designed for commercial office buildings. They are a not-for-profit scheme and are based on relatively simple data, making them inexpensive and quick to produce.

VolDECs came out of the fact that many commercial office buildings don’t have an appropriate means of measuring and highlighting energy performance in a relatively simple and consistent way. In particular, there are issues associated with the landlord and tenant energy split and the lack of relevant benchmarks to enable performance to be measured and compared sensibly and consistently.

Our new approach separates tenant energy use from that of the landlord and the common parts of the building, thereby providing property owners and operators with cost-effective, user-friendly energy ratings for areas of a building that they control or manage, and are able to improve.

Method and benchmarks VolDECs use the same methodology

as statutory DECs and provide a similar certificate layout.

VolDECs also include: • Extended G scale to include G1 to G4, thereby providing low-ranking buildings with a more defined rating in order to encourage improvement.

• U (Unclassified) rating for buildings where either performance or data is exceptionally poor.

• Certificate quality rating: High, Medium and Low, to encourage improvements in data quality.

Development VolDECs are now being further developed to: • Include other elements such as waste and water.

• Provide individual (floor by floor) VolDECs. • Serve other sectors such as shopping centres.

• Enable client input online.

Aims Our aims with VolDECs are to: • Establish a consistent methodology and quality assurance across the industry.

• Provide a voluntary scheme without government constraints.

• Provide a not-for-profit solution, for

Statutory DEC

VolDEC

Methodology

Uses the methodology in CIBSE TM47.

Uses the methodology in CIBSE TM47.

Benchmarks

Uses CIBSE TM46 benchmarks - only one benchmark for all office types.

Uses ECON19 benchmarks for offices provides four different office types. Energy is broken down by end-user for each type.

Landlord / tenant split

Unable to provide a separate landlord / tenant DEC in the same building.

Uses energy breakdown in ECON19 to provide composite landlord and tenant benchmarks for five different building scenarios.

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display energy certificates

• • • • •

the benefit of the industry, backed by the industry.

Use authoritative sector-specific benchmarks.

Highlight performance and encourage action and improvement.

Conduct benchmarking research for the industry.

Soft start the commercial sector into measuring performance.

Encourage deeper analysis to benefit building operators, designers and the whole industry.

•

•

•

• •

The benefits Various external and internal pressures mean that, for most organisations, energy performance evaluation is fast-becoming an unavoidable essential. Some see it as a burden but the more enlightened view it as providing benefits for all their stakeholders - from shareholders to employees to customers. The benefits of VolDECs are that they: • Establish a consistent methodology and quality assurance across the industry.

•

Provide landlords and tenants with comparative energy performance of the areas that they control.

Highlight energy performance and provide a clear driver for improving performance.

Are a stand-alone entry level engagement tool – based on relatively simple data, making them easy to produce and inexpensive.

Offer a starting point for tenant engagement.

Use robust DEC methods but with more appropriate benchmarks and an extended scale for greater performance differentiation.

Have been piloted in 18 multitenanted offices, and are now being developed for other sectors and

•

building owners, specifically retail.

Help to highlight anomalies and the need for more detailed investigations.

Whilst you’re likely to need external expertise for complex buildings and a detailed evaluation, VolDECs provide a useful, cost-effective and relatively easy starting point, and one you can build into a more sophisticated approach as and when your skills and confidence grow.

NEF can also provide the statutory DEC rating for the whole building, if a further comparison is needed.

www.nef.org.uk

NEF is an independent charity based in Milton Keynes and has been at the forefront of improving the use of energy in buildings since 1988. We aim to give people, organisations and government the knowledge, support and inspiration they need to understand and improve the use of energy in buildings.

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a view of Government

Energy efficiency - no longer the Cinderella?

Legislation underpinning improved energy security was one of the headline announcements in the Queen’s Speech that heralded the start of the new parliamentary year says David Frise*

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new Energy Bill promising “affordable and reliable energy for businesses and families” was one of 28 listed in Her Majesty’s address.

Among other things, it will create an independent Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) “charged with the asset stewardship and regulation of domestic oil and gas recovery”.

While it is clearly positive that this is being given such high priority, I wonder what the government thinks it means by energy security. The best way to improve energy security is to use less of it. There is an enormous, tantalising target to aim for in cutting energy use in the UK’s 1.8 million existing commercial buildings that account for 17% of the country’s entire carbon emissions while also ensuring all new constructions have energy reducing measures built in.

However, this does not appear to be what the planned Bill is addressing. It proposes to transfer the regulatory powers of the new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Amber Rudd, to this OGA – a new body that seems primarily concerned with energy production and regulation.

Where does energy efficiency lie in this new structure?

