Towards the end of 2011, the government published its proposals for Electricity Market Reform (EMR). The goal is to decarbonise the UK economy, with a focus on taking the carbon out of our energy production at source. The government target is to produce 15% of energy from renewables by 2020. That figure is currently around 3%.

Closed systems and closed minds won’t solve the problems we face in tackling climate change and catering for a global population that already exceeds seven billion according to the United Nations and is increasingly living and working in buildings that need controlling.

The open systems approach that encourages collaboration between manufacturers is therefore the only way forward if we are to facilitate innovative thinking from systems builders and integrators.

With over 25 years of experience operating as an Approved Inspector and 400 technical experts to call on in-house, NHBC is uniquely placed to provide clear and authoritative guidance to clients whatever their project. The organisation’s project portfolio ranges from small, traditional residential developments to the most prestigious, contemporary commercial and mixed-use schemes in England and Wales.

By Ian Ellis, President of the Building Controls Industry Association

As we continue to face a challenging economy, the performance of buildings as a financial asset is rising up the business agenda. Property fund managers are leading the way in maximising the returns on their investment in buildings by being more energy efficient and sustainable, and there are lessons to be learned from their practices.

The first Buildings Control Show organised by BSEE was a unique event. With memories of big events like EcoBuild still fresh, none of us really knew what to expect and were pleased to find ourselves at an event where visitors were as excited as us about new ideas coming to market. Equally useful was the opportunity to talk to other exhibitors about how all our products work together, because the increasing use of open protocols has now changed the way systems integrators work and the way that manufacturers think.

The world is changing – and it’s not all just about global warming and economic meltdown. Major shifts in population and demographics are having a significant impact on the way we live our lives and according to Richard Hayward of Legrand these changes are shaping the future of wiring devices.

Recent figures place the world’s population at 6.93 billion, and predictions point to it reaching 10 billion by 2050. At the same time the average age is soaring, with a 42% increase expected in the number of over 65s in Europe by 2030, and a 98% increase expected in those aged 80 or over.

Should all organisations, especially those that rely on public funding, be embracing energy transparency? Anders Norén, UK Managing Director of Priva Building Intelligence, weighs the case.

We’ve entered an era of widespread transparency when it comes to how companies do business. However, energy transparency, which makes public all of the data about energy consumption and carbon emissions, remains a new concept.

The magazines may be packed full of exotic products, fabulous buildings and luxury houses where everything happens intelligently at the touch of a button. The world, it seems, is the oyster of the installer that can make it all happen. So why is it that British homes and small commercial building are still peppered with wall-mounted room-by-room controllers which give bill-payers little control over energy consumption?

For most of us the job of answering the door is something that doesn’t even register – we react to a knock, ring or buzz and respond either in person or using whatever technology is installed in our home or office.

But door entry is a multi-billion dollar world-wide industry that has technology to suit every scenario, as Richard Hayward, the Legrand Marketing Manager who is responsible for the UK activities of its Group company, Bticino explains.

Reducing the amount of energy which we use is now at the heart of every business and while there are plenty of ways to achieve this reduction, one of the best solutions comes in the form of building controls.

Heating system design has undergone major change in recent years with achieving the highest efficiencies possible being the order of the day. It isn’t going to be possible to achieve these efficiencies by simply tweaking the performance of individual products, so a more holistic approach, including the configuration of the complete system, will in turn maximise the efficiency of each component part.

At a recent conference a number of findings from the Carbon Trust's Low Carbon Buildings Programme were highlighted. This extensive research looked into reducing carbon emissions from non-domestic buildings, based on a number of real-life case studies. One of the main findings was that good building control systems are a key driver to achieving low carbon buildings in operation.

Saving energy, meeting carbon reduction targets, reducing costs – these are all phrases which we are very familiar with in this industry because they are things which we are all trying to achieve on a daily basis. It doesn’t matter what your role is because becoming energy conscious is at the very heart of every business, but after you’ve swapped the light bulbs and made some other ‘quick win’ adjustments to the building, what happens next.

