Fan coils have been the most popular terminal air system for more than four decades and, although alternative technologies such as chilled beams are placing them under increasing competitive pressure, there is no reason why they should not retain their pole position.

Tony Gittings of LG Air Conditioning looks to the future of the air conditioning industry and predicts a major increase in the need for training provision to keep pace with product developments and technological changes.

An exclusive private golf and country club on the banks of the River Tamar in Cornwall has saved 16% of its energy costs last year, thanks to the installation of two Ultramax 318 gas-fired condensing, high efficiency boilers from MHS.

After a decade of renovation and a £35million budget, Birmingham Town Hall in Victoria Square has re-opened to the public. The Grade I listed building now includes the latest energy efficient heating technology from Jaga Heating Products, providing users with ultimate climatic comfort.

Modern buildings are required to be lighter on both capital and running costs, to have a lower carbon footprint, and at the same time enhance occupier comfort and productivity. The best way to achieve these objectives may not be in adopting one single technology or solution, but a mixture of these. Both the EPB and EUP Directives seem to encourage this approach.

Two thousand years ago the Romans piped steam and hot water to heat their communal bath houses, greenhouses and homes. One DH installation in France has, apparently, been in continuous use since the 14^th Century. The New York City Steam System, which started in 1882, still pumps steam beneath the streets of Manhattan to provide heat and power to over 100,000 buildings, ranging from apartment blocks to small businesses.

Whatever your current level of awareness of the new EC Regulation on F-Gases may be, the fact is that it applies to almost any building with an air conditioning system that utilises refrigerant and coolants to reduce the interior temperature, especially common in larger workplaces and offices.

The Government’s energy white paper has set an aspiration to meet UK long-term reduction targets in the drive towards carbon neutral buildings.  The decision the UK takes on energy policy is critical in meeting these targets. Under the umbrella of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) Part L of the building regulations has already contributed to around 40% improvement in the energy efficiency of commercial and residential buildings.

We are witnessing a defining moment in the evolution of the chilled beam with the technology set to overtake fan coil units as the terminal device of choice among air conditioning equipment specifiers. Massive changes in the way the UK terminal unit market has developed over the last three years has benefited the chilled beams sector with multi service chilled beams (MSCBs) proving particularly popular.

An extensive study by PIX Transmission has examined the energy saving potential of raw edged cogged (REC) transmission belts over wrapped belts, when operating under similar conditions in HVAC environments.

For the industrial sector, having to ‘down tools’ because a heating system needs to be installed, repaired or serviced isn’t just inconvenient, it also affects productivity – and hence targets, profits and bonuses.

Carbon dioxide is often seen as the enemy of the environment – a greenhouse gas that is largely responsible for the global warming that is rapidly changing the Earth’s climate. In fact, harnessed properly, it is a highly effective cooling agent that is a friend to the planet and which can offer massive advantages in high capacity applications such as mission critical data cooling.

It is a huge misconception that energy losses and significant fuel costs are simply part and parcel of heating industrial premises. Although attaining the perfect economic balance can prove a challenge, solutions are achievable that create comfortable indoor climates and deliver energy efficiency.

We have welcomed the planned changes to Part F as they lay down the performance yardsticks that will be the framework of good ventilation practices for many years hence. They also give performance based guidance with suggestions on types of ventilation systems and quoted extraction rates.

Ventilation is the process by which fresh air is introduced and stale air is removed from an occupied space to improve air quality. During the past 20 years, demands on industrial ventilation have increased with legislation, in the field of occupational safety and air quality, becoming stricter. When combined with evaporative cooling, industrial spaces have a year-round system that balances ventilation with natural cooling.

As an established air conditioning distributor, in looking to expand into the higher-end commercial and VRF (variable refrigerant flow) sector in 2004, like any other business in this position we had to assess two key issues.

The dichotomy surrounding cooling towers and evaporative condensers is that one arm of government is encouraging their use whilst another is doing the opposite.

Chilled beams have a bright future in the air conditioning sector, according to Terry Farthing, Sales Director of Trox (UK).

The target reductions in CO2 emissions in developing countries will inevitably lead to increased pressure on consumers to reduce fuel consumption. This may well lead to increases in energy costs over the normal rate of inflation. Other methods will be also be used by governments to encourage the installation of more efficient capital equipment in order to reduce the consumption of energy.

Centuries ago, the ancient Egyptians used evaporative cooling to reduce the temperature inside their buildings. Water saturated cloth sacks were placed in openings in the structure of the building. As warm air entered, it passed through the sacks and was cooled. Evaporative coolers have been used in warmer climates such as the USA, Australia and the Middle East for many years. As the effects of global warming are felt in cooler climates such as Europe and the United Kingdom the use of evaporative coolers is becoming more widespread.

The increase in energy prices and demands for businesses to be more energy efficient is challenging building services engineers to look for advanced building and control systems that not only exceed legislation requirements, but also make significant savings on energy bills and improve the internal environment of a commercial or industrial building. Here, John Durbin, Sales Planning Manager at Daikin Airconditioning UK Ltd, discusses the importance of optimum temperature in the working environment and the effect this has on workforce productivity and performance.

Graham Williamson, Business Director of Commercial Heating at Ideal Boilers, discusses the impact that Part L of the Building Regulations have had on the commercial and industrial sector since they were introduced in April this year.

The Government’s new refrigerant law is welcome, but doesn’t go nearly far enough, according to the HVCA’s Stephen Crocker. If a straw poll of the industry was taken today asking people what they considered the most frustrating issue of recent years, the proposed mandatory refrigerant handling scheme would be right up there at the top.

VRF (variable refrigerant flow) has dominated the air conditioning market for almost a quarter of a century. But that is set to change with the development by Colt of a water and refrigerant flow system, says Darren Civil, the company’s Climate Control General Manager.

CCL Veloduct’s Mark Brown and Andy Watton assess the fan industry’s fast response to changing legislation.

With changes to Building Regulation legislation due to take effect from April 2006, Bovema UK General Manager, Bill Johnston, is urging everyone from building specifiers and architects through to builders and product designers to work together to ensure that any new buildings are compliant with the revised legislation. Here, Bill looks ahead to the imminent changes and explains how failure of the various industry stakeholders to work more collaboratively could result in some very costly errors.