___________________________________________________________________________

Higher Diploma in Building Services Engineering

BSE2701 System Design I

ELECTRICAL SERVICES DESIGN
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CONTENT

1.

LOAD ASSESSMENT

2.

SUBSTATION (TRANSFORMER ROOM) DESIGN

3.

CABLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

4.

STANDBY POWER SUPPLIES

5.

BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY ORDINANCE (CAP. 610)

6.

LIFT DESIGN AND INSTALLATION

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3 of 39

1.

LOAD ASSESSMENT

1.1

Preliminary Design Stage (CLP COP 215)

This is a load assessment method adopted by CLP for the design of adequate supply capacity
for various property developments. This guideline makes use of several sets of After Diversity
Maximum Demand (ADMD) figures which are based on the supply databases of CLP. The
load estimation using ADMD figures has been classified under the following major categories:
Residential
Commercial
Industrial
Municipal
The ADMD figure gives the maximum demand (in kVA) of the development per unit usable
floor area (UFA in m2). The definition of UFA by Building (Planning) Regulations is adopted
for the loading estimation in this code. The definition is as follows:
Usable Floor Space means the aggregate of the areas of the floor or floors in a storey or
building excluding any staircases, public circulation space, lift landings, lavatories, waterclosets, kitchen, and any space occupied by machinery for any lift, air-conditioning system or
similar service provided for the building.
For commercial development, the ADMD figures are represented in per m2 basis. All the
figures have not included central air conditioning load and central electric water heating loads.
Hence, individual assessment is required. Besides, the ADMD figures do not include public
services load and it is necessary to assess it independently. Reference figures on per lift basis
are provided and the figures have already included public lighting, lift, water pump, fire
services and lobby air conditioning. The figure, which is proposed to be 40 kVA/lift, is just a
reference for general public services and it should be assessed individually whenever possible.
Besides, sufficient margin should be reserved in accordance with the latest market conditions
to cater for forthcoming load growth.
Estimated Load (kVA)
= ADMD (kVA/m2) Usable Floor Area (m2) + 40 kVA No. of lifts + A/C consumption
This method is used for transformer room reservation and transformer allocation only. The
figures are not suitable for designing LV installations after the customer mains switch, e.g.
rising mains and lateral mains. This document is subject to revision and update on a regular
basis so as to cope with the electrical consumption changes.

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ADMD Figures for Residential Developments

ADMD Figures (kVA/Flat)
Classification

1 10 Flats

11 20 Flats

21 50 Flats

> 50 Flats

UFA: < 50 m2

31.2 9.8

9.8 6.9

6.6 4.0

3.9

UFA: 50 80 m2

39.6 16.1

16.1 11.4

10.9 6.6

6.5

UFA: > 80 m2

52.8 18.6

18.6 13.4

12.8 8.0

7.8

All Housing Development1

Car Park with Ventilation

Public Services2

0.03 / m2
55 kVA/lift

Footnotes:
1.

All Housing Development refers to all types of permanent housing, like Public Rental Housing, Home
Ownership Scheme, Private Sector Participation Scheme, Village Housing and Private Housing.
ADMD Figures have already included typical lighting, general power and instantaneous electric water
heating loads. For fixed electric cooking installations, public services and clubhouse loads, individual
assessment is still required.
For development with central air conditioning or central electric water heating system, planning engineer
should decide whether the figures are appropriate for the assessment.
For multi-floor flat, planning engineer should decide the number of equivalent flats for assessment. For
UFA > 150 m2, individual assessment is required.

2.

Figures for Public Services includes public lighting, lift, water pump, fire services and lobby air
conditioning. For development without lift service, it is subjected to the E&M submission and a minimum
provision of 10 kVA of public services load should be provided.

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ADMD Figures for Commercial Developments

ADMD Figures1 (kVA/m2)

Classification
Commercial Complex

0.30

General Shop Catering2

General Shop Non-catering2

0.66
0.40

Hotel Restaurant
Hotel Shopping Mall
Hotel Accommodation

0.56
0.30
0.03

Office

0.16

Cinema

0.27 / seat

Car Park with Ventilation

0.03

Public Services3

40 kVA/lift

Footnotes:
1.

As ADMD figures have not included central air conditioning load and central electric water heating load,
individual assessment is required for such loads

2.

ADMD figures for both General Shop Catering and General Shop Non-catering have already
included non-central air conditioning load and 0.1 kVA/m2 has to be deducted in case there is central air
conditioning system covered in the development.

3.

Public Services Load requires individual assessment and 40 kVA/lift is a reference figure only.

