NEWS CITY OF LIGHT GOING DARK
The famous shops on the Champs Elysees that helped Paris gain its title ‘La Ville Lumiere’ (City of Light) are among thousands of buildings in France that will have to turn off their lights – inside and out – between 1am and 7am to conserve energy, the French government has announced. Shops, offi ces, and public buildings will be
subject to the light restrictions in a country well-known for its early adoption of street light, although the famously rebellious population will not accept the new rules quietly. ‘We are ready to make efforts, but the
government is cutting a fi ne line between sobriety and austerity,’ said Sofy Mulle, vice- president of France’s Commerce Council. ‘Surely, we can work out environmentally friendly solutions that have less impact on our society and our economy.’
SCOTLAND SEEKS TO CUT PROCUREMENT COSTS A Scottish government review of its £2bn worth of public construction contracts could lead to greater collaboration across the supply chain and the end of unpopular late payment practices. It is charged with ensuring future procurement achieves better value for money.
EC SUES UK FOR MILLIONS The European Commission has started legal proceedings against the UK government for failing to implement measures contained in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The UK faces a fi ne of €9.6m, followed by daily penalties of hundreds of thousands of euros, for failing to set out – by 9 July 2012 – how it intends to implement the roll out of Display Energy Certifi cates, and its intentions for ensuring that homeowners provide Energy Performance Certifi cates when they place their homes on the market.
STUDENTS LIGHT THE WAY Brunel University has been shortlisted for the Guardian University Awards Employee Initiative category for its collaboration with the Lighting Education Trust. The partnership has seen students in the product design department get placements with lighting companies following their attendance at a summer school in May 2012.
8 CIBSE Journal January 2013
Firms confused about CE marking
Working group to be set up
Manufacturers are concerned about the potential confusion created by the start of compulsory CE marking later this year.
Many products used in building services projects must carry a CE Mark from 1 July under the new European Construction Products Regulations, but companies are confused about what this means in practice. Some have questioned how the approval process will be applied to projects that are already in progress – and whether products that have already been specifi ed will have to be recalled. Building control and trading
standards will police the system, along with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). There are also major implications for fi re-rated equipment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, which is enforced by fi re offi cers.
Manufacturers and distributors can be prosecuted for placing non- CE marked products on the market, but are now seeking clarifi cation from the European Commission about orders placed before the deadline, but completed after it. ‘We have already received
specifi cations and orders for many projects that will not be completed until long after 1 July – so what happens to those?’ asked David Fitzpatrick, sales and marketing
director of Ruskin Air Management. ‘Developing new products and completing the testing and documentation to meet CE mark standards can take months.’ Third party testing, certifi cation, factory testing and audit trails must all be in place for a range of products, including fl ues, chimneys and fi ttings, and heat and smoke extraction fans.
CIBSE has established a working group to look at the implications of statutory CE marking for manufacturers, designers and installers. To fi nd out more, email
technical@cibse.org
Read Hywel Davies’ column on page 18.
Chiller effi ciencies could rise by 20%
Chiller effi ciencies could be improved by more than 20% under a proposed addendum to the ASHRAE/ IES energy standard 90.1, which is now open for public review. The changes to the requirements for air and water cooled chillers are in line with effi ciency improvements that were implemented in 2010, when a Path B was added to the standard for part load, intensive water cooled chillers. The new addendum would expand this measure by adding requirements for air cooled chillers.
Also as part of this change, efforts were made to bring the effi ciency requirements for water cooled
positive displacement and centrifugal chillers together. If approved, the new effi ciency requirements would go into effect in early 2015.
ASHRAE says the average payback would be 6.3 years, and manufacturers have accepted that some redesign and cost reduction will be needed. The standard committee also noted that ‘we are reaching maximum technological limits at a component level and, in the future, the industry will have to look at the full HVAC system for further improvements’. Visit
www.ashrae.org/publicreviews Comments have to be received by 14 January 2013.
www.cibsejournal.com
IOAN PANAITE / SHUTTERSTOCK
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