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The latest English-language version of 'DEUTZ LIVE', the quarterly magazine from DEUTZ AG, the world's oldest and one of the largest independent manufacturers of diesel and gas engines, contains articles showing how its products are used around the globe.

There are features on Austrian customer Kramer Allrad, manufacturers of excavators & telescopic loaders, and New Zealand's Bayline Group coach fleet, plus details of Peter Ocker who has chosen a DEUTZ engine to power his service truck in the Dakar Rally.

A lengthy article describes how DEUTZ has adapted its legendary 914 Series to meet the latest European emission laws that came into force in January.

There are stories on the importance of China's power generation industry, the start of DEUTZ diesel engine production under licence in China, and the company's involvement in the maintenance and operation of a power station in Sri Lanka.

Also featured is an article on the growing number of radio stations and internet service providers who are choosing emergency power units from DEUTZ for use in the event of the loss of mains electricity.

Established in 1864, DEUTZ now provides in excess of 195,000 units annually, with a turnover of 1.3 billion Euros (2005). Its product range extends from 4kW to 4,000kW, with engines suitable for a wide variety of markets and applications, including construction, materials handling, agricultural, groundcare, power generation & airport ground handling equipment, together with off highway mobile plant.

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Mitsubishi Electric Living Environmental Systems UK has announced that it will no longer be promoting cooling-only air conditioning products in the UK and is now phasing out all existing models from its stock.

The move is part of Mitsubishi Electric’s ‘Green Gateway Initiative™’ and comes on the back of rapid advances in air conditioning and heat pump technology over the last five years, which now means that it can be the most energy efficient and cost-effective way of heating and cooling a building.

Modern air conditioning systems can transfer energy around a building ‘borrowing’ excess heat from an area that is being cooled to use elsewhere in a zone that requires heating.

The obvious example is a building with predominantly north and south sides, where the sunny southern side will mainly need cooling and the darker north side will need more heating. Theoretically, it is possible to get a system in absolute equilibrium where the air conditioning uses hardly any power at all.

“Air conditioning is now ideal as the primary source of heating and cooling for the majority of commercial applications,” explained Commercial Director Donald Daw. “Heat pumps are one of the lowest carbon ways to heat a building and we are ensuring that we encourage as many heating installations as possible.”

Year-long tests at Mitsubishi Electric’s Hatfield headquarters have also demonstrated that air conditioning is over 300 per cent more efficient than the traditional method of heating and cooling a building – a boiler in the basement and a chiller unit on the roof.

Modern air conditioning also uses ‘inverter-control’. This means that instead of being either ‘off’ or ‘on at full power’, the system only consumes the amount of energy needed to reach set temperatures and it is therefore much more efficient.

Mitsubishi Electric’s UK Living Environmental Systems Division has produced a 10-point action plan for the country which will contribute to the reduction of over three million tonnes of CO2 emissions a year by 2016.

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Addagrip's resin-bonded surface Addastone has just provided a sympathetic hard landscaping solution for yet another significant heritage site, this time at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.

A masterplan of Christopher Wren, the site is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a World Heritage Site and is perceived as one of the finest examples of Baroque architectural ensembles in the UK. When the Greenwich Foundation took over the site from the Navy, and tenants Greenwich University and the Trinity School of Music moved in, a project began to refurbish the site.

Nick Harper, Associate Landscape Architect with Chris Blandford Associates and Project Manager explained, “The project was a landscape heritage scheme to restore this important World Heritage Site and the hard materials had to be carefully selected and approved by English Heritage before they could be implemented.”

A surface was needed that would allow thoughtfulness about the architecture's natural stone, so that the right colour and texture aggregate could be chosen to enhance the setting. It also had to be suitable for pedestrian and light vehicular use.

