350 EUSTON ROAD

Case Study short version

Improving building performances and carbon

footprint with innovative HVAC solutions.

Authors
Giuseppe Medeghini
Partner
Studio Planning

Prof. Michele De Carli

Department of Industrial
Engineering
University of Padua

Phil Draper
Technical and
Energy Manager,
Broadgate Estates

Executive summary
This report explores the advantages of a
range of HVAC alternatives. In particular it
demonstrates how heat pumps with heat
recovery can contribute to improving energy
performance and reducing the carbon
footprint of buildings, with a short payback,
thus being a viable technology for energy
cost reduction and for improving the UKs
building environmental impact.

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

Luigi De Rossi
Energy Analysis & Software
Selection Manager
Climaveneta Spa

Giacomo Favaro
Energy Analysis & Software
Selection Specialist
Climaveneta Spa

The study considers a real office building situated in 350

Euston road, Regents Place, London.
Owned by British Land and managed by Broadgate Estates,
this property has already achieved significant energy
reduction targets and has been awarded as best-practice
example for energy savings by several independent
institutions, among which CIBSE. Existing boilers and
chillers needed to be replaced.
In order to ensure transparency and quality of results, the
University of Padua - Department of Industrial Engineering
and Studio Planning has been involved, respectively as an
independent research institution and as qualified building
services engineering consultancy with great experience in
innovative heat pump applications.

Andrea Bertelle
Communications
Manager
Climaveneta Spa

A comprehensive energy model was developed to simulate

how the building operates. All actions and prospective
results have been designed on the real heating and cooling
needs of the building and are measured against a baseline
which represents an excellent energy efficient office
building in Central London.
The technological solutions considered are based on
Climaveneta proven technology, already implemented in
multiple buildings with success and proven records.
This research reflects British Land, Broadgate Estate and
Climaveneta shared commitment to advance best
practices in energy reduction and sustainability in new
property developments and management of existing
buildings by means of innovative HVAC design.

Key Findings
 Heat Pumps with heat recovery are a viable solution
for London office buildings offering an integrated
approach to the heating and cooling of the building.
 London climate conditions very well suit heat pump
operating limits making gas boilers redundant /
obsolete.
 Heat Pumps with heat recovery reduce the buildings
primary energy consumption by 38% and CO2
emissions by 34.6%.
 Due to the gradual de-carbonisation of the electric
energy production in the UK, the carbon reduction
achievable with this technology will improve over the
lifetime of the system, achieving savings between
75.4% and 88.4% in 2025.
 In new developments simplification of the system
allowed by this technology not only provides the
considerable savings described in this study but
results in reduced installation costs compared to a
chiller and boiler system.

 In refurbishments there are additional, although

limited, costs due to adapting existing piping works
to the new system, accounting for 5% of the total
investment. Given the achievable savings, the
payback is less than 2 years.
 Net Present Value of the total savings over the 15
years lifespan cover 60% of the total initial
investment.
 Enhancing the system based on heat pumps with
heat recovery with ancillary solutions, such as
thermal storage, and chiller plant optimization
systems, would further improve its energy
performance.
 Adopting Heat pumps eliminates gas usage at site
thus providing the opportunity to further reduce the
buildings carbon footprint by equipping the building
with a solar photovoltaic array.

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

The building
The current HVAC system has mechanical
ventilation and 4-pipe fancoil and is based on:
 3 boilers for heating, total capacity
1.380kW
 2 air-cooled chillers, total capacity
2.180 kW.
 2 AHU with 40,000 m3/h total air
flow, without heat recovery, with
bypass installed and driven
through BMS to decrement the
amount of external air supplied. If
needed, outdoor air is cooled and
dried by means of the cooling coil,
active also in summer.

 Terminal units: Fan coils originally

installed are without valves on the
supplying pipes. On the
refurbished floors new fan coil
units with two way valves have
been installed.
 Primary circuit with constant flow
pumps
 Secondary circuit with inverter
driven pumps, with no automatic
control

Operating conditions
Set-point temperature:
 Office spaces: 22C
throughout the year.
 Core 1 and Core 4: only
heating, with a minimum
temperature of 14C.

 Primary air supplied at 16C

with 65% relative humidity.
 The AHU cooling coil
operates with a surface
temperature of 11C and
90% efficiency.

