Whole life costs make AmbiRad radiant heating first choice for coach service centre

Coach and bus services operator Simonds who are based in Diss, Norfolk opted for radiant tube heating from AmbiRad after calculating the whole life costs of a system to heat its brand new garage premises.

The new radiant heating system offers: Energy efficient warmth Lifetime fuel cost savings Clean, environmentally friendly operation Rapid warm-up, even on very cold mornings Flexibility.

Adrian Tant, Engineering Director of Simonds, says: “Taken over the entire life of the heating system, radiant tube heating worked out considerably cheaper than other forms of space heating. A slightly higher initial investment in the equipment was offset by on-going fuel cost savings achieved by the economical operation of the heaters.”

Simonds coaches and buses have been serving the Diss area for 75 years. The company amalgamated two service yards in Diss and Botesdale into a single operation on a green field site. Its new service depot was designed by architect Nathan Sargeant of Anglia Design.

The building has six workshop bays, each of which can accommodate two coaches. There is also a VOSA approved MOT testing lane and a bodyshop. The design of the heating system allows double-decker buses to be elevated on lifts to enable operatives to work underneath the vehicles.

Radiant tube heating from AmbiRad, comprising eight AR22 linear and three AR25 linear heaters in herringbone configuration, was installed by Anglia Heating and Ventilation. Five of the units are fitted with extended reflectors to restrict the powerful heating to a narrower ‘corridor’ in order to protect buses and coaches, particularly when they are elevated, without compromising comfort temperatures for operatives.

With ‘up and over’ entrance/exit doors in operation most of the time, the building is subject to temperature fluctuations. Radiant tube heating quickly restores working temperatures without wasting energy in warming the vast volume of air within the building.

Adrian Tant adds: “The AmbiRad radiant heating solution provides immediate warmth so our employees feel the benefit from it the moment it is switched on. The system has been well received by all Engineering Staff. It is flexible enough to allow us to lift vehicles in between the tubes without interfering with the heating.”

Web: www.ambirad.co.uk

Getting the best value from an energy efficient heating system

Heating costs are among the biggest overheads for industrial and commercial premises. Radiant heating from AmbiRad can significantly improve comfort conditions for customers and personnel, while reducing fuel costs and harmful impact on the environment.

Heating industrial premises to comfort temperatures for personnel without wasting energy can be a challenge. AmbiRad energy efficient radiant heating systems can make the task much more straightforward, and reduce the financial burden heating bills often present.

Radiant heating is one of the most efficient and economical forms of space heating available. In many commercial and industry buildings it provides consistent, even heat coverage, regardless of conditions within the building – for example, when doors are in constant use.

AmbiRad, the market leader in the energy efficient radiant heating systems, offers a range of products that are proven to significantly reduce energy consumption. The brand new Vision range, being showcased at Energy 2006, has been developed to drive down fuel usage even further, positively impacting cost reduction measures based on energy efficiency.

RADIANT TUBE HEATING – THE SCIENCE

Radiant heating works best in very large space, open plan buildings where rapid warm-up and heat recovery are required, and for premises where loading bay doors are open frequently or for long periods.

Radiant works like the sun, warming people and solid objects in its path. The heaters are mounted overhead in the roof space, yet the heat generated is felt most at the lowest two metres of the building – that is, where people are working and machinery is sited.

The real benefit of radiant tube heating is that no energy is wasted heating the large volume of air in the building. Fuel consumption – and therefore fuel cost – is dramatically reduced. Energy efficient radiant tube heating from AmbiRad has been shown to reduce costs by up to 70% when used to replace an ageing, inefficient boiler system.

The radiant system produces heat at the point where the fuel is burnt, ensuring optimum fuel efficiency and eliminating distribution losses. Other systems – for example, where heat is distributed around a hot water or steam radiator network – experience considerable loss of heat and therefore wasted fuel.

The efficiency of radiant tube systems can be increased even further by zoning the heaters – that is, enabling each one or group of heaters to be shut off individually.

PROVEN EFFICIENCY

37% fuel reduction Matrix, a large engineering company in Brechin, Scotland, required a new heating system to meet the needs of its expanded production facility. The original 1930s boiler and steam-fed radiator system was unable to cope with the range of heating requirements throughout the factory. The company sought a practical alternative that would provide efficient heating while keeping fuel costs down.

