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Rinnai builds business with O’Neil’s

Rinnai, manufacturer of the Energysaver energy efficient range of gas fired wall heaters, recently pulled out all the stops in collaboration with Ayr-based installer O’Neil Gas Services to keep the congregation warm at St Mary’s Church in Saltcoats, Ayrshire.

O’Neil Gas Services with mission statement: ‘Big enough to cope. Small enough to care’ – is a family-run company founded by John O’Neil and now presided over by his son Brian O’Neil. It has 22 employees, 15 of them fully qualified Gas Safe registered engineers. The company offers domestic and commercial services covering the whole of Ayrshire, East Kilbride and South Glasgow and has four separate divisions – installation, service and repair, care and retail. O’Neil’s also operates a fireplace and bathroom showroom, designing and planning bathrooms from start to finish.

The O’Neil client list is impressive and includes NHS Scotland, North Ayrshire Council, Cunninghame Housing Association, SRUC Auchincruive Estate, Klin Holdings as well as various hotels, surgeries, churches and commercial businesses all over Ayrshire. More recently the company won the Irvine Housing gas maintenance contract for five years.

The company has built a reputation for quality, reliability and value ensuring that its 14,000 domestic and commercial customers return time and again for their gas and plumbing needs. They have retained thousands of customers, year after year, confirming the quality of their customer service.

O’Neil’s install Rinnai heaters for its commercial customers in a range of applications. “We choose Rinnai heaters because they are reliable, and easy to work on, as well as being efficient. O’Neil’s use only the best as call backs can be expensive and so installing the Rinnai heating range within commercial installations is an obvious choice, and makes for happy customers,” says
O’Neil’s installation manager Ross McWhirter. “We have used Rinnai heaters in many churches – for example St Mary’s – because of their efficiency and ease of installation.

“We have installed Rinnai continuous flow water heaters in Adeli Foods for the same reasons. We choose Rinnai products in such installations simply because no other product could provide the result we and more importantly our customers expect and want. This along with the excellent customer service provided by Rinnai, mean that their heaters and water heaters are always our choice.”

McWhirter first made the decision to go with Rinnai’s 1004T gas fired wall space heater for the St Mary’s Church, Saltcoats project and it is a decision he is pleased he made. “We used six Rinnai 1004T units siting them in the best location for effectiveness and for the convenience of the customer. The biggest part of the job was lifting the floors and running gas and electricity supplies to the units.

“Everyone I have spoken too at the Church since we completed the installation has said that it has never been as warm as it is now. The Church should also see a big difference in gas usage as the Rinnai units are more economical to run than the previous system.

“This was the first time we have used the Rinnai heaters and I was very impressed with the outcome of the job. They are very quiet while running and get the Church up to temperature very quickly,” says Ross.

O’Neil’s has the stamp of approval from Gas Safe to provide all gas services and has recently been awarded the prestigious ISO 9001, a certified management system for organisations proving its ability to provide services that meets customer’s needs. In addition, O’Neil’s has CHAS accreditation for its Health and Safety policies and PAS 2030.

For more information on the RINNAI product range visit www.rinnaiuk.com.
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Rinnai goes Solo

Now available from Rinnai, the leading continuous flow gas fired water heater manufacturer, is the Infinity Solo Re-Circulator water heater.

The Rinnai Infinity Solo condensing and low NOX condensing water heater is the first Rinnai product for the UK to combine the advanced technology of its wall mounted continuous flow water heaters with a stainless steel storage cylinder all in one compact footprint.

The design parameters of the Rinnai Infinity Solo, enables designers, installers and engineers to benefit from unique Rinnai technology in applications whereby it was not previously possible. For instance the solo range will incorporate both 35kW and 54kW appliances, ensuring sites with a smaller gas meter can utilise such technologies. The larger Infinity Solo model will also act as a high-efficiency alternative to gas fired storage appliances that exist in today’s market.

Rinnai

Because the cylinder is stainless steel it greatly reduces the weight compared to glass lined models, which makes transportation and installation a lot easier. As well as the difference in weight, the cylinders available also have extremely low heat loss figures (as low as 1.41kW/h day), which means the customer pays less to maintain the heat within the tank.
One other benefit of the Solo utilising a stainless steel cylinder, is that the life expectancy of the material is far greater than that of a glass-lined equivalent as glass suffers from thermal shock causing it to crack after a period of time.

