bsnews · SPC has been providing CPD courses for building services engineers and specifiers for over a decade and the new CPD adds to the three other RIBA-accredited CPD presentations

Just what dowe mean bysustainable?

EPA positionon wasterefrigerationgases

Fire suppression:water mistsystems theway forward

July/August 2009b u i l d i n g s e r v i c e s n e w snewsbs

Underfloor HeatingHot-housingmarket andenvironmentalsustainability

www.gtphelan.ie24-25 Southern Cross Business Park, Bray, Co Wicklow

Ph: 01 286 4377 Fax: 01 286 4310

[email protected]

Selection of portables ranging from 3.2kW to 6.1kW

Self-Evaporating (no drain) 3.2kW to 4.5kW Units

Quiet Operation

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Ideal for Small Offices and Computer Rooms

Large Stocks Available

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bs news � July/August 2009

1

Refurb and maintenancethe short-term solution

While invitations to tender for various

projects have shown a noticeable

increase in recent weeks, the reality is

that most won’t proceed until the Nama effect has

impacted and the banks finally start to release

funding.

Nonetheless, activity levels in the refurbishment

and maintenance sectors are much more positive.

Contracts are being awarded, even if they are at the

lower end of the value scale.

With spiraling energy costs and more stringent

legislative requirements in respect of emissions,

building owners are beginning to realise the value of

planned maintenance programmes, and of replacing

ageing, inefficient plant with modern-day products

and systems.

As a result, activity in the refurbishment and

maintenance sectors is steadily growing. However,

once again the industry is selling itself short, with

tender prices so “competitive” as to be loss-making.

Clients will never learn to appreciate and

understand the true value of building services if the

industry keeps selling itself short. �

ContentsNews and products 2

RACGS news 7

New addition to Hitachi VRF range 8

Underfloor heating 9

Ireland adopts leading role in FISUEL 24

Designing Building Services 26

BTU golf news 29

Waste refrigerant gas update 30

What do we mean by sustainability? 32

Back Issues 36

32

bs newsb u i l d i n g s e r v i c e s n e w s

ISSN 0791-0878

Published by:Pressline Ltd,Carraig Court, George’s Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin.Tel: 01 - 288 5001/2/3 Fax: 01 - 288 6966ISDN: 01 - 211 2338/9email: [email protected]: www.buildingservicesnews.com

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Editor: Pat LehaneAdvertisement Director: Joe Warren

Origination and Design:Pressline Ltd. Tel: 01 - 288 5001

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Printed by: Swift Print Solutions (SPS).

© All editorial contents and all advertisements prepared by the publishers, Pressline Ltd.

269

opinion


News and Products

2

Plan Expo and EcoBuild Plan Expo – which will take place at the RDS from 3 to 5 November 2009 – is theultimate event for the built environment. Supported by both the CIF and the RIAI, it has been the highlight of the Irish construction calendar for 27 years.

Plan Expo is much more than exhibition … it is a whole programme of events includingseminars, workshops and conferences, alongwith the much-coveted Plan Expo Product of the Show Awards.

In keeping with the dynamic nature of theindustry itself, the awards criteria andassessment process is constantly changing. This year sees a major change of personnel onthe judging panel, with the panel now comprising:David Corrigan, Director of Axis Engineering; Niall Meagher, Interactive Project Managers;David Stanley, Director, PJ Hegarty & Sons;Kevin O’Rourke, Sustainable Energy Ireland; Mark McCauley, Director, Building Materials Federation; David Petherbridge,Director, RKD Architects; and Joe Burns, Director, Arup Consulting.

Contact: www.expo-events.com

David Stanley pictured withNiall Meagher, DavidCorrigan, Joe Burns andDavid Petherbridge.

Dumpleton joins TechRefrigerationKarl Dumpleton, who is widely

known and respected

throughout the

building services

sector having

spent 20 years

in the industry,

has been

appointed Senior

Technical Sales Consultant with

Tech Refrigeration.

Tech Refrigeration is a major

player in the market and Karl

will now bring his experience

to bear in promoting and

developing sales of some of

the leading brands in air

conditioning and refrigeration

systems.

Contact: Karl Dumpleton,

Tech Refrigeration.

Tel: 01 – 820 8544;

Mobile: 086 – 815 4590;

email: sales2@

techrefrigeration.com

Hoval Appoints Biomass SpecialistHoval has appointed Andy Owens as Technical SalesManager for biomass systems, focusing on wood pellet andwood chip biomass boilers. Andy has extensive experienceof the renewable energy sector and has specialised inbiomass in recent years.

“I am very keen to see biomass become accepted as amainstream heating technology, which is where it rightfullybelongs,” Andy commented. “With Hoval’s leading-edgebiomass products and technical support infrastructure, I seethis as a great opportunity not just to broaden the use of

biomass but also to ensurethat it is used to its fullpotential.”

Sales and MarketingDirector Ian Dagley added:“Biomass is a core elementin our wide range of lowcarbon heating solutions,often integrated with solar

heating, heat pumps or fossil fuel boilers. Andy’s addition tothe team will ensure we continue to respond to the growingvolume of enquiries with tailored solutions that offer bestvalue to our customers.”

Ideal Standardrescues QualceramShiresQualceram Shires, which was

placed under High Court protection

last March, has been acquired by

Ideal Standard Europe for e3.4

million. Under the Court-approved

scheme of arrangement, preferential

creditors will get 40% of monies

owed; the Group’s landlord and

unsecured creditors 10%; with

contingent creditors getting 5%.

The parent company Qualceram

Shires plc, and two other holding

companies, will be wound up, along

with British subsidiaries Qualceram

Ltd and Shires Ltd.

Effectively, what Ideal Standard

has acquired is the share capital,

operations and intellectual property

of Shires (Ireland); Quality Ceramics

(Sales); Quality Ceramics (Arklow);

and Quay Bathrooms.


News and Products

3

Daikin heatingsymposium roadshowDaikin will shortly commence a nationwide series ofheating symposiums/workshops which will take invenues in Sligo, Galway, Cork, Wexford and Dublinthroughout the month of August.

The objective is to create an interactive forum where,following brief technical presentations, those inattendance will ask questions and share their viewsand opinions on all matters relating to modern-dayheating systems and requirements.

Each session will begin with a welcome andtea/coffee at 8am and then proceed as follows:– Introduction to Daikin HVAC range (10 minutes); – Sizing of air-to-water heat pump (15 minutes); – How to comply with the current building regulations

through the use of heat pump technology (10minutes);

– Ecolabel and European Directives on heat pumps(10 minutes);

– Interpretation of DEAP calculations (15 minutes).

The sessions will then break for breakfast and someinformal discussions, followed by questions andanswers with dealers.

Dates and Venues Sligo – Sligo Park Hotel, 17 August;Galway – Menlo Park Hotel, 18 August;Cork – Silver Springs Hotel, 19 August;Wexford – Drinagh Court Hotel, 20 August; Dublin – Green Isle Hotel, 21 August.

Contact: John O’Shaughnessy, Daikin. Tel: 01 – 642 3430; email: [email protected]

Donal Stafford, with over12 years involvement inbuilding services, has beenappointed Sales Engineer byUnitherm. He has extensiveexperience of underfloorheating, having previouslyworked for two of the leadingmarket players in the sector.

Among the prestigiousunderfloor heating projectshe has been responsible forare the Shelbourne Hotel,Ritz Carlton Powerscourt, St Mary’s Hospital, NaasSwimming Pool, GreystonesSwimming Pool, PortarlingtonSwimming Pool, and 800apartments at the Grange in

Stillorgan, Co Dublin.Donal enjoys very close

contacts with consultants,contractors and merchantsand, over the comingmonths, he will developthese further by introducingthem to the features and

benefits of the wide-rangingUnitherm portfolio.

He has also developed aprogramme of on-siteseminars/training coursescovering geothermal heatpumps; Mitsubishi Electricair-to-water heat pumps;Solartherm solar collectorpanels; Alpha condensinggas boilers; and Grantcondensing oil boilers.

Contact: Donal Stafford,Unitherm. Tel: 01 – 610 9153; email: [email protected]

Michael Burns joins Coolrite RefrigerationMichael Burns has been appointed Business Development Manager with Coolrite Refrigeration, the

Bailieborough-based refrigeration and air conditioning specialists.

Michael has extensive experience in the industry and will now bring that to bear

in consolidating and expanding Coolrite’s market share and penetration,

especially in the air conditioning sector.

Coolrite is synonymous with energy-efficient design and premium-quality

products, its strong partnership with Hitachi reflecting its commitment to provide

clients with turnkey packages for all their refrigeration and air conditioning needs.

Emergency call-out and a wide-ranging choice of maintenance packages are also offered.

Contact: Michael Burns, Coolrite Refrigeration. Tel: 042 – 966 5460; Mobile: 086 – 600 5753;

email: [email protected]

Unitherm appoints Stafford

Heat pumps with radiant heating and coolingS&P Coil Products (SPC) has developed a new RIBA-approvedCPD presentation aimed at promoting the efficient use of heatpumps with radiant heating and cooling systems.

With the focus on reducing carbon emissions, the CPD outlinesthe combined efficiencies that can be achieved by using varioustypes of heat pumps, linked to the latest radiant conditioning systems.

SPC has been providing CPD courses for building servicesengineers and specifiers for over a decade and the new CPD adds to the three other RIBA-accredited CPD presentationsavailable from SPC.

Contact: David Daly, Advanced Technical Products. Tel: 01 - 885 3792; email: [email protected]

The Carel range ofremote monitoringwireless sensors are idealfor monitoring theoperating conditions in allmanner of applicationswhere temperature,alarms, data records forHACCP need to beobserved/maintainedwithout using electricalwiring.

Being wireless, thissolution ensures

considerable economicadvantages. Apart fromreduced installation costs,it allows flexibility in thelayout of the application

for retrofit installations.Two versions of

transmitters are availableto best satisfy all standardapplications. The firstfeatures a built-intemperature sensor to be installed inside themonitor and with anoperating range of -40°Cto +50°C; the secondoffers two external NTCsensors, two digital inputsand an operating range of -50°C to +90°C.

Both models featurelong battery life (over 5/8years), operate on atransmission frequency of2.45 GHz, usable world -wide, and offer all theadvantages for integrationwith the most commonlyused BMS standards.

