VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING BOOK REVIEW
A new REHVA guide on energy effi cient ventilation and air conditioning is a great starting point for designers and consultants wanting to get up to speed on the latest systems, says Tim Dwyer
A
s REHVA heads into its 50th year, the Federation has expanded its series of guidebooks with the publication
of the Design of energy effi cient ventilation and air conditioning systems, edited by Nejc Brelih, which marks the 17th booklet in the series.
Despite the title, the modest 100 pages
quickly establish that this is not a design manual but clearly a ‘starting point’, aimed at designers and consultants so that they can update their knowledge on contemporary, state-of-the-art commercial systems. Having provided a brief glossary of terminology, the book considers the state of the European building stock. Although there are different climatic conditions, the common factor in European building stock (of which about 29% is non-residential) is that a substantial proportion is more than 50 years’ old, with nearly 60% having been constructed prior to 1975 ( see Figure 1). The implication is that the principles conveyed in this book are potentially as important in the operation and refurbishment of existing buildings as they are for new build. Providing some useful context, the proportion of built environment energy used in European non-residential buildings (with buildings consuming approximately 40% of total European energy consumption) matches their proportion at (just over) 30% of the total energy use. The guide laments that there is no detailed breakdown of the energy use in European non-residential buildings, but looks forward to the outcome of two
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TAKING STOCK
ongoing projects – available to be reviewed at
ecbcsa53.org and
iservcmb.info – which will provide this missing intelligence. The importance of being able to examine – and benchmark – the non- residential building stock with greater discrimination is highlighted by wide variations in electrical energy use recorded in buildings across Europe. This will, of course, be infl uenced by climate, but without proper differentiation it is almost impossible to assess relative performance of buildings, and to head towards the visionary expectation of net zero energy buildings laid out in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Having set the scene, the succeeding
11 technical chapters provide a somewhat eclectic mix of topics related to the energy performance of building services systems. That is not to criticise, as it would be an unrealistic expectation that this pocket-sized volume would provide the breadth and the depth of a ‘Faber and Kell’ style textbook. The contributions appear well informed and the book was also independently peer reviewed. And so turning to the technical chapters,
(as listed in the box), these rightly open with the almost obligatory review of indoor environmental quality – the maintenance of which is the very reason for the existence of the industry represented by REHVA. The chapter successfully conveys the
need to have a holistic understanding of the parameters that defi ne a wholly appropriate internal environment, from the basics of temperature and the infl uence of clothing and activity, through to outlining the
To cover such a potentially broad area, while including detailed discussions in such a condensed format, is challenging
REHVA
Formed in 1963 REHVA, the Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning Engineers (originally Representatives of European ….), has 26 association members across Europe (including CIBSE), plus company and associate society supporters. REHVA’s aim is to undertake activities to improve the health, comfort and energy effi ciency of all buildings and communities, and through its active members has some infl uence on relevant EU and international standards.
It also supports research initiatives, as well as providing networking opportunities, and educational and training programmes. REHVA publishes a free journal that is available online at
www.rehva.eu, together with freely downloadable presentations from its conferences.
The CIBSE representative, Donald Leeper, will be speaking at the REHVA seminar, Buildings and HVAC-products related EU regulations, which will take place in Brussels on October 18 2012
www.REHVA.eu September 2012 CIBSE Journal 51
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