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Landscape Where indoors meets outdoors
April heads ever closer so we know that the newest, greenest trade show is almost here!  The LANDSCAPE Show is a brand new trade show located at Olympia, London on 13th & 14th April.
Why should you be there?
The show has been designed for anyone who has in interest in landscape – interior or exterior – so the show will be home to service providers that will be of interest to you.  These may be the trade associations for sourcing designers or landscapers or other single service suppliers.
As well as a diverse range of exhibitors that will be of interest, there is also a full programme of seminars for visitors to maximise their visits to the show.
Two speakers will recommend interior landscaping for the unseen benefits of plants. Tom Palfreyman, chairman of eFIG the interior landscapers association, and MD of three Urban Planters companies, is an experienced plantscaper who will explain the benefits from a practical as well as a health point of view in Plants the Secret Weapon, whilst Jonathon Read of Plants for People will explain how the benefits of interior planting extend beyond the aesthetic to the bottom line in Health & Green or Wealth & Green?
Craig Knight of PRISM and Exeter University – The Unsustainable Folly of the Modern Office - will explain his theories about how enriching workspaces with plants and artwork can improve productivity and also how with the addition of empowering staff to have some input can have an even better result.
The two-hander from Dan Pearson and Will Wimshurst of the prestigious and renowned Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners practice explain the concept of their award winning garden for the Maggie’s hospice garden in London in Healthcare and Design.
It doesn’t stop there
Other speakers will cover far reaching topics from sustainable paving (Marshalls plc) to sustainable grass (Landscape & Environmental Services), the invisible boundary between garden design and landscaping (Andrew Wilson) , lighting for your outdoor spaces (John Cullen Lighting) to creating and enjoying the benefits of living green walls or roofs (ANS).
If biodiversity is your thing – and we should all be taking note – then Dr Paul Smith of the Millennium Seed Bank at Kew will have lots of interest for you.
A Mini Chelsea?
There will also be five gardens to see, each offering a very different aspect: greeted by a magnificent avenue of trees and beautiful sculptures you can journey on around the show to see a garden from our first Chelsea Award winner, with the largest oak tree ever to visit Olympia and sound bites via ear-pieces (CMS Design Associates); a willow garden from visual artist Tom Hare and a garden where indoors meets outdoors from Urban Planters.
Last but not least, an indoor ‘garden’ for your working space from Chelsea Award winners Indoor Garden Design who will be sure to get you thinking. Ian Drummond, creative director of Indoor Garden Design explains,
“There are many reasons to explore how planting can be integrated into an interior environment.
Psychologically planting improves your well-being and your state of mind.
“At a technical level planting can be used as part of a grey water system making the most of your waste water before it leaves the building, it improves the air quality reducing the demands on an air conditioning system and can contribute to keeping your office cleaner .
“Finally at a more profound level we need to be reminded about the impact we have on the natural world.  Given the amount of time we spend in our offices integrating planting into your environment brings with it a sense of a wider belonging to a bigger system that might otherwise be forgotten.  The stand explores what this integration might look like.”
Be sure you don’t miss it!  You can register online for tickets now at http://www.landscapeshow.co.uk/register.php

Energy management through building controls
With the stringent carbon reduction targets the UK has to meet, efficient energy management in buildings is of paramount importance. Ian Ellis, president of the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA), previews his presentation to NEMEX 2011 exploring how building controls can contribute to energy and carbon saving strategies.
Energy saving plays a crucial role in reducing the CO2 emissions created by the UK’s commercial building stock. Not only is saving energy beneficial to the environment, it is also generally a much cheaper first option than the application of sustainable technologies. Reducing energy waste is also the most effective first-step for decarbonising and improving our existing building stock – which will outnumber new-build for several decades to come. 
But as the recession bites, government has less money available to incentivise low-carbon solutions, while businesses are faced with growing energy bills. The drive to find cost-effective solutions to the challenge of energy efficiency is therefore gathering pace.  In December 2010, the Carbon Trust calculated that the UK public sector could achieve net savings of £1 billion through energy efficiency schemes, highlighting just how much potential there is in simply reducing the amount of energy we use.
