Category Archives: Energy
CONDAIR HELPS HARRIER’S PRINT RUN SMOOTHLY
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Harrier Group, a leading UK digital printing firm, has invested in four Condair RS restive steam humidifiers to maintain the perfect production environment in its newly-designed, high-tech print room.
The Condair RS humidifiers were specified by the contractor, Brothwell Irvine, who were commissioned to develop a new state-of-the-art inkjet print room at Harrier’s Newton Abbot site in Devon. Accurate humidity control maintains the integrity of the paper being used. If the atmosphere is too dry, paper can develop tight edges and curl at the corners, whilst too much moisture in the air can cause paper to become wavy as it absorbs water. Any dimensional change can result in print issues, as the machines run at such high speed. This is especially critical as the inkjet printer at Harrier’s Newton Abbot site is running at high volumes 24-hours a day.
Harrier’s Health, Safety and Facilities Manager, Jeremy Rawley, says the units installed in the new room are maintaining the vital humidity levels required of between 40% and 60%. He also points out that speed of delivery and local after-sales service were key factors in choosing Condair, which he describes as a world leader in that type of equipment.
He says: “We already knew the company, as we have a couple of their units in other print rooms. The quality of their equipment is right up there. Paper is susceptible to changes in environmental conditions so humidity is really important. Their service is second to none as well. We work to tough deadlines and one of the key things for us is that Condair could supply the equipment quickly within the required timescale. Having a local service engineer on call to maintain them in tip-top condition is important for us too.”
Paper is a hygroscopic material that adapts to reach a condition of equilibrium with the humidity conditions of the surrounding environment. Any changes in the paper‘s internal moisture content will cause dimensional variations and a loss of flatness. The Condair RS humidifiers monitor the room’s humidity level and provide steam directly to the atmosphere whenever needed. Each humidifier installed at Harrier is capable of delivering up to 8kg/h of steam from its integrated fan unit. Having multiple units installed in the large print room ensures very accurate humidity control, consistently across the complete area.
Harrier has printed photos from its Newton Abbot site for over 30 years and evolved from the UK’s biggest direct-to-consumer photo processing brand, Truprint. The company now prints photos for many of the UK’s most recognised high street stores and app-based printing services, delivering over ¾ billion photos per year.
Dave Marshall-George, Sales Director at Condair, adds: “Humidity must be controlled in the printing industry for the best quality results. The Condair RS is a popular choice for digital print rooms, as it offers very accurate humidity control and has an innovative scale management system. When scale forms on the heating elements, as it will do in any steam humidifier, it breaks off and falls into a scale collector tank located at the bottom of the unit. This tank can be easily emptied, enabling the scale to be removed from the system, without the need for professional servicing.”
The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidification, dehumidification and evaporative cooling, with technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. The company offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.
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GALLERY OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD
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The new, permanent, exhibition space is a result of the renovation and joining together of two beautiful Victorian galleries located in the ‘White Wing’ area of the Museum. The galleries had been closed for several years as they were in need of renovation.
The Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World displays magnificent works of art alongside everyday objects. The aim is to enable the visitor to explore the cultural significance, breadth and impact of the Islamic world in a creative and exciting way. Audio-visuals and specialist lighting bring the culture of the Islamic world to life.
The roof of the White Wing was originally laid in lead but was later replaced with copper in the 1960s. As part of the refurbishment of the two galleries, it was decided to return the roof to its original lead design. The roof timbers and boarding were overhauled, and forty-five tonnes of new lead added.
Ladder access was required to the roof void area to allow for routine maintenance activities. Bilco UK’s SS-50TB Ladder Access Roof Hatches were specified by the architects, HoK. The installation was managed by the Principle Contractor, Coniston Limited, who have a reputation for delivering heritage and conservation projects and a long history of working with the British Museum.
The SS-50TB Roof Hatches were made to order as they were required in a larger non-standard size, 1215mm x 915mm, than the standard stock sizes. The hatches were also manufactured with a PPC finish to blend in with the new roof.
The SS-50TB is engineered with compression spring operators to provide smooth, easy, one-hand operation, regardless of the size of the hatch. An automatic hold-open arm locks the cover in the open position to ensure safe egress and a grip handle allows for easy, one-hand release and closing. This one-hand operation of the SS-50TB, to a fully open or closed position, enables the ladder user to maintain three points of contact at all times.
The SS-50TB is the perfect solution for projects where regular roof access is required and safety is paramount. The roof hatch meets all the requirements of the Manual Handling Operating Regulations (MHOR) 1992.
