So for those of us remaining hopeful that we’ll see some form of monitoring requirement in the not too distant future, what do we do in the meantime?

The good news is, the air movement industry is working on systems which are capable of self-regulating air quality without necessarily needing to be kept under such a watchful eye. Good news for specifiers and contractors, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Unbeknown to many, Demand Controlled Ventilation systems can be installed within a building to adapt to the demand of the occupied space. These systems ensure the space is provided with the right amount of air, while energy consumption is reduced.

The latest Demand Controlled Ventilation technology operates by using VAV diffusers, which effectively control ventilation levels by regulating airflow according to the air quality.

And here’s the real benefit. By relying on a self- regulating system, building users may only need to check their ventilation levels once every three years or so, safe in the knowledge that their DCV can adjust itself whenever the air quality fluctuates – boosting energy efficiency at the same time.

DCV should really have a much higher profile within the legislation that covers the energy our buildings use. Modern buildings need to be flexible to accommodate fluctuations in occupancy levels, yet need to also deliver energy efficiency, so the fact that systems which can do this automatically are not promoted by any formal legislation is a missed opportunity. Maybe it’s time we started making this shift ourselves.

The £28 million student accommodation scheme called ‘The Gateway’, has provided 458 apartments and retail, restaurant and office spaces in Block A and an eight storey building, Block B, will accommodate 77 student apartments.

Elta, Senior Technical Sales Engineer, Toby Worrall said: “The design schedule for these contracts stressed the importance of a number of factors, including noise and optimised performance capabilities through the provision of DCV control.”

Elta Group’s Product Marketing Manager, Nygel Humphrey added: “Also important in the schedule was the ability of the ventilation system to provide speed control and fault monitoring for the customer’s Building Management System. It was clear that the DCV enabled Quietflow range was the optimum solution”.

Elta has extensive experience of supplying heating and ventilating solutions for a diverse range of applications, including schools and colleges which have proved a particular growth area for the business in recent months.

The Springwell Community School is a mixed comprehensive serving almost 1,000 students in the former mining area of North East Derbyshire.

In recent years the original 1960’s buildings have been extended significantly with a number of new facilities added including a Performing Arts Centre and a Sports Complex, with the school having now achieved a “Specialist College for the Arts” status. Local main contractor Bowmer & Kirkland are currently involved in a multimillion pound construction project to create a brand new series of five buildings, with a combined footprint of 6,150 square metres, which will ensure the school will be a hub for education in the Staveley and Brimington Community.

A critical part of any school is the means through which the optimum environmental conditions are achieved and maintained, with the sound performance of the heating and ventilation system a particular consideration in a learning environment.

A series of Quietflow SQS single fans and Quietflow SQT twin fans were specified by electrical and mechanical sub-contractor Derry Building Services, manufactured by Elta and supplied through Leicester based MasterAir, one of the companies within Elta’s comprehensive network of distributors. Manufactured from thick galvanised steel with the centrifugal impellers driven by motors mounted on anti-vibration mounts, the Quietflow fans, as the name suggests, are designed to combine optimum performance with minimum noise. The fans are tested to the latest British Standards for airside and noise performance at Elta’s own test facilities, ensuring current and reliable data.

Elta is part of the £85 million Elta Group, a family of businesses with operations in six countries on four continents which, together with a network of international distributors, provides quality fans and related air movement equipment to customers worldwide.

The school, St. Andrews High School, is a Roman Catholic, mixed, comprehensive school in Overton Road, Kirkcaldy, serving the eastern side of Fife.

Fifteen fans were supplied to mechanical and electrical subcontractors Livingston Mechanical Services Limited, through Elta distributor Lindab Glasgow. The order comprised five Quietflow Single, four Compact Plate fans, three SJ Jetflow, two STBD Twinflow and one Quietflow Twin along with all necessary speed controllers and invertors for use in the school’s new heating, ventilating (both smoke and natural ventilation) and air conditioning systems.

The project is the current phase of the local council’s alteration and extension programme – started as far back as 1999 – to upgrade the school and remove all the hutted accommodation from the school estate. It consists of alterations to the existing buildings, the forming of a link connection and the construction of a new, three-storey teaching block extension for Art & Design, Music, Computing, Business Education, Religious Education and Home Economics. It also includes new ancillary accommodation to address schooling needs, with energy efficiency and sustainability very much at the heart of the construction programme.

Stuart Johnstone, Key Account Manager for Elta in Scotland and responsible for the St Andrews project, comments ” “The education sector has become increasingly important to us as a business. It is a sector in which an environmentally aware approach to building is very much to the fore and this fits very well with our own philosophy of seeking to maximise the energy efficiency of our fans to contribute to that whole process of reducing the carbon footprint of school buildings. Maintaining a good balance of heating and ventilation is seen as particularly important in schools since stale, stuffy air and increased CO2 levels (as well as noise from equipment where attention has not been given to noise reduction) can have a significant impact on concentration levels, directly impacting on the ability to learn.”

Main contractor on the project is HBS Construction Glasgow, which has a strong reputation in the building sector ranging from the provision of primary and secondary level classrooms blocks, to extensive teaching and research facilities. Consulting Engineers are Grontmij, one of Europe’s largest multidisciplinary firms with clients in the private and public sectors.

A new games hall was opened in 2000 as the first stage of the programme, and a new building for Social Subjects and Guidance opened in 2004. The most recently completed extension at the rear of the school was opened in December 2008. In July 2009, work commenced on the refurbishment of two Craft and Design classrooms. In partnership with a local company, the school will also be refurbishing a classroom as a ‘Classroom for the Future’, a multi-purpose teaching area. Other projects currently ongoing within the education capital programme, include rainwater harvesting, increased building insulation/air tightness, natural ventilation strategies with window actuators – and a sedum roof.

