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Installation of Sabien Technology’s M2G intelligent boiler load optimisers at the headquarters of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the United Kingdom's qualifying body for Mechanical Engineers, has reduced the gas consumption for heating and hot water by 17% – over and above the savings achieved by the building management system (BMS). This is equivalent to a reduction in carbon emissions of 25 tonnes per annum – with a payback of around 2.7 years.

Head of Energy Brian Robinson explained: “The Institution is very focused on the energy consumption of its buildings and we have reduced our carbon emissions by over 25% in the last two years. We initially asked Sabien to pilot the M2Gs and demonstrate the savings that would be achieved and, following the success of the trial, the units are now playing an important role in minimising our energy consumption”

“We were very pleased with the results of the pilot and the ongoing energy and emissions savings that will be achieved for the Institution. We were also very pleased with the support we received from Sabien, which ensured that the project ran smoothly,” Brian Robinson concluded.

Sabien’s CEO Alan O’Brien commented: “The IMechE contract has again demonstrated the significant savings that can be achieved by installing M2G. We work closely with mechanical engineers during the installation of our technology, so having delivered these results to their qualifying Institution further reinforces the merits of M2G that they see in the field. The combination of volatile energy prices and ever-stricter energy legislation is putting increasing pressure on organisations to improve their energy efficiency. The valuable contribution made by M2G towards achieving these objectives has now been proven in a wide range of applications under very diverse conditions.

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Las Ramblas, a new Spanish style tapas bar and restaurant in Bearsden, on the north side of Glasgow, has featured Hamilton Litestat’s Digital Mercury lighting control system to provide an effective scene setting solution that is designed to enhance the whole dining experience.

This is one of the latest restaurants to be opened by the Harlequin Leisure Group, which is one of Europe’s largest chains of indian restaurants. The group’s managing director, Sanjay Majhu said, “Having acquired restaurants next to busy units which we already owned, we needed a new cuisine that would not compete with these existing businesses. As tapas has become an exotic, versatile and popular way to enjoy a meal, we decided to develop a new arm to our restaurant business with the inclusion of this Spanish style restaurant and tapas bar.To suit the type of foods being served within this restaurant, our architect designed the interior so that it provided a flavour of Spanish culture.”

According to Bruce Nelson of Hamilton Litestat. “ Digital Mercury has been used throughout the building to highlight the various design features within this themed restaurant. This system has been used to dim the low voltage, LED and decorative luminaires which have been featured within the lighting scheme to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. It has also been used for general switching of non dimmable products.”

This system was specified by the Harlequin Leisure Group’s architect, due to its simple design which has made it easy to use, thereby enabling the client to alter the set scenes to suit their changing requirements. The control panels for the dimming system have featured Hamilton’s Hartland plates in a chrome finish in order to complement the interior finishes. To maintain the integrity of the architect’s design theme, all the other wiring accessories within the restaurant have also utilised the Hartland plate.

This simplified lighting control solution is able to create a limited number of scenes which are set, stored and recalled, all at the touch of a button. The programmable controllers, for this application, have used 4 buttons which are used to recall the set scenes along with six other buttons that are used to program the scenes by simply raising and lowering the level of lighting on each of the individual circuits. Once a scene is stored it can be recalled each time the required button is pressed. To create an attractive and yet practical feature these Digital Mercury wall plates have incorporated blue LED’s to backlight the control buttons.

To suit the specific requirements of this restaurant, the system has been programmed to feature a choice of four different settings. The first provides a cleaning/maintenance setting, which brings the lighting up to full power. The second offers a day time setting, which dims the lighting level by 15% to 20% to counteract the effect of the natural daylight that comes in through the large restaurant windows. The third button lowers the lighting level by 50% to create a pleasing ambience which is just right for romantic evening meals. The fourth button has been left free for future use. A single switch socket has been provided to turn on and off the non dimmable light sources.

To create wall wash colour variants utilizing the LEDs, the dimming system has been used to sequence through the Red, Green, Blue to produce the required variant of colour combinations from these light sources. These colour blends have been programmed into the system to enable the restaurant to recall the required scene for the appropriate time of day.

“ We are are very pleased with this lighting control system”, said Sanjay, “ It’s a great mood tool and our customers love the way that its adds atmosphere to the interior design.”