Contact: Dave Killaleaor Leslie Mason, Carel Ireland. Tel: 01 - 835 3745; email: [email protected]

A comprehensive rangeof ATC air curtains,including recessed,design, vertical andindustrial model types, isnow available from IrishFan Distributors.

There is an extensiverange to choose from,such as Model EconomicB type, with adjustableexhaust lamellas for doorheights up to 4.5m with a

1-step electrical heaterand wired 3-speed remotecontrol.

The air curtain isdelivered as standard witha mounting console foreasy installation. Thisparticular unit has theadvantage that it is verycompact, quiet-running,and maintenance-free

Model Economic A isanother example from therange. This unit has asingle-phase electricalwire heater suitable fordoor heights up to 3m andis equipped with exhaustjets. Standard modeldelivered includes thecontroller on the body ofthe air curtain, but alsowith an infra-red remotecontrol.

Contact: Billy Wright,Irish Fan Distributors. Tel: 051 - 852 404; email: [email protected]


News and Products

4

Carel wirelesstemperature sensors

ATC air curtains fromIrish Fan Distributors

IDHEE domestic heating design courseTo comply with the more prescriptive requirements of the Building Regulations,systems now need to be designed and specified correctly. Consequently, the IDHEE has devised a design course specifically aimed at installers.

It comprises 13 three-hour modules of tuition, one module for revision, then two 3-hour written examinations. The first examination is in two parts — closed bookmultiple choice to test knowledge, and open book to test calculation using data from tables. The second examination is a full heating and hot water system design.

It will be held in the Red Cow Hotel in Dublin, running one day per weekconsecutively over eight weeks, from 28 October through to 16 December 2009. The course fee is e850.

Contact: IDHEE. email: [email protected]

Model Economic A air curtain from ATC with single phaseelectrical wire heater suitable for door heights up to three meters.


News and Products

5

SAS International on the moveSAS International, a leading designer and manufacturer of suspended metalceilings, room comfort systems and bespoke architectural metalwork products, hasmoved to larger premises at Blanchardstown Corporate Park, Dublin 15.

The new office will serve as a hub for SAS International’s entire product portfolio,operating as a sales office and national distribution centre. SAS can now servicelocal projects working from initial concept through to installation.

SAS international room comfort products include energy efficient radiant chilledceilings, passive and activechilled beam ceiling systems,and integrated service modules.

Schischekappoints StandardControl SystemsExplosion-proofspecialists Schischekhas appointed StandardControl Systemsdistributor and product-support partner forIreland.

Schischek has suppliedelectric explosion-proofproducts for HVAC andindustrial applications for30 years, serving sectorssuch as pharmaceutical,food, chemical,petrochemical, micro-electronic, medicalinstrument and watertreatment.

All Schischek productsare PTB-certified and aresuitable for operation inEx Areas zones 1, 2, 21and 22, including gases,vapours, mists and dust,all in accordance withATEX 94/9/EC

Contact: Sean O’Toole,Standard Control Systems.Tel: 01 - 429 1800; email: [email protected]

CIBSEAnnualGolfOutingThis year’s CIBSEAnnual Golf Outing will beheld at EdmondstownGolf Club on Friday 4September 2009.

Last year was the mostsuccessful to date and

earlyindicationsare that thetimesheetwill fill upsooner

rather than later so, getyour name(s) down now.

Cost for golf and dinnerfor a 4-person team ise600; cost for golf only per4-person team is e440.

Contact: Gerald DO’Callaghan, O’CallaghanMacklin Engineering.email: [email protected]

Engineering a sustainablebuilt environment

Preventing ice build upon cooling coils When applied in a cooling application, the Dwyerdifferential pressure switch from Manotherm sensesthe increasing restriction to air flow caused by icingand actuates the defrost cycle.

Two static tips are installed to sense the differentialpressure across the cooling coils. In a low-cost, low-voltage and low-current, high-volumeproduct application, the Dwyer Minitactordifferential pressure switch is aneconomical unit to specify for this type of application.

Manothern offers six styles of stainlesssteel static tips to suit any application. Inservice applications, the Dwyer Trail-Tailstatic pressure sensor serves to takeaccurate static pressure measurements,as it automatically aligns with duct air flow. When attached to a length of lighttubing, it can also be used to take measurementsdownstream from the point of access to the duct.

Contact: Bob Gilbert, Robert Gilbert or ConorStead, Manotherm. Tel: 01 - 452 2355; email: [email protected]

The Dwyer Minitactordifferential pressure switchfrom Manotherm is ideal as aflow or pressure sensor onanalyzers, testers, fluidicsystems, computers andperipheral equipment.


News and Products

Toshiba DI Big from GT PhelanGT Phelan has introduced a new Toshiba high-output system to

complement its popular range of energy efficient digital inverters.

The DI Big is a 3-phase, inverter-operated R410a outdoor unit

with cooling capacities of 20kW and 23kW, and heating

capacities of 22.4kW and 27kW.

The DI Big is suitable for triple and quad applications and is

likely to be popular in applications where external space is

limited but where the room load is high. The outdoor unit is pre-

charged for 30M and is suitable for run separations of up to

70M.

This product is not suitable for direct replacement and will

require new pipe-work to be installed. Full 3-year parts warranty

with labour allowance.

Contact: Derek Phelan, GT Phelan. Tel: 01 – 286 4277;

email: [email protected]

DAL celebrates 10 years of customer serviceOriginally established in 1999 as Design Air Ltd, DALis marking 10 years of nationwide service by redesigningits website, www.dal.ie. It now displays the entire rangeof services provided by DAL, including a dedicatedsection covering R-22 gas replacement. The new sitegoes live early August.

DAL Air Conditioning, with offices in Dublin andLimerick, is co-owned by Matthew Berrigan (pictured)and Donal Keane. Matthew is Managing Director andDonal is Business Development & Sales Director.

Looking to the future, MatthewBerrigan said: “We are now in a verydifferent environment and provenquality and strong relationships withcustomers have never been soimportant. We are working closelywith new and existing customers tocreate the best possible solutions tomeet their needs, while incorporatingthe latest technologies.”

DAL is the exclusive supplier of Aermec products andis a specialist in heat pump technology. Its entire fleet ofvehicles is fitted with computerised tracking deviceswhich ensure substantial time and cost savings forcustomers, who can also access their service recordsonline at anytime through a password-protected site.

Contact: Matthew Berrigan/Donal Keane, DAL. Tel: 01 - 460 5555; email: [email protected];[email protected]

Daikin appoints Valentinemanager for IrelandDaikin Europe NV has appointed John Valentine,Country Manager, Republic of Ireland. Based at thecompany’s Irish headquarters in Citywest, Dublin 24,his immediate objective is to consolidate Daikin’scurrent market standing while, at the same time,overseeing the next phaseof its strategic developmentplan for the Irishmarketplace.

John, a native of Naas, Co Kildare, has extensivesenior financial andmanagement experienceacross a number of marketsectors with blue-chipcompanies, including IAWS Group plc. He will nowbring this to bear in his new position.

While Daikin is seen as synonymous with airconditioning, it has an extensive portfolio across allbuilding services sectors, including heating,ventilation, applied systems and refrigerationproducts. John’s intention going forward is toincrease Daikin’s market representation, andpenetration, in all of these market segments.

Contact: John Valentine, Daikin Europe, CountryManager, Republic of Ireland. Tel: 01 – 642 3430;email: [email protected]

6

Big turnout for Captain’s Outing


Golfer of the yearThe current standings for RACGS Golfer of the Year sponsoredby Hitachi Europe (after four outings) are:

First: Joe Warren, 19pts; Second: Sean Stenson, 18pts;Third: Zac Keane, 17pts..

RACGS at The Heritage Sponsor: Carel Ireland

Reflecting the status of theposition – and that of the presentincumbent Dave Killalea – the Captain’souting at The Heritage attracted one ofthe largest number of participants everto play in a RACGS outing.

They were rewarded with excellentweather which in turn resulted inexceptionally high scoring, especiallygiven the challenge The Heritagerepresents. The course was inmagnificent condition and made for a most enjoyable day for all involved.

As sponsors Carel Ireland addedsome nice touches, like takingphotographs of everyone’s swingthroughout the day. However, putting all the images on a continuous loop and playing it throughout thepresentation of prizes resulted in some serious rib-taking! �

Results were as follows:Overall WinnerStephen Mahon,H17, 36pts

Class 1Winner: Sean Stenson,H12, 34ptsRunner-up: Liam Hoctor,H7, 31pts

Class 2Winner: Zac Keane, H16, 32ptsRunner-up: BarryMcCarville, H16, 31pts

Front 9Ger Darcy, 15pts

Back 9Joe Warren, 21pts

Nearest the PinBarry McCarville

Longest DriveMichael O’Brian

VisitorMartin Buggy, 34pts

Above: Sean Stenson, winner Class 1, with CaptainDave Killalea.Below: Zac Keane, winner Class 2, with CaptainDave Killalea.

Below: RACGS Captain

Dave Killalea presenting

Overall Winner Stephen

Mahon with his prize.

RACGS to host ‘Ryder Cup’Further to the inaugural event last year at St Anne’s Old Links course nearBlackpool in the UK, this year’s Ryder Cup will be hosted by RACGS at theprestigious PGA National, Palmerstown House, Co Kildare. It will be jointlysponsored by bs news and Sauermann UK.

The idea for the Ryder Cup challenge arose out of a conversation betweenMark Kiely on the part of RACGS and Ernie Bate of the Northern RefrigerationGolfing Society (NRG) in the UK. It proved a tremendous success last year andeveryone is eagerly looking forward to the 13 August and a RACGS win!

RACGS Team – Zac Keane; Johnny Lynagh; Michael Clancy; Sean Stenson;Mattie Kiely; Joe Warren; David Kirwan; Billy Queally; Vincent Barrett and GerDarcy.

R A C G S

7


Hitachi Europe launchesnew addition to VRF unit

Hitachi Europe hasintroduced a new additionto its Set Free line-up of

VRF air conditioning systemswhich is said to offer even greaterfunctionality, control, and costsavings.

“The Hitachi Set Free system isalready a favourite with installerswho demand hard-workingproducts with all-roundefficiencies“, says Fergus Daly,General Manager, Hitachi Europein Ireland, “and the new FSN2 –which comes with a 5-yearwarranty – ticks all the rightboxes”.

“It is also cheaper to commissionand install than many competitors’products and offers an impressivearray of features that significantlyadd to its ease of use. So,

specifying the FSN2 will helpinstallers save time, money andenergy for their clients, givingthemselves the best chance ofwinning the contract.”

