Chartwell has been engaged by a leading high street bank to lead an innovative futureproofing project at a major office building in London, UK. The company is the primary contractor on the programme, which is upgrading the BEMS (Building Energy Management System).
The site of the new project is a seven-storey, 18,500sq m office building in Euston, London. The first part of the programme involves upgrading now-obsolete BeMS technology. This will help protect the building’s efficient operation for years to come while simultaneously improving occupant comfort, reducing the risk of system failures and cutting energy use.
“This is not a like-for-like replacement,” explains David Edmed, projects manager at Chartwell. “The project calls for the transition of Trend IQ2 controllers to the latest IQ4 controllers, with a keen focus on introducing energy saving enhancements. The work is being undertaken in a ‘live’ environment – that is, without disrupting our client’s daily use of the facility.”
The scale of the project is impressive. Beginning in December 2016, the fast-track schedule sees some 80 IQ4 main plant controllers and 500 IQECO terminal controllers installed, along with a site-wide utilities metering system. We’re using Demand Logic, a data analysis platform, as an integral part of the commissioning process and to identify where existing BeMS software could be fine-tuned. We’re working closely with our client’s maintenance supplier, CBRE, as well as our client’s on-site facilities management team.”
“We spotted the potential of Demand Logic early on and we’ve been championing use of the platform ever since,” says Andy Horrigan, energy manager at Chartwell’s energy division. “The platform allows us to collect a huge amount of data in a very short space of time to accurately assess how the BeMS is performing. We can then pinpoint whether software or hardware interventions are needed, resulting in a targeted, intelligence-led approach to optimisation and service. Introducing this technology early in a project means our client can be assured that their BeMS is performing optimally from the very beginning.”
This project follows on from a package of optimisation works carried out for this client by the company’s energy division in 2015. Chartwell worked on 10 of the bank’s flagship office buildings around the UK and significantly cut annual energy use.
The dramatic results convinced the client to engage Chartwell from the outset on this new project.
Design and fabrication of the system is taking place at Chartwell’s bespoke technology centre, which is located in Kent.
“The market is changing,” observes Alan King, director of Chartwell’s energy and service divisions. “Chartwell is equipped to take on the complete package, including mechanical works. This particular project demonstrates that clients are increasingly aware of the benefits that a properly designed, commissioned and optimised BeMS can deliver. We’ve clearly demonstrated the impressive return on investment that can be realised through proper use of controls on numerous recent projects, as well as the significant reduction in carbon. This project is unusual in the way that all facets have been brought under Chartwell’s leadership; we’re confident that this end-to -end thinking will result in a far more effective result for our client, while reducing the number of stakeholders will streamline the whole process to the benefit of all involved. We look forward to continuing to reset expectations when it comes to what is possible within the controls industry.”