The world’s demand for energy is increasing sharply, with up to 40% of consumption accounted for by the buildings we live and work in. The energy efficiency of buildings is therefore becoming a priority issue and KNX has proved itself to be a potential key to meeting the challenge. With a 20- year track record, the KNX open protocol has an established track record and cannot be ignored.

Getting KNX Certification is almost the equivalent of passing your driving test according to Ben Lewis who runs the company KNX Consultants which provides a range of independent consultancy and training services.

Numerous companies are now specifying a KNX system, but when global financial services firm, UBS, took space in Broadgate West and discovered the Lightrak KNX lighting control system from Electrak (part of the Legrand Group) was already installed, it made tailoring the space to their needs a lot easier.

Measures taken to reduce the energy consumption and carbon emissions of buildings can lead to energy wastage in other areas. Tony Willis, Technical Sales Director of Sabien Technology, explains why boiler dry cycling may be on the increase and going unnoticed.

KNX Building Controls have certainly hit the spot as far as MediaCityUK is concerned. EnTech, a member of the Integrated Building Technology Group (IBT Group), who use the KNX worldwide open protocol, has been awarded no less than 13 contracts at this prestigious complex in Salford which demonstrates the faith developers have in this international standard.

While the benefits of utilising the open KNX standard are clear, fresh thinking in an approach to total room automation that links traditionally separate control systems for lighting and heating could pave the way to significant energy savings for buildings.

There is no doubt that it is in the best interests of a business to create an environment in which staff feel comfortable, and temperature control is a crucial part of that process. If it is too hot or too cold, a workforce is unable to function properly, both physically and mentally, which ultimately leads to a drop in productivity.

Described as the eighth wonder of the world, the Eden Project is an exciting and inspiring playground in which we can explore our relationship with nature. But what happens when the temperature in the famous rainforest Biome drops below 16°C? Quite simply the plants start to die.

Regular readers of this column will know just how important building controls can be when it comes to reducing energy use in buildings. Figures are now widely available that show how much more energy efficient buildings are when controls and building management systems (BMS) are applied and used.

Trevor S Palmer, Managing Director at Sontay, explains how innovation in wireless sensor technology can save installation time and cost in controls projects.

Government legislation and incentives are driving through changes in building practices and technologies to ensure that the UK meets its 34% emissions cut on 1990 levels by 2020 which is required under the Kyoto Agreement.

Many people, getting older, want to remain independent as long as possible in their own homes. If help from outside should be necessary from time to time, as much independence as possible is still the best medicine. That applies perhaps even more to people living in assisted accommodation facilities such as nursing homes or care homes — in all these cases energy harvesting wireless sensors and wireless switches from EnOcean can mean much more comfort and convenience, security and dignity.

It's at this time of year, as the tax year draws to a close, that businesses look ahead to what new regulations will mean for their bottom line. For those with responsibility for energy bills, there isn't much good news unfortunately because the price of energy for businesses is being pushed upwards by additional taxes, including the Climate Change Levy, Renewables Obligations and the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC).

The latest figures suggest that energy prices look set to reach an all time high and with companies fighting to meet the latest government legislation on energy saving, some may think that 2011 is looking rather bleak. Not so says Paul Mans, Managing Director of CP Electronics who explains why energy saving lighting controls provide the perfect answer.

As I write this column at the start of 2011, a handful of new students are setting out on the new NVQ in Building Management Systems. The hard work of the BCIA's Skills Working Group, and its chairman Doug Robins, has resulted in the first NVQ of this kind being available for the controls sector.

In large scale residential apartment blocks, building management systems (BMS) are commonly in place maintaining the variety of systems that keep these large buildings operational and secure. In this scenario automation is standard practice, but despite the fact that the modern home has a plethora of gadgets to control, management systems are still not commonplace.