Modifying some of such settings would allow further savings without

compromising the high comfort standards

Energy consumption has been decreasing in the last few years thanks to a
comprehensive energy reduction plan implemented by British Land predominantly based
on innovative building management policies, and limited refurbishments of existing
systems. The measures already applied in the HVAC system area are:
 Bypass on the AHU to allow a certain percentage of partial re-use of returned air.
 Inverter on secondary pumps.
 New fan coil units with two-way valves installed on the refurbished floors.
 Boilers off during Summer months, no post heating supplied to AHU.
Based on that, 2012 energy consumption for chillers and boilers has been analysed. At
a first glance, the data collected enable one to gather relevant information about the
building and its behaviour:
 Energy consumption was exceptionally low due to the renovation works on a
substantial section of the building.
 Cooling energy demand is high throughout year, due to the glazing that covers most
of the building envelope and to the high internal heat load caused by people and
appliances.
 This results in a significant overlay of heating and cooling loads, offering a very
interesting opportunity for energy recovery solutions. These solutions will be the
focus of this analysis.

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

 Address: 350 Euston Road, North East London.

Structure:
- 7 storeys, 16,016 sq ft, (1488 sq m) each
- Ground floor with a reception area and two
commercial areas
- Commercial areas have an autonomous
heating/cooling system, not included in
this analysis.
- 3 main technical areas from the
1st to the 7th floor.
- 2 atriums.

Envelope:
the 2 main surfaces are fully glazed: the double skin
has one single glass outside and one double glazing
surface inside. The double glazing has a U-value equal
to 1.78W/(m2K). The opaque walls have a U-value
equal to 0.6 W/(m2K).
 Orientation: The real orientation of the building and all
projected shadows have been taken into account and
the effect on solar radiation has been evaluated.

Thermal energy
consumption [kW/h]
250.000,00

Cooling demand
200.000,00
150.000,00

100.000,00

Heating demand
50.000,00

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Dynamic building energy model and baseline definition

A thorough and rigorous energy analysis has
been carried out following the six - step process
described below:
I A dynamic energy model based on current energy
consumption has been created, in order to have a
reliable baseline against which to simulate and measure
the energy savings achievable by the proposed
upgrades. The present comfort setting have been
maintained for the transparency of the comparison.
II The model has been created by the Department of
Industrial Engineering of Padua University.
The software selected for this work is the Transient
System Simulation Tool (TRNSYS), because of its
advanced HVAC modeling.

estimated in 15% energy of total energy consumption.

The summary of the peak load values is reported in the
table below.

III Simulations have been carried out based on the Test

Reference Year (TRY) of London. They evaluated the
hourly profile of net demand of the fan-coil units
(sensible), of the Air Handling Unit (AHU), and overall
heating and cooling net energy demand. The overall
simulated heating and cooling net energy demand is
shown in the figure below.

V The defined model has been applied to a four-pipe

system incorporating the present components, namely
AHU without Heat recovery and chillers plus boilers, for
baseline definition.

IV To validate the model actual consumption data have

been gathered from the electric energy chiller meters
and the gas meters readings feeding the boilers.
Simulated values have been compared with measured
values for the year 2011. On average simulated values
represent between 84% and 87% of measured data.
This confirmed the validity of the model considering that
the simulation did not include the losses due to
distribution control and emissions. The overall efficiency
coefficient for these components can be correctly

VI The defined model has been applied to four system

improvement options, described in the following pages.
A comparative analysis of the energy efficiency,
environmental and economic results of each of the options
considered against the baseline has been carried out. This
short version of the study focuses in particular on the most
promising heat pumps with heat recovery.

Overall hourly need of the heating/cooling system [kW]

600
400

Heating system

200
0
-200
-400
-600
-800
-1000

Cooling system

-1200
30/12 24/1

18/2

15/3

9/4

4/5

29/5

23/6

18/7

12/8

6/9

1/10 26/10 20/11 15/12

Peak power of fan coil units, AHU and overall peak load of the
HVAC system (fan-coil units and ventilation system).
Overall
Peak load

Heating

Cooling

[kW]

476

1026

[W/m2]

22

48

For more information and details.

require the full version of the report contacting:
Andrea Bertelle - Communications Manager - Climaveneta Spa
andrea.bertelle@climaveneta.it

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

HVAC system
improvements analysis
The four HVAC system improvement options
considered in the full version of this study are
presented below.
This short paper focuses on the most promising
of them, represented by the adoption of
Climaveneta heat pumps with heat recovery.