Addastone uses natural, locally sourced or recycled aggregates bound with natural or coloured resins for a textured finish and the appearance of loose gravel without the associated problems. 6000 square metres of the material was used for pedestrian crossing points and road surfacing, complementing the existing York Stone paving pedestrian areas. Golden Pea Gravel was used in two different grades, the smaller for pedestrian areas and the larger for vehicular to demarcate the areas.

On specifying Addastone, Mr Harper said, ” We have seen Addastone used on other prestigious sites and so we were confident to specify it for this project.”

Addastone has a ten-year proven track record of being extremely durable and easy to maintain. This makes it popular as it retains its original 'just laid' appearance to continue to make the project work as intended without the need to refurbish a few years down the line.

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One of the country’s largest suppliers of heating and cooling equipment is calling for a radical change to the way we heat and cool our commercial and residential buildings.

The UK Living Environmental Systems Division (LES) of Mitsubishi Electric has produced a 10-point action plan which will contribute to the reduction of over three million tonnes of CO2 emissions a year by 2016. Much of the Company’s plans centre around the utilisation of untapped heat energy that exists in the air all around us, and the wider use of cool outside air to reduce the need for air conditioning.

At the House of Commons today (6 June 2007), Commercial Director Donald Daw met with Politicians to launch the Company’s ‘Green Gateway Initiative’. The plan includes technological developments and new thinking combined with simple behavioural changes such as better maintenance regimes or not using the thermostat as an on/off button. All of the initiatives are focused on creating a significant impact on CO2 reduction in the UK’s buildings by reducing energy consumption and the energy bills of both consumers and businesses.

“One of the easiest ways of achieving a significant reduction in CO2 emissions would be through the greater use of heat pump technology which extracts free energy from the surrounding air,” explained Donald Daw. “The energy in the air that surrounds us is a key sustainable resource that doesn’t currently factor into people’s thinking.

“We need to focus on promoting heat pumps as they are a big solution to the global warming issues we all face today. This technology is already well known in the air conditioning market and is used for heating in countries such as France and Sweden.”

With a conventional gas boiler, one kilowatt of energy consumed by the boiler delivers less than one kilowatt of heat to a building. With a typical heat pump, one kilowatt of energy delivers a heat output in excess of 3 kilowatts – that’s a 300 per cent increase in energy efficiency – and that is set to grow as the technology develops.

As the UK’s gas reserves decline, the economic and political future of importing gas from around the globe comes into sharp focus and our reliance upon fossil fuels continues to be questioned.

“The optimisation of grid electricity is key to the future of any sustainable energy policy whether the primary source is from fossil fuel, nuclear or renewables such as wind or tide,” asserted Daw. “If we can make better use of this electricity, then we reduce CO2 emissions and can be less dependent on imported energy.

“By 2016, we estimate that the country could save over three million tonnes of CO2 per year through the adoption of new ‘air source’ technologies and improved practices – that’s the equivalent of taking more than 830,000 cars off the UK’s roads.”

In our homes, over 80 percent of energy use goes on space and water heating and the company encourages the installation of new heat pump boilers, which produce over 30 per cent less CO2 than gas boilers. In particular it is keen to focus on the new build residential sector – where all new homes will have to be zero-carbon by 2016.

In the commercial sector, the company’s most significant initiative calls for more promotion of the reduction in energy use that businesses can get from replacing older heating and cooling equipment.

“We estimate that businesses will be saving nearly 500,000 tonnes of CO2 a year by 2016 if they are encouraged to quickly phase out old cooling equipment and introduce modern technology,” explained Daw. “That’s not only good for the environment, but it will also make a big impact on the energy bills of individual companies.

“The ‘yoyo’ practices of using gas boilers for heating and air conditioning for cooling, are no longer sustainable and when it comes to cooling, ‘Free Cooling & Heat Recovery’ strategies are of significant importance,” he added.

The use of fresh air and natural ventilation when combined with an air conditioning system reduces commercial energy consumption significantly. In terms of heating, reuse of the warm air being expelled from a building to provide energy back into the building is far better than warming-up the outside.

