| With the UK's weather arguably more | | | | electrically heating system for the same amount |
| unpredictable than ever, heating and ventilation | | | | of heating, significantly reducing utility bills. |
| products are in huge demand, offering an | | | | Ground Source Heat Pumps |
| effective way to cope with the changeable | | | | Conversely popular, ground source heat pumps |
| climate. However, with the price of fuel having | | | | can also be used to power radiators or underfloor |
| rocketed during the past year, this can be | | | | heating. These systems employ pipes buried |
| expensive, making it increasingly important to | | | | outside a building to extract heat from the |
| ensure the most efficient products are used to | | | | ground, where the temperature is constant, |
| achieve savings, where possible. | | | | meaning it can be used throughout the year - |
| High Demand For Heating & Ventilation Products | | | | even in the middle of winter. Used widely in school |
| With one day often drastically different to the | | | | applications where they can be easily located |
| next we are continually turning to heating and | | | | under the playground surface, these systems can |
| cooling products to ensure indoor and outdoor | | | | not only make a huge contribution to reducing |
| comfort amid the changeable climate. As a result, | | | | carbon emissions but also cut payback periods by |
| demand for heating and ventilation products has | | | | 35-40 per cent through fuel savings. |
| increased dramatically over the last few years | | | | Low Wattage Products |
| resulting in an explosion of new products. It has | | | | The public sector can also benefit from making |
| been estimated that the non-domestic sector will | | | | more energy efficient ventilation choices. Low |
| benefit from continued growth of around 3-4 per | | | | Wattage products such as low wattage fan |
| cent until up until 2010. | | | | heaters are especially popular, as apart from |
| Renewable Solutions Offer Energy & Cost | | | | efficiently improving the indoor environment, they |
| Efficiency | | | | also offer up to 80 per cent energy savings - a |
| However, the combined impact of government | | | | welcome additional benefit with soaring energy bills |
| regulations and directives, soaring gas and | | | | looking set to stay. |
| electricity prices, and increased budget constraints | | | | Heat Recovery Systems |
| for the public sector, mean careful consideration | | | | Another method of improving energy efficiency is |
| must be given to the specification of these | | | | to consider using the 'waste' heat produced by a |
| products. It is increasingly important to look past | | | | heat recovery system. Growing in popularity, heat |
| the initial outlay required when investing in the | | | | recovery systems extract air from within the |
| newest renewable solutions in order to achieve | | | | various rooms of a building through a heat |
| both energy and cost efficiency. | | | | exchanger with the most common use being |
| Many manufacturers have developed highly | | | | space heating. The system then supplies fresh air |
| advanced and intelligent heating and cooling | | | | through the same heat exchanger with up to 95 |
| products which can help to achieve this dual aim | | | | per cent of the heat, which would be otherwise |
| of reducing energy and cutting costs. | | | | lost, being transferred. As a result, the air is |
| Air Source Heat Pumps | | | | carefully filtered and condensation eliminated, |
| One such solution is heat pump technology and | | | | greatly improving the quality of the indoor |
| one of the most popular types is the air source | | | | environment while minimising energy costs and |
| heat pump. An air source heat pump uses the | | | | reducing greenhouse emissions. |
| outside air as a heat source or heat sink to heat | | | | As the dual issues of sustainability and cost |
| or cool an interior space. Often favoured for their | | | | continue to dominate the public sector, authorities |
| flexibility and compactness, these pumps are | | | | can no longer afford to simply go for the |
| generally sited outside of a property and can be | | | | cheapest heating or cooling solution, as this is not |
| floor or wall mounted, without the need for any | | | | necessarily the most cost effective or energy |
| extensive installation preparation, and are similar in | | | | efficient method. The changeable weather |
| the size to an air conditioning unit. Used to warm | | | | patterns we regularly experience shows no sign |
| water for radiators or underfloor heating | | | | of stopping, so it is important to make the most |
| systems, or to warm the air in the indoor | | | | of the newest cooling and heating solutions |
| environment, these systems utilise approximately | | | | available, so as to prevent energy from being |
| 25-35 per cent of the electricity of a standard | | | | wasted and energy bills increasing unnecessarily. |