The 24kW-59.5kW Infinity Solo range is renewables compatible and supplied pre-fitted with a coil, meaning that the primary energy source will always be from renewable gains and the complementary Rinnai water heater will only apply the precise amount of gas to boost the difference in temperature. Rinnai manufactures the energy efficient Infinity range of gas fired continuous flow water heaters and space heaters. The Infinity brand carries the widest range of condensing water heaters on the market today with the most impressive efficiencies in operation, leading the field in technological innovation.

For more information on the RINNAI product range visit www.rinnaiuk.com.
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District Energy Town Square at Ecobuild

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Evinox will be exhibiting in the District Energy Town Square at Ecobuild 2017, taking place from the 7th to the 9th March at Excel London. This year the exhibition will be themed as an immersive city – complete with main street, distinct destinations and special feature attractions. Ecobuild is the UK’s largest event for specifiers across the built environment, from architects and developers to local government and major infrastructure clients.

Visit us at stand F231 to find out more about our latest ModuSat HIU for communal and district heating schemes, which takes just 15 seconds to reach 55°C from the tap opening, providing an impressive dynamic response. You can also pick up a copy of our new “Guide to Metering & Billing” a useful document for anyone involved in a communal or district heating scheme.

We look forward to welcoming you at the event. You can register now to attend the exhibition for free by visiting the Ecobuild website.

Evinox Energy combine smart HIU technology with excellent after-sales end-user support and flexible metering and billing services, ensuring the building owner has a hassle-free, efficient development and residents enjoy a comfortable and relaxed place to live.

For more information on Evinox please visit www.evinoxenergy.co.uk.
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Rinnai training courses for 2017

Rinnai UK’s 2017 training programme has been designed to cater for the growing number of engineers and specifiers looking to utilise the energy saving benefits of gas fired continuous flow water heaters.

Since the introduction of ErP last year, Rinnai has seen a massive increase in interest for its complete and comprehensive range of highly efficient A-rated continuous flow water heaters, and a commensurate surge in demand for training on the units. The company supplies models from the small domestic multi-point units to bespoke industrial hot water solutions.

The Rinnai training department has trained 66% more engineers than in the year preceding implementation. These have included bespoke courses designed to fit in with the modern time demands for professionals and the company has also seen a large increase in CPD modules all over the UK.

Rinnai’s series of tailor-made, flexible courses allow engineers the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience of the practical and energy saving benefits of continuous flow gas fired water heater technology.

The most popular course modules are ‘Understanding ACOP L8 and hot water system design’ and ‘System design incorporating continuous flow and renewables’.

Engineers courses have already been booked through until the first week of February at Rinnai’s dedicated Runcorn training facility and at various venues in the South of the country. Additional courses have been added that will take place on 9 and 23 February and 9 and 23 March at Runcorn, with more courses in the process of being added.

According to Rinnai training specialist Ian Jenkins: “The sizing course is extremely popular, certainly with the specifiers, and the L8 module is also proving to be in demand. We trained 22 British Gas engineers in August alone last year – this is the third time we have trained groups of their engineers.”

The hands-on training events are aimed primarily at engineers and facilities managers, covering both traditional and new technologies for commercial water heating, highlighting the considerable energy and monetary savings that can be achieved by the installation of a continuous flow hot water system.

Courses can be arranged to suit individual requirements either at Rinnai’s dedicated training facility at their Runcorn, Cheshire HQ or if preferred, Rinnai will take training to a customer’s workplace or other convenient venue.

The engineer training course line-up for 2017 includes nine modules: Rinnai product overview; Continuous flow and the future of water heating; Intermediate water heater; Continuous flow – Excellence in design; Service and fault diagnostics (Water heaters); Service and fault diagnostics (Energy saver warm air units); Understanding ACOP L8 and hot water system design; Maximising renewable gain in hot water design; and, Continuous flow as an innovative method of satisfying energy and regulatory demands.

CPD Roadshow courses are also available, designed by Jenkins for M&E consultants and specifiers, design and build engineers, facilities managers and gas contractors. These courses have already attracted praise from CIBSE. For example, it says of the CONTINUOUS FLOW WATER HEATING SYSTEM SIZING AND DESIGN course: “The course delivers what it outlines and is well constructed.”