As far back as 2007 the Defra UK Energy Action Plan stated: “Using energy more efficiently is the fastest and most cost-effective way of cutting carbon dioxide emissions. It can also improve productivity and can contribute to the security of our energy supplies.”
More recently, in November 2010, the EU Parliament passed a resolution stating that: “Energy efficiency should be a key priority of Europe’s energy strategy for 2011 to 2020.”  In fact, the EU seems to regard energy efficiency as the solution for many climate-related and social problems: “Energy efficiency is a cost-effective way to cut energy dependency, combat climate change, create jobs and curb energy bills.”
Yet cutting energy use in buildings is a real challenge for facilities managers. Where to start? And what is the most cost-effective approach to take? Building controls offer a highly effective starting point for any energy-saving programme, especially considering that most commercial buildings already include an array of building controls ready to be put to use.
The Carbon Trust acknowledges the importance of using building controls for energy- and carbon-saving. According to its figures, buildings with correctly-used controls are around 35% more energy efficient than those that do not use building controls.
The BCIA recommends that the best first step to take on an energy-saving programme is with a review of your existing building controls. This is a simple process, involving checks on sensors, timers and manual overrides. Often in office moves, equipment changes position, and sometimes this can result in heat-producing kit such as photocopiers being placed under a sensor. This could result in cooling operating when it's not required. Also, if occupants use the 'manual override' on a light switch or the air conditioning, they can also forget to return it to the original position. It is also common to find plant rooms where the timers on boilers have not been set, so the heating is working 24-7 and wasting large amounts of energy.
Of course, it may be that a more extensive upgrade or refurbishment of the controls system is needed in older buildings. One of the many benefits of building controls is that they are now offered in a wide range of options for end-users, so they can be specified to exactly match the requirements and budget of any new-build or refurbishment project. Open systems, such as BACnet, LonWorks, KNX and others, also make linking together different types of control much more straightforward. This means that today’s controls are a cost-effective and flexible solution for building managers looking to build an energy efficiency strategy.
But it is this range of choice that can create the challenge for specifiers and end users. How best to achieve energy efficiency within budget? What type of control systems will achieve the level of energy efficiency required for a building? And perhaps the most important question today would be, what is the payback period for my investment?
Anyone looking for answers to these questions, would do well to start with BS EN 15232: Energy performance of buildings - Impact of building automation, control and building management.   EN15232  is one of a set of European standards designed to support the European Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD).   It defines the minimum levels of building controls required to achieve different levels of energy efficiency in a number of building types.
The standard was developed using advanced building simulation modeling, so it can be used as a tool to qualify the energy efficiency of building control and BEMS projects. This means that it is also possible to quantify the benefits of different levels of building control - putting specification and calculation of payback periods on a much firmer footing.
For facilities and energy managers, EN 15232 assigns classes A, B, C or D to levels of control within a building, and shows the resulting energy efficiencies that could be expected.  The main areas of building services are covered, including control of heating, cooling, ventilation and air conditioning, and lighting. For every area different levels of control are assessed. For example, for heating control the analysis starts with ‘no control’ on the heating system – the highest supply output is continuously supplied, resulting in the emission of unnecessary heat at partial loads. Other levels of control are then considered, from central automatic control that reduces energy losses at partial load, through to integrated individual room control including demand control based on occupancy or air quality.
This is an invaluable tool for those looking to balance capital investment against long-term energy savings. It also makes specification of BEMS a much clearer process for everyone involved, from the end-user client to the installer.  The BCIA is recommending use of EN 15232 for specifiers and end-users planning a building controls or BEMS project. Not only does the standard give a clear indication of energy savings that can be expected from the use of controls, it also offers a common language for specification.