For further information please contact Elta on 01384 275 800.

Elta is part of the £85 million Elta Group, a family of businesses with operations in six countries on four continents which, together with a network of international distributors, provides quality fans and related air movement equipment to customers worldwide.

‘The Orchards Federation’ at Cherry Tree, a new 350 pupil integrated special school/primary school in Farnworth, Bolton brings together the foundation stage, nursery and reception pupils from Cherry Tree Primary School, Green Fold Special School and St Germain Nursery in a single, ‘green’ building to share knowledge and best practice for the benefit of all their children.

Main contractors, Frasc Mechanical Services Limited of Walkden in Manchester, fitted each of thirteen, first-floor classrooms with an Elta Revolution SLC315 ” The robust, durable axial fans are fitted with adjustable pitch impellers, factory-set to maximise performance. They also set Elta’s 149-EVFD/18-1 inverter controllers in the ceiling space, complete with potentiometer, enabling staff to have full manual control of the heating and ventilating set-up. On the ground floor, classrooms were fitted with bespoke low profile Heat Recovery Units designed by Fastlane Ventilation Equipment Ltd, manufacturers of air handling and heat recovery units and part of the Elta Group.

The school’s BMS (Building Management System) is programmed to start these various elements of the system on a timing device. In hot weather the Heat Recovery Units are switched to bypass mode whilst the fans on the first floor are set to run backwards (“reverse purging”), to supply the classrooms with cool fresh air in time for the morning start ” a significant contributor to improving the children’s energy and concentration levels, therefore creating an environment much more conducive to learning.

‘The Orchards Federation’ site also incorporates a children’s centre, public library and the youth centre from Wildman Lane. A large format public display screen in the school foyer shows the current power production, total power to date, CO2 saved to date, cost savings to date and other useful information. This plays a valuable role in the children’s education in sustainability, offering a very real, tangible and powerful way of demonstrating a green approach at work.

It is against this background that Elta has developed its approach to Demand Control Ventilation (DCV). DCV is based on the simple concept that an empty room does not have the same ventilation needs as it does when occupied. Building ventilation systems often operate at constant or pre-determined rates (which are often based on maximum expectations) regardless of actual room occupancy. In using the appropriate sensor technology which already exists, DCV supply can be brought in line with demand ” and buildings can be made as energy-efficient as possible.

Elta is part of the £85 million Elta Group, a family of businesses with operations in six countries on four continents which, together with a network of international distributors, provides quality fans and related air movement equipment to customers worldwide.

Albion decided to implement a £3million-plus refurbishment of the 25-year-old Halfords Lane Stand, renamed the West Stand, after winning the Coca-Cola Championship last season. This work was undertaken during the summer months to improve the facilities for fans, club staff and the media. With such a tight turnaround to complete this large project, timing was crucial to get everything ready for the 2008/09 season.

Mechanical and Electrical contractors W T Parkers of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, turned again to Elta to meet the very strict deadlines for the supply of various fans and ancillaries, having successfully completed a similar project at Burton Albion.

Pete Elver, Director of Stadia Projects, introduced WT Parker to Albion, after working with them on Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium. Stadia Projects provide a service that bridges the gaps between the technical specifications of a construction project and the crucial, practical requirements of being fully operational. Pete’s first-hand knowledge of this comprehensive role makes him proactive in finding the best suppliers in the industry.

Herbert Strutt Primary School in Belper, Derbyshire can accommodate up to 210 pupils and from the outset was designed very much within the Government’s plans for future school buildings with energy efficiency and sustainability as a core focus.

The school features a number of green initiatives, including some of the more overt measures such as photovoltaic panels on the roof to generate electricity. Such readily visible methods not only save energy but also help to instil a green mentality in the pupils. However, one of the successes of the school is that it has looked beyond the more obvious environmental measures to a more holistic approach to energy efficiency which includes the vital role played by the heating, ventilating and air conditioning system.

Elta distributor, Fans & Spares of Nottingham, won the contract to supply the fans for the school’s HVAC system. The Elta units were specified, along with a series of controllers, room occupancy sensors, timers, switches and thermostats to which the fans were linked. This system ensured that rather than running constantly, the fans only operated in those rooms that are occupied, thereby providing significant energy savings. Sensors which monitor the temperature of a room also prevent the fans from extracting too much heat by automatically powering them down when a pre-defined temperature is reached. This again prevents energy wastage as there is no requirement for the room to be re-heated to achieve the desired temperature.

A total of 25 fans were fitted in the school, including 20 Jetflow SJ fans in various sizes. The Jetflow is one of the most extensive ranges of inline fans available, providing high performance in medium pressure systems through highly efficient, maintenance-free rotor motors and a robust, heavy gauge steel housing. Also supplied were two Multiflow SMC in-line mixed flow fans and three Quietflow SQS units – single fans which are acoustically lined to reduce breakout noise levels, a significant factor in certain areas of the school to remove any potential impact on the learning environment.

The holistic approach to energy efficiency adopted at the Herbert Strutt school is also demonstrated by other initiatives including the use of a geothermal heat pump which employs bore holes sunk some 40 metres down to capture the earth’s natural energy to warm the underfloor heating system, as well as holding tanks which collect rainwater which flushes the school’s toilets.

Phil Warner, Elta National Sales Manager, commented ” “We are increasingly, and quite rightly, seeing a focus on energy efficiency in buildings as sustainability in the construction process comes under scrutiny through documents such as Part L of the Building Regulations. This is particularly true in schools where the BSF initiative is making everybody involved consider how their products or services can help to move us towards the goal of zero carbon buildings by 2019.”

Elta is part of the £85 million Elta Group, a family of businesses with operations in six countries on four continents which, together with a network of international distributors, provides quality fans and related air movement equipment to customers worldwide.