A new bill proposed by renewable energy groups shortly after the Queen’s Speech will hopefully prompt Ms Rudd to look at more building focused solutions and energy efficiency which has the potential to reduce the country’s overall energy bill by £12bn.

This could be an early initiative for the new Minister for Energy Efficiency Lord Bourne to consider. The very fact such a Cabinet post has been created and that the Prime Minister has appointed a respected peer to fill it augurs well and suggests energy efficiency may no longer be the Cinderella topic it has been up to now. However, the lack of focus on energy efficiency in the Queen’s Speech shows there is still some distance to travel.

The new minister also has a tough in-tray as he has been handed the

poisoned chalices of the Green Deal and the misfiring Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) – along with the not inconsequential subject of fuel poverty.

At B&ES we will continue to ‘bang the drum’ for energy saving measures and to promote the clear business benefits to commercial building users of investing in demand reduction, but the new administration must avoid the mistakes of the past few years including the ham

fisted proposal to abolish Display Energy Certificates (DECs) just a few weeks before the General Election.

We will give the new administration all the help it needs and I suspect that might, in the first instance, involve another attempt at explaining the concept of energy efficiency in buildings.

* David Frise is head of sustainability at the B&ES

B&ES is the UK’s leading trade association for building services engineering contractors. Founded in 1904, the B&ES represents the interests of firms active in the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (hvacr) products and equipment. b-es.org

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compressed air systems

Heat recovery, but not as we know it The waste heat generated by compressors can be recovered and put to good use, saving energy and reducing carbon emissions. However, using waste heat for space or water heating is not always practical, which has led rotary vane compressor manufacturer Mattei to develop a heat recovery prototype that generates more useful electrical energy. Andy Jones, managing director at Mattei, explains more.

E

nergy efficiency is high on everyone’s agenda, and businesses are increasingly searching for ways to reduce their energy costs and carbon emissions. Many have already put processes in place to reduce their energy use, carbon emissions and costs, but the Government’s Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (Esos) aims to ensure that efficiency is front of mind for every major consumer of energy.

Esos requires eligible companies* to carry out an audit of the energy used by their buildings, industrial processes and transport to identify cost-effective energy saving measures.

And, with compressed air often considered to be industry’s fourth utility, and compressors accounting for around 10 per cent of the total electricity consumed in the sector, they can be a good place to start making savings.

One way to reduce the amount of energy a compressed air system uses is through heat recovery. Compressors generate a lot of heat (around 90 per cent of the electrical input used to power a compressor’s motor is turned into heat), and around 80 per cent of this waste heat can be recovered and put to good use.

It is possible to use the recovered heat for local space heating, but in many cases this is not practical (if the heat is required on the opposite side of the factory to the compressor, for example, it will be costly, and won’t actually be that efficient), or alternatively the waste heat is used to generate hot water. The water can actually reach temperatures of up to 90ºC, and can be used for a number of different purposes, such as to pre-heat boiler-feed water or for sanitary use.

However, although this type of system can deliver energy savings, the benefits can only be realised if a factory or plant has a constant need for space heating or hot water (a compressor generally runs all year, so it is more efficient to have a continuous demand) – which isn’t always the case.

In response to this issue, Mattei’s R&D team has developed a unique prototype called the Xpander that uses waste heat to generate electrical energy. We see the product as an important breakthrough, as where there isn’t always a need for heating and hot water in a factory, there will always be a need for electricity.

The prototype is based on the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) – a ‘steam’ cycle employing organic fluids instead of water that can generate electricity from waste heat. So far, ORC has been used in medium-sized applications where high temperature waste heat (i.e.

150 to 500°C) is available. But Mattei’s Xpander is a high efficiency ORC based system that allows the recovery of energy from very low temperature waste heat (i.e.

80 to 150°C) – meaning it can be used in a greater number of applications.

Designed to work with air compressors of 50-100kW, the Xpander recovers heat from hot compressor oil, which is ordinarily cooled by a fan, and converts it into electrical power. It can produce 3kWe, which can be fed back into the compressor. When the Xpander is cooling the oil, the compressor’s normal fan cooling system can be turned off, saving a further 2kW. The overall reduction in the specific energy efficiency of the compressor is around six per cent.

With spiralling energy costs, carbon emission reduction commitments and Esos to consider, heat recovery must be a key consideration for any business running a compressed air system.

Conventional heat recovery can only deliver savings if there’s a need for space or water heating, but by generating more useful electrical energy from waste heat, Mattei’s Xpander will ensure that a greater number of businesses can reduce their energy costs and carbon emissions.