Ian Ellis will expand more on this topic during a seminar presentation at NEMEX on 24th May 2011 at the NEC. Full information on this year’s NEMEX can be found at www.sustainabilitylive.com
The Building Controls Industry Association is the unified voice of the UK controls industry. The BCIA supports its members in their efforts to establish and maintain the highest standards in product and system development and application. The BCIA believes that building controls are central to energy efficiency in buildings and aims to educate the market about the correct design, specification and use. www.bcia.co.uk

Mobilising your forces to become sustainable
The current trend for sustainable construction is weighted in favour of how products can save money over the lifetime of a building – running efficiently, generating electricity, preventing heat-loss, etc – with less consideration for how they were manufactured. True sustainability runs much deeper, and the best way to make it work is to draw on an existing resource – your employees – an approach that is appropriate in any business. Derek Dragten, marketing director for Saint-Gobain Glass explains the kind of results this can generate.
Potentially, glass could have an incredibly positive impact on the energy performance of a building. According to the European Association of Flat Glass Manufacturers, 40% of Europe’s emissions come from buildings. If double glazing with reinforced thermal insulation were to come into general use in Europe, CO2 emissions could potentially be reduced by 90 million metric tons per year.
This figure can be improved further if products such as SGG Planitherm Total+ are used. SGG Planitherm Total+ has an optimum centre pane U-value of 1.2W/m2K, and a G-value of 0.71, which makes it easier than ever before for windows to achieve a C WERs rating – the likely minimum standard that replacement windows will have to achieve when the amended Building Regulations that came into force in October last year. It also means that A rated windows are easier to manufacture.
However, it smacks of hypocrisy if, while manufacturing products that save energy, the company ignores its own inefficient practices. Managing your carbon footprint is notoriously difficult, so where do you start cleaning up
your act?
Empowering the workforce is a sensible first step. If you don’t win the co-operation of your staff, implementing recycling or energy-cutting schemes would be near to impossible. For example, committees can be established to take on the responsibility for carrying out some of the plans you may have. On the Saint-Gobain site at Eggborough, Yorkshire, we created a committee to manage the energy reduction, another to manage waste cullet (waste float glass as a by-product of the glass processing), and another to manage the recycling of other waste material.
The energy reduction scheme made an annual saving of £20,000 by cutting down on the warehouse heating and lighting, and by encouraging employees to turn off lights and computers has saved the company about £2,000 per year. The company also had success in diverting non-glass products from landfill (see box – Reduce, re-use, recycle).
Sustainable manufacture also refers to the way you recruit your staff, and how it impacts on the community in which you are based. Why bring in experienced people from outside the area, and push out the local community – denying them the right to work nearby? Saint-Gobain Glass made the decision very early on to train its workers directly from the local community, rather than attracting established glass workers. While this is an example of social sustainability, it also affects the environment, since Saint-Gobain’s workers have less far to travel.
Saint-Gobain has won many plaudits for its sustainable approach to manufacture. For example it was awarded a BCE award (Business Commitment to the Environment) specifically for its cullet return program where waste glass from the company’s customers is reused in the glass making process. This scheme helps the company to use 30% recycled material in the manufacture of its float glass. This diverts waste glass away from landfill, results in fewer empty lorries on the road, and uses 12% less energy and fewer raw materials in the manufacturing process, which, in turn, produces less of the greenhouse gas CO2.
The Sunday Times also ranked Saint-Gobain Glass as one of the UK’s Best Green Companies, and it was awarded ISO14001 by the BSi. However, it was by concentrating on our employees – and winning an Investors in People award – that proved to be to be the most valuable when improving Saint-Gobain Glass’s sustainable credentials.

Another solution in the heat pump market
The UK’s number one underfloor heating specialist has introduced a range of air to water heat pumps for the first time, as it looks to broaden its domestic heating solutions.
Uponor has entered the heat pump market after identifying a high demand for the energy efficient product, which is seen as an ideal accompaniment to its existing underfloor heating and plumbing systems.
Uponor is working alongside Toshiba Carrier to offer complete system solutions,, which are expected to significantly penetrate a market growth  of  around 100,000 units per year over the next 10 years.
It is hoped that the partnership will lead to a seamless heating provision from Uponor, both from an installation and aftersales perspective.
Uponor’s applications manager Neil Young said discussions had been taking place for around 12 months to add heat pump systems to the brand’s portfolio.
He said: “Uponor has always placed a huge emphasis on its ‘family of products‘ which offer a variety of different solutions and a number of advantages over our competitors.
