Today’s climate control systems are highly energy efficient, so the debate has grown to cover how we should cut usage as well as increase energy efficiency, says Scott McGavin.
The recent Government unveiling of the fourth carbon budget - which requires the cutting of emissions by 50 per cent from 1990 levels by 2027 - means that the installation of the latest energy efficient climate control systems is no longer sufficient to meet the nation's carbon reduction targets.

Building managers and owners also need to focus on ways to monitor, control and reduce everyday energy usage as a means to achieve these legally binding objectives.

However, embracing a policy of controlling and cutting energy usage is an approach that also offers huge money saving potential. But the question is: how do we encourage end users to cut back on the amount of heating and cooling they demand, when it is widely acknowledged that changing user behaviour is the holy grail of achieving real carbon reduction.

Given this difficulty, and with Display Energy Certificate's looking likely to become mandatory for commercial buildings in the foreseeable future, the time has come to consider how intelligent control technologies can play a significant role in monitoring and maintaining hvac systems (the largest user of energy in the workplace) to help regulate buildings.

It is clear that technology now enables control systems to reduce both usage of climate control systems and improve energy efficiency. The key to their success, however, is being able to deliver reduced usage without the end user noticing any reduction in comfort levels, whilst also allowing them sufficient autonomy to satisfy their desire for control of their own environment.

What is required is a flexible and intelligent system that allows a building manager to set parameters and take away the human requirement to think about energy saving issues. For example, if a control can switch off a climate control system when a room is unoccupied, or a window or door is left open, then energy wastage is reduced, without the need to employ staff to monitor this function.

A good control system fitted to a climate control system retrospectively should be able to increase efficiency by more than 30%, without any need to change the hvac system. Additionally if that control system employs the use of PIR (passive infrared), it will be able to detect both room or zone occupancy and activity levels - a particular advantage for hotel rooms, where usage can be adapted automatically when the occupant is asleep. This is hugely advantageous for building managers as the amount of energy wasted by a room occupant changing the climate control settings is significant.

For the commercial office or retail environment, a good intelligent control system should enable indoor units to operate together or individually. Then when partitioned rooms are opened up to create larger spaces, the control system should ensure all indoor units operate together.

Take a retail bank as an example: an intelligent control system will allow indoor units to be set zone by zone, as well as room by room, so counter staff can maintain one temperature level and the main public area another, while the air curtain at the door will be controlled independently, as will meeting rooms, back office, IT server rooms and staff recreational areas.

It is clear that an intelligent control system can make a significant impact on the amount of energy used and the efficiency of climate control systems in commercial environments, without end users noticing any difference in their comfort levels. This can both meet legislative requirements and reduce energy bills.

Case Study

An example where intelligent control technology has been used successfully is at 210 Pentonville in London. Here, sustainable specification was key to the scheme, which was awarded a BREEAM Excellent rating on completion.

To ensure that the building would be heated effectively throughout, Daikin VRV Heat Recovery units were spread though plant rooms across the building's ten storeys. Connected by pipework to 356 indoor fan coils, the system was controlled by a Daikin Intelligent Manager Controller. Not only does this monitor and measure energy output and control heating and cooling, it allows the constant regulation and examination of other vital building services, integrating utilities for supreme ease of use.

The use of a Daikin Intelligent Manager system offered 210 Pentonville the best in utilities management. The easy user interface, web function and Automated Operations Management features ensured simple and efficient control of services. Fan coil units dispersed throughout the building ensured good circulation of heated and cooled air for excellent user comfort, with the climate control simply managed by the Daikin Intelligent Manager system.

• Scott McGavin is applications and engineering manager Daikin UK