On January 1st of this year, Lot 20 Legislation, derived from the European Ecodesign Directive (2009/125/EC), came into play in the UK, becoming the largest change to the electrical heating industry in two decades. The new energy regulations have already changed the landscape of energy efficiency and are set to continue to have a large impact as they continue to roll out.
What are the Lot 20 Regulations?
The basic goals of the Lot 20 Regulations are to make all energy-using products as environmentally friendly as possible without hindering their efficiency.
Taking into account the average output of energy in a single home each day, it is easy to understand why this legislation is so important to a sustainable future. It marks a shifting focus toward a day when the entire European continent is using resources more effectively – with far less impact on the environment.
Energy-using products encompass a large range, and as such will have an effect on all facilities and facility managers.
Application
With a shift to more efficient energy usage there comes a shift in the way equipment manufacturers design their products. A good example comes in the form of HVAC systems in facilities. Manufacturers like Transtherm Cooling Industries have totally revamped the way that they blueprint their products.
What they have done is look at how climate can affect the usage of cooling technology. In the UK, where temperatures are cooler over the long term, dry cooling and free cooling reduces energy consumption. This requires a proper relationship between weather conditions and system performance though.
If we take the estimated average temperature for the south west of England at 10.3℃, then we can also estimate that dry cooling modes will work for about 97% of the year due to the colder climate. This means that the system will only switch to evaporative cooling the other 3% of the time, when temperatures rise past 23℃.
By using regional weather data, facility managers are able to better understand the specific needs of their HVAC systems in their particular location.
More importantly, facility managers are able to do a close-estimate summary which indicates which mode the cooling system will need to operate at maximum efficiency and minimal invasiveness throughout the entire year.
Furthermore, knowing the energy and water consumption figures will help them determine how successful the system will be in producing the right water outlet temperatures – against fluctuating regional temperatures.
IoT Addition
As a result of this changing focus in HVAC systems and energy consumption in general, the idea behind IoT (internet of things) in facility management is shoved to the forefront of modern methodology.
By acquiring, implementing or using automated control systems that can govern things like internal temperatures as well as adjust to fluctuations in outside temperatures, a more energy efficient future for all comes one step closer.
Voltix Services is committed to the health of the environment and a sustainable future for all. As such, we are fully behind the implementation of the Lot 20 Regulations and are happy to provide our services to facilities who are looking to update their HVAC systems to meet new requirements and take advantage of innovative technology. Contact Voltix Services now for an assessment.