Scott James, Director at Viega, discusses the importance of ensuring building service systems are not only installed and commissioned correctly but also maintained appropriately to prevent contamination, corrosion and shortened lifespans of the pipework
Tag: Heating
Class control: optimising HVAC controls in schools
Poor HVAC controls can cost schools thousands of pounds in wasted energy. School teacher Chris Baker explains how he engaged with his students at Parrs Wood school to cut energy bills by £9,000 a year after extensive monitoring
Growing interest: using wastewater to heat Britain’s giant greenhouses
To minimise carbon emissions, developers behind two huge greenhouses in East Anglia are using heat from nearby wastewater treatment plants to provide perfect growing conditions. Phil Lattimore reports on the innovative engineering behind the facilities
Tap Inns and touchdowns: Inside Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium
The razzamatazz of the American NFL visited north London last month, when Oakland Raiders beat the Chicago Bears 24-21 in a thriller at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium. Andy Pearson looks at the remarkable engineering behind the 3,000-tonne retractable grass pitch that enables the stadium to be used for a multitude of events
Teeing up a heat pump retrofit at The Oxfordshire Golf Hotel & Spa
The Oxfordshire golf resort is investing £700,000 in a major services retrofit, including a solar array, that will see heat pumps replace oil-fired boilers and potentially deliver sufficient energy and resource savings to boost annual profits by up to 30%. Alex Smith looks at how the challenges were addressed
In the pipeline – is hydrogen a potential low carbon replacement for natural gas?
Hydrogen is being widely touted as a potential low carbon replacement for natural gas but, for it to succeed industry will need to address substantial challenges. Andy Pearson speaks to the pioneers in the sector to see what progress is being made
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
Opening the loop – CP3 guide
Open-loop groundwater source heat pumps are poorly understood and little used in the UK. A new code of practice, CP3, aims to raise standards, say Phil Jones and Bean Beanland
Force of nature – naturally ventilating Amsterdam’s Breeze Hotel
The 11-storey Breeze Hotel in Amsterdam has a unique natural ventilation system that uses solar chimneys and water droplets sprayed into a shaft to move air around the building. Andy Pearson speaks to the academic behind the concept, Dr Ben Bronsema, and looks at how his ‘earth, wind and fire’ theory became reality
Are we ready to switch to electric?
Decarbonisation of the Grid suggests a move from fossil fuels for heating, but Huw Blackwell says we are not ready to switch en masse