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Bona’s Hardwax Oil was selected to finish a newly installed oak floor in a beautifully refurbished Victorian town house in Windsor. Berkshire based contractors, dFloor, installed 70m2 of unfinished engineered European Oak to the lower ground floor, which has now become the kitchen.

To finish the floor, dFloor recommended the application of two coats of Bona Hardwax Oil to give the soft, satin effect the client wanted, combined with a hard wearing surface which can be patch repaired in the event of any mishaps. The client was so impressed with the finish that the Oak staircase and all doors were also finished to match.

Bona Hardwax Oil is just part of the Bona range of products for finishing wooden floors. Depending upon the location, and how the floor is to look and perform, the Bona range also includes low solvent, water based lacquers, traditional oils, and unique Bona Naturale for a truly ‘unfinished’ look. Bona’s technical team is happy to advise contractors over the specification of the most appropriate finish, practical maintenance regimes and application techniques. Bona also runs a full programme of training courses for contractors, details of which which can be found at bona.com.

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The Daikin Emura designer room air conditioner has been awarded an honourable mention by a jury of experts in the International Red Dot 2010 Product Design Award competition in which 4,252 products from 57 countries competed for this year’s awards. The Red Dot competition, organised by the Red Dot Institute for Advanced Design Studies, dates from 1955 and is the most renowned design competition worldwide, its winning entries being recognised for their excellent design, innovative approach and proven quality.

Subtle design and absolute quality

Daikin Emura is an all in one room comfort system that combines premium Daikin quality with top European design. The elegant unit is available in sand blasted aluminium or white plastic finish that blends harmoniously with any interior and comes with an easy to operate designer remote controller. Its unique design was itself the result of a design competition, involving leading design houses in Europe. Underlying the subtle yet sleek design, lies advanced Daikin technology, resulting in a residential split heat pump system that heats, cools, ventilates and dehumidifies and incorporates advanced features such as an intelligent eye that optimises system performance and comfort to room occupation levels. The outcome is extremely high energy efficiency, absolute room comfort in a package that adds refinement and sophistication to any interior.

Meticulous attention to quality and detail

When evaluating Red Dot award candidates, the design experts award honourable mentions to those products that distinguish themselves with particularly successful design details. Daikin Emura’s success reflects Daikin’s meticulous attention to quality and detail.

The Red Dot 2010 Product Design Awards will be presented on 5 July 2010 in Essen, Germany and winners are entitled to display their winning product for a full year at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, the largest permanent exhibition of contemporary design in the world. Winners are also entitled to use the renowned Red Dot Award as a mark of quality in their promotional materials.

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“Don’t risk selling or installing counterfeit and non-compliant electrical installation products – you are risking prosecution and you could be endangering lives” warns Alan Birks, President of BEAMA Installation.

Alan, who is Distribution Channel Manager for Eaton, is concerned at the increasing sales of counterfeit wiring accessories, circuit-breakers, fuses, cables and lighting products in shops, DIY stores and electrical wholesalers. “Some of these products are not only substandard – they are downright dangerous” he says.

“This is not just scaremongering – we have tested fuses with no sand filling or fuse elements; we have seen ‘miniature circuit-breakers’ with no overcurrent protection. These devices are intended to protect the public but if they are exposed to a short-circuit current they could explode, causing injury, fire or even death, Another problem is the use of unsuitable moulding materials that will not withstand the stress of short-circuit currents.

“Counterfeiting can take various forms. The products may be passed off as those of a genuine manufacturer. In other cases they are illegal copies of the genuine product, but are offered as cheaper alternatives. Sometimes genuine and counterfeit products are mixed in a consignment. There are no guarantees with counterfeit products, which are unlikely to have been tested to the appropriate standards. Any CE marking is fraudulent.

“This is a worldwide problem. In some countries up to 75% of the electrical components on the market are counterfeit. The situation in the UK is not as serious as this but it does give cause for concern. One death caused by faulty goods is one death too many and those who sell or install faulty goods bear a heavy responsibility.

“British electrical manufacturers are leading the world in combating this trade at source through the BEAMA Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group. Since 2000, more than 200 factories producing counterfeit goods have been raided in China, 10 million products have been seized with their packaging and tooling. BEAMA also seeks to lobby governments and import/export agencies for greater controls.