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ADMD Figures for Industrial Developments

ADMD Figures1 (kVA/m2)

Classification
Flatted Factory (Mixed Usage)

0.18

Godown

0.05

Cold-Storage Godown

0.05 + cooling plant load

Car Park with Ventilation

0.03

Public Services2

50 kVA/lift

Footnotes:
1.

All ADMD figures for Industrial Development are for reference purpose, planning engineer should make
their judgment for individual cases.
When no central but window type air conditioners are anticipated, 0.1 kVA/m2 could be added on top of
those ADMD figures.

2.

Public Services load requires individual assessment and 50 kVA/lift is a reference figure only.

ADMD Figures for Municipal Developments

ADMD Figures1 (kVA/m2)

Classification
General Municipal Development2

0.25

School & College3

0.25

Hospital & Clinic

0.22

Car Park with Ventilation

0.03

Footnotes:
1. As ADMD figures have not included public services, central air conditioning load and central electric
water heating load, individual assessment is required for such loads.
2.

is
3.

General Municipal Development includes Youth Centre, Home for Elderly, Community Centre, Indoor
Game Hall, Urban Market Complex, Fire Station, Police Station, Ambulance Depot, etc. The ADMD
figures have included non-central air conditioning load and 0.1 kVA/m2 has to be deducted in case there
central air conditioning system in the development.
School & College includes Kindergarten, Primary, Secondary, and Post-Secondary Schools with air
conditioning and IT provision and 0.1 kVA/m2 has to be deducted in case there is central air conditioning
system in the development.

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Mixed Development Diversity Factor (MDDF)

Domestic-Commercial Mixed
% of Domestic

% of Commercial

MDDF Figures

10%

90%

1.06

20%

80%

1.12

25%

75%

1.15

30%

70%

1.19

40%

60%

1.25

50%

50%

1.22

60%

40%

1.19

70%

30%

1.16

75%

25%

1.13

80%

20%

1.11

90%

10%

1.05

Commercial-Industrial Mixed
MDDF:

1.00

(for all mixes)

Footnotes:
It has to be noted that the percentage mix is rounded off to 0, 25, 50 and 75% by computer software
automatically before applying the MDDF as shown in the above table.

Electrical Power Conversion Figures for Typical Chilling Systems

Central Chilling System

Electrical Power Conversion Figures

(KW/Tonne Refrigeration)

Packaged air cooled

1.85

Indirect sea water cooled

1.65

Direct sea water cooled

1.45

Direct water cooled

1.45

Note:
1 tonne refrigeration = 3.52 kW

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1.2

Preliminary Design Stage (Load Density Approach)

During the preliminary stage of design, a global estimate of maximum demand is usually made
based on kVA/m2 using the load density method. This is used to produce an overall maximum
demand estimate, alongside information on known loads, or it can be used solely to produce an
estimate. It involves comparing the development or installation type and size with a load
density normal table. The whole building is divided into several areas according to their
function, and a load density is allocated for each functional area. The load density data may be
obtained from records of past projects of similar nature or may be derived from the historical
data. The following tables which are extracted from reference books suggest some values of
load density for different applications.
The tables can be used for generic designs while noting that they are average-norm values,
and if you have significant loads not found in the average installation, the tables could be in
accurate. Estimates of maximum demand using this method can rarely be made accurately. The
values given are approximate with wide tolerances and must be subject to many reservations.

Chinese Restaurant
1000 -1500 m2
1500 2000 m2
Food Court
Fast Food
Hairdresser and Beauty Salon
under 80 m2
over 80 m2
Supermarket
Bread and Cakes (sales only)
Ice Creame Parlour
Goldsmith Jewellery
Bakery
Standard Shop, Estate Office, Clinic
and Post Office
Bank
Convenience Store
Laundromat
Frozen Food and General Provisions
Market Shop, Grocery and Provision
Store

Lighting and Power

(VA/m2)

Additional A/C by Tenant

where central A/C not
available (VA/m2)

240
220
600
490

200
180
150
200

700
620
280

110
130
120

280

120

750

120

220

120

220
500
620
200

120
120
120
450

220

120

(Reference: Technical Notes 21010 General Design Data by Parsons Brinckerhoff (Asia) Ltd. in October 1997)

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Major occupancy in buildings