To learn more about the Xpander go to: https://youtu.be/ Sb9mfnVbvRw. *Esos applies to large UK undertakings and their corporate groups. It mainly affects businesses but can also apply to not-for-profit bodies and any other non public sector undertakings that are large enough to meet the qualification criteria. A large undertaking is any UK company that either: • employs 250 or more people • has an annual turnover in excess of 50 million euro and an annual balance sheet total in excess of 43 million euro • an overseas company with a UK registered establishment which has 250 or more UK employees (paying income tax in the UK)

Mattei Compressors Ltd 01789 450577 www.mattei.co.uk info@mattei.co.uk twitter.com/matteiuk linkedin.com/company/mattei-compressors-ltd Energy Efficient Solutions | 2015/16 | 33

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hvac

Tulip Foods case study In June 2013 CERTUSS UK Ltd were invited to tender for a project by specialist Mechanical installer C&I Mechanical Services Ltd.

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ender details were to supply and commission Steam Generators and Package Plant Module that would serve a food processing plant for Tulip Foods Bristol.

The equipment required should be capable of meeting the required peak load demand of 5000kg/hr, a fuel supply for LPG burners, with spare Light Oil burners (for exchange during fuel price rises) were requested.

Steam production would be required 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.

After evaluation of the requirements, CERTUSS UK offered a tender for the following equipment: • 4 x 2000kg/hr LPG Fired CERTUSS TC Steam Generators (Duty/stand-by) • 1 x CERTUSS Package Plant Module (Tank sized for 3 x 2000 Generator) • Automatic Operation • 4 x Light Oil burners (loose supply) • CERTUSS Interface facility • Delivery to site • Commissioning With the CERTUSS Generator offering a fuel to steam efficiency of >93% and an ability to raise full steam capacity in circa 3-5 minutes, along with reduced maintenance and inspection periods, C& I Mechanical Services Ltd decided that this was the best option for them to propose to their customer Tulip Foods.

In June 2013 CERTUSS received an order for the supply of the equipment with full commissioning of the plant taking place April 2014. With a CERTUSS internet connection supplied with the system Tulip Foods are able to monitor the equipment through their site BMS facility.

To date CERTUSS still carry out annual servicing of the plant, with a full service contract in place.

This site is also available for any potential CERTUSS UK customers to visit and see our equipment in a working environment, where they can speak to an independent Engineer for an unbiased opinion (to arrange any appointments please contact CERTUSS UK) Tulip is a leading food producer in the UK, supplying to retail and food service markets and providing the UK consumer with a huge variety of food products.

Their product range includes fresh pork, bacon, sausages, gammon, cooked and canned meats as well as savoury snacks including scotch eggs and cocktail sausages. They have a number of brands within their product portfolio including Danepak, Tulip, Adams, The Fuller Flavoured Sausage Company, Spam and Stagg Chili and Plumrose.

With 17 sites across the UK and employing around 8,000 people, they pride themselves on creating high quality food from farms in both the UK and Denmark. They have a state-of-the-art sausage manufacturing site and ‹centres of excellence› around the country.

As a business they are committed to quality and care and exceed many recognised industry standards. It is therefore an honour for CERTUSS UK Ltd to be associated with yet another brand name leader.

CERTUSS (UK) Ltd Unit 45 Gravelly Industrial Park, Birmingham.

Tel: 0121 327 5362 Fax: 0121 328 2934 Email: service@certuss.co.uk Website: www.certuss.co.uk 34 | Energy Efficient Solutions | 2015/16

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hvac

Energy efficiency at the core of Fläkt Woods Fläkt Woods is a leading manufacturer and supplier of air technology based products and solutions for the commercial and industrial sectors in the UK. With a strong heritage, the company has manufactured HVAC products in the UK and Scandinavia for over 100 years.

W

ith one of the most comprehensive ranges of products available on the market, Fläkt Woods is able to offer a whole host of solutions for any given project. The extensive range of Air Comfort and Fire Safety products and solutions includes axial fans, air handling units, energy recovery units, chillers, VAV, chilled beams and air diffusion products.

Fläkt Woods products are energy efficient as standard, based on its ‘e3’ corporate value proposition. The concept is based on offering products and complete solutions that gives customers excellent indoor air quality, whilst still ensuring low carbon emissions and reduced operating costs The three ‘e’ value proposition comprises ‘environment,’ ‘economical,’ and ‘expertise.’ Environmental focuses on improving energy recovery and increased efficiency to reduce fossil fuel consumption and in turn reduce the carbon footprint of buildings.

Economical ensures energy savings that lead to reduced end user operating costs. Expertise concentrates on the extensive experience the Fläkt Woods team will utilise with an aim to understand customer requirements to design, configure and select the best products and solutions. This is supported by state-ofthe-art and market leading product selection tools such as “Fan Selector” and “ACON”. e3 is an integral element of Fläkt Woods’ DNA and is a key driver for the design and development of all new products and solutions.