For more information contact Ian Jenkins on +44 (0)1928 531 870 or email training@rinnaiuk.com.
For more details on RINNAI products visit www.rinnaiuk.com.
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Titon launches its new auramode®

Titon’s new auramode® is a simple and sophisticated LCD display for programming, commissioning and occupancy control for Titon’s high quality range of Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery units (MVHR).

The auramode® functions include straightforward speed control at the click of a button with three or four-speed options, alongside an auto-timed speed mode. The fourth speed (high flow) has been added to assist with purge flow ventilation requirements. Seven-day programming is also available, with a total of eight different settings per day, while an adjustable indicator notifies users when MVHR filters require changing.

Furthermore, the auramode® provides internal MVHR humidity set point adjustment, while a ‘boost inhibit’ function linked to time speeds helps avoid night-time boosting – either via switch inputs or humidity. Once the auramode® has been successfully programmed, end users can leave their MVHR systems running without the need for any additional controller adjustments.

Commenting on the control, Paul Cowell, Senior Technical Manager at Titon, said: “The auramode® provides end users with exceptional levels of control over their Titon MVHR units. The new control has a user-friendly interface, while its functionality ensures a ventilation system is operating efficiently, maintaining high levels of indoor air quality and comfort.”

The auramode® programmer is 86mm wide x 86mm high x 16mm deep and is supplied with a 14m connection cable and a one-year guarantee. The low voltage LCD display is back lit, with adjustable light and contrast settings. Plus, it is a multi-language controller, allowing it to be set in a choice of 12 languages, including German, Spanish and Russian.

For more information about Titon and its range of ventilation systems, please visit www.titon.co.uk.
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Continuous flow up to 7% more cost effective

AECOM, a major global player in the building engineering services consultancy arena, has concluded a report showing that continuous flow water heating systems have a clear advantage in terms of initial capital costs as well as life cycle costs over 20 years, when compared with stored hot water systems*.

The ‘Life cycle study of continuous flow water heating systems’ shows that continuous flow water heating systems can be up to 7% more economical than equivalent ‘traditional’ stored hot water systems.

AECOM was commissioned to carry out a life cycle study on continuous flow water heating systems, and to provide a comparison with conventional storage systems. Two case studies were provided that are based on projects using continuous flow water heating systems.

AECOM then determined an equivalent storage based system for each case study and compared operational and capital costs.

For the life cycle comparison, the analysis period was 20 years, based on the expected service life. The net present value (NPV) calculation is based on a discount rate of 3.5% (The GREEN BOOK – HM Treasury), an inflation rate of 2% for servicing costs and projected retail fuel costs from DECC1.

In both case studies the continuous flow system showed a clear advantage in terms of initial capital costs, as well as life cycle costs over 20 years, with the continuous flow system consistently lower in energy use than the two storage systems.

Case study 1

This was a system for a typical, small, pre-fabricated fast food restaurant. It is assumed the system only serves the hot water demand.

The life cycle analysis includes the initial capital costs, projected annual fuel costs, and estimated annual servicing costs which are assumed to increase by 2% each year. The annual fuel cost assumes the same daily fuel consumption over the whole year.

The servicing cost is based on £130/year per boiler, and £160/year for a boiler and cylinder. The resulting net present values of the three showed that the continuous flow system is 6 – 7% lower than the two storage systems based on that 20-year analysis period.

Case study 2

This was a system for a shower block in a holiday camp, with six showers and four basin taps.

For the continuous flow option, the analysis is based on a configuration of 4 continuous flow water heaters that each have a nominal output of 48 kW, which, for this particular application, because there is a very short run of pipe work between the water heaters and the fixtures, it is possible for the water heaters to generate water at 40°C. The risk of legionella is overcome by regular flushing of the system.

For the energy required to deal with the instantaneous hot water demand the analysis assumes that the bulk of the hot water demand would be due to the showers. Each shower would typically have a flow rate of around 9 litres per minute, which if mixed to 40ºC would equate to an instantaneous load of around 19 kW each, so even if there was only one shower running, the load on a single continuous flow water heater would equate to an efficiency of 95% based on the performance curve. As the hot water demand increases, the modular nature of this particular configuration would allow the 95% efficiency to be maintained for the bulk of the demand.

The difference in daily fuel costs between the three systems is around 7%. The usage profile for this case study is particularly suited to continuous flow systems (i.e. high but infrequent demand over the day), which is why there is an advantage in fuel consumption over the storage systems.