Savings are measured in kWh of primary energy as a way to

compare thermal and cooling energy produced by different
sources (electricity and gas), as well as CO2 emissions.
The Conversion factors fact sheet 2013 from the Carbon Trust
has been taken as reference for the conversion of kWh of
energy to tons of CO2.

The replacement of existing boilers and chillers with high efficiency boilers and high efficiency chillers has been considered. This solution would provide
energy savings versus standard boilers and chillers, but significantly lower than those achievable adopting heat pumps with heat recovery. The initial cost
would be higher than adopting heat pumps with heat recovery, thus this solution has been discarded and is not further discussed in the study.

HEAT RECOVERY
AIR HANDLING
UNITS

HEAT RECOVERY
AIR HANDLING
UNITS WITH
POST HEATING

HEAT RECOVERY
HEAT PUMP

HEAT RECOVERY
HEAT PUMPS
COMBINED
WITH NEW AHU

Adopting heat pumps with

heat recovery as single
solution to provide heating
and cooling for the building.

VS

Traditional gas boiler

+ chiller HVAC system

Heat

Advanced HVAC system based on

heat pumps with heat recovery.

Heat
Heat

Primary
energy

Gas
boiler

Building
Heating

Chiller
Cooling

Electric
grid

Power
generator

Building
Primary
energy

Heat pump

Cooling

Renewable

energy

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

Electric
grid

Power
generator

Primary
energy

The energy analysis of the current system shows that the building is
characterised by a high cooling demand even during the Winter, with
considerable overlay of heating and cooling demand, as is frequently
the case in office buildings.
Replacing existing old chillers and boilers with heat recovery heat
pumps would ensure significant energy savings as it would allow for
energy transfer, recovering energy that otherwise would be wasted on
top of energy saving ensured by Heat Pumps technology.
To properly assess when heating and cooling demand are
simultaneous and therefore predict the exact achievable savings,
a complete simulation has been run, based on the hourly data
gathered from the dynamic model created.

For more information and details.

require the full version of the report contacting:
Andrea Bertelle - Communications Manager - Climaveneta Spa
andrea.bertelle@climaveneta.it

The units selected for the simulations are two Climaveneta

ERACS2-Q SL/CA 2722. The technical data of a single unit is
specified in the table below.

Cooling
Cooling
capacity

Total
power input

[kW]

[kW]

678

229

Heating
EER

2.96

Heating
capacity

Total
power input

[kW]

[kW]

703

205

When a perfect balance between heating and cooling demand occurs,

a stunning performance of 8.19 can be achieved. This condition is
rare, but even limited overlapping demand can result in very high
efficiency ratios, with average values around 4.
The following figure assembles the energy results for each month.

Cooling + Heating
COP

3.7

Cooling
capacity

Total
power input

Heat recovery
thermal capacity

[kW]

[kW]

[kW]

701

193

883

TER

8.19

In particular during mid season, when an overlapping cooling and

heating demand is more frequent, the actual absorbed energy
decreases compared to Winter months, even if the total amount of
energy (cooling and heating) produced is the same.

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

Heating & Cooling energy produced, Absorbed energy and % of heat recovery
 Heating energy

 Cooling energy

 Recovered energy

 Absorbed energy

250.000

Kwh

200.000
150.000

20,7% 11,6%
14,3% 16,1% 20,7% 19,8% 11,0%
1,6% 0,1% 0,1% 2,9% 15,4%

100.000
50.000
0
Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

The new system reduces the building CO2 emissions by 34.6%

and its primary energy consumption by 38%.
These performance enhancements are due to the energy recovery
combined with the higher effciency of the adopted heat pump
technology.
The simulation performed shows that very good average performances
can be achieved through the use of the new system (TER between 3,39
and 4,90). The data show that a yearly average of 10.4% of the overall
energy demand can be recovered for free, instead of being wasted on

the heat sink. The amount of energy recoverable could be higher. In fact,
due to lack of thermal storage, the system recovers energy only when
there is a simultaneous demand of heating and cooling, which happens
only for a limited amount of time.
The installation of thermal storages with a capacity of 3-5 thousand litres
would enable storing part of the energy produced for free possible when
demand is not simultaneous to be used later when needed, thus
enhancing the systems performances and increasing the recovery index.