A total of 50 AmbiRad AR radiant tube heaters were installed throughout the production area where roof heights range between five and ten metres. The system is zoned to ensure the heating meets the needs of sedentary and active people within the building.

The system provides even heat coverage and constant comfort temperatures for personnel, at a much lower cost compared with the old system. Fuel consumption has been reduced and in the first year following installation, Matrix reduced its fuel costs by around 37%.

Constant warmth for athletes and spectators The prestigious new K2 sports facility in Crawley, built by Sutton Council, uses AmbiRad’s Nor-Ray-Vac continuous radiant tube heating to maintain even heat coverage and constant comfort temperatures for athletes and spectators in the main indoor athletics track and sports hall areas.

A key requirement for the heating system was that constant temperatures of 16°C should be maintained, ensuring that both those actively participating in sports and seated spectators would feel comfortably warm. Sutton Council also required an economical, energy efficient heating system.

A total of eleven Nor-Ray-Vac gas-fired continuous radiant tube burners were installed in the two areas. Nor-Ray-Vac provides even, low intensity space heating which easily achieves the required comfort temperatures while consuming less fuel than other types of heat and therefore emitting fewer greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

Radiant tube heating systems from AmbiRad offer excellent energy efficiency levels and economical running costs. Switching to an energy efficient heating system could be the small change that makes a big difference to operational costs, as well as significantly reducing impact of harmful emissions on the environment.

Web: www.ambirad.co.uk

Energy managed in comfort at RAF Cottesmore

Comfortable working temperatures and greater control over energy management were the key criteria that prompted RAF Cottesmore to switch to Nor-Ray-Vac continuous radiant tube heating from AmbiRad. Four hangars on the base at Oakham, Leicestershire, now benefit from the even heat distribution and constant air temperatures of between 16-19°C generated by the Nor-Ray-Vac burners – in spite of full height and width doors that frequently open to allow aircraft to manoeuvre in and out. The new system also achieves improved comfort and flexibility without increase in fuel consumption. The 5,500m² hangars are used for storage and maintenance of aircraft on the base, which is known to be one of the highest in the country and exposed to winds. Previously, heat was supplied via a high temperature hot water system fed by one dedicated boiler house. Distribution losses were enormous and the system was burning fuel without producing much heat.

At times, especially at night and in cold weather, operators were working in single figure temperatures. While far from ideal, these working conditions also had potentially dangerous consequences should flight safety be compromised.

The existing heating system was decommissioned and each hangar equipped with its own Nor-Ray-Vac continuous radiant tube system comprising 24 Nor-Ray-Vac 46kW LR series linear burners with four vacuum fans. The AmbiRad heaters are controlled centrally by a Trend BMS and each can be operated in four zones.

Rapid warm up and heat recovery are key considerations for comfort in the hangars. Both are achieved easily by radiant tube heating. The AmbiRad Nor-Ray-Vac system is also flexible enough to work with the existing Trend BMS.

Zoned heating has an unusual advantage in this application. On occasion, the cockpit is secured into place using epoxy glue. The aircraft can be positioned in one of the zones and the heating left to run overnight to set the glue. With the previous heating, the entire system had to be left on to achieve this.

Additional economies have been achieved by micro-switching the personnel entry doors. If they are left open for too long, the heating automatically switches off. Station energy manager Alan Agate comments: ‘This encourages people to close the doors. So much so that the £10,000 investment in the micro-switching system was paid back in 18 weeks.’

The Nor-Ray-Vac heating system was installed by SG Maintenance of Solihull for consultants Templeman Associates of Kings Lynn.

Web: www.ambirad.co.uk

Lifetime Value

When it comes to analysing the true cost of investing in a new heating system, purchase and installation price is rarely a good guide. Applying the principles of Whole Life Costing leads to a decision based on best lifetime value. Nick Winton of AmbiRad explains.

Specification in the construction process generally involves the selection of robust products that do the job required for the right price – that is, they provide good value for money. In this context, ‘good value’ does not always mean the cheapest capital cost, especially when viewed over the long term. In practice, the lowest cost option can turn out to be very expensive when lifetime running, maintenance and replacement costs are calculated.

