Modern Building Services

MODERN BUILDING SERVICES MARCH 2023 7 INDUSTRY NEWS Veolia makes major step forward in renewable energy generation at Scotland’s largest wastewater treatment works Veolia is helping ScottishWater to achieve Net Zero by increasing the amount of renewable energy generated at Scotland’s largest Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW), Seafield in Leith. Since June 2022 Seafield has been a net exporter of renewable electricity producing over 108% of the electricity it requires to run the site, with generation on some days being in excess of 125% of the site’s needs. This equates to Seafield exporting enough renewable electricity to power over 800 homes every single day during this period, and is the first time the site has been a net exporter for such a prolonged period. SeafieldWwTWtreatswaste for a population equivalent of approximately 850,000 people fromEdinburgh and the surrounding areawhich equates to 300million litres of wastewater every day. As the UKwater industry is the fourthmost energy intensive sector and uses around 3%of UK generated electricity for pumping, water treatment andwastemanagement, achieving energy self-sufficiency is a key milestone. By implementing a range of innovations covering anaerobic digestion, thermal hydrolysis and 3.9MWe of combined heat and power technologies, the site produces its own renewable biogas supply fromthe wastewater treatment, and uses this to generate renewable electricity and heat to support the site’s operations.The success of the energy plant has enabled the site to exceed its target of energy self-sufficiency, taken pressure off the grid and cut carbon emissions and energy costs. www.veolia.co.uk BCIA releases two new technical guides The Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) has released two new Technical Guides to add to its portfolio of online Guides available to download. The first Guide covers the various Building Assessment Schemes, including BREEAM, LEED, NABERS, RESET, WELL Being Standard and WiredScore. Building Assessment Schemes set performance standards for the built environment, including new builds and refurbishment schemes, by assessing a project’s environmental impact through the design, specification, construction and operation phases of a building. The second Guide provides an overview of the UK and European Regulations for non-domestic buildings. Non-domestic buildings account for 11% of the total annual energy consumption and carbon emissions throughout the UK and Europe. Historically driven by the European Union and adopted into UK law, the Energy Performance of Buildings directive (EPBD) and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) have been the instruments to regulate energy consumption and set targets to reach net zero carbon emissions. Since the United Kingdom left the European Union, the department for Business, Environment, and Industrial strategy (BEIS) has become responsible for setting the environmental, Net Zero and sustainable goals for the future. The BCIA’s Technical Guides are designed to help members and those in the building controls and BEMS industry work more effectively. All Technical Guides can be downloaded at: www.bcia.co.uk/resources Viessmann Group announces record € 4 billion revenue and 19% growth The Viessmann Group continued to grow in 2022, increasing its total revenue to € 4 billion, an increase of 19% over 2021’s turnover of € 3.4 billion. In its 105th anniversary year, the family company grew from 13,000 to 14,500 employees. The results reflect the company’s strong strategy and resilience across its divisions, which include climate solutions (heating and cooling), refrigeration& clean rooms, investment, venture capital investment, real estate, and theViessmann Foundation (social responsibility). The growth of the climate solutions division was accelerated in particular by the high demand for renewable technologies including heat pumps with natural refrigerants, biomass, solar thermal, electric storage, heat generators powered by green gases and liquid green fuels, as well as air purification solutions and digital services. In the particularly challenging year of 2022, the company announced its plans to invest € 1 billion in the expansion of green climate solutions. As a result, the company has expanded heat pump development capacity and almost doubled the number of employees in this area. Construction of a new heat pump site in Poland has started. Among initiatives promoting environmental protection and charitable causes in its home market of Germany, the company donated € 5 million to charities supporting Ukrainian people who urgently needed help and solidarity during winter. More than half of the money was given to aid projects that support children and families in and from Ukraine in their time of need, including donations to the three major organisations, Aktion Deutschland Hilft, Unicef, and Save the Children. www.viessmann.family/en