HVAC
UK Plc must retrofit to cut energy consumption, save money and combat climate change
British businesses must get serious about retrofitting to energy-saving equipment in their facilities, instead of chasing “green bling” buildings, if they want to meet emissions targets and save money.
his was the urgent call from facilities management leaders speaking at an industry-wide conference. The event, hosted on February 25 by leading fan and motor manufacturer ebm-papst UK at the company’s Chelmsford headquarters, was entitled “energy efficient buildings and commercial retrofit and refurbishment”. Demonstrating its commitment to leading the way on energy- saving technology, ebm-papst UK invited leading FM’s and energy managers and engineers to discuss the future of buildings management and priorities for the industry. Mike Malina, director of consultancy Energy Solutions Associates, argued companies needed to be doing more to review energy use profiles of existing builds if they want to help the Government meet its EU target of an 80 per cent reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2050. “Everybody goes for green bling,
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they don’t look at the real fundamental need for retrofit in a building – they want to be seen to be green but forget the basics,” he said. He added: “If only officials would give existing buildings the resources and improvements they need – 90 per cent of the buildings we’re going to have in 2050 are already here, so we need to be looking at retrofit.”
Underlining the long-term benefits for retrofitted equipment, Mr Malina concluded: “The cheapest kilowatt is the one you never use, this goes for everyone – saving energy is a business and financial investment, whether it’s fitting EC fans or using good filters. By doing this you will get massive savings over years, rather than by just sticking a PV [solar panel] on your roof.” His comments were supported by Siemens’ marketing manager Ian Ellis, who referred back to last year’s “big six” energy hike controversy, saying: “There was nothing discussed during that debate
Building & Facilities Management – June 2014
about what could be done to make sure energy runs more efficiently once it gets in your building. To get the Government interested here, we in building services need to get people thinking about the demand side.” He added: “We
can’t just think that in order to meet Government targets we will build a load of new buildings and mitigate carbon emissions as they come in – you have to be looking at existing building structure and what you can do with what you’ve got.” A primary example of a “no brainer” retrofit described by Mr Ellis was how
simply updating a class C Building Automation and Controls System to a class A unit could result in a 30 per cent annual energy saving in a building, with a two-year payback period to balance out the upgrade. Helen McHugh, head of sustainability at ebm-papst, underlined the major impact of choosing smart, efficient EC technology on a business’s bottom line when she talked delegates through a series of case studies where the manufacturer had been asked to retrofit its fans to facilities in London, Copenhagen and Oxford. One of ebm-papst’s major project installing new fans at the Diamond Light Source synchrotron near Oxford has reduced the facility’s energy use by more than 55 per cent, as well as dramatically reducing the levels of noise and vibration, which was one of
Delegates at ebm-papst's February retrofit seminar
Mike Malina, Director Energy Solutions Associates
the customer’s main requirements. ebm-papst estimates that European industries could save at least 30 per cent on their cooling energy costs simply by switching to the company’s electronically commutated fan technology for heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
www.ebmpapst.co.uk
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