Large heat pump installations could change the way heat is generated in the UK and help decarbonise existing buildings in cities, says Star Renewable Energy’s David Pearson, who speaks to our journalist Andy Pearson
Category: Technical
Intranets for heat: Introducing BEN networks
The balanced energy network at London South Bank University has been part-funded by Innovate UK to help accelerate the creation of smart heat-sharing networks. These balance the heating and cooling needs of different buildings and act as a virtual energy store to help the National Grid match supply and demand. Andy Pearson reports
Using renewables to unlock the Grid
If electric vehicles and batteries are to herald an all-electric future for homes, smart tech must be developed and tested to ensure there is always available energy to match household demand. Andy Pearson reports
The meaning of life: Comparing whole life carbon for gas and electric heating
As electricity generation reduces its carbon intensity, embodied carbon represents a higher proportion of whole-life carbon. Clara Bagenal George’s study, summarised at last month’s CIBSE Technical Symposium, considers the implications for building services
Tackling NOx from CHPs
Policies encouraging gas-fired CHPs in London are going into reverse. David Blackman looks at how new air pollution policies will affect the future of heat in the capital
On the right track: services retrofit saves TfL’s Palestra £400,000
Like most large offices, TfL’s Palestra building is complex. To realise its true potential, it underwent significant interventions resulting in £400,000 of energy savings. Andy Pearson explains how an energy performance contract made the building 6% better than good practice
Industry wakes up to reality at Futurebuild
At the conference formerly known as Ecobuild, there was a large focus on housing and monitoring performance, as well as debates on the future of heat and integration of electric vehicles. Alex Smith and Andy Pearson report
How using turmeric waste as biomass cut carbon emissions by 60%
In 2018, GSH Group India won a major environmental award for a project with FMCG firm Kaleesuwari to replace coal with turmeric and mixed biomass at two refineries. Director of operations Anand G D Chennai explains how
Researching new methods for estimating design water flowrate
It is recognised that using the traditional loading units method overestimates the design flow for hot and cold water systems. Heriot-Watt University’s Achala Wickramasinghe explains how the Luna project aims to address the issue and calls for data to help validate a new method
Silent treatment: acoustic design in an open plan school
The design brief for Trumpington Community College was for open teaching spaces overlooking a large, airy atrium. The challenge for Max Fordham’s acoustic engineers was ensuring teachers were not disturbed by noise from neighbouring spaces. Andy Pearson reports