Continuous investment has been made in R&D and manufacturing technologies, to ensure cutting-edge products can be brought to market, all in line with the green agenda and legislative changes.

Building designers, specifiers and facilities managers continue to be placed under pressure to achieve energy efficient solutions to reduce carbon emissions and energy costs.

There is no question that energy efficiency is going to take the lead during the specification of HVAC systems. However, it is essential to understand the impact that poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can have on businesses and building occupants, and ensure that any new system will adequately ventilate a property.

Energy Recovery Units, such as Fläkt Woods’ eCO PREMIUM, are already a proven solution for commercial and public sector premises where effective natural ventilation isn’t possible, or where a combined approach is adopted to meet regulations and deliver acceptable IAQ. Fläkt Woods has also introduced the revolutionary JMv axial fan to its offering. The innovative fan can save end users up to 24 per cent on annual running costs, and is a highly efficient solution for the catering and hospitality sector in particular. With versatility being integral to its design, the JMv can also be used for general ventilation and smoke extract applications to improve indoor climate and preserve life.

The unique design means that JMv can deliver enhanced aerodynamic performance, whilst significantly reducing running costs and carbon dioxide emissions, making a positive contribution to decreasing the impact of climate change.

eCO PREMIUM

by FLÄKT WOODS

For more information on the complete range of fans and other air comfort and fire safety products from Fläkt Woods visit www.flaktwoods.co.uk Email marketing@flaktwoods.co.uk Energy Efficient Solutions | 2015/16 | 35

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hvac

Exploring the success of retrofit boiler controls Why is it that retrofit boiler controls are now making a significant contribution to energy and carbon reduction strategies? There are several reasons…

M

any organisations have already reduced energy wastage, especially electricity, and are now turning to gas and oil. Obvious measures include ensuring there are controls in place and the control strategies are aligned to current building usage and plant efficiency is maintained through regular maintenance.

Once these measures have been taken, retrofitted boiler optimisation controls are increasingly used to reduce energy consumption further and are often recommended in Energy Performance Contracts.

How do boiler controls work?

So why are retrofit boiler controls so popular?

Measurement and verification is important in any energy-saving initiative. Sabien recommends that savings are verified in line with the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP). This provides full transparency and ensures savings analysis is based on actual kWh rather than boiler runtime savings

Retrofit boiler controls require relatively low investment, deliver proven savings, are simple to deploy and deliver significant and quick financial returns.

Yet it is sometimes assumed that boiler controls will not deliver further efficiency gains if a BMS or other controls are already in place.

This assumption is often incorrect because these controls do not typically address the issues of dry cycling caused by standing losses.

Dry cycling can be identified by observing the boiler firing for short, regular periods – and also shows in analysis of Half Hourly data.

The rapid uptake of boiler load controls therefore brings an additional level of control. Sabien’s M2G only addresses boiler dry cycling, it does not replicate or duplicate the BMS functions. This is why organisations such as BT, O2, Aviva and the MoD have all invested in this technology – as well as investing in modern BMS controls and boilers.

Over 9,500 Sabien M2G boiler controls have been installed worldwide, delivering cost-savings of 10-25% with typical paybacks under 2 years, and as they are self-learning there is no requirement for ongoing maintenance or commissioning.

“Initially it is assumed the BMS is already preventing dry cycling. However, once the M2G is explained to the energy manager, M&E contractor and controls supplier it is quickly established that this is often not the case.”

Geoff Newman, Sabien Technology

Unlike many other attempts to control boiler dry cycling, M2G does not delay firing, lower the boiler’s operating temperature, conflict with existing control strategies or compromise comfort conditions.

Instead, it provides real time analysis of each boiler’s heat loss on the flow and return and recalculates the values every time the boiler reaches its required set point temperature.

This means it adapts to BMS/optimiser variable set-points and, crucially, the boilers’ designed set points are never altered.

Verification

Conclusion As organisations search for further savings within their estates, boiler load optimisation should be one of the first technologies considered and deployed to deliver this. However, energy managers must ensure their BMS supplier and the boiler control supplier engage effectively so that a full understanding of the technology and the demarcation between the control strategies is understood by all.

“We identified the M2G as a cost-effective way to introduce more savings on boiler energy consumption over and above those achieved by upgrading the building management systems.”

Eunice Mabey, PriDE, MoD South East Regional Prime Contract

Significant savings with a fast ROI

Examples of Sabien M2G projects, with savings and return on investment figures.