Systems employed in the study

*Indirect fired storage systems
This consists of separate heat source and storage cylinders, where for this study the heat source will be gas fired boilers running on 80ºC flow and 60ºC return with gross efficiency of 89%. As the hot water is stored at 60ºC in insulated cylinders there will be standing heat losses. The standby electricity is assumed to be 15W per boiler, and 60W when operating to cover fan and controls.

Direct fired storage systems
This is where the hot water storage cylinder has an integral gas burner to directly heat the water, and the key difference with indirect fired storage systems is that they are designed to operate in condensing mode and generally achieve gross efficiency up to 96%. A disadvantage of direct fired storage systems is that the standing losses are around 3 times higher than indirect storage cylinders.

Continuous flow systems
This is essentially a gas boiler that is designed to instantaneously heat mains water for supply directly to water fixtures without any storage. The key advantages with this type of hot water heating, is firstly saving in space needed for hot water cylinders and the associated standing heat losses. The challenge is that instantaneous hot water demand can vary hugely for most systems and therefore the continuous flow heating system needs to have a wide modulation range as well as maintaining efficiency over that range.

For more information on the RINNAI product range of high efficiency condensing continuous flow hot water heating units and systems visit www.rinnaiuk.com.
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Book your Giacomini CPD course now!

Giacomini is now a CIBSE approved CPD course provider and is offering two courses that CIBSE members can take to contribute towards their CPD qualifications.

The first in underfloor heating explores heat transfer, design factors and component applications and gives participants an understanding of how and why underfloor heating systems work. The 1 hour presentation covers:

  • Theory behind underfloor heating
  • Benefits of underfloor heating
  • System components
  • What influences the output?
  • System design
  • Types of floor build up

The second course focuses on Giacomini’s other specialist subject, heat interface units, and in 1 hour participants will learn about:

  • Central plant heating systems
  • The role of heat interface units
  • Types of heat interface units
  • Unit components
  • System design
  • Heat metering
  • System performance

Attendees will receive a certificate that will contribute towards CIBSE CPD requirements.

To arrange a seminar, or for more information, please contact Helen Gibbons, Giacomini’s technical support manager 07824 595527/01454 311012 or email helen.gibbons@giacomini.co.uk.
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Rinnai takes major sports sponsorship with rugby super league team Widnes Vikings

Rinnai, the UK’s leading manufacturing supplier of hot water heating systems, is sponsoring one of the biggest names and contenders in rugby league – Widnes Vikings.

The Rinnai sponsorship with the club, which has achieved its highest ever Super League position this year, will ensure the Rinnai logo and brand name is displayed on the back of all Widnes players’ shorts. This will be the first time both parties have taken this unconventional but innovative style of sports sponsorship.

Tony Gittings, Managing Director Rinnai UK, says: “We are absolutely delighted to take a very active sponsorship with Widnes Vikings, one of the biggest names in Rugby League. We share a common belief and approach in values of excellence, innovation and responsibility to the wider community.

“Rinnai is a worldwide brand name in its field and has taken some major global sponsorships – including the Queensland Reds, The World Club World Cup event held January this year in Tokyo, the World Ice Skating Championships and the US Nascar competition held in Daytona, Las Vegas and other major American venues.

“Widnes Vikings are also local to our own UK headquarters so it is all an excellent fit. We look forward to working with the team and staff.”

Widnes Vikings CEO James Rule says: “2016 has been another landmark year for us as we achieved our highest ever league position in Super League history whilst leading pioneering community engagement initiatives such as the newly launched Game Changer programme.

“Our business and the success we produce on and off the field is driven by the quality of our people and it has been evident working with Rinnai that we are welcoming into the Widnes Vikings “One Club” family a committed partner staffed by quality people who buy into our vision and who want to play an integral role in moving forward with excellence”.

The sponsorship package will see the Rinnai name featured in several ’live’ televised games on Sky Sports and in TV shows such as BBC’s ‘The Super League Show’.

For more information on the RINNAI product range visit www.rinnaiuk.com.
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Flexible Billing for Residents at The Ladbroke Grove

The Ladbroke Grove development from Taylor Wimpey Central London, is part of the regeneration of Grand Union Centre, and includes both luxury apartments and homes for first-time buyers, close to Kensington and Chelsea. This mixed use scheme combines living and working, with office accommodation and retail units available alongside a high-quality development of apartments set around a private courtyard in W10.

