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2023 TRENDS | SPONSORED Q&A David Bennett Munters Centre of Excellence Manager for Energy EMEA A holistic approach to energy savings provides the best solution to the current energy issues we face Richard Raeburn, senior application engineer at Tridonic Wired solutions suit the needs of new build projects, while wireless is ideal for retrofit How can buildings be made more resilient to cope with extreme weather? For existing chillers that provide cooling to one or more AHU, extreme weather may present a problem. Many older chillers were originally designed and based on lower ambient temperatures. With higher temperatures seen this summer and in recent years, these chillers are often unable to cope. A way to mitigate this without replacing the chiller is to retrot a wet pad system like the EPCC. This effectively reduces the ambient temperature onto the condenser coil to lower the ambient temperature seen on the face of the coil. In addition, its also possible to increase the air ow and reduce energy on the fans by tting EC power plate fans, which can have speed modulation with head pressure. occupancy and conditions. Fans can be switched to run low when required, and only increased when you need them to be. This is where the majority of the energy savings can be achieved. Having a holistic approach to consider the entire system, not just one single component, ensures the most energy efcient solution. What can the HVAC industry do to reduce energy bills in new and existing buildings? Designers can install EC fans in combination with good controls. Existing buildings will benet the most from the retrot of EC fans primarily because its extremely hard to replace old fans while adhering to Building Regulations (for example L2 Building Regulations). Replacing belt drives with EC fans that have the best control functions enables you to tailor fan usage to What are the best batteries to use in lighting? Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries are more environmentally friendly and have a higher specic energy than nickel cadmium (NiCd) or nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, allowing for smaller cells. Their low self-discharge delivers a longer shelf life, while their simple charging regime gives higher system efcacy. This newer technology also offers excellent thermal and chemical stability, which results in cooler batteries in highertemperature applications. How does this emergency technology contribute to building compliance and sustainability? Tridonics sceneCOM EVO lighting controller helps buildings meet the three main criteria essential for most modern buildings making them safe, smart and sustainable. Using Tridonics EM PRO devices connected to our lighting control system enables 24/7 monitoring, delivering smart and safe operation. SceneCOM EVOs dashboards allow for immediate reporting when a failure occurs. possible. Wireless brings the benets of integration into a lighting control system. Comparing wireless lighting to wired options is no more complicated. Both are installed in the same way in terms of connection. Wireless is in many cases easier to commission than traditional wired dali systems. Assigning groups, scenes and control elements are commissioned using the same format, whether the system is wired or wireless. Casambis 2,500+ wireless partners make the choice easier by making wireless system components readily available. Tridonics LiFeGuard and Blackbox features provide protection of the LiFeO4 batteries and deliver invaluable information for fault diagnosis. This, along with lumDATA from Tridonics DALI 2 PRE and D4i drivers, provides information enabling a holistic overview of the operation of all luminaires. Is wireless lighting as complex to install and commission as it is perceived? Wired solutions suit the needs of new-build projects, while wireless is ideal for retrot where further wiring could cause disruption or may not be 28 November 2022 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Nov 22 pp25-28 CPD Q&As Supp.indd 28 21/10/2022 18:39