Energy and emission savings new heat pumps



Primary energy compared to the baseline (%)

1.800,00

350,00

1.600,00

300,00

CO2 Emission compared to the baseline (%)

1.400,00
250,00
1.200,00
200,00

1.000,00

-38,0%

800,00
600,00

-34,6%

150,00
100,00

400,00
50,00
200,00
0,00

Baseline

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

New heat
pumps

Baseline

New heat
pumps

Heat Pump with heat recovery: design logic and operating principles
These units can produce
hot and chilled water at
the same time and totally
independently, adapting to
the variable heating and
cooling demands of the
building.

There are three basic operating

configurations, which are totally independent
from external temperature conditions:
 only chilled water production (the unit
works as a simple chiller);
 only hot water production (the unit works
as a heat pump);
 combined production of hot and chilled
water (the unit produces simultaneously
and autonomously cold and hot water for
the two plant sections).
The above working configurations are selected
automatically (on-board microprocessor) in order

For chillers the energy efficiency ratio is EER and for Heat
pumps COP. Basically TER is the combination of the COP
and EER in one single index. In the case of the
simultaneous, balanced demand of heating and cooling
these units can achieve efficiency corresponding to TER
values between 7 and 8. The superior efficiency is evident
considering that 3,2 is the EER for class A chillers.

TER =

to minimize the absorbed energy and satisfy

each thermal buildings requests.
When simultaneous heating and cooling
demand occur, energy can be obtained almost
for free for the buildings needs. To measure
the performances of such machines a new
dedicated tool is needed to assess the global
performance of the heat pump, when hot and
cold water are produced simultaneously.
Climaveneta, as a leading manufacturer
and pioneer in this technology has
introduced a new efficiency index, called
Total Efficiency Ratio (TER).

Heating Power + Cooling Power

Absorbed Electrical Power

Replacing Boilers with HP requires different heating temperature and distribution systems:
this section assesses feasibility and performances.
The main challenge in
refurbishing the building with
heat pumps is represented by
lower supply heating
temperatures ideal to exploit HP
technology at its peak efficiency.

The current system on the heating side supplies

water at 57C, as is normally the case with
boilers even of the condensing type. Heat
pumps can produce hot water at a temperature
of 55C, but the efficiency performance (COPs )
would not be as high as at 45C. For that
reason is the possibility to cover the buildings
heating load with the fan coil units operating at
such lower temperatures has been assessed.

Further improvements

Advanced plant room monitoring and

optimisation software
Adopting a dedicated optimisation software for
the plant room, designed to integrate with the
BMS and taking full control of heating and
cooling generation as well as pumping, would
allow an additional improvement of about 10%
of total HVAC energy efficiency.

completing the raplacement of old fan coils

with no dynamic control of water flow with
new fan coils with two-way valves on the
heating and cooling coils supply pipes, would
allow reducing water flow and energy
consumption.
To further enhance the system, the secondary
circuit could be completely removed and the
primary pumps could directly distribute the
fluids. Those pumps could be inverter driven
as well to reduce the yearly energy
consumption. Schematics of the actual and
feasible system are displayed in the full study.

New terminal units and distribution system

Refurbishing the current distribution system

Solar photovoltaic array

Although in 350 Euston Road there is not

Further significant efficiency

improvements can be obtained by:

As a precaution, a heating power of the fan coil

units reduced by 30% has been considered.
Re-assessing the building with 45C working
temperature, data show that it is possible to
guarantee the heating capacity needed by the
building with no problems at all. There will be no
need for maintaining the boilers and the
occupied space can be freed. Alternatively It is
possible to keep the existing boilers as a
precautionary backup, at no extra cost.

much space available to install solar panels, a

solar array could be installed in part of the top
of the buildings double skin in the South Side.
It might be possible to install about 60-70 kW
of peak power that could cover more than
10% of the energy needed for heating and
cooling. This energy has zero CO2 emissions
linked to its production and would further
lower the buildings environmental impact.
Thermal storage
The installation of thermal storages with a
capacity of 3-5 thousand litres would make
saving part of the energy produced for free
possible when demand is not simultaneous
increasing the recovery index.

