Although lead-acid batteries are long-established, with a majority market share, lithium-ion is starting to pick up pace. Alex Emms, of Kohler Uninterruptible Power, compares the two technologies
Author: Alex Smith
CIBSE seminar: Tackling overheating
Changes to Building Regulations offer a chance to reduce overheating risks, according to speakers at a CIBSE seminar last month
How digital can streamline concept design
To streamline the concept design stage for building services, four teams took part in a challenge to automate common project workflows. CIBSE’s digital engineering lead Carl Collins explains
Book review: Housing Fit for Purpose by Fionn Stevenson
Housing would be vastly improved if more was done to feed back lessons learned from building performance, says Fionn Stevenson, in a new book based on years of her own pioneering research. Julie Godefroy finds lots of practical advice for raising standards
Nearer to zero
With most of the 2050 building stock already in place, Hywel Davies considers what the net-zero carbon UK emissions target might mean in practice
Case study: Cambridge Central Mosque
Cambridge’s elegant new mosque has comfort and sustainability at its heart thanks to the involvement of the environmental engineer at the project’s inception. Andy Pearson looks at how Skelly & Couch’s creative design worked with the grand scale of the prayer hall to provide natural ventilation and daylighting for more than 1,000 worshippers
Ant Wilson: ahead of his time
Ant Wilson FCIBSE has been at the forefront of building services innovation for 40 years, helping to change how engineers design buildings. After his retirement from Aecom, Alex Smith looks back at a prolific career
Plymouth’s 5th-generation heating network
When Plymouth City Council looked at heating and cooling buildings more efficiently, it found the area’s geology offered a source of energy that enabled it to use the latest heat network technology. Andy Pearson reports
The scale of the problem – water quality issues in heat networks
A recent study found 15% of heat networks had suffered failures as a result of issues around water quality. Jon Greaves, of Hydro-X Water Treatment, offers guidance for different stages of the system life-cycle
Electrocaloric cooling – making a difference
Electrocaloric cooling works by applying an electric field to change temperatures and requires no refrigerants. Metkel Yebiyo and Professor Andy Ford look at the benefits of the technology and the challenges of bringing it to market