Energy effi ciency


Retrofi tting ageing pump systems off ers energy savings


www.heatingandventilating.net


government’s Heat and Building Strategy that says ‘decarbonising heat and buildings will require the adoption of new, smarter technologies and practices’. Widescale programmes to replace old equipment with high-effi ciency technology for heating and cooling, as well as water pressure boosting, would accelerate decarbonisation goals and bring older buildings into a net zero world. One way to signifi cantly reduce the energy


consumption of pumped systems is by switching to variable speed technology. Older pumps typically run at a fi xed speed, regardless of demand. Retrofi tting with variable-speed drives enables the system to adjust to usage curves. Upfront capital costs of variable-speed technology may be higher due to their advanced technology, but these costs will be off set over time by expected savings on energy bills. In addition, operational and maintenance costs of variable- speed pumps are generally lower, as they are not running continually and experience less wear and tear. For large commercial buildings, solutions such as


For the transition to high-effi ciency, low-carbon buildings, retrofi tting outdated heating, cooling and water systems can off er signifi cant opportunities, writes Paul Winnett, operations director, Xylem UK


T


he retrofi t of ageing buildings with high- effi ciency pumps and drives off ers one of the biggest opportunities to achieve smarter,


more effi cient buildings. This directly aligns with the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Net Zero Emissions 2050 roadmap, updated in September 2023, which urges the global energy sector to double existing eff orts to improve the effi ciency of buildings. Accelerated action will support the UK government’s Net Zero pathway particularly given


Xylem’s hydrovar X is an intelligent variable-speed pump drive, with the highest effi ciency IE5 motors, that can cut motor power of pumps by up to 70%. This reduction is achieved by ensuring the pump is only operating at the required speed, depending on demand variations of the system.


The ability to adjust pump speed will have an immediate impact on energy consumption of large buildings, where demand for water and heating fl uctuates throughout the day. Take water pressure in a hotel - in a traditional


system, the pumps would be on and the pressure constant. With a variable speed drive, the pumps could run at half their speed during periods of low demand, such as lunchtime when fewer people are in their rooms and increase as guests start checking in and using facilities.


As the evening goes on and demand rises further, the system will automatically adjust to


ensure a constant pressure throughout the building. To achieve this, the system takes pressure or fl ow readings from sensors to adjust the number of pumps running and their speed, ensuring demand is met while maximum operating effi ciency is delivered. Xylem’s ecocirc XL and XLplus variable speed


that the heating of the UK’s 30 million buildings contributes to almost a quarter of all UK emissions. As a result of the Heat and Building Strategy businesses across almost every sector are already taking steps to use less energy in response to rising utility bills, and to achieve environmental goals. Across the UK are vast numbers of buildings such as offi ce blocks, shopping centres, hospitals and hotels that were built between 20 and 40 years ago, with outdated heating and cooling systems that consume high amounts of energy. Simply replacing ageing equipment like-for- like is not the solution. This is recognised by the


22 May 2024


circulators are designed to manage a similar demand curve for heating and air conditioning systems. Of course, while retrofi tting is essential to


decarbonise existing buildings, the use of low carbon technologies in new builds is a must - the government’s Future Homes Standard comes into eff ect in 2025, bringing a set of rules to ensure new homes produce less carbon. For contractors who are value engineering a


project, using cheaper technology may bring down the capital outlay but if they consider the whole lifecycle of the product, high-end low-carbon technology is likely to be more effi cient and deliver the most value because of the signifi cant long-term energy savings.


DOWNLOAD THE HVR APP NOW


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36