Under the Green Gateway Initiative, Mitsubishi Electric LES has set targets to reduce CO2 emissions through actively using its market footprint to challenge engrained thinking and to develop new approaches to support customers in achieving their CO2 reduction goals by helping them make the right purchasing decisions.

The company has already been quick to back its words with action and has stunned the air conditioning industry by questioning whether a rapid growth in residential air conditioning in the UK is either necessary or sustainable.

“If the Government is to be supported in meeting its targets for CO2 reduction then we have to radically change the ways in which we heat and cool our homes, schools, factories, shops and offices,” explained Daw. “As a nation, we have to accelerate change in ‘heating’ and address ‘cooling’ in a responsible manner. Managing the internal temperatures of the environments in which we live, work and learn has to keep pace with the new technologies that are available and the incremental savings in CO2 that are eminently achievable.”

Mitsubishi Electric LES’ Green Gateway Initiative is primed for the low carbon generation – asserting that every company’s responsibility is to its stakeholders. Stakeholders include the individuals that purchase goods and services from companies and the fellow citizens that are both directly and indirectly affected by those purchasing choices.

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Environmental technology manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric has launched an incredibly efficient new heating system that harvests and upgrades the energy found naturally in the outdoor air to minimise energy use within our homes and dramatically reduce carbon emissions.

The Ecodan™ heat pump boiler gathers over 70 per cent of the heat energy it needs from the surrounding air, making it significantly more efficient at providing heating and hot water than modern condensing gas boilers.

The energy in the air that surrounds us is a key sustainable resource that doesn’t currently factor into people’s thinking and installing Ecodan can therefore help developers and house builders achieve Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. Introduced in 2006 as part of a growing body of legislation aimed at reducing CO2 emissions, the Code sets national standards for the sustainable design and construction of homes.

The average UK household currently produces over 4 tonnes of CO2 per year with space and water heating accounting for more than 73 per cent of this. Ecodan uses proven heat pump technology to reduce CO2 by 1,500kg less than a gas-fired boiler and 3,000kg less than an oil-fired. It offers outstanding performance against electric storage heating, solid fuel, oil or LPG and emits at least 30 per cent less CO2 than the latest modern condensing gas boilers.

With a conventional gas-fired boiler, 1kW of input energy provides less than 1kW of output energy or heat. In comparison, the Ecodan boiler converts every 1kW of input energy into an average of 3.6kW of output energy or heat, making it over three times more efficient than even the most modern gas boiler and the ideal choice for low cost heating and hot water.

“As a country we need to build at least 200,000 new homes a year and at the same time the Government is calling for these homes to be as energy efficient as possible,” explained Jason Tinsley, Technical and Product Marketing Manager for Mitsubishi Electric’s Heating Department. “We estimate that by 2016, over 720,000 tonnes of CO2 could be saved each year if these new houses use heat pump technology to meet the hot water and space heating requirements rather than gas.”

Ecodan, which has BRE* testing to validate performance, uses a sealed vapour compression cycle similar to a domestic refrigerator to exchange heat (or energy) between the outdoor air and the water supply. Ecodan comes as a simple to install, packaged system that is perfect for use in a variety of house sizes and styles. Ecodan is a new generation air source heat pump boiler (ASHPB) that is specifically designed for the UK’s domestic market and achieves an average of between 10 – 30 per cent reduction in running costs over gas, depending on the age of the gas boiler being replaced.

Significantly quieter and smaller than previous generations of ASHPBs, Ecodan is easy to install, requiring an in/out water and single-phase electrical connection. The company also stresses the need for exacting standards of installation coupled with modern levels of building insulation to ensure the greatest efficiency for each home.

Unlike previous forms of heat pump boiler, Ecodan’s carefully developed control system has been specifically designed to provide hot water to either underfloor heating systems or traditional radiators in properties with appropriate levels of thermal insulation. “Over 250,000 heat pump systems were installed in Europe in 2006 so this type of heating is already proven and the advances made in this technology now offer huge potential to help the country reduce emissions,” commented Tinsley.