Compliance with:
Part L of the Building Regulations,
London Plan
Part L requires the heat pump compliance
to the non-domestic building compliance guide.
The HM Governament non-domestic building compliance guide 2010
requires minimum performances for heat pumps, measured with three
metrics - COP, EER and SPF - and referred to standard conditions defined
in the BS EN 14511:2007 Standard
Air conditioners, liquid chilling packages and heat pumps with electrically
driven compressors for space heating and cooling.

10

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

HEAT PUMPS WITH HEAT RECOVERY

largely exceed minimum required heat pumps performances
Coefficient Of Performance

Seasonal Performance Factor

Energy Efficiency Ratio

COP

SPF

EER

2.2

2.5

Minimum requirements
Climaveneta INTEGRA ERACS2-Q heat pumps

3.7 [+68%]

 (1) Note on SPF computation

SPF is the operating performance of an electric heat pump over the season
expressed as the ratio between the heat delivered and the total electric
energy absorbed over the season.
The BS EN 15450:2007 standard considers only standard heat pumps and
does not provide a method to calculate the performance of innovative heat
pump with heat recovery.
Therefore to verify compliance with part L SPF has been calculated in the
most penalising way i.e. consideringthat all the absorbed electric power is
for heating only , neglecting the energy recovered. SPF with this method is
2.7 exceeding by 8% the standard. To correctly represent the performance
of a heat pump with heat recovery the calculation should include the share
of heat recovered for free by the heat pump.

2.7 [+8%] 3,34 [+36%]

2.5
(1)

2.96 [+18%] (2)

In this case SPF would be 3,34. This value exceeds by 36% the standard,
a clear indication of the superior efficiency of this type of units in London
conditions in an office building application.
 (2) Note on EER computation
The EER is calculated with an outside temperature of 35C, which is
never reached in London.
The overall aim of the London plan is to achieve an overall reduction in Londons
carbon dioxide emissions of 60 per cent (below 1990 levels) by 2025.
The heat pump technologies considered in the simulation would ensure a carbon
emission reduction of 90%.
The full results are available in the environmental results section.

Compliance with the London Plan

The overall aim of the London plan is to achieve an overall reduction in
Londons carbon dioxide emissions of 60 per cent (below 1990 levels) by
2025.
The heat pump technologies considered in the simulation would ensure a
carbon emission reduction of 90%.
The main priority for the city is the CO2 emissions reduction and therefore the
best system to achieve that target must be selected.
Heat pumps do not generate CO2 emissions at site and thus are fully
compliant with this key point. One of the priorities highlighted in the London
plan is the use of decentralized combined power and heat generation (CHP).
The Mayors target is 25% of the global heat and power demand of the city.
If there is a lack of heating demand a CHP systems efficiency is halved and it
is no longer economically and environmentally convenient.

The guide outlines how the CHP systems must be designed to run efficiently
and be optimally sized to maximise carbon dioxide savings.
For this reason a deep load analysis on each specific case is very important to
validate adoption of such systems.
For 350 Euston Road, CHP was not a viable option because:
Very variable heating loads. From the data available there was no constant
heating demand that could justify the use of CHP
Lack of large district heating systems to connect,
Micro CHP was not viable due to space availability, low energy efficiency
and high management costs for maintenance, local emissions analysis
and management.
The full results are available in the environmental results section.

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

11

Environmental results
This section presents the results of the comparison of the current system and the new
system based on heat pumps with heat recovery in terms of CO2 reduction over the life
cycle of the systems, based on National Grid 2013 guide "UK Future Energy Scenarios".
Energy diagram
for current chiller + gas boiler system

Energy is always expressed in primary energy i.e. raw energy

before any transformation, in order to enable an efficiency
comparison of different generators:

 For gas boilers,

Primary
energy

Gas
boiler

this is the energy contained in the raw fuel and

needed by the generator to fulfil the buildings needs
(natural gas).

Building
Heat
transfer

 For chillers and heat pumps,

primary energy is calculated before the production of
electric energy and therefore contains the production
and transmission losses of the national grid.

