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Ecobuild launches: PV, carbon assessment, commercial ASHP and hardened wood

10/3/2010

Building4change features a few of the product launches at this year's show.

This year's Ecobuild included a huge number of new products, from the innovation of the Modern Built Environment Knowledge Transfer Network (MBEKTN) Future Zone to the latest developments from the many, many manufacturers exhibiting at the show. Here's a brief run-down of four of the products on show:

Redland

Redland showcased its new, second generation Solar PV Tile range, designed for aesthetics and ease of installation (shown here).

The five PV tile options each match popular Redland ranges for slate, profile tile and plain tile roofs, each PV tile replacing 6 or 6.5 roof tiles. The PV tiles have matching sidelocks and aluminium top and fit easily to adjoining roof tiles.

The roof-integrated solar PV systems are included in Redland's 15 year roof system guarantee, making them attractive for the social housing market and the manufacturer has a specialist team to support specifiers designing new homes for Code for Sustainable Homes level 3 and above

The guarantee could be an added benefit for homebuyers seeking to take advantage of the government's new feed-in tariff, as Redland head of marketing, Richard Hartley explained: "The new feed-in tariffs recognise the importance of electricity-generating roof tiles to the climate change agenda, with both the highest tariff levels (up to 41.3p/kWh) and the longest tariff lifetime (25 years) compared to other micro-generation technologies. Tariff levels have been set to provide a nominal rate of return of around 8-10 per cent.

"With this is in mind, it is obviously vital that both the systems and the roof will perform throughout that period."

The PV tile meets the current Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) standard and, anticipating advances in industry certification, has successfully undergone dynamic wind loading, deluge and driving rain, and fire resistance testing, putting it in a strong position to be the first system to meet the new MCS solar renewable roof integration standard when it is introduced.   

Carbon Assessor tool

Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES) and Davis Langdon launched the Carbon Assessor, a tool for facilities managers and finance managers grappling with the demands of the approaching Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC).

The web-based tool (at www.checkmycarbon.com), allows energy data to be gathered and analysed, with building portfolio managers able to drill down to detail such as carbon emissions per person and per square foot of space. Organisations can build-up carbon emission records, and access automatic calculations of total footprint, CRC emission, carbon allowance requirement and five-year average absolute metric figures. 

David Rees, partner with Davis Langdon said: There are a lot of holistic carbon footprint tools, but this is finer grained. If you are a council, for example, you could enter schools as a separate category. You can customise the tool to your needs.

David McEwan, UK director of IES added: "It is an organic tool that starts with the entering of the data. But there's scope to do other things with it. If we can get enough people on board, this will form the basis of a benchmarketing club."

Carbon Assessor is being made available from 1 April and anyone registering before that date will be able to access the tool on a free trial until 1 June 2010. After this time, the tool will be available at a fee of from £750 for 20 buildings and two registered users.

The tool is backed by consultancy services from the partners, with Davis Langdon providing strategic advice to clients. Rees said: "A lot of people might be misled into adopting renewables, when the first target should be dealing with the existing fabric. The Carbon Reduction Commitment is one of the first things that will push all parts of construction to give the right advice".

Mod Pack Air Source Commercial Heat Pump

Blackpool-based heat pump supplier ICS has set its sights on the market for retrofitting the UK's existing office buildings. At Ecobuild it launched the DeLonghi-Climaveneta Mod Pack heat pump system, which is suitable for oil, LPG or gas boiler replacements for commercial refurbishments.

The 100kW heat pump delivers 65 degrees C output temperatures in ambient temperatures as low as -12 degrees C.

Gary Broadbent, managing director of ICS Heat Pump Technology said: "The commercial market presents huge opportunities. In existing commercial buildings and with the Carbon Reduction Commitment, heat pumps can be an attractive option. Carbon reductions of 40 per cent are achievable."

Kebony

Norwegian wood company Kebony showed off its alternative to tropical hardwood and toxic treated woods.

The company uses a process developed by Canadian scientist Marc Schneider at the University of New Brunswick, which involves treating sustainable wood such as Maple and Southern Yellow Pine with bio waste and heating it to harden it. The Norwegian-made product has achieved compliance with Nordic eco-label, the Swan.