The Ecodan boiler uses inverter-driven technology to regulate the heat output and this, coupled with advances in motor technology and sophisticated electronic controls all contribute to increase performance and efficiency.

The launch of this new boiler is part of Mitsubishi Electric’s Green Gateway Initiative™, a bold and ambitious 10-point plan which points the way towards a reduction of 3 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2016. Further details can be found at www.greengatewayinitiative.co.uk.

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Aerial mapping company BlueSky has created a detailed 3D map to support East Renfrewshire Council's Road Transportation Service in the construction of a new link road in the Barrhead district to the west of Glasgow. Captured using the LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) distance measurement system, the aircraft-mounted laser technology determines accurate heights of land and buildings. The digital data, which provides height above sea level readings every metre with an accuracy of 15 centimetres, is being used to accurately calculate 'cut and fill' volumes in preparation for the earthworks stage of the project.

BlueSky used a survey aircraft equipped with a system of lasers, which flew over the proposed route of the road at a height of less than 700 metres above the ground. The lasers were beamed to the surface and the time taken for the beam to be bounced back to receivers mounted onboard the aircraft was recorded. Using the position of the aircraft, from the on board satellite positioning equipment, the time taken for the return of the laser beam and the known value of the speed of light the distance between the aircraft and ground was calculated. In order to increase the detail of the height model mirrors were used to deflect the laser beam creating multiple measurements from a single pass of the aircraft.

“BlueSky delivered somewhere in the region of 1 million individual spot heights,” said Fred Abercrombie, Principal Engineer. “Using Bentley MicroStation we created a triangulated model of the actual ground surface against which we can model the proposed route of the new road. This detailed information will enable us to accurately calculate cut and fill volumes to assist with the design and earthmoving stages of the project.”

The dataset was created to a very high specification in order to meet the requirements of the Council for accurate volume calculations. The measurement points are at intervals of 1 metre and have an accuracy of + / – 15 centimetres, meaning fine detail on the ground can be accurately modelled.

BlueSky are UK based specialists in aerial imaging and remote sensing data collection and processing. With projects extending from New York to Paris they have an international reputation for the creation of seamless, digital aerial photography and 3D landscape/cityscape visualisations. BlueSky also runs a national mapping centre, providing digital maps, site plans, satellite imagery, aerial photography and ultra-high resolution imagery of cities and towns.

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The AMTECH Office Domestic software suite has been recognised as Electrical Software Product of the Year at the Electrical Industry Awards 2007.

The judges commented: “We felt Office Domestic would provide excellent functionality and offered both design and certification potential. The fact that the software can be carried on a number of hardware systems was also a great plus in our eyes.”

Developed specifically for electrical contractors specialising in domestic work, AMTECH Office Domestic provides everything they need in one powerful yet affordable package, including electrical design, cable sizing and Test & Inspection certification.

“Rather than expecting domestic contractors to pay for features that they'll never use, we developed this suite to address their day to day requirements at a very competitive price,” explained AMTECH Sales Director James Cooper. “As well as helping them use the latest technologies to keep up with the growing legislative burden, we believe this software encourages safer designs, accurate calculations and effective reporting – all contributing to improved safety in the home,” he added.

Using AMTECH Office Domestic, single phase installations consisting of up to 3 boards to BS 7671 can be designed quickly using a series of simple tabbed input screens. Cables and protective devices can be selected from a large database contained in the program. The Quick results view makes diagnosing problems in the design easy and changes to the design can be made at the click of a mouse. A range of reports including: circuit charts, cable calculations, consumer unit schedules etc are included.

After the work has been completed the software will produce Test & Inspection certificates that meet the requirements of Part P. These are suitable for use with all major accreditation bodies. In addition to producing professional looking certificates, all the test information and customer information is held in a database for future reference. A mobile version for use on a Pocket PC is included to enable contractors to produce certificates on site.