Evinox Energy are delighted to be working with P R Morson on this outstanding development, supplying heat interface units and metering & billing services.

Design and sustainability

To reduce the environmental impact of the development, the apartments are all connected to a communal heating system, which supplies residents with thermal energy for heating and production of domestic hot water. System water is heated in a central plant room, distributed via pipework around the building and energy is transferred to residents via a ModuSat HIU.

The ModuSat HIU’s at The Ladbroke Grove include both an energy meter for heating and hot water, and an electricity meter, meaning residents will be billed for both utilities by Evinox Energy.

In Built Pre-Payment Facility

Evinox ModuSat HIU’s are supplied pre-payment or credit account ready, meaning there is no requirement for additional controls, sensors or hardware providing flexible metering options.

With most modern housing schemes being mixed use, the ability to operate a part credit billing and part pre-payment system on the same scheme is extremely desirable, and providing a future proof solution is a key advantage of the Evinox system, as it can be adapted to different tenant occupations. The ability to make changes remotely provides the ultimate in simplicity and flexibility at The Ladbroke Grove.

By combining smart HIU’s with excellent after-sales, end user support and flexible metering and billing services, the building owner has a hassle-free, sustainable development and residents enjoy a fantastic place to live.

Visit the Evinox Energy website today for more info, or contact on 01372 722277 / info@evinoxenergy.co.uk.
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Hot new products at HVAC 2016

Organisers of HVAC 2016 are pleased to announce that the show in October will host a number of new product launches from leading exhibitors including some industry firsts, as well as a raft of exciting competitions.

In a world first, humidification and evaporative cooling specialists Condair will be previewing the first ever condensing, gas-fired steam humidifier at its stand. The new Condair GS recovers heat from exhaust gases to pre-heat its incoming water supply, saving energy and making it the most efficient gas-fired humidifier available.

For those looking for the latest innovations in the smart controls market then Cotherm UK’s stand will be well worth a visit. The company will be launching its new range of smart water heating controls as well as its smart electric radiator controls. Leading ventilation solutions manufacturer Airflow Developments Ltd will also be exhibiting its brand new Ardoit Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) range of units. The Passive House certified units are equipped with the latest smart technology that allows airflow settings to be controlled within the home or remotely by PC, tablet or smartphone.

Organisers are also pleased to announce that HVAC 2016 will host the official European launch of pioneering air treatment company Bio-Oxygen. The company will be showcasing its air sterilisation system, which guarantees odour free results along with 99 per cent elimination of viruses and bacteria. Also with new products specifically for for the UK market, air conditioning specialist Hitachi will be bringing its all-in-one Tutaki-SCombi air source heat pump as well as other examples from its newly expanded range.

Nathan Garnett, Event Director for HVAC 2016, commented: “For anyone wanting to learn what’s new in the HVAC sector, HVAC 2016 is not to be missed. The number of product launches and even world firsts is staggering for this year’s event and I’m really excited to see what’s been described to us in the flesh. When these launches are combined with the informative seminar content I’m convinced that the show will be well worth the day out for any HVAC professional.”

Steve Bartholomew, Sales Director at Cotherm UK, added: “We have chosen to exhibit at HVAC 2016, as part of UK Construction Week, to launch our range of smart water and space heating controls because of the presence of local authority decision makers and also decision makers from OEM’s and industry representatives. They are key markets for the new energy saving devices which will offer great value to the identified markets and in turn the user and householders.”

Other exciting stands visitors should make sure to visit include Darwin Clayton, which will be offering it’s new and improved insurance scheme for the HVAC sector and Calor, which will have representatives from its new dedicated rural housing developer team to answer any questions and offer advice. In addition, the latest innovations from Knauf Insulation, Trimble and Kingspan Insulation will also be on display.

Taking place at the Birmingham NEC from 18 – 20 October, HVAC 2016 sits alongside Timber Expo, the Build Show, Civils Expo, the Surface and Materials Show, Energy 2016, Plant & Machinery Live, Smart Buildings 2016 and Grand Designs Live as part of UK Construction Week.

For more information or to register for your FREE ticket to attend, please visit www.hvaclive.co.uk or follow @hvacshow on Twitter.
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