“Our portfolio of heat pumps are a welcome addition and represent the start of an exciting new chapter for Uponor.
“Heat pumps and underfloor heating systems have always been very closely aligned, operating most efficiently at very similar low water temperatures.
“The decision to expand into this market will offer installers a fully integrated system and a peace of mind for the end user.”
Neil added that while there was a lot of competition in the heat pump market, Uponor’s ‘philosophy of plumbing’ would ensure lasting success for the business.
“A lot of companies sell heat pumps. What we want to do is to look at each individual project and offer more in terms of the finished solution. We will assess each project individually and see what is the best way forward. If heat pumps are suitable we can specify the right one together with the most appropriate underfloor heating package.
“If heat pumps are not a suitable option, then we will be able to say why not and find a solution that works.”
All Uponor staff will be fully trained at the company’s Lutterworth based training academy with representatives from Toshiba Carrier.
Each product will also boast a three year guarantee as standard, which to our knowledge is the longest agreement of its kind in the market.
Neil said that the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive was also great news for the industry and could not be underestimated.
“Last year, figures revealed around 4,000 heat pump sales – a figure that will grow considerably over the coming years.
“With the Government’s commitment to its Renewable Heat Incentive as well, we see air source heat pumps as a significant addition to our range of domestic heating solutions.”

Tai Ceredigion brings sustainable heating to Uplands tenants
Tai Ceredigion has been working hard for its tenants in rural areas to deliver alternative sources of energy instead of expensive bottled gas or oil. The consultation process with tenants and investigations into a green energy pilot scheme at Pontrhydfendigaid, Ponterwyd and Pontrhydygroes villages have been completed, and bore hole drilling has now started on the estates to fit the new ground and air source heat pumps which will bring affordable heating and hot water to up to 48 residents in the area.
The housing association has sustainability and green initiatives at its core and believes investing in the future, and is exploring ways to be more sustainable by providing low carbon solutions for heating and hot water for its tenants and leaseholders.
Drilling work has now started on the estates of Pontrhydfendigaid, Ponterwyd and Pontrhydygroes for the energy efficient ground and air source heat pumps which will bring affordable heating and hot water up to to 48 residents in the area.
Steve Jones said “As the climate changes and fossil fuels deplete, we at Tai Ceredigion believe it makes sense to harness energy which is all around us. Tai Ceredigion has been looking at solar panels, air and ground source heat pumps and found that heat pumps which are up to 400% efficient and extract the heat stored in the air or ground are the answer.”
 Llyr Edwards, Tai Ceredigion’s Director of Property Services said “We believe sourcing a sustainable heating solution not only for today but for the future is essential. Heat pumps are proven to reduce emissions by an average of 50% compared to fossil fuel boilers or electric heating, making them the most effective way of reducing the impact on both the environment and domestic fuel costs. We want to supply the best for our tenants and leaseholders and reduce energy bills without having such an effect on the environment.”

New BSRIA Guide

1. Underfloor Heating and Cooling
2. This new guide (BG4/2011) will replace the previous Underfloor Heating: A Designer's Guide (AG12/2001) and Underfloor Heating Installations: Assessment Standard (AG13/2001).
3. The guide incorporates the advances in the technology, design methods and applications of underfloor systems that have taken place in the last ten years, including the growth in cooling applications and the integration of renewable energy. It provides straightforward technical guidance to those who are new to underfloor heating systems and provides a good reference guide for those more experienced in the industry.
4. The guide will be useful for designers, installers, clients/end-users and manufacturers of underfloor heating systems and related products such as building controls and boilers. It provides easy to use checklists and invaluable advice. For example it enables:
5. • Initial system sizing before getting details from manufacturers
6. • Selection of the most suitable underfloor heating or cooling system (to complement your floor finishes and energy sources)
7. • The prevention of costly mistakes with system selection or installation
8. This is a fully comprehensive guide containing 117 pages, 24 tables and 38 figures.
9. Copies of Underfloor Heating and Cooling (BG4/2011) are now available at £25 to BSRIA members and £50 to non-members.