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BSEE MAINTENANCE & REFURBISHMENT


Why should you consider overhauling old plant before buying new? Because sustaining our future by refurbishing our past makes solid business sense, says John Grenville, Managing Director of ECEX.


A


t the heart of most successful building services projects is a commitment to cutting emissions coupled with


excellent project management to ensure this is translated into effective action at every stage of the process. After all, a low energy path is the best route to a sustainable future and energy efficiency in existing buildings offers a great opportunity to achieve this.


One of the best routes to sustainable development is through refurbishment of heavily used equipment like air handling units (AHUs) and condensers. The Carbon Trust has estimated that 60% of the buildings that will be standing in 2050 have already been built. It also says: “Nearly all refurbishments offer opportunities to reduce carbon emissions beyond the standards set by building regulations.” Although there has been much recent focus on measures to reduce the emissions from new buildings, the existing building stock remains largely untouched. So there is plenty of room for improvement.


Refurbishment allows the addition of new technology or features to older systems as well as ensuring the equipment remains in a good state of repair. But there are also plenty of other reasons to take the refurbishment of building services equipment seriously. It can, for example, dramatically extend the life of an older system (by 15 to 20 years in the case of AHUs) at a fraction of the cost of a new system, accelerating the return on investment. It can also improve comfort conditions by ensuring more consistent temperatures and better-controlled humidity and reduce the disruption, transport and access difficulties associated with replacing large pieces of HVAC equipment, especially in city centre locations.


uAccess: it makes sense to invest in access aids such ladders, plaorms and walkways, plaorm extensions, and bespoke gantries to cooling towers, chillers and air handling units.


Refurbishment also reduces downtime, is more environmentally friendly than replacement (because it re-uses existing equipment rather than introducing new plant with all the embodied carbon that this represents). Furthermore, it offers the building


owner the opportunity to benefit from new developments since the equipment was first installed, taking advantage of the latest energy efficient technology such as EC plug fans and components, or replacing old semi-hermetic reciprocating compressors with newer, high- efficiency screw compressors. Finally, operators are familiar and comfortable with the HVAC systems they’ve been using which eliminates the learning curve associated with new equipment.


New build has been estimated to represent only around 1.5% of the UK building stock each year. Yet, buildings experience a number of refurbishments throughout their life, with a major refurbishment every 20 to 30 years. These overhauls represent an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions through refreshing a building’s fabric and services equipment.


But the refurbishment doesn’t always have to be on a large scale; smaller, relatively simple measures can make a big difference. For example, our Air Intake Screens – effectively external filters fitted to equipment such as AHUs to prevent airborne debris entering and affecting their efficiency – are proven to reduce environmental impact and maintenance, as well as making cost and energy savings.


They prevent airborne debris from entering the air conditioning or ventilation system and causing irreparable damage to coils or internal filters. Lasting up to 15 years and cleaned simply using a soft brush, hose or vacuum, they are an ideal first line of defence for air intake systems, reducing maintenance time by up to 70%, extending the service life of equipment, prolonging internal air filter life by up to 60%, and maximising airflow to save energy.


These Air Intake Screens are easy to install and require little in the way of special attention to access to HVAC equipment. However, proper access to plant is central to simplifying more complex refurbishment tasks and making them as safe as possible. All work on roofs is dangerous, even if a job only takes a few minutes. Falls are responsible for more deaths and serious injuries in construction than any other factor with people falling from roofs accounting for almost a quarter of all construction injuries – the biggest category of worker by far, according to the Health and Safety Executive. The easier it is to access the equipment, the lower the risk to life and limb. Apart from the moral and legal imperatives of keeping people safe, this is why it makes sense to consider investing in access aids such ladders, platforms and walkways, platform extensions, and bespoke gantries to cooling towers, chillers and air handling units.


Roof edge protection guard railing also helps to create a safe working environment for maintenance and service personnel.


The onus is on the employer to ensure refurbishment work on HVAC equipment is properly planned and supervised, and that adequate safety precautions are taken. Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 says: “It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure – so far as is reasonably practicable – the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.”


28 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER AUGUST 2018


Adversing: 01622 699116


REFURBISHMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY There’s plenty of room for improvement


The best engineering businesses – including my own – have the expertise and in-depth knowledge needed to offer an effective refurbishment service. The ECEX service covers the repair and replacement of all types of coils, belt drives, motors, fans, bearings and spares. This service joins ECEX’s existing services, which include access safety and metalwork fabrication; mechanical engineering (from replacing pipework and valves to upgrading or downsizing water storage tanks); and energy saving and building compliance solution.


ECEX has launched a free guide to safe site access, available to download from its website at:


www.ecex.co.uk


Identifying suitable candidates for refurb


T


here are several signs that will help determine whether refurbishment is the right option for a particular HVAC system. For example: uThe system is in a decent condition and has a clear history of being regularly maintained. uEnergy consumption is starting to climb. uComfort levels in the building are declining. uThe HVAC installation is in a densely populated area where replacement would cause expensive disruption to the building’s neighbours.


uThe application has strict requirements for precise temperature and humidity control – for example, food processing, storage of perishables, chemical processing and storage, and computer rooms. uManagement plans to keep the existing system for at least a further 18 months.


The larger the system, the greater the opportunities are for energy savings through refurbishment. The same argument applies to usage; the more hours the system runs, the greater the prospects for energy saving.


VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.bsee.co.uk


uAir handling units before and aer refurbishment. Air intake screens prevent airborne debris entering and aecng their eciency.


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