Climate control

Vent-Axia’s Sentinel Kinetic whole house mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system

Greater emphasis on cutting carbon emissions and energy bills means heating, ventilation and air-conditioning is becoming more important. Contractors need to be prepared

By Rob Shepherd

Thanks to the increasing demand for energy-eff icient products that can reduce CO2 emissions, these are exciting times for the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) sector. In fact, the ways in which temperature and air quality are controlled have never been under as much scrutiny as they are today, and HVAC technology is at the forefront of the move towards low-carbon-emitting buildings.

These factors, when combined with the upturn in fortunes of the construction industry in general, mean the HVAC sector now boasts some of the highest level of innovation anywhere in the building services industry.

This represents a valuable opportunity for manufacturers and electrical contractors alike; at least if building owners and occupiers can be persuaded to buy into the concept. “We have the “With millions of UK households facing fuel poverty and energy bills still high, the onus on electrical contractors to provide aff ordable, eff icient and reliable heating for their customers has never been greater.”

Health scare

Modern buildings are designed to retain as much of their heat as possible, but this has one major side eff ect: poor air quality. When considering that each of us exhales between 10-75 litres of carbon dioxide and 175g of water vapour per hour, while a family of four produces 10-15 litres of additional water vapour each day through cooking, washing and breathing, poor air quality can soon become a problem.

According to a YouGov consumer survey, conducted on behalf of the British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers’ Association (BEAMA), 58 per cent of people have experienced mould or condensation in their homes. Furthermore, a study by Prism & Waverton Analytics discovered that 91 per cent of homes tested for volatile

products, designers and the skilled installers to deliver a comfortable internal environment, in some of the most energy-eff icient ways possible,” says John Kellett, general manager, product strategy and marketing, at Mitsubishi Electric’s Living Environmental Systems. “The key is education because we need building occupiers to understand how the industry can help them achieve their objectives.”

Contractors have an important role to play here, suggests Chris Stammers, marketing director at Dimplex. “Energy eff iciency remains the biggest issue in the electric heating industry,” he says.

‘The key is education because we need building occupiers to understand how we can help them achieve their objectives’

25 per cent:

The rate of increase in mechanical extract ventilation systems in 2014

organic compounds (VOCs) in the air were above the recommended level. “If people are exposed to high concentrations of VOCs over long periods of time, there are serious health risks,” warns Kelly Butler, marketing director of BEAMA.

This is where mechanical extract ventilation (MEV) and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) comes in. The forecasts for its adoption are impressive and The Zero Carbon Hub VIAQ Task Group believes it will become the dominant form of ventilation in most new homes post-2016. “Sales of these types of ventilation systems have seen an increase of around 15 per cent year on year, but 2014 saw a dramatic increase of 25 per cent,” says Jon Hill, technical manager at Polypipe Ventilation.

MVHR can recover up to 80 per cent or more of the energy from outgoing air, meaning the incoming air can be pre-heated, lowering overall energy consumption. Ian Mitchell, product marketing manager for new build residential at Vent-Axia, believes electrical contractors should familiarise themselves with this technology.

“There is a great opportunity for electrical contractors to specify and install these systems,” he says. “By joining a competent person scheme, they can diff erentiate themselves from competitors. It will also help them win work from developers, since those using a competent person to install MVHR can gain a benefit under Standard Assessment Procedure Appendix Q.”

This rapid increase in the uptake of MEV and MVHR has, however, left a skills gap in their design and installation; an issue that was reinforced in the recent Zero Carbon Hub report entitled Closing the Gap Between Designed and As-Built Performance. “This can sometimes result in incorrectly designed installations that not only fail to realise the full potential of the systems employed, but can even have a detrimental eff ect on the standard of indoor air quality,” warns Hill. “But through adequate installation training and clear operational guidance, this issue can be resolved.” is set to become easier, thanks to the growing influence of the Energy Related Products Directive 2009/125/ EC. From September 2015, water heating products of up to 2,000 litres sold in the UK will need to meet minimum energy performance criteria in order to be legally placed on the market, and those of up to 500 litres will require an energy label. “This will see all heating products labelled like white goods are, so consumers will be able to judge the eff iciency of a system based on standard industry-wide criteria,” explains Kellett.

Many water heating products available today will essentially be banned, says Jon Cockburn, head of marketing at Heatrae Sadia. “But it will drive more eff icient solutions as manufacturers look to develop products and solutions that achieve the highest energy ratings.”

With the role of HVAC becoming vital, contractors should study in detail the government legislation on carbon reduction and energy eff iciency in buildings, and how intelligent HVAC solutions can satisfy the need to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, if they are to benefit from the opportunities this will create.

Case study: Intelligent thinking

Yorkshire Housing has upgraded 16,000 coal-fi red homes with Dimplex’s Quantum intelligent off -peak heating system. The properties suff ered from high heat loss due to poor insulation and the coal-fi red central heating was proving expensive to run and impossible to regulate in individual rooms.

Each property was upgraded with between three and fi ve heaters in hallways, living rooms and bedrooms, together with additional heaters where necessary to meet specifi c heating demand and sizing requirements. The heating upgrades delivered instant benefi ts for customers, with immediate fuel cost savings of more than 40 per cent.

“We set out a plan to fi t Quantum heaters alongside the installation of exterior wall insulation,” says Richard Bould, investment project offi cer from Yorkshire Housing. “Even without the benefi t of external wall insulation in the fi rst winter with the new heating system, it still delivered annual running costs of around £1,000, which represented a signifi cant saving compared with the coal fi res and supplementary heating. Previously, customers were paying up to £1,750 per year.”

Rules and regulations

The 2014 amendments to Part L and Part F tightened up the need to focus on energy eff iciency, and the former included a 6 per cent uplift in standards for new homes compared to the 2010 version. It also introduced the Fabric Energy Eff iciency Standards (FEES), which focus on the eff iciency of the fabric of the building in new homes.

However, one of the main drivers for the installation of new HVAC technology is that, in accordance with the Energy Act 2011, by April 2018 it will be unlawful to let properties in England and Wales that do not meet a prescribed minimum energy performance standard (MEPS).

Walsall-based Measham Heating and Air Conditioning is seeing a noticeable shift in this market. “Outdated storage heating technology remains common in rented properties,” says Luke Hart, the company’s contracts manager. “Quite sensibly, some landlords are taking appropriate measures sooner rather than later. Since early 2014 we have noticed a significant upturn in work within the rented housing sector.”

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