Energy diagram
for new system, based on heat pumps with heat recovery

Renewable

energy

Primary
Energy

Power
generator

Electric
grid

Heat
pump

Building
Heat
transfer

CO2 emission reduction - Life cycle analysis

The study proves that a carbon emissions reduction of 35% is
achievable with the adoption of heat pumps with heat recovery based
on National Grid 2013 guide "UK Future Energy Scenarios".
The implementation of few additional measures could bring the gains
above 50%, in line with results achieved on several developments.
Part L estimates 15 years as the expected lifetime of the new HVAC
system, it makes thus sense to consider the CO2 emissions evolution
in light of the scenarios outlined by the National Grid on the 2013
guide UK Future Energy Scenario.
The UK government is committed to reducing the CO2 impact of power
generation.

12

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

In the paper two scenarios are forseen:

 Gone Green: a balanced approach to meeting renewable energy
and CO2 emission targets in 2020 and 2030.
 Slow Progression: a slower approach to meeting renewable energy
and CO2 emission targets, for example, the UK2020 renewables
target is missed and greenhouse gas reductions fall short of the
2050 carbon targets and the 4th carbon budget.

UK generation by fuel type Gone Green

(source National Grid 2013 UK Future Energy Scenarios)












CCS Coal
Coal
CCS Gas
Gas
Oils/Other
Solar PV
Biomass
Imports
Wind
Nuclear Emission
(gCO2/kWh)
 Hydro / Pumped e
Storage/Marine

-18,8%

300,00
250,00

2013

-65,5%

2020

-32.6%

300,00
250,00

200,00

200,00

150,00

150,00

-88.3%

2013
2025

100,00

100,00

2020
50,00

50,00

0,00

0,00

2025

New heat
pumps

Baseline

Baseline

New heat
pumps

UK generation by fuel type Slow Progression

(source National Grid 2013 UK Future Energy Scenarios)












CCS Coal
Coal
CCS Gas
Gas
Oils/Other
Solar PV
Biomass
Imports
Wind
Nuclear Emission
(gCO2/kWh)
 Hydro / Pumped e
Storage/Marine

Using the data provided, emissions have been

estimated in 2020 and 2025.
Increases in the grid efficiency, although definitely
very probable, have not been accounted for.
Emissions reduction over the life cycle of the new
system with Heat Pumps become even higher if
compared to the system including boilers, as
emissions linked to natural gas cannot benefit
from the government commitment to reducing
the CO2 impact of power generation.
In 2020 the building analysed in this paper if
equipped with heat pumps with heat recovery, is

-14,7%

300,00
250,00

2013

-58,9%

2020

250,00
200,00

200,00

-24.5%

300,00

-75.1%

2013
2025

150,00

150,00

2020

100,00

100,00

50,00

50,00

0,00

0,00

Baseline

New heat
pumps

predicted to emit between 67.4% and 82.2% less

than the emissions of the current system in 2013.
In 2025 the same figure will show a CO2
reduction between 75.4% and 88.4%.
In other terms in 2025 the CO2 emissions of the
building if equipped with heat pumps with heat
recovery, are predicted to be reduced between
50,6% and 55.7%.(for slow progression and
gone green respectively) compared to the chiller
plus boiler present solution.

2025

Baseline

New heat
pumps

Zero CO2 emission in the city

A further advantage of electrification of the building by
adopting the new HP system would be the complete cut
of local CO2 emissions of the building. Large scale
application of this approach would definitely result in
additional positive externalities leading thanks to a
significant improvement of urban center air quality.
ZERO net Emission Building along the Life cycle
Moreover the possible integration of a local photovoltaic
system and the usage of certified green energy could
theoretically bring the CO2 emissions linked to heating
and cooling to next to zero.

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

13

Payback
Part L has been used as independent
guidelines for investment evaluation and
simple payback calculation.

The alternatives compared are: replacement of boilers and chillers with

new ones versus adoption of heatpumps with heat recovery.

Payback period is defined as: the amount of time it will take to recover
the initial investment through energy savings, and is calculated by
dividing the marginal additional cost of implementing an energy
efficiency measure by the value of the annual energy savings achieved
by that measure taking no account of VAT3.
Energy prices are derived from the Department of Energy and Climate
Changes statistical data set of September 2013. Boliers and chillers
installed in the building are at the end of life and need replacement.

The replacement of existing boilers and chillers with high efficiency

boilers and high efficiency chillers has been considered but has been
discharged has it is not economically viable. The initial cost would be
higher than adopting heat pumps with heat recovery and running costs
due to energy consumption would be higher.
Investment costs are based on predictions elaborated with two separate
UK installers. Prices are conservative and the final budget is expected
to be lower.
The extra cost for the heat pump installation is due to modify existing
heating pipework and pumps.