“In the UK, BEAMA has joined with the Electrical Distributors Association (EDA), Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) and Select (the Scottish electrical contractors association) in drawing up The Electrical Installation Industry Charter to combat this trade. The charter is a commitment to develop initiatives and actions in the battle against the ‘trade’ in counterfeit and non-compliant electrical products and to develop a surveillance and intelligence-led anti-counterfeiting network to combat the distribution and installation of such products.

“Non-compliance is a related problem. This includes products from reputable manufacturers which are designed for export markets but are then sold back into the UK. Although they will be quality products, if they are intended for export outside the European Union they will not be ‘CE’ marked. So their sale in the UK is illegal. Furthermore they may be designed for different standards and operating conditions, for example they may be calibrated for a higher ambient temperature than UK products.

“The message for UK specifiers, distributors and installers is:-

• NEVER handle products that you know, or suspect, are counterfeit
• Only buy from people and organisations you trust (the new Electrical Installation Industry Charter will help identify reliable organisations)
• Check the packaging and labelling for any alterations
• Check for ‘CE’ and other relevant certification marks
• Check that the price is in line with what you would normally expect to pay
• If in doubt, contact the brand owner

“Our appeal to specifiers, distributors and installers is ‘Don’t kill your customers’.”

Eaton’s electrical business is a global leader in electrical control, power distribution, uninterruptible power supply and industrial automation products and services. Eaton’s global electrical brands, including Cutler-Hammer®, MGE Office Protection Systems, Powerware®, Holec® and MEM®, provide customer-driven PowerChainTM Management solutions to serve the power system needs of the industrial, institutional, government, utility, commercial, residential, IT, mission critical and OEM markets worldwide.

Eaton Corporation is a diversified power management company with 2007 sales of $13 billion. Eaton is a global technology leader in electrical systems for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton has 82,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 150 countries.

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<Mapei products have been selected for use in the University of Worcester’s award winning Low Allergen Garden which was showcased at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Mapei’s Mapecem quick drying screed, Nivoplan levelling mortar and Ultracolor Plus grout were all used to build a garden designed by Olivia Kirk of KKE Architects, which was awarded a Silver-Gilt medal by judges at the show.

KKE provided Mapei with a brief to provide products with quick drying or curing characteristics due to the rigid time constraints put on the installation of the garden. Mapecem, with its unique quick-drying characteristics formed the path which allowed stone paving to be laid within three hours and was perfectly dry within 24 hours.

The black solid walls which form the boundaries on two sides of the garden, providing a backdrop designed to set off the planting in front, were planned as seamless but were constructed in sections and built on site. Nivoplan a thin, fast curing render was used to create the seamless finish to the walls.

With 26 colour options available, Ultracolor Plus was the obvious choice for grouting the stone tiles as it provided the perfect colour match to the stone material.

“The technical advice we received from Mapei and the products we used really helped us to get the clean and modern finish we wanted for the design. The quick drying times on both the floor screed and wall render helped enormously on what was a very tight build schedule – just ten days from start to finish, including all the planting! The garden was awarded a Silver-Gilt medal by the RHS judges, just missing out on Gold. As this was my first show garden at Chelsea I was absolutely delighted with the result,” said garden designer, Olivia Kirk from KKE Architects Limited.

Smooth stone pavings step diagonally across the garden between planting towards a timber door set back in the north east wall. The pathway opens out into a wider central area, sheltered by a pergola that is fitted with coloured glass pieces, which casts a rainbow of colours over the polished sandstone strips and reflects in two dark pools of water to create a tranquil space for both students and staff.

The garden will now be re-located to the new National Pollen Research Unit which has its headquarters on the University of Worcester campus. It will be used as a teaching aid to demonstrate how to create low allergen gardens for people suffering from hay fever, asthma and other respiratory complaints.

“We were delighted to provide Mapei products for this project; their fast drying characteristics were perfect to meet the notoriously short installation time,” said Mark Louch, Managing Director of Mapei.

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Building a state of the art sports centre, the St. John’s Beaumont School, a Jesuit preparatory school near Egham, looked for a heating system that offered flexibility alongside superb efficiency. The solution was found in leading supplier of heating systems AmbiRad’s Nor-Ray-Vac – a radiant heating system that is so popular it has been installed in over 700 sports halls in the UK.