The cutting-edge technologywithin Set Free FSN2's controlsmeans it easily interfaces with thebuilding’s existing BMS, resultingin cost-savings being made evenat the installation stage. By usingH-Link II (Hitachi’s proprietaryhigh-performance transmissionsystem) and CS-NET Web(Hitachi’s computer controlnetwork system), the number ofconnectable indoor units is greatlyincreased which in turn candramatically improve workabilityand functionality.

Comfort and EfficienciesThe Set Free FSN2’s off-coillimitation allows control of the off-coil temperature to within 1

oC,

completely eliminating cold drafts. Furthermore, when

connected to Hitachi in-ceiling ducted units, the

noise levels are significantlyreduced, achieving a non-invasiveworking environment withouthaving to attenuate.

Thanks to Hitachi’s energy-saving innovations such as thehigh-efficiency DC invertercompressor with release valve, the heat exchanger with newly-developed high-efficiency heattransfer fins and the DC fanmotors, industry-leading COP has been achieved.

Daly adds: “Replacing anexisting air conditioning systemwith the FSN2 high-efficiencymodel is an environmentally-friendly solution and can be aneffective part of a CO2 emissionreduction programme in buildingsand factories, with the potential tocut carbon emissions by up to40%.”

Another benefit of the Set FreeFSN2 is that it is compatible withall existing Hitachi System freeindoor units. Additionally, themaximum piping length has beenextended to 1,000 metres in thisnew model, further improving itsflexibility.

Daly concludes: “Thecombination of design andtechnology have been applied toenable the installer to meet theclient’s needs better than everbefore.”

Contact: Fergus Daly or Cormac Nolan, Hitachi Europe(Dublin). Tel: 01 – 216 4406;email: [email protected]; [email protected]. �8

Hot-Housing Market and EnvironmentalSustainability


Despite the construction downturn,

certain market segments continue to

buck the trend. Most are energy and

environment related, underfloor heating in

particular proving that it is sustainable both

ecologolically and economically. Today, more

than ever, the market demand for underfloor

heating is stronger than ever as clients,

consultants and contractors alike realise its

benefits. Be it a commercial or domestic

installation, underfloor heating delivers the

perfect indoor climate, is cost-effective to install,

and incredibly energy-efficient to run. In turn this

can mean BER ratings at the very top end of

the scale. A properly-designed underfloor

heating system contains many elements, all of

which are featured over the following pages.

Product Review: Underfloor Heating

9

Unitherm Heating Systemsis one of the leading andmost innovative companies in Ireland for designing andsupplying quality heating andDHW systems solutions using renewable and high-efficiency technologies.Initially involved in designingunderfloor heating systemsfor residential andcommercial projects,Unitherm soon realised thenecessity to be able to offerintegrated and total systemsolutions, including completecontrols packages. It is nowrenowned for supplying high-quality products fromEuropean manufacturers whohave achieved the higheststandards and approvalssuch as Oventrop GmbH,Fränkische, KaMoSystemtechnik, Solartherm,Mitsubishi Electric etc.

The benefits of properly-controlled underfloor heating

systems are now wellrecognised and widelyaccepted by consultants,specifiers, architects, heatingengineers and the generalpublic. The Unithermunderfloor heating system is based upon Germantechnology and experiencesover the last 35 years. Thesystem components areexported worldwide and have achieved an enviablelist of over 100 approvals and accreditations in mostEuropean countries. A most important element inunderfloor heating systems is the controls and Unithermpromotes Danfossthermostats due to their reliability.

All Unitherm underfloorheating systems areindividually designed andsupplied with supportingmechanical and electricallayout CAD drawings. Thecompany’s strength is in itsability to interface with theelectrical contractor as wellas the heating installer. A 10-year warranty is offered onsystems designed, suppliedand installed in accordancewith BS EN 1264

Unitherm also offers arange of innovative high-efficiency renewableheat source solutions,such as geothermalheat pumps from6kW up to 26kW;Mitsubishi Electricair-to-water heatpumps (5kW,8.5kW & 14kW);Solarthermsolar collectorpanels withapertureareas of

2.0m² & 2.4m² each; Alphacondensing gas boilersranging from 12kW up to70kW in both natural gas andLPG; Grant condensing oilboilers, etc.

Unitherm also provides arange of WRAS-approvedstainless steel single coil,dual coil and triple coilcylinders from 200lts to500lts, as well as a range of Eco-combi multi-energytanks with capacities from570lts to 2000lts, completewith 316L stainless steelcoils. These tanks cancombine heat pumps, solarpanels and solid fuel stovesor oil/gas boilers.

Unitherm has alsodesigned and supplied a

number of district heatingprojects including heatingstations, heat meters, dataloggers, pre-insulated pipes,as well as underfloor heatingand controls.

With offices in Dublin andGalway, Unitherm HeatingSystems has six fully-trainedengineers with many yearsexperience designing heatingsystems. The team wasrecently joined by DonalStafford, who himself hasmany years experience indesigning and integratingsystems, having previouslyworked for two of the otherleading underfloor heatingmarket players.

Contact: Unitherm DublinOffice. Tel: 01 – 610 9153;Fax: 01 – 621 2939; GalwayOffice. Tel: 091 – 380038;Fax: 091 – 380039: email:[email protected]; www.uni-therm.net



UNITHERM

Unitherm providestotal systemsolutions

Mitsubishi Electric air-to-water heat pump. Geothermal heat pump.

Right: Solartherm solar panel.

10

Underfloor heating solutions

Individual room temperature control —comfortable temperatures in any room at any time

WIRELESS AND RELIABLE

For more informationcontact: Paul Manning on+ 44 797 445 1034

Potterton Myson (Ireland),the market leader in heatingtechnology, is now able tooffer an all-encompassingbroader service following thelaunch of a new underfloorheating division.

In the UK, Myson has

merged its underfloor heatingoperation with that of sisterorganisation, Vogel & Noot toform a new, larger anddedicated business – MysonFloortec – which now offers agreat service to customers ofPotterton Myson (Ireland).

A spokesperson for theunderfloor division commentedto bs news: “The launch ofMyson Floortec heralds a keydevelopment for the company,and particularly for PottertonMyson (Ireland), which cannow offer underfloor heatingin Ireland. Through thisreorganisation and newinvestment, we will be able to

provide more new products,greater technical support, anddedicated deliveries.”

Typically 20% to 30%cheaper to run thanconventional heating,underfloor heating isbecoming an increasingly-

popular method to heathomes.

Myson Floortec will benefit from a new centraldistribution centre andtransport fleet, alongside an enlarged sales force

and administration team.Myson has also announcedthat it will dedicate a moderntraining and technical support centre to the newinitiative.

The spokesperson added:“Underfloor heating offersmany benefits to customers –from improved energyefficiency to a more naturaland even distribution of heat.Potterton Myson (Ireland) hasbeen at the forefront ofheating for many years andnow, with Myson Floortec,customers in Ireland willbenefit from the continuedadvancement and innovationin the rapidly-growingunderfloor market.”

Contact: Sales Office,Potterton Myson Ireland. Tel: 01 – 459 0870;email:[email protected]



POTTERTON MYSON

New underfloordivision for leadingheat specialists

Underfloor heating in a lounge scenario.

Traditional underfloor heating in a bathroom installation.

Paul van de Woning of the Myson Floortec team, supervising a homeinstallation.

12

HIGH TEMPERATURE HEATING SYSTEM

RenewableEnergy fromAmbient Air

COP of 3 atWater Flowtemp 65ºC

Keep Existing

Radiators

MassiveSaving onEnergy Bill

No Needfor Back-up

HeaterCan

Achieve 80ºC Flow

Huge CO2EmissionReduction

Daikin Europe NV, Ireland Office. Tel: 01 642 3430 www.daikin.ie


Innovative heating andplumbing solutions

Ecopipe Ireland is a newcompany providing innovativeheating and plumbingsolutions at discounted factoryprices. Established byprincipal Macartan McCague,the objective is to bring qualityheating and plumbingsolutions to the marketplacewhich have low environmentalimpact and are cost-effectiveto purchase and install.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Macartan has over30 years experience in thesector, 20 of which were asDirector within the Wolseley

Group, more recently asCommercial Director of Heat Merchants. In all he has worked atdirector level inengineering, plumbing,

distribution, spare parts, service,

heating andrenewables.He nowbrings that to bear onthe newoperation.

“Quality of product is all-important”,says Macartan, “and to that end wehave formed a strategic tradingpartnership with Tiemme, a world-renowned heating and plumbingbrand with an extensive portfoliowhich includes Irish compressionfittings, multilayer piping systems,fittings, ball valves, manifolds,underfloor heating solutions, valves and lockshield valves,temperature controls, and parts and accessories.

“In total we now offer over 3000catalogue-listed products andsystems direct to installers. Ordersplaced before lunch on any given day are delivered the next day to all the major cities and townsthroughout Ireland.”

Product and system integrityToday, more than ever, product

and system integrity is critical.Sealed pressurised systems

are becomingcommonplace, placing

greater strain on thematerials, jointsand fittingsinvolved.

Here the Tiemme range comes into its own.

For instance, the Al-Cobrapex multi-layer pipe represents a validalternative to metal pipe, as well assome plastic pipes normally used intraditional installation systems. Thecombination of aluminium coreinserted between two layers of high-density, cross-linked, polyethylene(PE-X) delivers all the benefits of bothmetal and plastic while, at the sametime, eliminating their typicaldrawbacks.

The inner layer of PE-X means thatcorrosion, toxicity, and roughness (withconsequent higher pressure losses),are no longer a problem; meanwhile,the aluminium core deals with theissue of permeability to gases and UVrays, high internal expansion, andpoor shape stability during installation.

The fact that the pipe comes in pre-insulated coils which are very lightand suitable for all plumbingrequirements makes handling andinstallation simple.

The integrity of the fittings is equallyimportant. Al-Cobrapex compressionfittings are made from hot, press-

14 Left: Macartan McCague, Ecopipe IrlManaging Director.


15

Contact

Ecopipe Irl Tel: 01 – 296 0174Fax: 01 – 296 0175Mobile: 087 259 3085Email: [email protected]: www.ecopipeirl.com

forged, brass and completely nickel-plated, while press fittings are madeof dezincification-resistant brass. The result is non-demountable,permanent, leak-proof connections.