NHS Ayrshire & Arran Sidney Sussex College HMS Sultan English Institute of Sport Driving Standards Agency RAF Odiham University of Central Lancashire Lincolnshire County Council

Savings

ROI

12% 17% 12% 12% 22% 15% 9% 15%

0.5 years 2.1 years 1.4 years 0.6 years 1.4 years 0.2 years 1.5 years 2.3 years

Sabien Technology Ltd 34 Clarendon Road, Watford, Herts WD17 1JJ Tel: 0800 082 89 89 Fax: 01923 252318 Email: reduceC02@sabien-tech.co.uk Web: www.sabien-tech.co.uk 36 | Energy Efficient Solutions | 2015/16

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hvac

Stokvis ECONO-AIR Gas Fired air heaters For use in large open spaces such as factories, warehouses, sports halls, conference centres, exhibition halls, arenas or swimming pools.

• Fully modulating burners giving accurate temperature control and high efficiency • High quality anodized frame and insulated panels providing high efficiency and long life • Minimal or no ductwork required • Pressurisation of space ensuring a clean and high quality atmosphere • Ventilation/cooling can be provided during summer months • Flexible installation options

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o achieve the best solution for any large open space environment, careful consideration has to be given to a variety of factors, for two spaces of identical size and shape can present very different characteristics and requirements.

Compare, for instance, an industrial warehouse where the majority of the activity involves semi-automatic fork-lifts carrying out ‘picking’ operations, with an exhibition space such as east London’s ExCeL Centre. Factors such as occupancy and lighting levels, as well as the size and usage of the entranceways could not be more different.

It is vital for the specifier to not only calculate the heat load for the building accurately, but also to model the circulation in what is likely to be a very tall space. Furthermore, the requirements for ventilation, and the replacement of that air must also be taken into consideration.

Many modern factories and warehouses feature the use of composite steel cladding panels whose insulated core cuts heat loss through the envelope to a good degree, but warmth will still be lost through ventilation. Where extraction is part of the production process – if dust is generated or fume cupboards have to be employed – this effect will be greatly pronounced.

A supply of heated replacement air is therefore required to maintain comfort levels; and if it is not provided the extract system will perform inefficiently and a negative pressure can be created. This could lead to cold air being drawn in through leakage around the envelope.

For new installations, the supply of heated make up air can often provide adequate ventilation, without the need to install additional extract units. However, where additional extract is deemed necessary, this can be integrated into the same unit to facilitate

both input and exhaust flows; with the option of mechanical heat recovery from the exhaust side.

The latest gas firing air heaters can meet these combined demands economically, featuring efficiencies of 100 per cent (based on NCV) thanks to fully modulating burners and effective intelligent controls.

Fully CE approved, the new Stokvis Econo-Air range of gas fired air heaters encompasses both direct fired (SDF) and indirect fired (SIDF) models which are able to achieve these multiple objectives.

A turn-down ratio of 20:1 guarantees flexible response, while output rises from 15-900 Kw for the indirect units, and 30-1200 Kw with the direct firing options. There is also a comprehensive selection of accessories available, enabling the installation to be customised to the different requirements of the building concerned.

For heating large open areas it is ideal to have a wide range of air distribution heads available in order to facilitate ductless distribution. This is achieved by slightly pressurising the internal space, to ensure even distribution both vertically and horizontally.

This avoids the need for extensive duct runs or de-stratification fans.

Where the building geometry does, however, demand ductwork, then Econo-Air units can be supplied with backward or forward curved fans to overcome resistance within the runs of up to 2000 Pascals.

With businesses in all sectors seeking to demonstrate their sustainability credentials, and constantly rising energy prices impacting on their profitability, finding fuel efficient and reliable, low maintenance heating systems for their premises is more important than ever. And exactly the same considerations apply to specifiers in the public sector.

Stokvis Energy Systems 96R Walton Road, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 ODL Tel: 020 8783 3050 e-mail: info@stokvisboilers.com www.stokvisboilers.com Energy Efficient Solutions | 2015/16 | 37

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monitoring & targeting

It’s all about the Baseline Energy professionals have used the same linear regression tools for over 50 years to create Baselines – C3NTINEL® from C3 Resources offers a new approach.

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3NTINEL® is the next generation energy management platform incorporating IPMVP Change Point Models, machine learning algorithms and automated event detection techniques.

With the ever increasing access to electronic data feeds from fiscal meters, sub meters and BMS/SCADA systems a key challenge facing many Energy and Sustainability professionals is how to efficiently collate and refine this data to create maximum value.

C3 Resources is at the forefront of this challenge, with its software solution C3NTINEL® now being successfully deployed by international energy, infrastructure, manufacturing and professional services companies.