In the last few years, a difficult conundrum has arisen for many organisations because there is less money available for green business efforts, yet there is also greater pressure from outside sources to be more environmentally responsible. Greater government legislation, tightening emissions targets and the growing presence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on boardroom agendas have made carbon reduction a corporate mandate. However, tough economic times mean that every low-carbon endeavour must be undertaken on a strict budget. For this reason, the ‘make do and mend’ mantra of the recession has been extended to the UK’s building stock.

Gathering data on your energy use is a bit like turning on a tap. You can let it run, but if you don’t keep an eye on things you can easily be awash before you know it. With the increasing availability of building management systems (BMS) that can gather energy use data and track patterns over time, some organisations can find that they are unprepared for the flood of information.

The days when information from a building management system could be tucked away in a filing cabinet in the office of the facilities manager are long gone. Not only has the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme pushed energy use higher up the corporate agenda, utilities bills themselves are set to grab a lot of attention. Data on business energy use is now as important as turnover, revenue and profit. Or it should be.

Multi-storey buildings such as apartment blocks or office buildings usually have escape routes via corridors or stairwells. In the event of a fire, smoke can be the biggest risk to life as it spreads quickly in a short space of time, making it difficult for occupants to escape and for fire fighters to gain safe access.

I am sure that many of us are still going over the Chancellor’s detailed plans for the economy announced in the October spending review, but some points are already clear.

There have been a number of changes to the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme. The first allowance sales for 2011/12 emissions will now take place in 2012 not in 2011 as originally planned. Perhaps more significantly, revenue raised from the CRC scheme will now not be recycled to participating organisations. Instead, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has stated: “Revenue raised from the CRC will be used to support the public finances, including spending on the environment.”

Part L has been an important influence on thinking about energy use in buildings. The next iteration of the legislation is now here, and it continues to set more stringent targets for the reduction of CO2 emissions from buildings by cutting energy use.

The change at Westminster brought about intense speculation over the future of the Building Schools for the Future programme and, as anticipated, George Osborne’s emergency budget led to many building programmes falling foul of the government’s austerity package, with a further 75 construction projects hanging in the balance, dependent on the outcome of October’s Spending Review.

Looking at some of the wiring devices currently coming to market you’d be forgiven for wondering what on earth it was for, with their appearance seeming to owe more to iPods and digital washing machine displays than traditional switches and sockets. So whatever happened to the chunky white wiring device?

Mentioning a European standard in the first paragraph of this column is probably a good way to make a lot of people stop reading. But EN 15232 is such a useful guide for specifiers and end-users that it’s worth the risk because this standard offers practical insights into the link between building controls and energy efficiency.

One of the many advantages of a building management system is that it works largely in the background of day-to-day building operation, ensuring that internal comfort is maintained. Occupants are unlikely to notice the BMS, unless something goes wrong.

In a recent article, the Financial Times highlighted the news that thousands of businesses are still unaware of their responsibilities under the new CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme – even though it officially began in April 2010.

Around 30,000 businesses using half hourly electricity metering will be included in the scheme, though of these only the 5,000 biggest energy users will be placed on a league table of energy savers. Anyone who hasn’t already registered has until September 2010 to do so online at the Environment Agency (EA) which is administering the scheme.

In one of the largest PFI health schemes outside of London, the opening of the new wing at the Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) marked another highlight in the £500m development of healthcare services in Central Manchester. The entire development covers over 265,000sq m, including four new state-of-the-art hospitals, ten new buildings, and major extensions and refurbishments to the Manchester Royal Infirmary.

Web-hosted remote energy monitoring services are proving big business in the latest generation of smart buildings for both new facilities and renovation projects. Until now similar online tools have been restrictive in terms of meter compatibility, system complexity and speed. However, the launch in June of Priva Energy Online is about to make web-hosted energy monitoring software more accessible to a far wider user base.