Nominal operating conditions for all are:� Max operating temperature – 95ºC

� Max peak temperature – 110ºC

� Max operating pressure – 10barTiemme press fittings are also

characterised by a transparent plasticring which has two functions. Firstly, it acts as a dielectric element and soprevents the pipe’s internal aluminiumlayer coming into contact with thebrass fitting body, therefore eliminatingthe danger of corrosion; secondly, itallows the contractor visually checkwhether the pipe is correctly insertedin the hose holder. This makes for farmore efficient and quicker installation.

Manifold distributionWhen it comes to system designEcopipe recommends the use ofmanifolds. A key characteristic ofheating systems with manifold

distrubution is that all the branches to and from the heating sources,normally placed under the floor, aremade with a single pipe run withoutintermediate jointing. Effectively, you get a jointless plumbing system.

At the end of these branches is themanifold and the regulation and shut-off devices, installed on the heatingsources. Therefore, the only jointsbetween the pipe and thesecomponents is always visible, easy to inspect and simple to access.Aesthetically-pleasing manifold coversare available to suit any decor.

UFH and system design supportThe Tiemme product range isespecially suited to underfloorheating. All the strengths associatedwith the pipe itself, and the variousfittings and accessories, make forexcellent system integrity while, at the same time, allowing a great deal of design flexibility.

Ecopipe provides comprehensivedesign support with Macartan’scolleague, Leo McCormack – who

has extensive experience in the area– using specially-devised software toproduce full project drawings, circuitdrawings, article lists, etc.

However, contractors are notobliged to avail of the design service,or to purchase the entire system, as all components are also soldseparately.

“As the foregoing clearly illustrates”says Macartan, “Ecopipe’s experienceand technical excellence – coupledwith Tiemme’s unrivalled range ofinnovative and technologically-advanced products and systems –makes for a formidable force in theprovision of plumbing systems andaccessories for all manner ofapplications. If you want quality and integrity, at factory-direct prices, then we are the solution.” �

Tiemme Portfolio

Irish Compression Fittings

Metric Fittings

Solar Piping and Fittings

Multi-layer Pipe (16mm -

63mm)

Multi-layer Pressfit

Underfloor Heating System

Heating Manifolds

Plumbing Manifolds

Ball Valves

Radiator Valves

Pump Modules

Pipe-in-Pipe

Pre-Insulated Pipes

Tools

Using Tiemme manifolds makes for jointless plumbing systems.

Daikin Altherma HT is a new,highly-flexible, energyefficient home heating systemthat extracts the heat from theoutside air, raises this heat toa higher temperature, andthen distributes the warmththroughout the home. With this innovative andtechnologically-advancedsystem, 70% of the heatgenerated comes from arenewable energy source −the air around us − and istherefore absolutely free ofcharge.

At the heart of the DaikinAltherma HT system is theDaikin Altherma air-to-waterheat pump, today’s answer tocurrent and future problemsassociated with conventionalheating systems such asincreasing primary energycosts and unacceptably-highenvironmental impact.

High efficiency means lowenergy costs. Depending onthe installation, the COP for

Daikin’s heat pumps isapproximately three, whichmeans they provide threetimes more energy than theyconsume.

Daikin has more than 50years of experience with heatpumps, and supplies morethan one million of them tohomes, shops and officeseach year. This success is not just a quirk of fate –Daikin has always been at the cutting edge oftechnology and its goal is toprovide clients with turn-keycomfort. Only a market leadercan guarantee this level ofservice and quality control.

The European RESDirective recognises air as arenewable energy sourceand, as a result, several heatpump incentives are alreadyavailable to homeowners.Moreover, Daikin now has two heat pump modelsregistered on the HARPdatabase, the officialdatabase for the registrationof heating applianceefficiencies for use by BERassessors in Ireland. Thismeans it can now offer thebest Building Energy Rating(BER) of any heat pump at this time.

Since the registration inearly April, Daikin can nowclaim a seasonal efficiency of 380% for a 14kw AlthermaLT, a massive jump up fromthe 250% which is set as a

default value in the BERCertificate for all air sourceheat pumps and which mustbe used if a HARP databaseregistration is not complete.

The Daikin Altherma HT is a modular system and iscapable of flexibly meeting allneeds – heating only, or withdomestic hot water, and ofinterfacing with currentheating system components.

When replacing an existingheating system with theDaikin Altherma HT, radiatorsdon’t need to be replaced.Daikin Altherma HT replacesthe conventional boiler andperfectly supports existinghigh-temperature radiatorswith water temperatures up to80°C if required.

Daikin Altherma HT meetsall heating needs, even on thecoldest days of the year.

The outdoor unit extractsheat from the ambientoutdoor air, which in turn istransferred to the indoor unitvia refrigerant piping. Theindoor unit receives the heatfrom the outdoor unit and

further increases thetemperature, allowing watertemperatures up to 80°C forheating through radiators andfor domestic hot water use.Moreover, even at outdoortemperatures down to -7°C,Daikin’s unique cascadecompressor approach to the heat pumps – one in theoutdoor unit/one in the indoorunit – means no drop incapacity, optimising comfortwithout the need for anelectric back up heater.

Daikin Altherma is alsoavailable in a low temperaturerange combinable withunderfloor heating, lowtemperature radiators and fan coil units. This system alsoprovides domestic hot waterand can even cool in summer.

Contact: JohnO’Shaughnessy or RichardSherlock, Daikin Europe nv,Ireland Office. Tel: 01 - 642 3430; email: [email protected] [email protected]



DAIKIN

Daikin Altherma HT– the solution withan eye to the future

Daikin Altherma HT extracts the heat from the outside air, raises thisheat to a higher temperature, and then distributes the warmththroughout the home.

Altherma LT Monobloc airsource heat pump – thecomplete plug and go solution.16

Residential & CommercialUnderfloor Heating Systems

Profile panel system with11mm or 35mm insulation

Multilayer pipe system with staples

Pex Pipes 14mm 16mm & 20mm

Multilayer Pipes 16mm to 63mm

Oventrop Manifold & Regulator


This new initiative is part of ITT Corporation’s global strategy to further strengthenthe quality of the service it delivers and to ensure that Ireland, like the rest of the world,benefits from the massive portfolio of technologically-advanced products and systems itprovides.

To that end ITT Ireland recently took possession of new corporate headquarters in Dublin which have been completely refurbished to provide ultra-modern officeaccommodation, warehousing, workshops and trade counter. All facilities were designednot so much to suit ITT Ireland but rather to ensure that customers needs could be met quickly and efficiently.

In addition, ITT Ireland will retain its satellite offices which are located in Cork and Limerick. “This is a very exciting time for us at ITT Ireland”, says General

Manager Tony Styles. “Despite the challenging market conditions, ITT has committed significant investment funds to Ireland to underpin our

current market standing, and to secure increased market share into the future.

“We at ITT Ireland are deeply involved in the cycle of water ... whether it is the provision of clean water

or the disposal of contaminated water, we deliver innovative products and systems to cater for water

handling, heating and air conditioning control,treatment and distribution. Whatever yourrequirement – be it sales and supply or rental – we have a solution.”

ITT Ireland is a new company formed by the amalgamation

of ITT Water & Wastewater Ireland, and Lowara Ireland.

Both companies have operated in Ireland as stand-alone

entities for many years but have now come together to

deliver all-embracing, innovative solutions from the

one source.

18

ITT Ireland epitomisesthe cycle of water

ITT Ireland, 50 Broomhill Close, Airton Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24. Tel. 01 452 4444 Fax 01 452 4795 E-mail: [email protected]

Jim Simpson, Operations Manager with TerryMurray, Sales Manager and Tony Styles,General Manager.

Engineered for life

19

Service and maintenanceThe dedicated service, repair and maintenance workshopat ITT Ireland’s new headquarters is a customised showcasefacility. It is designed to accommodate continuous operation so that clients receive quick turnaround and don’t sufferunneccesary delays.

There are also separate work bays for the different producttypes with full health and safety approved procedures to ensureno cross-contamination.

Pump and system rentalITT Ireland is unique in offering high-powered pumps to the Irish rental market,providing quick-response solutions toemergency, temporary and semi-permanentpumping requirements, including pipework and ancillaries.

The rental service primarily serves themunicipal, construction, quarrying and miningindustries, specialising in the rental of electrical submersible pumps, mixers, aerators and diesel pumps. It also has its own transportation fleet to deliver and collectequipment.

Products and applicationsITT Ireland has an extensive range of technologically-advancedproducts and pump systems, the key market segments catered forbeing:

Residential and commercial waterPumps, systems and accessories for water wells, pressureboosters, agricultural and irrigation applications, HVAC systems,boiler controls, flood control and fire protection;

Water and wastewaterSubmersible pump systems for water and wastewater control, and biological filtration and disinfection treatment systems for municipal, industrial and commercial applications;

IndustrialPumps for industrial, mining, pulp and paper,chemical and petroleum processing.

Energy efficiencyWith pumps accounting for 20% of theworld’s energy usage, innovative systemsand solutions are required which areperformance-driven but energy efficient. ITT Ireland delivers to this exacting brief, atypical example being its latest wastewaterpump which uses 40% less energy thananything in its class.

ITT pump designs also optimise pump lifecycle performances, reducing plant-operatingcost and achieving potential 30% to 70%improvements in energy and maintenancecost, while improving both pump and processreliability.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE


Mobile learningApart from continuous education and training programmesfor its own staff, ITT Ireland also has a mobile education/trainingunit which it takes to clients’ premises for CDP-approvedseminars and workshops.

This unique classroom on wheels incorporates fully-functioningpump installations, along with all related controls andmanagement systems, which allows hands-on experience atremote locations.

Members of the service and installation team Alison O’Reilly and Paul Mannion.

Strength in peopleWhile ITT Ireland has an enviable product portfolio, equallyimportant is the wealth of experience and applications know-howof the staff,especially the design and service engineers. Whenapplied to ITT’s advanced software design and selectionprogrammes, the solutions delivered are invariably the mostcost-effective and energy-efficient possible.

Respect, integrity and responsibility are the cornerstones uponwhich the operational and management structures are based.This in turn has created a cooperative, supportive ethos whichalso extends out to clients, thereby cementing the partnershipapproach.

Fuel costs are a majorexpense in buildings andhomes, while there are globaldemands for us to burn lessfuel for the good of theenvironment. A recent articlein bs news showed whichHoneywell controls should be used to maximise energyefficiency in radiator systems.The same principles are truein underfloor heating systems,which are similarly controlled.

