CONTRACT NEWS
GLAZER SAVER
Manchester based System 3 , a leading manufacturer of high specification double glazed units for commercial and domestic applications , is benefiting from savings of around £ 60,000 per year , following the installation of Powerstar HV Max .
System 3 , which was founded in 1984 , was looking to upgrade the high voltage ( HV ) infrastructure at its manufacturing facility in Denton , to improve electrical efficiency and reduce carbon emissions .
Powerstar recommended the installation of Powerstar HV Max , a super low loss amorphous core distribution transformer , with integrated electronic-dynamic voltage optimisation , to replace the two current transformers on site .
Powerstar HV Max provided System 3 with a combined solution to two common problems . Firstly , it allowed the company to upgrade its HV infrastructure , as the super low loss amorphous core model significantly reduced transformer losses ( both iron and copper losses ), resulting in a more efficient HV infrastructure . Secondly , the integrated electronic-dynamic voltage optimisation technology ensured additional electricity consumption savings were achieved through optimising , cleaning and conditioning the incoming power supply .
In addition to financial benefits , the installation of Powerstar HV Max delivered reductions in electricity consumption of over 640,000kWh and carbon emissions of 317 tonnes per annum .
TRIPLE SUCCESS
LJJ has completed three Nottinghamshire school projects for main contractor Kier Construction . Delivered by the company ’ s recently established Midlands office , the M & E schemes at Wainwright Primary Academy , Abbey Primary School , both in Mansfield , and Holgate Primary School in Hucknall have a combined project value of £ 2.15m . They form part of the Priority School Building Programme ( PSBP ), being delivered for the Education Funding Agency ( EFA ).
All three mechanical installations involve new water and gas supplies to the building and the installation of two gas boilers for each school , along with an air handling unit for supply and extract to the toilet and admin areas . Natural ventilation heat recovery ( NVHR ) units have been installed above the radiators in each classroom linked to CO2 sensors as part of a natural ventilation strategy and LJJ has installed a building management system ( BMS ) to control the plant room .
The electrical installation for each school includes new switchboard and mains distribution along with all small power , data and lighting , with PIR sensors installed for each classroom and toilet block . A fully programmable fire alarm system , CCTV , intruder alarm and access control have also been installed .
ROOF READY
EvoEnergy has completed the fourth largest rooftop PV system in the UK for Lyreco , a global office and workplace solutions provider , with the installation of a 3.811MWp solar array at its national distribution centre in Telford .
The install , made up of 13,860 panels , was fitted onto the roof of the firm ’ s 15 acre logistics site between October and January to cut its carbon footprint and is one of only five rooftop systems in the UK to exceed a yearly output of 3.2GWh .
It was the largest rooftop PV system to be completed in the UK in 2015 and is the second largest on a single building . It was also the first in the country to use large central inverters more commonly used for solar farms , bringing ground mount centralised inverter technology to a rooftop installation for the first time .
Owned and operated through a 20 year Power Purchase Agreement by Addison Energy – a company funded by Guinness Asset Management ’ s EIS service – the system will save Lyreco more than £ 53,000 a year on its energy bills , as well as cutting annual carbon emissions by 1,700 tonnes – making the whole site carbon neutral in terms of electricity usage .
QUARTER MASTERS
Swansea based RDM Electrical and Mechanical Services has recently won a contract to complete electrical and mechanical works for the new Capital Quarter student accommodation project in Cardiff .
The Tyndall Street project is worth £ 5m to the company and is due to be completed in July 2017 . The net area of the development site is 140,000ft 2 . The project is being carried out in partnership with Vinci Construction UK .
Capital Quarter is an eight acre mixed use Cardiff city centre development . It has outlined planning for over 800,000ft 2 of development , which will include offices , hotels , student housing and education uses .
The 580 unit student accommodation project that RDM will be working on forms part of the Capital Quarter mixed use scheme in central Cardiff . The development comprises a mix of studio and cluster accommodation constructed over two separate blocks around a central courtyard .
RDM has also recently been successful in winning its third contract for the design and build of the next phase of the new £ 450m Swansea University Bay Campus being built on Fabian Way , valued at approximately £ 4.5m .
STUDENT SATISFACTION
Smoke detectors throughout the University of East Anglia ’ s ( UEA ) student accommodation have been replaced with Nittan ’ s Evolution EV-DP dual wavelength photoelectric smoke detectors to remove issues with false alarms caused by steam that it had been experiencing previously .
A total of 4,500 Nittan devices , including more than 2,500 Nittan EV-DP smoke detectors , have been installed by Global Fire Services throughout the 24 accommodation buildings spread across the 320 acre UEA campus . The university was experiencing around 20 false alarms every week caused by steam escaping from the bathrooms and activating the smoke alarms . Each alarm event has to be checked and verified by security personnel before Fire and Rescue Services will attend .
A reduction in false alarms is therefore not just convenient , but also has significant cost and time benefits .
Furthermore , UEA consistently ranks among the best universities in the country for student satisfaction , with its accommodation provision an integral part of this offering . Reducing false alarms – and therefore disruption – within student living areas was regarded as having a role to play in the quality of the overall accommodation .
BARN BUSINESS
Scolmore ’ s Click iNels wireless control system has been installed as part of an ancient barn renovation project .
The rare , four-bay , pre-1750s timber frame barn in Betchworth , Surrey , has been saved from complete dereliction by its present owners , who were keen to restore the 400 year old property for use as a home and business premises .
Set in a staggeringly beautiful location in Mole Valley in the North Downs , Potters Farm Barn has been brought back to life and into the 21st century and Scolmore ’ s Click iNels wireless control system has been installed throughout to control the lighting both inside and outside this impressive property .
As part of the renovation process , the whole barn had to be raised up off the ground , while the basement was dug out underneath to make room for an expanded living area .
‘ Ease of installation ’ and ‘ minimum disruption to the fabric of the building ’, were the key drivers behind the decision to go for the iNels system , which was installed by contractor Leon Victor of Victor Construction & Development .
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