The concept of ‘best value’, as opposed to lowest tender price, has prevailed in government contracts for some years. However, studies have shown that in public sector construction projects, budgets are exceeded by up to 50% in three quarters of projects. The focus may still be on the wrong goal – initial capital costs, rather than long-term value.

A 2002 study carried out by Mott MacDonald for HM Treasury concluded that ‘clients need a better understanding of the basis for their estimates’ of budget.

According to government information, the most reliable indicator of ‘value’ in the construction industry is the relationship between long-term costs and the benefit achieved by the end-user. And when it comes to the heating system, best value is gained from the system that achieves the required functionality at lowest cost when calculated over the whole life of the equipment.

Whole-life costs
Whole-life cost analysis is an economic evaluation process solely for the purpose of assessing the true cost of constructing and running a building over a period of time, based on the functional requirements of the building. It is effective for new buildings, including design and build projects, and is a pre-requisite for all PFI contracts.

The technique was originally used by the accountancy profession to compare outcomes when income varies over time, using today’s value or net present value as a starting point. Today, the methodology is used widely in many industries, although uptake in the construction industry is ‘quite small’, according to John Langmaid, Principal Consultant at BSRIA.

He says: “The process has been around for well over half a century, and is gradually gaining popularity as people realise its value. However, it is perceived to be difficult – people imagine they need a degree in economics to understand it, they don’t know where to start and they are not sure about the input or output. It is actually very simple, providing reliable and meaningful information can be obtained from product manufacturers.”

He adds: “This is a proven method of evaluating lifetime costs in order to achieve the lowest cost solution in the long term, but it should never be used as a basis for formulating budgets.”

Methodology
The methodology for whole-life costing for buildings and constructed assets is guided by BS ISO 15686, which addresses the design of a structure or building with a view to its operation through it whole life. The same methodology can be used to evaluate the lifetime costs of a heating system, when all construction parameters – insulation levels, construction type, materials used, etc – are taken into account.

Whole-life cost analysis is very specific, based on answering the question ‘What is the cost of achieving this objective in this way?’. Different solutions may produce very different whole-life costs, so the criteria must be the quality of the heating system and how well it meets the end-user’s need for comfort, quality/reliability and flexibility.

When all these factors have been taken into account, the system which achieves all functional and quality objectives at the lowest lifetime cost will provide the best value.

What to consider
Evaluating the lifetime costs of a heating system for long-term economic performance or profitability requires close analysis and forecast of many factors, including (but not limited to) these considerations:
Cost of consultancy, design and construction
Long-term operational costs
On-going maintenance costs
Utility costs
All relevant construction factors, such as insulation and heat loss levels Internal resources and departmental overheads
Risk allowances Alterations should business requirements change Related health and safety costs Costs associated with disposal and refurbishment.

Clearly, the analysis goes far beyond the purchase price. However, it can mean that the lowest whole life cost solution may not be lowest capital cost – a potential stumbling block where profit margins are squeezed.

Taking a whole life approach means ‘added’ value can be planned in. For example, money spent on engineering a heating system design can save over the long-term on running and maintenance costs. A good system design can achieve greater fuel efficiency, better performance, improved health and safety, increased productivity, and less waste.

Similarly, investment in a high quality, reliable heating product that is more appropriate to the building and user requirements can achieve significant savings over time. AmbiRad has experienced many ‘live’ examples of this, especially in large heating decentralisation projects where old boiler and steam fed radiant panels have been replaced with energy efficiency gas-fired radiant tube heating, with resulting cost savings of up to 70%.

Operating costs
With operational costs far and away the highest element of any commercial or industrial building, reducing costs here can have the most impact on lifetime value. Managed well, this will save more than the price of initial construction or, in the case of a heating system, purchase and installation.

Using the concept of ‘net present value’ for the existing heating system as a baseline, the whole life costs of each alternative solution can be calculated. Accuracy of the cost evaluation depends on reliable information from the manufacturer – estimates of fuel consumption, heat output, anticipated warm-up time and expected heat losses, based on the size of the building and how it is used, should all be available.

Value management and value engineering techniques are invaluable in minimising the potential for waste and inefficiency during the life of the system, and should also be taken into account. A well-designed heating system will match the heating requirements of building occupants and also the shape and size of the structure, where heat is most needed, how it should best be delivered, impact on the construction (eg. reducing the number of roof penetrations, or eliminating ductwork) – to achieve optimum operational costs.