Buildings should bedivided into heating zones,according to the way theareas are used and the timesthey are occupied – eachzone has its own time/temperature controls. A singleheating zone may compriseone or more underfloorheating loops. A ‘boiler

interlock’ must be provided toensure the boiler does not fireunless there is demand forheat from any zone.

Each heating zone isregulated using signals fromits room controller. Theseshould be programmablethermostats capable ofadjusting temperaturesautomatically at various times during the day, ratherthan a time clock and roomthermostat. When a controllercalls for heat, valves on themanifold open to allow warmwater flow through the loop.The valve in turn starts themanifold pump and switcheson the boiler and main pump.

For maximum systemefficiency, room thermostatsshould feature TPI (TimeProportional and Integral)

advanced energy savingcontrol. The HoneywellCM900 programmablethermostat range andHoneywell DT90 thermostatrange provide much moreaccurate temperature controlthan traditional homethermostats using simpleon/off control. The set pointon the thermostat cantherefore be lower, withoutloss of comfort, whilereducing fuel consumption.

These thermostats arealso ‘intelligent’ – they have a self-learning facility whichrecognises how the heatingsystem responds to itsdemands. They then adjustautomatically to adapt to thethermal characteristics of thebuilding and the heatingsystem to give better control.

Depending on the boilertype, a bypass circuit may be required, which shouldinclude an automatic bypassvalve. This loop provides asafe flow path and improvesboiler efficiency comparedwith a fixed bypass, as flow isminimised when thermostatsare calling for heat.

Energy efficiency is further enhanced by usingcontrollers with ‘optimumstart’ – the householder setsthe desired morningtemperature and the time it isrequired on the programmer,which adjusts the heatingstart time daily, depending onthe weather and the buildingthermal characteristics. Thissaves energy each day bydelaying boiler firing until thelatest possible moment.

To simplify installation,underfloor heating can becontrolled using wirelessprogrammers and thermo -

stats. These are quick andeasy to install, with no controlcables from room thermostatsto the manifold. A multi-zonewireless manifold controller ismounted close to the manifold– this can control up to fiveheating zones.

Additional controllers andextension units can be addedto create any number ofadditional zones. Zonescontrolled by wirelessprogrammable controllers andwireless thermostats can becombined on the samewireless manifold controller,to suit the installation needs.

Contact: HoneywellControls. Tel: 0044 1344 656172;www.honeywelluk.com



HONEYWELL

Maximise UFHefficiency withHoneywell Controls

The Honeywell CM900programmable thermo stat isavailable in wired and wirelessversions. Wireless models canbe wall mounted or used on aspecial table stand.

The Honeywell HCE80 multi-zone wireless manifold controller can beused with wired and wireless thermostats. It is shown here with theCM900 programmable thermostat.

Right: A Honeywell DT92Ewireless energy saving roomthermostat with TPI control (left)with its relay unit which ismounted near the boiler.

20

www.irishmetalindustries.com

IRISH METAL INDUSTRIES:

TUBE WITH BUILT IN QUALITY

WHEN QUALITY AND RELIABILITY COUNT, SPECIFY TUBE FROM IRISH METAL INDUSTRIES

Thousands of properties in Ireland have a built-in quality

product – copper plumbing tube from Irish Metal

Industries. With its 25 year guarantee and carrying either

the Irish Standard Mark or BSi Kitemark, our tube offers

you proven and trouble-free service, year after year.

You can rely on Irish Metal Industries tube – so ask for

it by name.

Irish Metal Industries LtdCronin House, Damastown Industrial Park,

Mulhuddart, Dublin 15

t: 01 - 809 7028f: 01 - 809 7001

e: conor.lennon@irishmetalindustries.comwww.irishmetalindustries.com

IMI supplies a completerange of copper tube for hotand cold water installations,gas services, sanitation,central heating, refrigeration,and all other building services-related applications, includingunderfloor heating.

All tubes are manufacturedto IS EN 1057 and IMI islicensed to engrave them withthe coveted Irish StandardMark, which is the registeredquality mark of the NASI.

Best for quality andreliability, copper is easy towork with while ever-more-

advanced fittings makeinstallation simpler andquicker. It also has excellenthealth-related advantages,evidence-based studiesdemonstrating that it iseffective in preventing thegrowth of dangerouspathogens such asLegionella, and limiting theproliferation and spread ofE.coli bacteria.

Another unique benefit of copper is its excellentresistance to corrosion, heat,pressure and fire. This isparticularly important given

that today’s preventativetreatments and disinfectingtechniques are carried out atmuch higher temperatures toreduce flushing times. Copperremains unaffected by highertemperature cycles over thelifetime of a water system.

Finally, there is the matterof sustainability, a key

requirement for buildingservices installations. “In thisrespect copper simply has noequal”, says Conor Lennon,General manager, IMI.

Contact: Conor Lennon,IMI. Tel: 01 - 809 7028; Fax: 809 7001; email: [email protected]



IRISH METAL INDUSTRIES

Copper – high-performing and sustainable

Specify underfloor heatingwith confidence. As one of Europe’s leading names in heating technology, MYSONFLOORTEC has been at the forefront of the underfloor revolution.

With MYSON FLOORTEC underfloor heating you will be ensured of:

• High quality components and fixing systems for all floor types

• 48 hour quotation turnaround

• A complete CAD design service

• Comprehensive technical support and advice

• Delivery of system within 7 - 10 working days from receipt of order

POTTERTON MYSON IRELAND Ltd Unit 7, Whitestown Business Park, Tallaght, Dublin 24T: 01 459 0870, F: 01 459 0880, [email protected], www.potterton-myson.ie

Below: Store personnelpreparing an order for dispatch at the new IMI base at Mulhuddart, Dublin 15.

22

Designed to provide optimum comfort and reduce energy consumption while caring for theenvironment, the new Carrier Nexa air to water heat pump from Core Air Conditioning has beenapproved for grant aid from Sustainable EnergyIreland (SEI).

Carrier Nexa is ideal for underfloor heatingsolutions and is claimed to provide annual energysavings of up to 56% in a typical domesticinstallation, be it a new or refurbished house,or an apartment block.

The basic concept of the design is simple –reduce energy usage by the addition of naturally-occurring energy sources such as air (air source)

and ground (groundsource). Byincorporatingadvanced, high-tech,centralised controls,multi-zones, and allthe necessarydetection andprogrammingdevices, it is possibleto provide theultimate solution for virtually anyapplication.

The systemgenerator, in thiscase the heat pump,produces the heat

required for the installation; the heat distributor is the element that diffuses the energy throughout theinstallation; while Carrier’s Micronexa electronicmodule manages all system parameters and is incharge of the heat transfer via the water circuit tothe heat distributor, which it also controls.

Contact: Austin McDermott or Paul Schweppe, Core Air Conditioning.Tel: 01 - 409 8912 email: [email protected]

Product Review:

23

CARRIER

Carrier Nexaideal forunderfloorheating

Working towards a cleaner future

SOLARfloA complete solar thermal

solution for both commercialcondensing boiler and direct

fired water heatingapplications.

Established values.Leading edge technology.

www.andrewswaterheaters.co.ukwww.pottertoncommercial.co.uk

ParamounttwoA range of technically advancedwall hung condensing boilers.Lightweight, ultra low noise,combining the latest heatexchanger technology and state of the art control systems.

Potterton Myson (Irl) LimitedUnit 7, Whitestown Business Park,Tallaght, Dublin 24, IrelandEmail: [email protected]

Sales:

01-459 0870Fax:

01-459 0880

Above: System interface module from Carrier.

Irelandadoptsleadingrole inFISUEL

While not a founder member, Ireland became involved shortlyafter FISUEL was established, thanks to the efforts andforesight of David McGloughlin, General Manager of the

Register of Electrical Contractors of Ireland (RECI), who wisely saw thevalue of participation. There are now 18 countries represented by FISUELwith Ireland seen as one of the most pro-active and advanced.

In fact, Ivan Hammond – a RECI Director and Ireland’s representativeon FISUEL – now holds the honour of being one of only eight Directors ofFISUEL. The others are: President Romauldo Arias (FENIE, Spain); Vice-Presidents Philippe Andre (CONSUEL, France), David Latimer (ESC,England) and Adiouma Dione (PROQUELEC, Senegal); Past-PresidentJose Tomaz Gomes (CERTIEL, Portugal); Theodore Bodi Kouassi (LBTPSecural, Ivory Coast) and Sandro Rollan (APSE, Argentina).

Day-to-day management and administration is in the very capablehands of FISUEL General Manager Denis Hannotin. He does sterlingwork in ensuring constant communication and dissemination of news andideas among members, and oversees the smooth running of the entireoperation.

“There are significant differences between one country and/or regulatorybody and another” says Ivan Hammond, “with the level of the enforcementof standards, and related legal requirements for monitoring, complianceand enforcement, varying considerably. We in Ireland have by far themost structured and rigorous regime and so our FISUEL colleagues veryoften look to us for guidance and the benefit or our experience.Compared to Europe and the rest of the world, we are seen as having thebenchmark-setting regime in respect of electrical safety and regulation.”

From the outset it is important to understand that FISUEL is not aregulatory body, nor does it devise and impose international standards or

FISUEL, the InternationalFederation for the Safety of Electricity Users, was firsttentatively proposed in theyear 2000 at a symposium inParis, and then formallyincorporated at a meeting in Beirut in 2002. It is nowrecognised as the foremostinternational body for electricalsafety worldwide with agrowing membership and amassive sphere of influence.


24

regulations. Each country has its own regulations andstandards, with clauses and requirements appropriate for that country’s marketplace. FISUEL’s objective is toencourage the adoption and enforcement of such locally-appropriate regulations and standards, and to help countriesestablish standards and regulations where none exist.

Regular meetings of the full membership – which includethe presentation of papers, symposiums and the AGM – areheld each year in different countries, the honour to do sogoing to Ireland in November 2003. Tokyo is the venue for the next major gathering and AGM.

Ivan Hammond – in the company of RECI Chairman JohnDesmond and General Manager David McGloughlin –attended the most recent FISUEL meeting held in Paris inJune and told bs news that, in the context of discussions to devise a strategic way forward, the regulatory andenforcement systems which apply in Ireland were once againheld up as exemplars upon which to base future internationalbenchmarks.