Equipment costs
600,000.00
500,000.00

475,000.00

500,000.00

400,000.00
300,000.00
200,000.00
100,000.00
0
Boilers +
Chillers
replacement

14

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

Heat recovery
heat pumps

The payback time for adopting heat recovery heat

pumps is shorter than two years.
Running costs
Scenario

Gas cost

Electricity cost

Total
energy cost

Cost reduction

Cost reduction

Simple Payback

[years]

[]

[]

[]

(%)

[]

Baseline

30,678.67

27,446.73

58,125.40

New heat pumps

45,194.12

45,194.12

-22%

-12,931.28

1,93

Even very prudent calculations of the Net

Present Value (NPV) of the total savings at
15 years from the initial investment,
assuming the same yearly average energy
cost increase of the last 10 years, show a
total savings covering 60% of the total cost
of the initial investment.
Net Present Value of the total savings over
the 15 years lifespan cover 60% of the
total initial investment.

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

15

Executive summary
This reports explores the advantages of a range of HVAC alternatives
and in particular demonstrates how heat pumps with heat recovery can
contribute to improve energy performances and reduce the carbon
footprint of buildings, thus being a viable technology in improving the
UKs building environmental impact.
In doing so we have considered a real office building situated in 350
Euston road, Regents Place, London. Owned by British Land and
managed by Broadgate Estates, this property has already achieved
significant reduction targets and has been awarded as best-practice
example for energy savings by several independent institutions,
among which CIBSE.
In order to ensure transparency and the quality of results, the
University of Padua Department of Industrial Engineering and
Studio Planning have been involved, respectively as an independent
research institution and as qualified building services engineering
consultancy with great experience in innovative heat pump
applications.
A comprehensive energy model has been developed by the
University of Padua, Department of Industrial Engineering to

16

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

simulate how the building operates. All actions and prospective

results have been designed on the real and expected needs of the
building and are measured against a baseline which represents a
state-of the-art example of energy reduction in Central London
office buildings.
The technological solutions considered by Studio Planning are based
on Climavenetas proven technology, already implemented on
multiple buildings with success and proven records.
This research reflects British Land, Broadgate Estate and
Climavenetas shared commitment to advance the best practices
and innovation in energy reduction and sustainability in property
development, building management and HVAC design.

This research reflects the common commitments of the participant company's institutions to
promote best practices and innovation in energy reduction and sustainability.
Findings are intended to offer valuable support for immediate decision-making about energy
reduction on refurbishments and new developments.

Key Findings
 Heat Pumps with heat recovery are a viable solution
for London office buildings offering an integrated
approach to the heating and cooling of the building.
 London climate conditions very well suit heat pump
operating limits making gas boilers redundant /
obsolete.
 Heat Pumps with heat recovery reduce the buildings
primary energy consumption by 38% and CO2
emissions by 34.6%.
 Due to the gradual de-carbonisation of the electric
energy production in the UK, the carbon reduction
achievable with this technology will improve over the
lifetime of the system, achieving savings between
75.4% and 88.4% in 2025.
 In new developments simplification of the system
allowed by this technology not only provides the
considerable savings described in this study but
results in reduced installation costs compared to a
chiller and boiler system.

 In refurbishments there are additional, although

limited, costs due to adapting existing piping works
to the new system, accounting for 5% of the total
investment. Given the achievable savings, the
payback is less than 2 years..
 Net Present Value of the total savings over the 15
years lifespan cover 60% of the total initial
investment.
 Enhancing the system based on heat pumps with
heat recovery with ancillary solutions, such as
thermal storage, and chiller plant optimization
systems, would further improve its energy
performance.
 Adopting Heat pumps eliminates gas usage at site
thus providing the opportunity to further reduce the
buildings carbon footprint by equipping the building
with a solar photovoltaic array.

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

17

350 EUSTON ROAD

Case study

Improving building performances and carbon footprint

with innovative HVAC solutions.