At the heart of C3NTINEL® is an advanced analytics engine which uses numerous baseline modelling techniques and data visualisations to quickly develop an understanding of the relationships between energy use and the numerous variables that influence consumption.

Key to the success of C3NTINEL® is the intuitive interface which makes using these numerical baseline models quick and simple. Advanced analytics such as machine learning algorithms capable of modelling complex non-linear multi variable relationships are as simple to use as the traditional linear and IPMVP Change Point regression models that sit alongside.

A key enabler to creating value from C3NTINEL® is the ability to connect with multiple data sources and translate their different data protocols. A large commercial building or individual manufacturing process can have several different data sources incorporating hundreds of BMS points (temperatures, valves, dampers, etc.), metering points and facility specific variables.

Establishing a robust baseline model on these data points in

C3NTINEL® will initiate many value adding actions.

C3NTINEL® user Chris Yeo, Head of Energy Services at Cofely commented: “when delivering energy efficiency projects with guaranteed savings it is vital that our engineers are immediately made aware of any performance drift and have the necessary tools to manage the process of corrective action. The ‘Profile Alerting’ functionality within C3NTINEL® allows our engineers to quickly address performance drift to minimise any waste. Managing the corrective action process online within C3NTINEL® keeps everyone focused on the issue and enables collaboration between energy engineers, BMS contractors and site FM teams”.

Recent work undertaken at Plymouth University has provided clear evidence of the value that can be created by performing data analytics on BMS data alongside energy metering data. Paul Lumley, Energy and Environmental Manager at Plymouth University added: “C3NTINEL® has demonstrated that not only can it find when our buildings are using energy inefficiently, it also directs us to the root cause, such as which AHU heating valve is responsible for an increase in consumption and how much it is costing us. In addition to the financial savings from minimising excessive consumption, the Fault Detection Diagnostics (FDD) significantly reduces the time taken to investigate energy performance drift, which in a complex building, with just a single gas meter, could otherwise take days”.

Find out more visit

www.c3ntinel.com

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monitoring & targeting

Your energy solution Elcomponent has the resources and experience to provide a solution for all your energy monitoring requirements using both portable and fixed systems. It has supplied more portable energy analysers to UK customers since 1986 than any other single manufacturer, and since 1998 has supplied more than 200 automatic sub-metering systems to applications including MOD sites, government buildings, major supermarkets and a host of manufacturing plants

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ll sub-metering systems satisfy the “requirement to monitor” aspects of the Carbon Reduction Commitment and are eligible for Enhanced Capital Allowance tax breaks.

Elcomponent is passionate about helping its customers reduce their carbon footprint and cut their energy costs, and has a strong track record of doing so.

Its products and services are based on the belief that carbon efficiency and cost reduction are not incompatible – both are realised by simply consuming less energy. By working closely with each customer, that goal is turned into reality.

Its market-leading range of portable Energy Data Loggers offers a choice of very capable instruments to suit all applications and budgets. With the emphasis on safe, noninvasive operation all the loggers are suitable for use by nontechnical staff, and are shipped complete with everything you need to start work immediately, including the correct integrated software. The units are fully programmable for survey length and storage value, and feature large non-volatile memory for flexibility and data security. The 3 phase units are supplied with flexible CTs as standard for safety and ease-of-use, and as with all their instruments, full technical support is only a phone call away.

Elcomponent’s managing director, Bill Gysin, believes that the SPC range represents outstanding value, not just because of the units’ low prices, but because of their effect on carbon emissions.

“Portable data loggers are the gift that keeps on giving, from a carbon perspective,” he says. “You only have to buy the unit once, but virtually every time you use it, it will pinpoint some energy waste or inefficiency – a poorly controlled baseload or whatever – which means over time, a single logger can have a huge effect on an organisation’s carbon footprint.”

On the sub-metering side Elcomponent’s “MeterWeb” (www. meterweb.com) is the first aM&T package designed from the start to be accessible to all. Energy managers have known for a long time that there is only so much you can do with a “top down” approach. At some point, further improvements cannot be made without everyone in the business getting “onside”; becoming energy and carbon aware and pulling together to achieve better results. These results must be easy to access, and easy to understand. “MeterWeb” approaches this by providing multiple user-access levels, with the lowest level being universal. It’s a carbon footprint presentation that is designed to run in reception areas, or as a page on the company website – effectively a dynamic statement of carbon performance and aspirations. Other levels require a specific log-on, but can be tailored for departmental or individual relevance – the user only sees what is relevant to them. Full access is reserved for power users who are able to take advantage of the full spectrum of features, and if necessary, tailor the look and feel of the product for others.