The Ladder Access Roof Hatches are fitted with a closed-cell EPDM sponge gasket, as standard, to help ensure weather tightness, energy efficiency and to meet Building Regulation Air Leakage targets. The specially designed gasket provides a better seal of the cover to the curb. This ensures the hatches have a Class 1 rating under BS EN 12207:200 and meet the requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations.
A thermally broken cover and frame design provide superior thermal performance. The design of hinges and other features ensures that the hatches are resistant to the effects of ageing and weather in exposed locations – a necessity for a large roof area in Central London!
If you would like to find out more about safe and easy access to roof areas for your next project please call Bilco UK on 01284 701696 or email bilcouk@bilco.com
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SFA Group supports World Water Day
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To commemorate World Water Day on 22 March, Saniflo UK’s parent company, SFA with headquarters in France, is supporting the supply of clean drinking water to families in The Philippines.
Thanks to the support from SFA Group, two families from Laguna now have clean drinking water and electricity for the first time. The project is part of SFA Group recent AquaHome developments in The Philippines.
The lucky recipients are Mr. Jose Estojero & Mrs. Mallen Uson and Mr. Aurelio o. Dino and Mrs. Edna T. Dino who live in Siteo Happy Valley on the Laguna AquaHome development.
Saniflo UK Head of Marketing and Product Management, Ann Boardman, says: “We take clean drinking water and electricity for granted, but for some people it’s an unknown luxury. Now, thanks to the support of the SFA Group, two families’ lives just became easier and more comfortable.”
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Quiet fans from Vortice
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She explains that there are also other new products in development where quiet running noise is part of the design brief. The worst case scenario would be where the householder or commercial premises turns off a ventilation fan because it is too noisy, causing poor indoor air quality as a result.
Marketing Manager Jennifer Quinn said: “Noise itself is considered a pollutant and having noisy fans in occupied areas can lead to increased stress and disturbed concentration levels. VORTICE is passionate about aiding people’s health and wellbeing and decreasing noise is a great way to create a harmonious environment.”
Visit the Vortice website to find out more about its range of quiet fans www.vortice.ltd.uk
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Below Ground Drainage – it’s all about added value!
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ESi provides heating controls for tallest city centre residential development in Second City
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The new leader of the pack in the heating controls sector here in the UK – ESi – has seen its controls specified for a landmark development in the centre of Birmingham.
When City councillors in Birmingham gave permission to developer Moda Living and Glenn Howells Architects to execute their joint vision of a 132-metre skyscraper, which would become the tallest residential building in the city they continued a trend that has seen Birmingham take the lead in developing living spaces close to the city centre. The 42-storey 2one2 Broad Street features a slim rectangular profile thrusting out of a three-storey podium set to house 3,251 square metres of retail space. It’s built on the site of the old Tramps Night Club, close to Brindley Place.
The 481-unit apartment tower, with apartments for rental only, will include a 200-metre outdoor running track on the podium roof, the first of its kind for a residential building in the United Kingdom. Nearly 3,000 square metres of communal and amenity space will be provided within the skyscraper, including a residents’ lounge, dining club area, and wellness zone. The building’s elevators will be tech-savvy, with smart elevators controlled by an app on residents’ phones.
An exterior of floor-to-ceiling windows is interlaced with an enveloping bronze veil that emphasizes the verticality of the project. Inside, units will be split into 30 studios, 163 one-bedrooms, 260 two-bedrooms and 28 three-bedroom layouts. Main contractor for the scheme is John Sisk & Son of Birmingham and M&E Consultant responsible for installation of the heating controls is Imtech Engineering Services.
481 of ESi’s ESRTP4 wired programmable room thermostats adorn the walls of these exciting new apartments. The ESRTP4 is an easy to install-and-use 7 day, 5/2 or 24hr programmable room thermostat which offers up to six time and temperature changes each day with different programmes for weekdays and weekends. The ESRTP4 has all the energy savings features such as TPI, Delayed Start and Optimum Stop and the all-important Landlord Service Interval.
Battery powered for ease of installation, the ESRTP4 has a large, easy-to-read blue backlit LCD display. It is easy to programme and operate because of the built-in programme options that the user can easily change to suit individual heating requirements. It incorporates a real time clock and calendar function which automatically changes between BST/GMT time changes. Time and date are factory-set making time setting or adjustment unnecessary. These room thermostats are OpenTherm compatible.
Daniel Jenkins is ESi’s National Specification Manager: “We’re delighted that our controls have been specified for this prestigious project – the tallest residential building in Birmingham. As ESi Controls further expands into the specification market, we’ve opened our extensive range of competitively priced, reliable and simple heating controls to new projects and clients. Our excellent controls, paired with our dedicated specification team ensure that ESi Controls is the ideal company to provide a comprehensive solution to any residential heating control requirement. We are always eager to discuss our controls and prove our suitability to any residential development.”
