CIBSE national conference
Give the standards
for energy efficient
products
Greater harmonisation of
standards across Europe is key
to getting consumers to buy
more energy efficient products,
said Paul Wendon, engineering
director of air solutions
manufacturer Fläkt Woods. Delegates learn about the
He insisted that legislation
European laws affecting
such as the Energy Using
building services, new
Products Directive,
client-led strategies and
which aims to reduce the
how to master controls
consumption by energy-using
products, is essential in
meeting environmental and
political targets and helping
Clients and users of buildings
manufacturers survive the
recession.
locked out of design process
“We see harmonisation
of standards as key and
standardisation of products as n
An insight into a new draft He added: “Rarely do automated
framework to keep clients systems give proper feedback to the
key so we can optimise the cost involved in the decision-making occupants on why they’re operating
to the customer. process during building design has and what they’re doing.
“If we continue to develop been provided by building services “So users find themselves
three standards – one for the research group BSRIA, delegates locked out of the decision-making
UK, one for the EU and one heard. process. It alienates them and it’s
for the further-afield markets Soft Landings is a framework of always a strong sign that they’re
– we’ll start to see that we activities for all key members of a seriously alienated when they
will have a bit of a mess as project team to work to, explained start breaking them. There’s an
manufacturers will start to Roderic Bunn from the group. increasing unmanageable complexity Roderic Bunn, right, with Bill Bordass
introduce complexity where it One of its aims is to give the in buildings. We see this time and (see report below)
shouldn’t be necessary.” project team more information about time again with teachers and school
Currently manufacturers client needs and what they require administrators, who are given operating problems. Crucially, it
are dealing with different from the building to try to combat control systems they simply don’t requires a Soft Landings team to
regulations for the UK, Europe some of the problems consistently understand.” be on site when a building is first
and the wider world. discovered in post-occupancy This can leave buildings suffering opened; the design team to remain
Added to this problem are evaluations (POEs). chronic under-performance that never involved up to three years after the
dwindling budgets and the Users often consider the control gets resolved. Value engineering can building becomes operational; and
customer’s desire for the systems to be dysfunctional, be another source for problems, as for the process to be client-led.
cheapest solution possible – “operating illogically as far as the can the positioning of the school The draft framework is a
regardless of energy efficiency. occupants are concerned”, said Bunn, itself, in terms of sunlight and solar partnership between BSRIA, the
“We are being asked because information about how gain, and poor facade engineering. Usable Buildings Trust and the
to innovate and develop systems should be operated have not But it is hoped this new framework Darwin Consultancy.
products with budgets that are been passed on adequately. will help resolve some of the www.softlandings.org.uk
declining and markets that are
disappearing,” Wenden said.
“Without legislation and
Key to control systems is: keep them simple
regulation, very few of the
investments that we make to Designing building controls that turn the lights off. Stewart Langdown, business
offer you better-performing, work first time isn’t as commonplace Issues like this lead to offices development manager at
more efficient products will as one might think, said Bill Bordass and new schools using far greater TridonicAtco, agreed that simplicity
come to fruition because the of the Useable Buildings Trust. amounts of energy than was is the key: “Robust [design] doesn’t
market does not phone us He confessed to being highly predicted, resulting in much necessarily mean something that
every day and ask for the most critical of current controls systems. higher CO2 emissions. But has been heavily engineered. It
efficient solution. Today, most “We sell dreams and install solutions do exist, Bordass said, means that someone’s thought
of our customers phone us and nightmares. Designers don’t follow advising engineers to improve about how the technology goes
ask for the cheapest solution.” through into operation and they the transparency between design together.”
For manufacturers to don’t pass their knowledge on. We estimates and the actual energy Technology today is advancing
continue to export their have very little feedback so we do not consumed; design controls which at such a rate that one of the major
products, they need to be able learn fast from emerging issues and users can understand, in terms of problems facing the industry is
to produce a standard product unintended consequences.” what they are and how they were how to get end-users to control
that can be supplied to the The simple things are the ones designed to be used; find out complicated systems easily, he
widest possible market, he that the industry generally hasn’t how the systems and controls are added. Technology education is
argued. got right, he said – like using working once the building is in use; key to combating the problem, he
photovoltaics but being unable to and, most of all, keep it simple. suggested.
20 CIBSE Journal June 2009 www.cibsejournal.com
CIBSEjun09 pp18-20 conference.indd 20 29/5/09 12:17:24
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