Authors
Giuseppe Medeghini
Partner
Studio Planning
Prof. Michele De Carli
Department of Industrial Engineering
University of Padua
Phil Draper
Technical and Energy Manager,
Broadgate Estates

18

Luigi De Rossi
Energy Analysis & Software
Selection Manager
Climaveneta Spa
Giacomo Favaro
Energy Analysis & Software Selection
Specialist
Climaveneta Spa
Andrea Bertelle
Communications Manager
Climaveneta Spa

BRITISH LAND

British Land is one of Europe's largest Real Estate

Investment Trusts (REITs) with total assets, owned or
managed, of 16.4 billion (British Land share 10.5
billion), as valued on 31 March 2013. Through our
property and finance expertise we attract experienced
partners to create properties and environments which
are home to over 1,000 different organisations and
receive over 300 million visits each year. Managing
our environmental, economic and social impacts is
central to the way we do business and deliver value
for our shareholders. We assess the issues that

matter most to us and our stakeholders on an on

going basis and, where appropriate, adjust our
strategic focus to reflect this. We focus on managing
our buildings efficiently, supporting communities,
developing sustainable buildings and engaging our
staff. For each of these priorities we are targeting our
efforts and resources at initiatives where we can
achieve the biggest impacts. Further details can be
found on the British Land website at
www.britishland.com.

BROADGATE ESTATE

From a foundation of managing iconic London

properties at Broadgate, our offer and portfolio have
broadened over the past 25 years to include many of
the UKs most prestigious developments. Core to our
strategy is a commitment to unrivalled service and
innovation. Our expertise and sole focus is property
management. Our customers value our hands-on,
flexible and adaptable approach working seamlessly
with them to create genuine partnership. We are also
progressive problem solvers, anticipating issues and
offering intelligent solutions that are tailor-made to
deliver our clients vision.

We can unlock value throughout the development and

asset management lifecycle from design for
management, through set-up and occupation, and into
long term management. Broadgate Estates has a
dedicated energy management team that monitors
energy consumption data, building services expertise
and occupier engagement to reduce energy
consumption. We have also worked with the Better
Buildings Partnership to develop a leading edge toolkit
and benchmarking methodology to compare energy
and water consumption and share best practice
across our management portfolio.

CLIMAVENETA

Climaveneta is the European leader in central

climate control systems, providing high efficiency,
sustainable HVAC & HPAC solutions for commercial,
retail, residential, and data centre customers.
With 40 years experience, Climavenetas solutionsled approach combines optimum comfort and
premium energy efficiency to ensure an attractive
return on investment and the highest standards of
environmental respect in each type of building.
Fabricated in 7 specialised production centres in

Europe, China and India, Climaveneta integrates airconditioning, heating, process cooling solutions with
measurement devices and services in the most
prestigious, complex and demanding projects
worldwide through its global network of branches
and business partners.

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

Climaveneta is a DeLclima company.

Further details can be found on Climaveneta website
at www.climaveneta.com

PLANNING STUDIO

Studio Planning is a building services engineering

company with an extensive experience in designing
and commissioning all types of buildings:
commercial, offices, residential, shopping centres,
retail chains, industrial. It is the main contractor for
Esselunga one of the biggest retail chains in Italy. It
has been involved in different phases in some of the
main projects in the Milan area of the last 15 years
like the new Porta Nuova Garibaldi area and Porta
Vittoria, accounting for thousands of square meters

of development. The studio is specifically focused

on highly efficiently solutions to successfully
implement zero building design in different types of
building. It has vast experience in energy audit,
modelling and monitoring to achieve better
performances through continuous commissioning
and to enhance the design phase through feedback
from live monitoring.

UNIVERSITA DI PADOVA

Universit degli studi di Padova was founded in

1222 and is one of the oldest universities in the
world.

Engineering, as well as industrial technology

transfer initiatives. All the Department activities aim
at reaching international levels of research
excellence by an interdisciplinary approach.
International cooperation with top Universities and
Research Centres is actively fostered.

DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

The Department of Industrial Engineering of the

University of Padua, promotes and manages
scientific and technological research projects in
many fields of Industrial Engineering, including
Aerospace Engineering, Chemical and Process
Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Energy
Engineering, Materials and Mechanical

Beside research, the Department is responsible for

teaching activities at B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. levels
concerning all curricula in Industrial Engineering
related to the above mentioned areas of research.

350 EUSTON ROAD CASE STUDY

19

For more information and details.

require the full version of the report contacting:
Andrea Bertelle - Communications Manager - Climaveneta Spa
andrea.bertelle@climaveneta.it