ESi became a part of the Swedish Addtech Group earlier in the year and has seen major growth in the business over the past twelve months with the tripling of the size of its head office and warehouse in Buckingham, an increase in the size of its sales force and the addition of major new business wins such as this one. You can find out more about ESi and its extensive product range by heading for www.esicontrols.co.uk.
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CAST IRON CERTAINTY FROM STELRAD…
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The latest addition to the Stelrad Radiator Group portfolio is the new Cast Iron Column range. Traditionally Stelrad has supplied steel radiators and continues to do so with more than two and a half million radiators manufactured each year. But in the past few years, cast iron column radiators – which were first around in Victorian times – have come into vogue again and as always, the company aims to meet the demands of its customers at every level, so it has added a selection of Cast Iron Column radiators to its ever-widening range.
The new Stelrad Radiator Group Cast Iron Column radiator is available now and adds undoubted charisma to any modern or period home with its distinctive, ageless look and its Natural Cast finish. With the added options of either Antique Brass or Brushed Nickel TRVs to provide the ultimate in modern heating control. The classic, clean lines suggest a genuine piece from yesteryear whilst offering the very best in quality and craftsmanship to enhance the very latest in heating technology as it slips effortlessly into the superior elegance of today’s most fashionable of décor.
These radiators are floor standing with in-built feet for extra stability as they are significantly heavier than their steel counterparts. They are available in two heights and a wide variety of widths – a total of twenty sizes available. And as you would expect, they come with a cast iron ten-year warranty.
“We’re pleased to be able to respond to customer demand and
provide this excellent new range of cast iron radiators,” says Stelrad’s Head of Marketing, Chris Harvey. “The arrival of this new range confirms our position as a one stop shop for all things radiators and we’re delighted with the early response to the new range we’ve received from installers and merchants up and down the UK.”
To find out more about Stelrad’s new Cast Iron Column radiators go to www.stelrad.com. For more information call 0800 876 6813 or email marketing@stelrad.com. Alternatively, you can also see regular updates from Stelrad on Twitter @Stelrad and Facebook @StelradRadiators.
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LG LAUNCHES NEW THERMA V MONOBLOC ‘S’ HEAT PUMP
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As a New Year comes into view, LG has launched the latest version of its sector leading Therma V Monobloc air to water heat pump – the Therma V R32 Monobloc ‘S’ – into a UK marketplace that is highly responsive to new heat pump technology. The ‘S’ stands for ‘Silence’ and ‘Supreme’ to highlight its reduced noise level and best performance criteria.
The announcement recently from Government that it will provide a £5,000 grant from April 2022 to individuals choosing to install a heat pump over existing fossil fuel driven heating systems is the next crucial step towards major uptake of proven heat pump technology in preference to reliance on gas, oil and solid fuel options for domestic heating and hot water provision in the UK. The Future Homes Standard requires serious action and quickly if targets are to be met. Renewables and higher standards of building quality in, for example, recognition of better standards of insulation in UK homes are key to meeting the aims of the FHS. Heat pumps have a major part to play.
The original LG Therma V Monobloc has already seen enormous success in the UK marketplace as heat pump sales in 2021 trebled over sales in the previous year. But this new ‘S’ version is set to make unparalleled sales figures in 2022 as more and more housebuilders and developers, local authorities and social housing providers move to use renewable options in their new build homes and begin the process of replacing older and inefficient gas boilers with an option that future proofs their existing homes in the years ahead.
As with the original Monobloc, this new model combines the indoor and outdoor features in one module. It’s also connected by only water piping, eliminating the need for refrigerant piping, making this heat pump an installer’s dream when it comes to ease of installation.
Hydronic components like the improved plate heat exchanger, the expansion tank, water pump, flow sensor, pressure sensor, air vent valve and safety valve are all built in – inside the outdoor unit – pre-installed and ready to run. And the R32 Monobloc ‘S’ provides excellent heating performance especially at low ambient temperatures whilst lowering its carbon emissions even more with the use of R32.
The innovative design and technology in this new unit sees built in water flow and pressure sensors to monitor the water circuit in real time, advanced water pump control, enhanced second circuit logic, energy monitoring of estimated power consumption via the remote controller, MODBUS connectivity without Gateway if required and advanced control for the domestic hot water recirculation pump.
LG equipment is justly renowned in the industry for its controllers and the new Monobloc ‘S’ is equipped with a new advanced remote controller which supports a number of functions. It comes with a premium design 4.3-inch colour LCD monitor, user friendly interface that uses simple graphic, icon and text controls, easy schedule and installer settings and energy monitoring without meter interface to provide estimated power consumption figures. It is possible to monitor not only the temperature of the water circuit but also the flow rate and the pressure. This information provides installers with more reliable information for installation and maintenance.
