INDUSTRIAL/ COMMERCIAL HEATING AND COOLING SPECIAL FEATURES This month: HVAC deep learning; Design for Performance; AC condensation for WCs MPs to examine the potential of heat pumps Environmental Audit Committee calls for submissions on how uptake of the technology could be accelerated The pros and cons of accelerating the rollout of heat pumps across the country are to be debated by MPs on the parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee (EAC). The Prime Minister has already stated that ground source heat pumps would play a major part in his green industrial revolution, and the Committee on Climate Change estimates that 19 million heat pumps will need to be installed to meet the governments commitment to reach net zero by 2050. However, the EAC believes there are limitations to rolling out the technology not least its cost compared with conventional heating technologies, such as gas boilers, and the need to increase the capacity of the electricity grid. Heat pumps are playing an increasingly significant role in decarbonising heat in other countries. I look forward to the committee examining why this has yet to take off across the UK, said EAC chair Philip Dunne. The committee is calling for submissions on how uptake of the technology could be accelerated, including: raising public awareness; what can be done to reduce costs; and how the government can help to tackle the skills gap for designers, builders and installers. CCC estimates 19 million heat pumps will need to be installed to meet net zero target Baxi wins funding to develop heat as a service for customers Baxi Heating has secured funding from Innovate UK to develop a Digital Servitisation Demonstrator as part of UK governments Manufacturing Made Smarter initiative a 300m project that aims to boost manufacturing productivity by 30%. Baxi is developing the project with the Advanced Services Group, part of Aston University Business School. Servitisation is a business model whereby rather than simply selling products companies provide a package of value-added services surrounding those products. The business model can involve customers paying for a complete service which may include installation, maintenance, monitoring, servicing or even upgrading of equipment for a fee. Baxi Heating says its Digital Servitisation Demonstrator will be developed by combining advanced services and digital servitisation technologies including sensors, software and other internet of things (IoT) technologies to create a digital model of Baxis manufacturing and service business. This would allow customers to purchase a complete comfort package that offers monitoring, maintenance and servicing of all their heating requirements. Worcester Bosch outlines future vision UK boiler manufacturer Worcester Bosch has published a white paper on decarbonisation, outlining the firms vision for how to achieve this. Fuelling the Future discusses hydrogenready boilers, heat pumps, and hybrid systems that are being developed as part of a cleaner, low-carbon environment. Worcester Bosch CEO Carl Arntzen said: We are very aware that there is unlikely to be one singular answer for all applications and, consequently, we have been investigating how certain heat-generating sources may be more suited to certain property types. To view or download the white paper, visit bit.ly/CJNov20Bosch District heating pipework upgraded Rehau has launched its latest generation of pre-insulated pipework designed to help specifiers and contractors deliver low carbon district heat networks. The bonded polyurethane foam of the Rauthermex pre-insulated pipe achieves a lambda value of 0.0199W.mK-1 improved from 0.0216W.mK-1 which, the manufacturer says, equates to around 7-8% heat-loss improvement across the range. The more profiled outer jacket reduces the bending radius by up to 30%, and less force is needed to bend the pipe on site. For more information, visit www.rehau.uk/districtheating Sharp drop in global air conditioning sales Sales of all types of air conditioning have fallen worldwide this year, according to market research firm BSRIA. Its latest report described the past six months as challenging for the industry in all 20 major markets it surveyed. Sales of chillers have fallen by 6%, split systems 8%, rooftops 12% and VRF 4% in the period since Covid-19 took hold. The light commercial markets, which rely on retail, hospitality and leisure sector applications have been hit hardest with particularly serious consequences for large splits (>5kW) and VRF. But some VRF systems with dedicated outdoor air systems are being installed to meet the ventilation required in retail premises that have been repurposed as healthcare facilities. There has also been growth in demand for products that can self-clean, ventilate and offer air purification. www.cibsejournal.com November 2020 45 CIBSE Nov 2020 pp45-46 Heating/Cooling news.indd 45 23/10/2020 16:30