A lot of emphasis is placed on the energy efficiency of new buildings, and Part L of the Building Regulations, along with Energy Performance Certificates have helped to set higher standards for the carbon footprint of new buildings.

The intelligent use of modern building management systems (BMS) is increasing at facilities emanating from an ever-widening number of sectors. Far from the conventional preserve of education establishments, historic buildings, office blocks, hotels, hospitals and sports centres, the latest BMS technology is being introduced at several unusual and perhaps slightly surprising end user sites, including zoos and large cultivation greenhouses to name but two.

In these energy conscious days it is important to remember that the need to control energy consumption has to be considered alongside the requirement for occupant comfort, but finding a balance between the two need not be difficult.

Energy use in commercial and public buildings is under increasingly intense scrutiny.

It is not only the moral responsibility of those of us in the building services sector to do something about reducing fuel consumption but it also a legal obligation under the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and, subsequently, Part L of the Building Regulations as legislated within the UK during the past few years.

As we start off another year, it’s good to have some resolutions in mind. Perhaps 2010 should be the year when we all put cutting energy waste on our ‘to do’ list.

As with all resolutions, it’s easier to stick to the goal if you have a good reason. The past twelve months have been tough for all businesses, so it is useful to bear in mind that every pound saved from energy bills goes straight onto the bottom line. The Carbon Trust estimates that UK businesses are wasting £7 million a day on poor energy efficiency.

The connectivity of building controls systems is sometimes raised as a concern by end-users, and even specifiers. However, modern communications platforms and the work of organisations such as the BCIA have ensured that there are now few reasons why different types of control products cannot work successfully together.

In the UK automated solar shading and façade management is wholly relevant to the demands of Part L of The Building Regulations and the implementation of energy efficiency measures. However, it is an often overlooked discipline but one which is set to grow.

Many building managers are given the responsibility for reducing energy use in their businesses and often the most difficult part of the process is knowing where to start. 

Measuring the effectiveness of any energy reduction campaigns in the business is very important. For example, it is crucial to show return on investment for any investments in energy saving equipment. It can also help to encourage staff to save money by switching off lights or making sure PCs are not left on standby. Evidence that such steps are working is a good motivator.

The world of electrical installation is changing, more radically and rapidly than would have been thought only a decade ago. Driven by the trends of intelligent buildings and, naturally, of cost and time reduction, it's becoming a technological activity rather than a physical one. Emerging technologies are freeing installers from the constraints of complex wiring and power sources; providing greater intelligence and adding more value.

Over the past few years, legislation has placed increasing emphasis on reduction of energy use in commercial buildings. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and Part L of the Building Regulations (2006) require building designers and managers to make efforts to minimise energy use, and to measure how much energy is being used - and where.

In recent years engineers have been able to offer both client and architect energy saving devices when designing open plan offices, warehouses and even hotel rooms. However at the actual switching position the architect has always been left with a large non-aesthetic multi gang grid switch (e.g. an eight gang switch plate).  Now the engineer can offer the architect an eight (or sixteen) gang switching device on a single faceplate.

With energy efficiency high on the agenda, I spoke to Navid Mehr, managing director of SC Controls about their extensive range of SeaChange modular building controls which is simplifying the way the industry thinks about building controls.

With the detrimental impact of the recession being felt across the UK housing sector, there is one niche area of the market that has performed well and is continuing to demonstrate its resilience in the face of the downturn. Properties in the £5 million plus price bracket in both London and the Country are part of a sector where supply is tighter and where the market is supported by a larger proportion of cash buyers and super-rich purchasers.

Large corporations are consistently being challenged to adopt ground-breaking social responsibility and environmental policies. Engineering and technology experts Siemens put these philosophies into practice by using its own products throughout its estate, achieving impressive energy-savings as well as outstanding working environments for the company's employees. But to take the leap from manufacturer to end-user, Siemens employed the help of Andromeda to provide integrated control solutions for their building services; offering the missing ingredient for realising a green, sustainable development.