Elcomponent Unit 5 Southmill Trading Centre, Southmill Road, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts CM 23 3DY Tel: 01279 503173 Fax: 01279 654441 Email: Debbie@elcomponent.co.uk Energy Efficient Solutions | 2015/16 | 39

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mOnitOring & targeting

Power to the people In its purest form energy savings can be directly found by simply turning off a light or other pieces of energysapping equipment. But, to cut serious carbon output and reap significant financial savings the trusty (light) switch is not going to cut it. in and engagement from staff as they can complement the strategies being put in place and therefore allow the business to reap more rewards in savings.

t-mac in practice • a uK-wide retailer installed t-mac to provide central control of building equipment performance and use. saving the retailer not only in excessive energy use and financial spend on the electricity but also in operationwide management.

• Oundle school saved energy and cut carbon across its campus with smart metering and monitoring from t-mac which helped change the management of buildings through their use of smart.dasH, an interactive social media based dashboard.

• award-winning exhibition and conference venue manchester central installed t-mac units across the site to gain full visibility at a granular level, of energy consumption. from mapping the venue’s mains consumption, manchester central is able to map, graph and profile energy consumption for each activity and create targets against KPis through the t-mac software.

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his is where the power of technology comes to the fore and when coupled with human interaction, and importantly human-influence, energy savings can be found a lot quicker. t-mac technologies is set to change the management of buildings with its latest easy-to-use Bms software platform and aPP. Leading the way for proactive, any-time, any-where Bems controls, the t-mac app extends the power of the Bms software, enabling businesses to monitor and amend control strategies on the move from any location. By driving operational efficiency with intuitive controls, the Bms software and app provide the perfect platform for businesses to actively save energy, cost and carbon across multiple sites and buildings. the t-mac Bms app enables a business to quickly react to changing building or environmental conditions by optimising control strategies, adjusting values and overriding control schedules. the user-friendly app is designed to accommodate all user types from controls experts to building owners/occupiers.

By its very nature, the app offers increased productivity for commissioning engineers, versatile and easy to use controls for facilities/energy managers and restricted comfort controls within dead-bands for managers based on site. staff engagement and getting employees to understand the role of energy reduction is also crucial to energy savings. from our research we know that combining behavioural change programmes with energy management systems such as the t-mac Bems or t-mac sub-metering solution enable businesses to reap rewards of reduced energy consumption for years to come. energy management system software needs to provide visibility and a message as well as a facility to analyse and report; to gain buy-

energy management systems, like t-mac, consider controlling the building and equipment whilst maintaining a suitable environment for the building occupiers, the online software considers the different users from finance and energy managers/ analysts to maintenance personnel and not forgetting the building occupiers themselves. extending control strategies against the duos and tnuos charges adds further cost savings for a great number of businesses from high street banks and retailers to universities, warehousing and manufacturing facilities.

But the core to the proposition from t-mac is about creating awareness of what parts of the business are sapping energy and how that can be easily reduced through controls – the ‘it’s all in the light switch’ is an important concept to explain. ultimately, by working hand in hand people and technology will reap so much more.

t-mac Technologies unit 1, stand Park, sheffield road, chesterfield, derbyshire s41 8Jt Tel: 01246 233 632 Fax: 01246 201 193 Email: info@t-mac.co.uk

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Amorphous Transformers

How transformative thinking helped Britain’s “greenest” hospital save over 1 million kWh a year The project The University Hospital of South Manchester (UHSM) is recognised as the “greenest” hospital in the UK and has recently been acknowledged as the most environmentally friendly in Europe. With on-site generation, modern LED lighting systems and efficient controls already in place, the energy and environmental manager was looking for additional areas that could drive energy savings.

Having identified super low loss amorphous transformers as an extremely cost effective infrastructure upgrade that would not only provide guaranteed energy savings through reduced transformer losses for decades to come but deliver substantial additional savings through in-built voltage management capabilities, the trust sourced seven replacement supply transformers.

Government’s final CRC Performance League Table, placing it amongst the top four per cent of UK organisations and has also been recognised as the world’s 18th most environmentally friendly hospital by the United States Green Building Council.

The data The detailed case study (available on request) provides power quality data for TX1 and TX2 replacement at the acute substation (pre and post install) as well as energy savings projections for annual savings from all seven transformers.

The measurements show that the installation of the Super Low loss Amorphous Transformer, combined with a 6.3% (TX1) and 6.6% (TX2) voltage reduction, has reduced the kWh used.

The measurements taken before installation and those with the super low loss transformer show a 5.9% (TX1) and 6.0% (TX2) reduction in kWh. The savings are estimated to be £31,010 p.a. total (based on 9p/kWh).