The original version was extremely quiet, but this new ‘S’ version is even quieter and up to 9kW units can be installed at the minimum of 4 metres away, and up to 16kW units – up to 5 metres away from neighbouring houses complying with international noise regulations. And through the use of LG’s ThinQ technology can monitor and control compatible LG products remotely so owners can set the temperature and regulate the use of their Therma V anytime, anywhere. ThinQ technology also works with voice activation with Google Homes.
Installers will love the new Monobloc ‘S’ – the all-in-one concept and reduced weight of the unit makes for easier and quicker installations. The new version requires lower amounts of refrigerant compared to the existing model – 16.7% less in fact – reducing emissions and lessening its environmental impact still further. The new version features LG’s revolutionary R1 Compressor technology which offers advanced efficiency, reliability and operational range due in part to the enhanced tilting motion of the scroll. It offers enhanced operational range – up to 135Hz, a shaft-through structure and support at both ends of the shaft which ensures higher durability and offers bottom compression and simple structure that offers lower noise and vibration, less weight and superior reliability.
Within the outdoor unit the new version of the LG Monobloc offers a new compressor noise shield, a new Black Fin coated heat exchanger, a new water flow sensor and a new water pressure sensor. There is an option to include a 3kW or 6kW electric back up heater.
The unit comes with a Seasonal Coefficient of Performance of up to 4.67 (Average climate/Low temperature application) and a A+++ rating. The COP rises to 4.9 (Outdoor air 7°C/Leaving water temperature 35°C) and can deliver leaving water temperature of 65°C if required.
Peter Spurway is LG’s National Sales Manager – Heating Projects: “These are exciting times for heat pumps and for LG as we see hugely increased interest and sales of our established Therma V units. This launch of the new Monobloc ‘S’ gives us another massive lift as we can offer the leading monobloc unit on the market. We’re already seeing major interest in the new unit from housebuilders, social housing providers and self-builders – keen to find the best option for renewable heating projects up and down the country. They are seeing the latest advances incorporated into the new unit and with the restriction on the use of fossil fuelled heating in new build properties from 2025 are keen to begin working with the products that they will be using from that time onwards immediately.
“LG Business Solutions UK is a special business unit of LG Electronics and our new build projects team are dedicated to bringing LG’s world-class IOT-enabled smart home innovations to the UK construction industry. The Monobloc S compliments our Split, Hydro Split and High Temp Split units to provide low carbon heating solutions for almost any house type.”
For more information on the new LG Therma V Monobloc ‘S’ head for partner.lge.com/uk, or email LG at uk.aircon@lge.com.
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Strong Kinedo presence at KBB 2022
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Kinedo is Europe’s leading brand of all-in-one shower cubicles. The comprehensive range is complemented by a portfolio of modern shower enclosures and trays. Two years after the last KBB show at the NEC, which immediately preceded the Covid epidemic, the team at Kinedo has once again booked a space to reinvigorate the interest generated back in 2020 and showcase the brand to a wider audience. The stand, which will showcase a range of bathroom solutions, will be in Hall 20, Stand B82.
The Kinedo brand is coming back stronger than ever before with a new sales strategy, a new sales structure, a new team and new internal staff; all designed to ensure it is both easy and efficient to do business with Kinedo. The stand team is particularly keen to catch up with retailers, housebuilders and contract specifiers to update them on positive changes in the product range and to reiterate the all-important support and back up services that really distinguish Kinedo in the marketplace.
Kinedo will unveil the new Smart Design walk-in shower enclosure featuring white profiles, glass door with a stunning white graphic design which will be paired with the new Kineline shower tray in white. More products will also be on display including the Kinemagic Design and Brooklyn shower cubicles and the popular Kinemoon tray.
Ann Boardman, Head of Marketing and Product Management at Saniflo UK says: “We’re so looking forward to KBB 2022. We spent last year consolidating the Kinedo business structure and now with a new team and even a new product, we’re ready to remind the industry what Kinedo is all about. The message that we really want to drive home at KBB is about not only the quality and versatility of the Kinedo brand, but also about that outstanding after-sales service, contract support, technical and installation support and generally about the value that we add. We can’t wait to see everyone there. Please come and visit us in Hall 20 on Stand B82.”
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Learn how Saint-Gobain PAM products help to ensure your construction project achieves its sustainable targets
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With a New Year comes an increasing focus on Sustainability and PAM are doing everything possible to ensure their products play their part in helping ensure your construction project achieves its sustainable targets in terms of recyclability, carbon reduction, reduced waste, reduced time spent on the install… The list goes on. Why not watch the video to learn more!