St. John’s Beaumont School’s new build sports centre, a Ball Hall project, is packed with a host of features, including a 30ft climbing wall, indoor cricket facilities, performing arts centre, rowing room and a gymnasium alongside the main athletics hall. Intended to double up as a venue for the school, the hall has a cutting edge draping system that can instantly turn it into a marquee environment for plays, prize givings and more.

Owing to the multipurpose nature of the centre, heating choice was particularly important. To ensure energy efficiency, the system had to stand alone from the school’s boilers, which function 24/7, and warm up quickly when needed. It also had to have superb temperature control, able to be cool enough for athletic activities and hot enough to keep people warm during school events. The Nor-Ray-Vac system is so advanced that as well as heating halls precisely, it can warm different areas according to need, for example keeping spectators warm and sports teams cool during athletic fixtures.

It is the SmartCom3 controller that allows heating provision to be controlled so accurately. A specialised microprocessor, it lets users control heating provision precisely, ensuring that the sports hall can be flexibly heated to meet any need, from sporting events to concerts and school balls.

The selected heating was based around two radiant branches of the Nor-Ray-Vac system. Each was connected to a 32LR and 24LR burner. These energy efficient units are capable of delivering excellent fuel savings of up to 60% on alternative methods. Such energy efficiency is due to the ingenious design of the system. By burning fuel at point of use, wasteful heat distribution is eliminated, along with the need for a separate plant area.

Nor-Ray-Vac radiant heating systems provide an excellent solution for sports halls. Mounted at ceiling height, they provide no obstruction for sporting activities and can be covered with grilles for added protection. Their height provides no obstruction to their functioning, as they work by emitting infrared rays, like the sun. These rays heat only the objects and people in their path, meaning that no energy is wasted warming the massive volume of air within the hall.

The system works by drawing fresh air from ducts into the burners and heating system with a vacuum fan. To comply with the acoustic requirements of BB93, a Department for Education and Skills mandate that specifies the acoustic performance of educational buildings, the fan was enclosed in an acoustic enclosure located remotely from the hall. This and other noise reduction features added to the standard equipment can allow the system within a sports hall to meet the regulations stating that schools are quiet environments where staff and students are not undermined by disturbance.

Owing to its excellent energy efficiency, the AmbiRad Nor-Ray-Vac system is on the Energy Technology list, meaning that in choosing it the school qualified for Enhanced Capital Allowance. This programme allows organisations to write off the cost of their eco-friendly investments against their taxable profits during the investment period. By reducing the payback period of the remarkable sports hall’s heating system in this way, the school ensured even greater operational savings from its Nor-Ray-Vac heating unit.

Completed, the sports centre is a prominent feature of St. John’s Beaumont School. Opened for the start of the new academic year by Her Majesty the Queen, it has proved extremely popular with the students. Meeting the challenge of heating its large sports hall, the AmbiRad Nor-Ray-Vac provides the school with an energy efficient, cost effective and highly usable climate control system that is a top choice with specifiers across the UK.

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As expected, Thorn has unveiled its first LED product built from the co-operation between its parent, the Zumtobel Group, and leading US LED producer Cree. The Base LED downlight uses Cree’s pioneering colour-mixing technology and XLamp® LEDs to excel in three critical areas: performance, energy-efficiency and colour quality.

At 12W and with an output of 650 lumens, it matches the light levels of a compact fluorescent downlight, yet uses 50 per cent less energy and lasts over four times longer (designed to last 50,000 hours). Available in 2700K and 3500K options, it has an excellent CRI (Ra) of 94 and is dimmable to 20 per cent. Base LED delivers warm white light by the superior technique of mixing the light from yellow and red LEDs. Rear heat dissipation fins reduce the size and a shielding diffuser gives good glare control.

The successful collaboration with Cree started in the spring of 2008 with the aim to foster the proliferation of LED technology in the professional lighting sector. The value-creating alliance allows Thorn access to a unique source of technological knowledge, enabling it to accelerate the LED lighting revolution across Europe. Customers will benefit from energy-efficient and long-lasting products that save energy, save money and help protect the environment.