The result The super low loss amorphous transformers supplied by Wilson Power Solutions have helped it cut its carbon emissions and realise energy efficiency savings that go straight back to improve its frontline patient services.

The transformers have the ability to give a saving of round 1 million kWh each year, with added benefits including reduced electrical stress on equipment which will in turn extend the lifespan and reduce maintenance costs (see detailed case study data below).

The story Erika Wilson, managing director of Wilson Power Solutions said: “From placing sustainability at the core of healthcare provision the UHSM has become the UK’s greenest hospital, and we are proud to have played a part in that.”

The University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust committed itself to a Carbon Management Programme in 2008 in an effort to mitigate the effects of rising fuel prices, while also seeking to limit energy cost increases and to engage positively with its wider community on sustainability issues and to reinvest funds in providing improved frontline patient services.

Since then UHSM has been recognised for its achievements by winning the Guardian newspaper’s Public Sector Sustainability Award and the Ashden Award in 2012 and the Public Sector Sustainability Award (Healthcare) in 2014.

The Trust was also the highest placed Acute NHS Hospital in the

This kWh reduction can be trended long term using the electricity supplier’s half hourly averaged value data. The reduction in voltage has also improved the site power factor.

The technology With lowest combined transformer losses that already exceed EU Eco Design specifications scheduled for July 2021, choosing a Wilson e2 transformer for capital replacement or new-build projects could be one of the best infrastructure decisions you could make. Why? With at least 25 years life expectancy and payback on additional capital investment in under three years the Wilson e2 will deliver significant energy and carbon savings for decades to come.

FIND OUT HOW YOUR ORGANISATION CAN BENEFIT, CALL OUR ENGINEERING TEAM: CALL +44 (0)113 271 7588 www.wilsonpowersolutions.co.uk Energy Efficient Solutions | 2015/16 | 41

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training

Mythical creatures The qualified full-time energy manager is a thing of the past. Today’s practitioner may well need a refresher course in basic science: Vilnis Vesma can help, free of charge

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here will be some readers who are designated as the energy manager for their organisation, maybe even as a full-time role. I used to be one myself thirty years ago, in a specialist team of three at Gloucestershire County Council. This was the norm in those days: indeed Essex held the record with an energy team of 14. But dedicated energy managers seem to be a thing of the past. How often do you see a vacancy for one advertised? Gloucestershire’s team subsequently shrank back to one person, who was later redesignated as the sustainability coordinator—part-time on energy, in other words.

This reflects a general trend, which started when supply markets were opened up and energy management became, in financial directors’ eyes, a game of competitive procurement (no technical knowledge required, thanks). Then we had the closure of the government’s Energy Efficiency Best Practice programme, the launch of the Carbon “Trust” and the big swing in public policy towards reducing emissions. Laudable as the focus on carbon may be, it has cast energy management as an environmental rather than a technical issue in the corporate mind. As a result, because headcounts were being reduced and environmental management has a high compliance content, senior management teams have felt it appropriate to give the energy brief to their health, safety and environmental officers. If you are one of them, do you feel wellenough equipped for the task?

Today, I strongly suspect energy management is in the main just a part-time function for people with all sorts of different backgrounds, many of whom—possibly a majority—did not study science even at school, let alone at college. This leaves them prey

to ignorant and/or unscrupulous vendors of bogus products, and drifting at the mercy of the prevailing marketing wind (if it isn’t LED lighting or voltage reduction it may as well not exist). It also means they may be missing viable opportunities which they don’t recognise as obvious candidates.

It has been part of my mission for a long time to help people in this position. It was why I founded the UK Association of Energy Engineers, and why I run simple introductory energy training courses alongside the more advanced Certified Energy Manager programme. It was experience with introductory courses which brought the situation home to me. In the early years I assumed a certain basic level of science knowledge; concepts like the energy balance, or latent heat, the distinction between power and energy, and the meaning of ‘efficiency’ for example. But it soon became clear that a significant proportion of participants did not have this basic scientific grounding. That prompted me to add basic science to the course and make it a two-day event.

Since then, in an effort to get back to a more convenient and economical one-day format, I have put all the basic science into an on-line self-study course which people can take discreetly, in their own time and free of charge, either for its own sake or before attending the training so that we can dive straight into useful topics like combustion tuning, HVAC controls, motor-driven systems, lighting and so on. The free basic science course for energy managers has been road-tested by people with little or no knowledge of science. It typically takes a couple of hours (which can be split into bite-sized chunks), and over a hundred people signed up the day it was launched. It can be found via a link at my web site, www.vesma.com/training

Vilnis Vesma Email: vilnis@vesma.com Tel: 01531 821350

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