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The new Technology Centre at Thorpe St Andrews School in Norwich will be the focus of the school's vision for innovative education in design and technology. It will also be available for other schools and learning groups to use. Designed by NPS Property Consultants Ltd, the single-storey pavilion building began on site in November 2006, with Hanson Building Products providing a cost-effective and sustainable solution to the construction in the form of its Thermalite Turbo blocks and Thin Joint Mortar.

“We examined a number of construction methods, including timber frame,” comments Paul McLaren of NPS Property Consultants Ltd. “We concluded that Thermalite aircrete blocks with Thin Joint Mortar best met our requirements. Influencing factors were the speed of build, the light weight of the blocks and the excellent thermal resistance offered, which met the demand to comply with an environmentally-friendly construction ethic.”

The 300mm Turbo blocks have been specified for the foundations and the external walls, with 100mm and 140mm Shield also used in some areas. The Turbo blocks offer very high insulation properties, due to their unique formulation, making them ideal for external wall applications where low U values are required. As Thermalite's aircrete blocks are manufactured using pulverised fuel ash, a by-product from coal burning power stations, up to 80% recycled materials are used in production.

On site, aircrete blocks have a distinct advantage over comparable building materials with a micro cellular structure offering extremely high thermal insulation, and consequently, lower energy consumption for the heating and cooling of buildings. Lightweight properties and high dimensional tolerances minimise waste, and the blocks can be precisely cut to the correct sizing.

The use of Thin Joint Mortar is also proving a major benefit. This is a pre-mixed cement based mortar which, as an alternative to sand/cement mix mortar, allows the depth of the mortar to be vastly reduced. Thin Joint Mortar improves the thermal performance of external walls, minimising the heat loss through mortar joints, by reducing the volume of mortar required by at least 70% compared with traditional mortar.

NPS Property Consultants Ltd are working with T Gill & Sons as main contractors, with Jewson supplying the Thermalite product range. “As the team has already worked with Thermalite products in the past, this familiarity has also helped with the speed of build,” continues Paul McClaren. “Overall, the cost efficiency in terms of reduced materials and labour means that the Thermalite blocks with Thin Joint Mortar are proving to be a very competitive form of construction.”

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Weatherite Building Services Ltd has upgraded the water systems at two Walsall leisure centres to eliminate the risk of legionella bacteria.

Following the results of a risk assessment of the hot and cold water systems at Bentley Leisure Pavilion and Willenhall Leisure Centres, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council awarded Weatherite Building Services the contracts – worth over £50,000 – to ensure that they met the strict UK guidelines for the control of legionella bacteria in water systems.

In the leisure centres, Weatherite engineers supplied and installed a new calorifier, pumps and mixing valves to provide safe, temperature-controlled hot water to service points throughout both buildings. In addition, existing pipe work was insulated and modified to eliminate “dead legs” and the whole of the systems were sterilized throughout.

Roy Buckle, Sales Engineer, Weatherite Building Services, commented: “We are pleased to have worked with several local authorities to help them comply with their strict water safety requirements to prevent against scalding and risk of legionella bacteria

“We were able to carry out the work quickly, cost effectively and on deadline, causing minimum disruption to staff and customers at the centres. Having developed a good working relationship with Walsall Council, we look forward to helping them again in the future.”

This is the latest in a series of projects Weatherite has carried out for Walsall Council, which has included installing air conditioning at the new Art Gallery, the installation of gas fire heaters at Pelsall Youth Club and carrying out similar legionella control works at several Walsall schools and colleges. Weatherite Building Services is part of the £40m Weatherite group, one of the UK leaders in air conditioning and air handling equipment.

More recently Weatherite Building Services has expanded its activities to cover other sectors of the building services market, including heating, ventilation, boiler house refurbishment, water, control systems and electrics, as well as all aspects of commercial air conditioning systems. WBS now offers a single source choice to its customers which includes project management, design, installation and commissioning capabilities.

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