Membership categoriesThere are two categories of FISUEL membership: Active Members – legal entities, such as RECI in Ireland, whoare charged with regulation and enforcement of standardsrelated to the safety of electricity users; they invariably play a very pro-active role in the affairs of FISUEL;Associate Members – associate membership applies to anybody, entity or association concerned with the safety ofelectricity users and/or wishing to support its development.

All together there are 28 members (16 active and 12associate), representing 18 countries, plus two associations,one international and one European, (UIE, ECI).

All these members constitute the “general assembly”; at the top there is a Board of Directors – currently chaired byRomualdo Arias, electrical contractor in Spain, past President

of FENIE (Spanish electrical contractors), successor of JoséTomaz Gomes Portugal (CERTIEL), and Philippe André,France (CONSUEL and founder of FISUEL).

FISUEL main objectives Essentially, the main objectives of FISUEL are:– To promote electrical standardisation, promote compliance

of electrical installations with those standards, and thevarious systems of verification of this conformity;

– To promote electrical safety by welcoming and helpingcountries or bodies wishing to develop electrical installationsafety levels by setting up inspection or verificationsystems; by helping countries which already have aninspection system to improve it, and thus contribute to its continued use, by exchanging ideas and information;

– To try to harmonize, or at least to bring closer, inspectionprocedures, and to optimise existing systems;

– To progress the implementation of compulsory technicalperiodic, systematic and regular inspections of installationsin older dwellings, and to combat the use of non-compliantproducts.

– Pursue the identification and withdrawl from themarketplace of products (counterfeit or not) which do not conform with relevant standards;

– Lobby the EU for a “recommendation in favour ofregular/periodic” verifications of existing installations;

– Establish an International Electrical Safety Data CollectionCentre (consolidation of national centres);

– Establish a data bank comprising a consolidation of allinformation gathered since 2002, that will cover around 30countries;

– Collect statistics on accidents of electrical origin and theircauses;

– Study the different systems of inspection of microgeneration installations in use in various countries with

a view to producing a grid of all points that are checked, in the different countries, for thesekinds of installations;

Those wishing to learn moreabout the activities of FISUELcan contact Denis Hannotin atemails [email protected] [email protected]; or Ivan Hammond at email:[email protected] �

Left: Romauldo Arias, FISUELPresident with Denis Hannotin,General Manager; Directors IvanHammond , Philippe Andre; andFrancisco Paramio Saldana. 25


In a previous article I wrotedetailing fire suppressionsystems (bs news May 2008),

and briefly mentioned a type offixed fire fighting system I believemay save many lives. I would now like to go into water mistsuppression systems in greaterdetail and explain why.

I believe water mist systems(also known as water fog systems)are the way forward for protectionof persons and property. Thefollowing fixed fire fighting systemis a modern development of an old system. The medium used is water; however, the water isreduced to form a mist or fog and thereby acts like a gassuppression system.

Water mist systems may replace sprinkler systems andother types of gas suppressionsystems eventually, but at presentthe technology is at a stage thatthe cost is still slightly higher andthe systems are not universallyaccepted.

Advances in fire engineering and electronics means that lessand less fire damage occurs, as detection methods havesignificantly improved. When thevalue of the property is such thatany fire damage will cause amassive financial cost, theinsurers will usually ask for a fixedextinguishing system to be

installed. It is ironic that the highcost of fixed extinguishing systemsmeans that fire brigade tenderunits may cause a greater amountof damage on account of the waterit takes to dampen and extinguisha fire.

Water is the oldest, the mostwidely-used fire fighting medium inthe world. Its advantages are that

Fire suppression – water mistsystems the way forward ...


Martin Carpenter, PM Group, is a Senior Electrical Engineer specialising in

fire safety. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers in Ireland (FIEI) and

has over 20 years experience in systems design, construction, project

management and engineering across a broad range of projects. These

include airports, power generation, hospitals, hotels, and internet hosting

and data centres, in Ireland, the UK and US. Martin’s expertise includes

high-technology installations, power systems and design of life-safety

systems in engineering design and management, project management,

contract and installation management, procurement and project planning,

and business development.

26

Designing Building Services

A selection of sprinklers currently available on the market.


27

it is safe to use and is freelyavailable. It has superior firefighting capabilities whencompared with other available fire fighting agents.

The necessary ingredients of burning are:(1) Combustible source: solid

(Class A), liquid (Class B), or gas-phase;

(2) Oxygen; (3) Heat for burning.

At least one of the above factors must be removed in orderto extinguish a fire. It is rarelypossible to remove thecombustible fuel but the remainingparameters – oxygen and heat –can be removed by different firefighting agents and consequentlythe fire is extinguished orprevented from spreading.

Water has three major firefighting properties, all of whichrelate to evaporation:(1) Cooling: when it turns into

vapour, water absorbs more heat than any other fire fighting agent;

(2) Inserting: when it evaporates, water volume expands over 1,500times, displacing oxygen in the volume of space;

(3) Blocking of heat.Water mist is composed of

micro-droplets, usually about the150 micron size. When water isdischarged through a nozzle at anappropriate pressure, the waterdroplet changes to replicate a firefighting gas. It will turn into a veryfine spray and take on similar firefighting properties to that of aninert gas. The heat absorption ofthe spray is dramatically increasedto such a level that a flame maybe cooled sufficiently to besuppressed or even extinguished.

According to NFPA 750: Standardon Water mist Fire ProtectionSystem, water mist is defined as “fine water sprays for theefficient control, suppression orextinguishment of fire using limitedvolumes of water”. Fine sprayswould need droplets to be lessthan 1000 microns in diameter. In order to work effectively, watermist systems must be sufficientlythrust into a fire or flame-front tosufficiently cool and smother it if the spread of a fire is to beprevented.

Thanks to the very small size of the water droplet and the lowconductivity of water mist, watermist systems have been used to protect computer rooms, trans -formers, telecoms switching roomsand various types of electricalequipment. Water mist may beused to fight both solid and liquidfires, and there are very few firerisks which cannot be protected.Of these, water-based fire fightingsystems cannot be used to fightliquid metal fires or to protectmaterials which react adverselywhen combined with water.

Traditional sprinkler systems usewetting as their main mechanismand therefore use very largeamounts of water; water mist, on the other hand, uses threemechanisms to fight fire – cooling,radiant heat blocking, and oxygensmothering at the flame-front.Water mist systems use watermuch more efficiently on accountof the blanketing effect with watervapour ... it requires 90% lesswater than a traditional sprinklersystem to suppress a flame.

The fire fighting performance of any water mist system isdependent upon many factors,

including droplet size, the velocityof the water mist, nozzle design,droplet distribution, the nature of the fire load, the height at which the water mist heads aremounted, air flow and systemconfiguration.

Water mist systems for buildingsare always designed and installedaccording to the NFPA 750Standard for Water Mist FireProtection Systems. Componentssuch as pumps, sprinkler heads,spray heads and valves areconsidered and included in systemapprovals by VdS and FM. Watermist systems for the fire protectionof buildings have systemapprovals for the followingsprinkler classes:– Light Hazard (FM); – Ordinary Hazard 1 (VdS); – Ordinary Hazard 3 (VdS).

Water mist systems for theprotection of the following hazardshave been approved by FM orVdS and include some of thefollowing applications:– Computer rooms; – Machinery spaces;– 10KV Transformer enclosures;– File store (deep-seated fire); – Cable tunnels; – Archive rooms (deep-seated

paper file storage facilities); – Ducts; – Deep fat fryers; – Prisons and detention centres; – Aircraft hangars.

The benefits of applying such asystem are:– No compartment sealing

required, usually a very crippling cost for a fire suppression system;

– The system may be recharged quickly and easily in Ireland;

– The system is very “green”.

Water mist systems may replace sprinkler systems and other types of gas suppression systems eventually

28


Water mist systems aredesigned on a project-specificapplication. All designs are basedupon full scale testing of fuels andhazards as expected in the client’spremises. For this reason the levelof research and development isstill intense and costs are highaccordingly. There is a very goodreason why the vendors carry outspecific calculations: namely, thatthe planned European Standard(CEN TC 191 WG 5) for thesystem is not published. Thisleads to differences betweenmanufacturers recommendingflooding times and applicationlimits, hence the need to engineereach application.

Water mist systems are seen to provide better protection thansprinklers as cabinets andfurniture do not hide the fire fromthe mist. Water mist systemsprovide an ideal alternative wherewater would damage equipment or could cause an explosion, forinstance in a boiler room orgenerator room. It may seemunusual to recommend a watersolution for a transformer roombut, if the water is de-ionized,there is no breakdown of the water below 20kv andconsequently no threat to life nor equipment.

Computer rooms are also verysuitable for water mist systems as the mist does not act like waterbut like a gaseous water systemwhich penetrates all areas within a protected space.

The most accurate descriptionfor a water mist system is that itcompares to walking in a cloudthat has engulfed the top of amountain. Anyone who has doneso knows it would be very difficultto sustain a fire in such a damp,cold environment. Again keepingwith the analogy of the cloud,there is no displacement of

oxygen and so it is consideredsafe for persons to remain within a protected space during a water mist discharge.

Water mist systems givesuperior performance overstandard sprinkler systems and it is expected that micro-mist or water mist systems may beinstalled in houses in remote orinaccessible locations in years to

come. However, the cost of watermist systems at present meansthat this is only for the super-rich.

Looking ahead to the future, allhomes could be fitted with adedicated water mist systemwhich, if installed at constructionstage, would prevent many of thehorrific fire-related stories weconstantly hear about in themedia. �

When water is discharged through

a nozzle at an appropriate pressure,

the water droplet changes to

replicate a fire fighting gas

The BTU outing at Hermitage was, as always, a great success with the course living up to everyone’sexpectations. The manicured greens and fairways

presented a tremendous challenge which most of the participants rose to.

The weather was kind (by our summer standards!)with lots of decent sunny spells interspersing thebreezy conditions and occasional showers. Scoreswere good with local member Tom Noone notsurprisingly emerging the overall winner with a score of 37pts.

Sponsor on the day was BSS Ireland and BrendanCoghlan and his colleagues put up an excellent array ofprizes which were presented after the customary meal.

Full results were as follows:

Overall winner: Tom Noone, 37pts.

Class 1: First: Robert Kenny, (37-2) 35pts;Second: Michael Kearney, 31pts;Third: Michael Matthews, (29-0.5) 28.5 pts.

