Showersave Supports Passivhaus Certified School

Showersave, part of The Keystone Group, which provides drain water heat recovery solutions, has collaborated with Currie Community High School to install Waste Water Heat Recovery Systems (WWHRS) as part of the school’s journey to Passivhaus certification.   

Built as part of the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP), the £65 million facility in south-west Edinburgh accommodates 1,000 students and includes a swimming pool, theatre, café and extensive sports facilities. LEIP is a joint initiative between national and local government that aims to modernise learning environments while delivering sustainable, long-term estate planning.

Pioneered by the City of Edinburgh Council, the project set out to achieve Passivhaus certification, an internationally recognised energy-efficiency standard that minimises energy consumption by reducing the reliance on active heating and cooling systems. Passivhaus buildings are designed to be net-zero-ready and resilient to future climate conditions.

Demonstrating its commitment to these principles, the City of Edinburgh Council won the AJ100 Awards  Client of the Year 2021 for its leadership on the climate agenda and visionary approach to education projects, citing Currie Community High School as a leading example.

Currie Community High School is only the third school in Scotland to be built to Passivhaus standards and is expected to consume 70% less energy than a conventional school. Its design has been modelled to withstand predicted climate changes up to 2080.

To support the whole-building approach required by Passivhaus, Kier Construction opted to install Showersave’s WWHRS. These systems capture heat from shower waste water and use it to preheat incoming cold water. The WWHRS can achieve a reduction in the demand for hot water from the heat source by up to 50%, helping meet an operational target of 67 kWh/m2/year.

Showersave systems integrate seamlessly into showers, requiring no change in behaviour from students. With no moving parts or switches, they feature a built-in overflow for safety and are fully reusable and recyclable, making them an environmentally responsible choice.

At Currie Community High School, Showersave has benefited both students and the wider community. The facilities, including the pool, gym and sports hall, are all used outside of school hours, with showering facilities available after exercise. Showersave’s WWHRS ensure every shower taken remains warm, is more efficient while cutting CO2 emissions, and reduces energy costs.

Cameron Loggenberg, Technical Manager at Showersave, commented: “It was fantastic to work alongside Currie Community High School to support their journey to net zero. The integration of Showersave’s WWHRS will significantly reduce energy consumption, lower costs, and improve SAP performance.”

Gerard McCluskey, Mechanical Engineer at Castle, added: “Showersave is an excellent addition to Currie Community High School’s efforts to create a low-carbon, energy-efficient facility for both students and the public.” The WWHRS will help ensure hot water demand does not put strain on the main heat source or drive up energy costs.”

Since 2005, more than 200,000 Showersave systems have been installed across the UK and Europe. Showersave is the only WWHR solution on the market designed, manufactured, and distributed by a single company – streamlining the supply chain and allowing the business to respond swiftly to the fast-evolving demands of the industry.

For more information on Showersave’s waste water heat recovery solutions, call 028 9334 4488, email sales@showersave.com or visit www.showersave.com. Click here to find out more about the Currie Community High School project.

Gilberts Delivers The Low-Down

Gilberts is delivering the low-down on how building services can meet the challenge of the changing office landscape. The drivers of reduced energy costs, creating a healthier working environment and flexible office spaces are combining to see increasing demand for underfloor air distribution (UfAD): up 8% according to market data. 

Gilberts' uniquely designed GFS floor swirl diffuser brings new dimensions for designers and users of the internal space. Its performance characteristics mean GFS can help towards WELL, LEED and BREEAM accreditation.

The GFS circulates air from the floor void with no need for direct ducting. As a result, it can be positioned anywhere across the floor plan. And GFS maximises agile offices: all that is needed is repositioning of the diffuser - often just swapping a floor tile - with no need to reconfigure the air circulation paths nor ducting. The patented design enables the choice of horizontal or diagonal (45°) swirling omni-directional or diffused airflow at floor level.

Heating and cooling is quickly and effectively delivered where the occupants are. Excess heat generated by the occupants - people and machines - and airborne pollutants are displaced upwards and out, optimising indoor air quality and comfort. Gilberts has incorporated a volume control damper into the diffuser which regulates the quantity of airflow as required for occupant comfort and doubles as a dirt trap.

The diffuser plate removes easily to facilitate cleaning, adjustment or maintenance. Whilst predominantly used for air supply, GFS can, like all Gilberts’ swirl diffusers, also function as the ventilation extract, further simplifying the design and specification process.

Dave Harding, Gilberts’ Sales & Marketing Director, comments: “The efficiency of UfAD systems - delivering heating and cooling at low level - is established. Our GFS enhances those proven USPs. It gives much greater flexibility over how the occupied space is used, even as that usage changes. It’s a simple consideration to the specification that can have a huge impact on the appeal for owners and tenants.”

Gilberts has a proven track record in supporting creation of stimulating work environments, with projects including the British Music Experience in Liverpool, the F35 flight simulator at BAE Systems in Warton and lecture theatres at University of Lancashire. All of Gilberts' products - standard lines and bespoke solutions - are designed and developed in accordance with BS EN ISO 9001:2015 quality standard in their state-of-the-art 140,000 ft² facility in Blackpool.

The test facility, including an air movement laboratory and specialist CFD and BIM software suites, give customers unrivalled technical support and specification validation. The company is committed to protecting the environment by minimising embodied life cycle carbon in its manufacturing processes and has achieved bronze status in the Supply Chain Sustainability School.  https://gilbertsblackpool.com

Three Stelrad CPDs Upgraded And Approved By CIBSE

Leading radiator manufacturer Stelrad Radiators has long lead the way in the provision of training and sharing knowledge via continuing professional development courses about every aspect of the use and specification of radiators on heating systems. You can now learn about the latest developments in radiators, from these upgraded CPD training sessions led by a Stelrad expert. Each one-hour training session counts towards your annual CPD requirement and can be arranged for you on a one- to-one or group basis at your practice, at a time to suit you, either face-to-face or via Teams. 

The original three CPDs offered have now been superseded by three new 1-hour courses – Space Heating with Radiators, Decarbonisation with Radiators and Low Surface Temperature Radiators – updated to meet CIBSE’s high technical standards, offering meaningful learning outcomes reflecting the latest legislation.

They are designed to meet Stelrad’s evolving customer needs ensuring that the content remains both relevant and impactful. “We’ve just received approval from CIBSE for these three new CPDs and we’re ready to begin offering these to interested parties up and down the country,” says Sarah Baker, Stelrad’s Marketing Communications Manager. “We know from the excellent feedback we’ve had to previous versions just how well received these are and we’re expecting heavy take up of these new versions now they are available.” For more information or to book a CPD session, call 01709 578 950 or email marketing@stelrad.com