Base LED comes in two versions, recessed or surface and for a more decorative look there is a choice of inner ring: white, matt silver or matt copper. The fitting has an IP44 (splash-proof) classification, so is suitable for mounting in humid areas such as bathrooms and comes complete with a 3-year warranty. It is ideal for many commercial and residential applications – corridors, staircases, bars, restaurants – in short, anywhere with long burning hours that demands an inviting and economic lighting solution.

Base LED finally puts paid to the perception among specifiers, contractors and end users that environmentally responsible products come at the expense of performance, efficiency and comfort.

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Rockwool is proud to become an official sponsor of Interflam 2010, the 12th International Conference on Fire Science and Engineering.

The conference will take place on July 5-7 2010 at East Midlands Conference Centre at the University of Nottingham and will be attended by fire engineers, scientists, practitioners and regulators from around the globe to present the latest state of the art papers. The conference aims to create an interface between the researcher, the fire safety engineer and the designer so that good fire science can be promptly harnessed to provide a safer built environment.

Birgitte Messerschmidt, a seasoned Interflam delegate and Fire Safety Consultant at Rockwool International commented: “InterFlam 2010 is a unique international event which brings together all parties responsible for creating a fire safe environment: Rockwool is proud to be the official sponsor of the event.”

In addition to its excellent thermal, acoustic and environmental properties, Rockwool insulation has the ability to withstand temperatures of more than 1000°C. Properly used, Rockwool insulation acts as a fire resistant barrier, which can provide vital extra minutes during fire.

When exposed to typical fire conditions Rockwool insulation products produce insignificant level of smoke and no burning droplets. Rockwool does not contribute to the deadly flash-over scenario which can result in life loss and damage to property. Rockwool stone wool is classified as A1 non-combustible under the Euroclass reaction to Fire classification system.

Rockwool is specified for many schools, hospitals and historic buildings where fire protection is of paramount importance.

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Daikin heat pump convector with interlink function addresses common problems of heating efficiency.

In new and well insulated dwellings the combination of underfloor heating and low temperature radiators is among the most efficient heating solutions on the market, albeit not a perfect one. Whilst the low leaving water temperatures important for efficiency are adequate for underfloor heating, traditional radiators need to be oversized in order to produce the necessary levels of heat at low water temperatures and they do not offer a cooling option. With fan coils, there can be sound level limitations in certain applications. Daikin Europe has now addressed these issues with the introduction of a new heat pump convector solution, complete with interlink function.

Heat pump convector: small, quiet, quick and efficient

The new and compact Daikin heat pump convector easily produces the required levels of heat at low leaving water temperatures and can heat up a room quickly and quietly (noise levels down to 19 dBA), making it also ideal for bedrooms. A handy remote control with built in weekly timer allows easy control of the unit, including room temperature, fan speed, automatic or night mode and rapid heating or cooling.

Optimum water temperatures to underfloor elements and convectors

In order to maximise the efficiency of the heat pump convector, Daikin has developed an interlink system. Instead of switching the leaving water circuit on and off via a thermostat in a single master room, each convector can be directly wired to the Daikin Altherma indoor unit (hydrobox) or Daikin Altherma Low Temperature Monobloc unit – the system’s intelligence centre. This allows all rooms to receive heat when required, regardless of the condition of the other rooms. In addition to taking account of outdoor ambient temperature, it can intelligently control the leaving water temperature as a function of underfloor heating demand, convector demand or both. This increases efficiency by 25-40%, with COPs between 3 and 4 depending on mode.

Installation flexibility

In highly insulated buildings, an optimum leaving water temperature of 35°C is suitable for both the underfloor heating and convectors. This is the simplest level of installation. In other situations however, a two zone solution is possible: 35°C water to the underfloor elements and 45°C to the convectors. Optimum outlet water temperature is assured in all circumstances by using the interlink system with optimised leaving water temperatures.

The facility of two water temperature zones also increases flexibility with respect to cooling. If refurbishment projects do not allow the installation of a drain pipe to remove condensation, a single zone solution can be chosen, with 18°C water temperature safely transmitted to both underfloor elements and convectors (a Daikin first) and without the risk of condensation. If drain piping is possible, a two zone solution can be applied: 18°C to the underfloor elements and 7°C to the convectors.

The new Daikin heat pump convector solution is available for both Daikin Altherma and heat pump chiller solutions.

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