Class 2First: Des Haughton, (35-2) 33pts;Second: Gerry Tobin, (32-0.5) 31.5pts;Third: John White, 30 pts.

Class 3First: Padraigh Gillen, 34pts;Second: Tony Gillen, (31-1) 30pts;Third: Ben McMahon, 29 pts.

Front Nine: Bernie Costelloe, 17 pts.

Back Nine: Michael Clancy, 19 pts.

Visitor Prize: Ben Sheehan. �

High scoring at Hermitage


BTU Golf News

Photo 1: BTU Captain Michael Matthews with PadraighGillen (Class 3, first) and Brendan Coghlan of BSSIreland.

Photo 2: BTU Captain Michael Matthews with BenSheehan (visitors’ prize).

Photo 3: BTU Captain Michael Matthews with TonyGillen (Class 3, second) and Brendan Coghlan of BSSIreland.

1

2

3 29

Definition of waste Waste is defined in Section 4(1) of theWaste Management Act 1996, asamended, as “any substance or object… which theholder discards or intends to discardor is required to discard, and anythingwhich is discarded or otherwise dealtwith as if it were waste shall bepresumed to be waste until thecontrary is proved”.

Under Section 32 of the WasteManagement Act 1996, as amended,a holder of waste, “shall not hold,transport, recover or dispose of wastein a manner that causes or is likely tocause environmental pollution”.

Temporary storage of waste isdefined in Section 5(3) of the WasteManagement Act 1996, as amended,as follows: “… a reference to thetemporary storage of waste shall,without prejudice to any particularprovision that may be made pursuantto section 39(6), be construed as areference to the storage of waste for a period not exceeding six months”.

Definition of recovery, recycling andreclamation of ODS Article 2 ofRegulation (EC) No. 2037/2000 onsubstances that deplete the ozonelayer provides definitions as follows: – “Recovery” means the collection andthe storage of controlled substances

from, for example, machinery,equipment and containment vesselsduring servicing or before disposal; – “Recycling” means the reuse of a recovered controlled substancefollowing a basic cleaning processsuch as filtering and drying. Forrefrigerants, recycling normallyinvolves recharge back into equipmentand is often carried out on site;– “Reclamation” means thereprocessing and upgrading of arecovered controlled substancethrough such processes as filteringdrying, distillation and chemicaltreatment in order to restore thesubstance to a specified standard ofperformance, which often involvesprocessing off-site at a central facility.

Where refrigeration and airconditioning (RAC) contractors carryout servicing on a client site a numberof scenarios may be encountered.These are outlined as follows, for the purpose of demonstrating therequirements with the relevantlegislation:

Scenarios with legislativeimplications An RAC contractor recovers refrigerantgas from a system on a client site,services the system, and returns thegas to the same system. Therefrigerant gas is not being discarded

and is therefore not a waste. If the gas has undergone a basic cleaningprocess, it is considered recycled;

An RAC contractor recoversrefrigerant gas from a system on aclient site and charges the system witha different gas. The recovered gas isconsidered to be discarded by theholder and is therefore a waste andmust be managed as such. This wasteshall not be stored on the site ofgeneration for more that six monthsunless specifically authorised under a waste licence, facility permit orcertificate of authorisation grantedunder the Waste Management Actsand relevant regulations;

An RAC contractor recoversrefrigerant gas from a system on aclient site and charges the system witha different gas. The recovered gasmay be suitable for re-use on anothersite. The recovered gas is consideredto be discarded by the holder and istherefore a waste and must bemanaged as such.

This waste shall not be stored onthe site of generation for more that sixmonths unless specifically authorisedunder a waste licence, facility permitor certificate of authorisation grantedunder the Waste Management Actsand relevant regulations.

The waste may be reclassified as a


30

EPA’s update position onwaste refrigerant gasesThe latest guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in relation to the management of waste refrigerant gases is that, in determining the proper management of waste refrigerants, the definition of waste and the definitions outlined for recovery, recyclingand reclamation of refrigerant gases must be seriously considered. Its stated position on the matter is outlined here.


31

reclaimed gas following treatment andappropriate analysis and certificationthat it meets the relevant qualitystandards.

Management of waste refrigerant gases Where a contractor generates wasterefrigerant gas in the course ofservicing, the following options applyfor its movement and management:

Option 1The RAC contractor can transport thewaste refrigerant gas from the clientsite to an authorised waste manage -ment facility, as outlined in their PriorAnnual Notification and in accordancewith Article 30 of the Waste Manage -ment (Collection Permit) Regulations2007 (S.I. No. 820 of 2007). In thisinstance, the RAC contractor becomesthe holder of the waste and must fulfilthe general duty on the holder ofwaste set out in Section 32 of theWaste Management Act, as amended;

Option 2The RAC contractor can advise theclient to make its own arrangementsfor the proper management of thewaste refrigerant. In this instance, theclient remains the holder of the wasteand must fulfil the general duty on theholder of waste set out in Section 32of the Waste Management Act, asamended.

The storage of waste refrigerantgases is not permitted on any site(other than temporary storage at thesite of generation), unless that site isspecifically authorised to do so via aWaste Licence issued by the EPA or a Facility Permit or a Certificate ofRegistration issued by the relevantlocal authority.

Waste refrigerant gases must bebrought to an appropriately authorisedwaste facility when taken from a clientsite and under no circumstances can an RAC contractor store the wasterefrigerant gas on their own sitewithout appropriate authorisation for the storage of such waste. �

New Yellow Jacketrefrigeration analyzer

Yellow Jacket’s newadvanced refrigerationsystem analyzer is now

available from Gasco Ireland. Itfeatures a digital, full-colour TFTdisplay with adjustable brightnessand contrast protected by an anti-glare, scratch-resistant lens.

Among the many featues in thisnew unit are:

– The display reads in analog,digital or a combination of both;

– Monitors two pressures, two livetemperatures, subcooling andsuperheat, and saturationtemperatures (liquid and vapor)for 84 refrigerants;

– Data logging for on-screenreview or export;

– Built-in pressure/temperaturechart reference screen for allrefrigerants;

– Built-in full scale vacuum sensorreads deep vacuum down to 10microns;

– Dual K-Type temperature-compensated sensor portsallow for simultaneous suctionand liquid readings;

– Provides real-time pressuredata in selectable timeincrements: 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1 and 2 seconds;

– High accuracy and resolutionpressure transducers for fastand sensitive leak detection.

“We believe in engineeringproducts that stand the test of timeand this new refrigeration systemanalyser is packed with the qualityand innovation synonymous withYellow Jacket,” said Mark Kiely,Gasco Ireland.

Contact: Mark Kiely,GascoIreland. Tel: 01 – 462 7311; email: [email protected] �

Yellow Jacket’snew advancedrefrigerationsystem analyzernow availablefrom GascoIreland.

Sustainability has become amuch-used and abused word.Almost everything now alludes

to being sustainable. Even politiciansuse it but maybe at the present timethey are stretching our sensibilitiestoo far by doing this. StrathclydeUniversity, where I graduated from,has recently been placed numberone in the European SustainabilityRankings so sustainability hasbecome an important part ofeducation.

Currently, sustainable services are included in the conditions ofengagement for building servicesconsultants. It is important there forethat sustainability is clearly defined(as far as is possible) for what itmeans for building servicesengineers.

Definitions of sustainability In 1987 the Brundtland Commissiondefined sustainability as“development that meets the needsof the present without compromisingthe ability of future generations tomeet their own needs”. The aim ofthe Brundtland Commission was tobring everyone into the discussion onhow sustainability could be achieved.

Carpenter (2001) suggested thatsustainable building design shouldaim to protect, develop and enhancethe local environment, wheresystems ensure efficient use ofresources to minimise negativeimpacts on the environment, withflexibility and adaptability also beingkey design features.

Kilbert (2005) suggested thatsustainable building design should

consider the impact of buildings onhumans and address issues such as sick building syndrome, indoor air quality and multiple chemicalsensitivity that have not beenconsidered in traditional buildingdesign.

A holistic approach can also betaken when defining sustainablebuilding design. This wouldencompass a buildings lifecycle fromresource extraction to disposal ofmaterials at the end of a building’speriod of use. Sustainable buildingdesign can also include the use ofrenewable energies, recycling andreuse of water and materials.

As applied to buildings,sustainability can cover many issues,i.e. energy, indoor environmentalquality, environmental loadings, site

What sustainability means for building services engineers


Special Report

The term sustainability seems to have crept into everyday use without anyone

really deciding on what sustainability means. In this article Dr Ken Beattie

provides an update on the term sustainability, and introduces new software that

is now available to building services engineers for sustainable building design.

Ken is one of the leading industry experts in the field and, in his PhD thesis An

Improved Design Methodology for Sustainable Building Design, investigated

the use of dynamic simulation models in the design process.

32

and transport, water and waste,materials, and innovation in design.Credit systems have been developedthat take account of a considerableamount of these issues. The mostwell known are LEED (Leadership inEnergy and Environmental Design)and BREEAM (BRE AssessmentMethod). LEED and BREEAM takeaccount of these issues whendeciding on the award for thebuilding.

Under the LEED system a buildingis certified by a LEED AccreditedProfessional. A building can receive a silver, gold or platinum award,depending on the number of pointsattained during the assessment. TheBREEAM system certifies a numberof building types including offices,retail, education, prisons, courts,healthcare, and industrial. Under the BREEAM system a building canreceive a pass, good, very good,excellent or outstanding rating.

The LEED and BREEAM systemsdo not designate the same number of points to each section of theirassessment methods. There is notagreement among professionals onthe weighting and number of pointsthat should be awarded to eachsection. It is argued that the LEEDsystem allocates the most points toenergy and atmosphere; however, it does take a holistic approach when crediting buildings and it hasbeen accepted as the preferredmethod in countries such as Canada,USA, UAE, China, India, Spain andBrazil.

The CIBSE method in CIBSEGuide L also considers a broadspectrum of criteria when addressingsustainability of buildings. The 12categories in the Guide include –energy and CO2 emissions; wateruse; adapting buildings for climatechange; flood risk; sustainabledrainage systems; transport; ecologyand biodiversity; pollution; health andwell-being; and life cycle impact.