A cost baseline is essential for both completion of the heating installation and estimated operational costs over the life of the system. All costs must be included, from in-house and consultancy costs to decommissioning and disposal, risk allowance and VAT. Ideally, this total should then be benchmarked against another similar project to ensure the estimates are realistic.

In specifying the heating system, it is important to base requirements on output and functional needs, rather than describing the process by which these will be achieved. This allows for flexibility and perhaps more thoughtful or innovative approaches to a heating solution that will meet requirements over the life of the system – for example, responding to alterations in work patterns, downsizing or expansion. Estimates should also allow for upgrade, if necessary, during the life of the system.

RAF Coltishall – 64% annual cost savings
A major energy efficiency programme on the RAF Coltishall air base, begun in 1993, committed to reducing fuel consumption to pre-1990 levels by 2000. Among other methods of achieving this was a decentralisation of the existing, and highly inefficient, high temperature hot water distribution system.

The station energy manager conducted a thorough investigation of the options, including a whole-life costing. His calculations showed that, taking all relevant factors into account, radiant tube heating from AmbiRad was the best value option in the long-term.

His selection was justified when, in just a few months following the installation, energy consumption had reduced dramatically. Comparative running costs over the previous boiler system showed a 64% cut, and CO2 emissions were down by 55%. Discounted savings over the following 10 years amounted to £148,000.

The gas fired radiant systems have impacted positively on the air base’s liabilities in more ways than one; the reduction in fuel consumption has had a positive effect on the Climate Change Levy; plus the equipment is NOT included in the EU ETS (European Union Emissions Trading Scheme) which became operational on 1st Jan 2005, thus limiting the base’s liabilities in carbon dioxide trading.

How long is a life?
The lifetime of a heating system is variable – there is no minimum or maximum time period. The most reliable heating products can last between 20 and 30 years, or even longer. A reasonable average for the purposes of whole-life calculations would be around 25 years.

Whole-life costing analysis is an invaluable source of information on which to justify rational and considered purchasing decisions. It takes the guesswork out of predicted running and maintenance costs and ensures that the relationship between cost and end-user value remains healthy, since the net result should be the installation of the most appropriate system (heating or otherwise) for the building, operating at optimum efficiency and cost.

Web: www.ambirad.co.uk

2012 sports stars train in comfort at Brunel University

Potential stars of the 2012 London Olympics, together with university students and local school children, are already taking advantage of the flagship £7m indoor sports facility at Brunel University. And their training is made more comfortable thanks to the Nor-Ray-Vac continuous radiant tube heating from AmbiRad that has been installed to provide state-of-the-art energy efficient heating.

The Indoor Athletics Centre (IAC) and adjacent Netball Hall, at Brunel’s Uxbridge campus, are the product of a joint funding project between the University, UK Athletics, Sport England and the Lottery. The structure, designed by David Morley Associates, has an eye-catching curved roof. It will potentially be used during the 2012 Olympics as a training village.

The 3,168m² athletics hall incorporates a 6-lane sprint and hurdles straight, long and triple jump pits, areas for pole vault and high jump and throws practice nets. The Netball Hall offers full-court netball together with four badminton and basketball courts.

It is now the training base of the England netball team. Continuous radiant tube heating is ideal in the sports hall environment. It works like the sun, emitting infra red rays that heat only people and objects in their path. No energy is wasted needlessly heating the volume of air in the building, making this heating solution the economic alternative in large space sports halls.

Radiant heating can take account of the different comfort needs of active sports participants and spectators, ensuring both are pleasantly warm without overheating. The heating system can also operate at 2-3 degrees lower than convection heaters without compromising comfort of the building’s users.

The result is long-term reductions in energy usage and carbon emissions. The Nor-Ray-Vac heaters were positioned at approximately 6m from floor level. Controlled centrally from the University’s building management system, they maintain a constant temperature of around 14-16°C. John O’Keeffe, Estates Manager of Brunel University, comments: “This is an excellent system for this application. The athletes can train in a comfortable temperature, irrespective of the weather outside.”

www.ambirad.co.uk