CIBSE has also set up a LowCarbon Consultants Register and theobjectives of this scheme are to:– Improve the level of performance

in building design; – Deliver trained/registered

individuals competent to carry out low carbon building design;

– Deliver measurable carbon savings for new and refurbishment building projects.The benefits of being a low carbon

consultant include:– Membership of low carbon elite;– Establishes competence to

Building Control Officers;– Recognition under EPBD

Regulations;– Increased status through

accreditation ... but extra responsibility and liability.

Energy and CO2 emissions from buildingsGuy and Moore (2005) haveexamined the diversity of definitionsfor sustainable building design andnote that the choice of definitions isincreasing rather than diminishingafter a 30-year debate. It is alsoargued that, as it is difficult todetermine what is meant by the term, it is unlikely that sustainablebuildings are being built today.

However, we have had theimplementation of the EnergyPerformance of Buildings Directive(EPBD) and, under this EU Directive,it is mandatory to provide the annualenergy requirement and associatedCO2 emissions when a building isbeing handed over to the client. TheEPBD also requires that the client is provided with a Building EnergyRating (BER) certificate showing the energy performance of thebuilding on an A-G scale.

A standardised methodology,SBEM (Simplified Building EnergyModel) has been made available bySustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) to calculate the annual energy

requirement and associated CO2emissions for a building. SBEMsoftware and other SEI validatedsoftware are available for BuildingServices Engineers to produce theBER certificates.

So, for the first time buildingservices engineers have a veryrecognisable method to use anddemonstrate how good the buildingdesign is in terms of energyperformance. It is important thereforethat building services engineers arevery proficient in the use of theSBEM or one of the other validatedsoftware tools.

Simplified Building Energy Model– SBEMThe SBEM software (and othervalidated software tools) output theenergy performance of a building interms of heating, cooling, auxiliary,lighting and hot water requirements.These are expressed in terms ofkWh/m2/yr.

Lighting can be a major portion of the overall annual energyrequirement for a building and thiscan be reduced by selecting the mostenergy efficient lamp type, e.g. T5triphosphor coated fluorescent tubewith high-frequency ballast andoccupancy sensing. The lightingrequirement is also affected if thelights have manual switching orphotoelectric options (switching ordimming) to make use of daylight to offset the artificial lightingrequirement.

SBEM calculates the contributionof daylight in zones in the buildingwhich have at least 20% façadeglazing and are not more than 6mdeep, and subtracts this from theartificial lighting requirement for thezone. Thus the floor plate depth andthe façade glazing ratio can play avery important part in reducingoverall energy requirements andachieving a good energyperformance.


33

Seasonal efficiencies ofheating/cooling pPlant The seasonal efficiencies of heatingand cooling plant in SBEM vary withthe type of system selected. Theavailable air conditioning systemsrange from constant volume, VAV,fan coil, induction, terminal re-heatand active and passive chilledbeams.

The auxiliary energy required (i.e. the energy for pumps, fans andcontrols) can be significant in theSBEM method and also varies fromsystem to system. For a constantvolume system, the auxiliary energyrequired is 114.48 kWh/m2 y for asingle-duct VAV system 45.83kWh/m2 y and for chilled ceilings15.34 kWh/m2 y. Thus airconditioning system selection, as wellas the best lighting design scenario,will have a major impact on theenergy performance of the building.

To achieve the most favourableBER label will require the buildingservices engineer to have a goodknowledge of heating, cooling,lighting auxiliary energy as calculatedin SBEM. There are manypermutations and combinations in building design that must beevaluated and optimised to ensurethat the best possible energyperformance and energy certificateare achieved. Knowledge of theSBEM software is an important goalfor building services engineers.

Industry challengeTony McKinley, the current Chairmanof CIBSE (ROI), sees theimplementation of sustainablebuilding design as an important andinherent element of the work ofbuilding services engineers. Heasserts that it requires a wholedesign team approach to ensure thatsustainable aspects of a buildingdesign are maximised within theproject constraints.

Vincent Murray, Project Manager34


for Special Projects at IES and a LEED-accredited professional,agrees. He says that buildingperformance modelling can facilitatea whole design team approach byengaging all members of the designteam around one core model.

Linking performance tools tostandard design tools like the IES link with Google SketchUp andAutoCAD’s Revit system means thatthe model can evolve as the designevolves. Having this type ofinformation to inform the designprocess right from the earliest designstage ensures that sustainablebuilding design is evaluated andachieved.

Recent developments Google recently launched a newversion of Google SketchUp as partof its GoGreen Initiative in whichbuildings can be drawn and thenimported into dynamic simulationtools to check the sustainability of the design. These new free softwaretools available on the internet provideinformation very easily on the energyand carbon intensity of any buildingdesign.

Dr Don McLean, MD of IES, hascommented: “By linking simulationtools directly to Google SketchUpand continuing to develop differentlevels of interface, we are making thesustainable design potential ofperformance analysis very easilyavailable to a huge number ofprofessionals.”

Engineers, architects and clientsare now aware that the greatestimpact on energy performance andsustainability is made at the earlydesign stage. There is a maze ofsustainable design strategies but the early design decisions must takeaccount of the strong interactionbetween the building envelope,heating and cooling systems, andlighting requirements. The built formand fabric in terms of shape, thermal

response, thermal insulation,windows and glazing, ventilation and daylighting strategies must be optimised.

This link-up between buildingmodel geometry and buildingsimulation analysis tools will allowengineers evaluate sustainabledesign strategies and make earlydesign decisions using quickinteractive assessments and provide “am I moving in the rightdirection” feedback for the rest of the design team.

Some professionals in designteams have already used this newlink up between building modelgeometry software and buildingsimulation analysis tools to designbuildings that have achieved over80% improvement in energyperformance.

Conclusion When I completed my thesis onSustainable Building Design in 2001this topic was just emerging. Buttoday there is an explosion ofengineering courses withsustainability in their title. As students are ever more discerning,the courses that truly do not deliverthe sustainability that graduates nowneed to compete in the workplace will be judged a failure.

Clients are aware that somedesign teams are stating in theirsubmissions that everything they donow is of course sustainable withoutactually changing anything that theyhave been doing in the past.

From the definitions ofsustainability and sustainablebuilding design presented, it can bedaunting to try and unravel whatsustainable building design shouldmean. However, established andwell-recognised assessmentmethods such as the BREEAM andLEED methods are available forbuilding services engineers to use to provide a platinum award or

outstanding rating for their design. For building services engineers

energy must play a significant roleand energy performance is obviouslythe key to better ratings. The newenergy performance software mustbe used proficiently and this will onlycome about by training and extensiveuse of the software.

McKinley and Murray have pointedout that a whole design teamapproach is required for sustainablebuilding design. The recentdevelopment of linking GoogleSketchUp and the dynamicsimulation tools will create onebuilding model for the whole designteam (architects, engineers etc) towork with to achieve sustainablebuilding design.

As this recent softwaredevelopment is available on theinternet, it is the professional that canuse it first and make the most use ofit to improve the energy performanceof buildings by over 80% that willbecome the best sustainable buildingdesign engineer. �

References Carpenter, T.G. (2001) SustainableEngineering: Environment, Construction

and Sustainable Development, Vol.:

CIBSE Guide L. CIBSE Publications

London.

Kilbert, C.J. (2005) SustainableConstruction: Green Building Designand Delivery, New Jersey, John Wiley

& Sons.

Guy, S. & Moore, S.A. (2005)

Sustainable Architecture: Cultures andNations in Europe and North America,

Oxon: Spon Press

Syal, M.G., Mago, S. and Moody, D.(2007) Impact of LEED-NC Credits onContractors, Journal of Architectural

Engineering, 2007, Vol.13.

BiographyKen Beattie is a lecturer in the School ofCivil and Building Services Engineeringat Dublin Institute of Technology.Contact: [email protected]; Tel: 086 - 824 0539. 35



36

back issues Despite the slow housingmarket BER registrationscontinue unabated with a total of 44,000 BERs now publishedon the SEI website. Seems a lot but, with 2700 registeredBER assessors, that’s only an average of 16 each.

RACGS Ryder Cup win is a must this year following the very narrow defeat at theinaugural RACGS v NRG event in the UK last year. Therenowned PGA National inKildare is the venue and theteam is chomping at the bit for revenge.

Nuclear the answer?“If you care about climatechange … 100 new nuclearplants is the place to start”, sosaid US Republican SenatorLamar Alexander recently. Hewants the proposed unlimitedFederal loan guarantee schemeenvisaged for wind and solar

power plants to apply to nuclear reactors also.

Visit a brothel and save the environmentA Berlin brothel (they are legal in Germany) is offering a e5 discount off theusual e70 fee to clients who arrive by bicycle or public transport.

Owner Thomas Goetz said fourto five new customers are availingof the offer each day, reducing carjourneys and alleviating traffic andparking congestion in the area.“It’s good for business, good forthe environment and good for the girls”, he said.

Over to you Ministers Ryan and Gormley … though I supposeyou’d have to start by legalisingbrothels!

Wear a condom and save the planet! With the world’s rapidly-rising

population set to reach nine billion by 2050,

some experts suggest that global investment

in family planning is a simple and relatively

inexpensive way to reduce harmful emissions.

According to the

United Nations,

virtually every

climate

control plan

put forward

by least-

developed

countries

mentions rapid

population growth

as a critical factor. Yet

ironically, worldwide investment in family

planning is at an all-time low, having fallen in

real terms by 30% since the mid-1990s.

The concept of enforced population

control is undoubtedly a very sensitive issue.

However, facilitating the reported 200 million

women worldwide who wish to prevent or

delay pregnancy but don’t have access to

contraception would be a start.

BER assessorloophole closedFurther to concernsraised by CIBSE Republic ofIreland Branch in relation to a loophole regarding thequalification requirements and registration of non-domestic BER assessors,candidates must now:

– Pass an interim non-domestic qualifyingexamination;

– Hold a degree in a building-related discipline (Level 7 or 8 under the NationalFramework forQualifications, dependingon the assessor level);

– Hold membership of aprofessional organisationat grade listed for theassessor level.

Registration of members ofenergy assessor accreditationschemes in the UK will nolonger be accepted.

Well done CIBSE.

The Controls Centre,

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Tel: 01 - 452 2355/452 2229

Fax: 01 - 451 6919

email: [email protected] web: www.manotherm.ie

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pressure, temperature, level and flow. In addition to providingquality precision instruments, Manotherm is committed toexceptional customer service, including knowledgeable,

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bsnews · SPC has been providing CPD courses for building services engineers and specifiers for over a decade and the new CPD adds to the three other RIBA-accredited CPD presentations