Details

Bank

Maximum demand in
kVA/m2
0.23

Carpark

With ventilation
Without ventilation

0.02
0.01

Central air conditioning

Chinese restaurant
Factory
Office
Shop

0.13 0.2
0.1
0.08 0.12
0.12

Cinema

0.26 / seat

Commercial complex

0.18

Domestic

20 50 m2
51 90 m2
91 160 m2
above 160 m2
luxury with central a/c

Fast food
Fire / police station

2.8 kVA/flat
3.2 kVA/flat
4.2 kVA/flat
4.6 kVA/flat
0.45 kVA/ m2
0.4

Excluding a/c load

0.06

Hotel

0.28

Hospital

0.25

Industrial

Flatted factory
Godown

0.2
0.04

Library

0.15

Office

0.18

Restaurant / Caf

0.28

School

Without a/c
With a/c

Shop

0.08
0.12
0.25

* Air-conditioning load, either central or local as appropriate, has been included in the diversified maximum
demand value of each occupancy unless other specified.
(Reference: Johnny C.F. Wong, Low Voltage Electrical Installation Handbook, H.K. & Kowloon Electrical
Engineering & Appliances Trade Workers Union, 2004)

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Maximum demand for high-rise building water-pressure boosting system

Building type Unit quantity

Apartments

Hotels

10 apt./floor
30
patients/floor
40 rooms/floor

Offices

1000 m2/floor

Hospitals

Maximum demand (kVA) when the number of floors

are:
5
10
25
50
19
110
440
13

60

310

44

220

560

19

90

310

Maximum demand for fire pumps in commercial buildings (light hazard)

Area/floor (m2)
500

Maximum demand (kVA) when the number of floors are:

5
10
25
50
50
80
190
310

1,000

75

125

250

500

2,500

90

190

340

690

5,000

150

250

500

1,000

Formulae for estimating the load demand of pumps and motors

Type
Fan motor, in
kW

Approximate
demand by formulae
QPT

Explanation of abbreviations
Q = Air flow in m3/s
PT = Static pressure in N/m2
= Total fan efficiency
V
C

Lift motor, in
HP

VCk
33000

Pump motor,
in HP

FH
33000

F
H

= Full load speed of ascending car in fpm

= Rated load of car (including car weight)
in pounds
= % of rated load that is unbalanced by
counterweight, usually about 60%
= Motor-to-load efficiency, usually 50
70% for geared lifts and 75 85% for
gearless lifts
= Water flow rate in gpm
= Water column height in ft
= Motor efficiency

(Reference: Johnny C.F. Wong, Low Voltage Electrical Installation Handbook, H.K. & Kowloon Electrical
Engineering & Appliances Trade Workers Union, 2004)

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1.3

Detailed Design Stage (Diversity Approach)

When the architectural plans are available showing the usage of each area within the building,
the electrical installation can be divided into load categories such as:
General lighting
Appliances
HVAC
Small power loadings
Vertical transportation
Mechanical services, such as water and fire services pumps
Other electrical equipment
Diversity approach can be adopted for this detailed design stage when the most of the electrical
loads are identified. Then the maximum current demand from several final circuits can be
estimated by adding the current demands of all points of utilization and items of equipment
connected to the circuit and where appropriate diversity is allowed.
In this method, the maximum demand of an installation is the sum of all installed loads
multiplied by a percentage of loads that is likely to be used at the same time. The percentage is
known as diversity. The relationship is represented by the equation:
Diversity =

Maximum Demand
Connected Load

The maximum demand from a distribution board of the building is calculated by summing up
the products of the connected load and diversity of each electrical application being supplied
by that distribution board. Diversity is assessed from knowledge of the characteristics of the
installed loads and operation of the system. The EMSD COP makes reference to the IEE OnSite Guide and provides general guidance on maximum demand and diversity factors for
various types of final circuits and small installations.

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2.

SUBSTATION (TRANSFORMER ROOM) DESIGN

The Code of Practice No. 101 published by CLP details the general principles to be applied to
the design of distribution substations, including substations located at ground floor, basement,
upper floor level, including at high level in high rise building and outdoor areas. It states the
general requirements for the architectural / civil design and mechanical services of the
transformer room. Some of the requirements are summarized as follows:

Substations shall be situated at the periphery of the building. For the substations on ground
level, they shall be directly accessible from open air (non-covered area) at all times.
Such area should be vertically uncovered and unobstructed. In case the periphery is covered
by the canopy of the building, the direct distance from the entry of the substation to the
non-covered area should not exceed 2.5m.
The permanent access to the substation shall be of adequate height, width and of sufficient
strength to withstand the combined weight of the transformer and the conveying vehicle.
The substation ceiling and customer main switchroom ceiling shall be of suitable
waterproof construction to prevent water leakage. No water pipe, drainage pipe or
customers installation shall be located in or passing through any part of and inside the
ceiling slab of the substation.
Adjacent and adjoining occupancies and hazards must be taken into account, particularly
in respect of avoiding, as far as possible, wet environments above the substation, e.g.
water tanks, toilets and the like.
Not more than 3 transformers shall be accommodated within any one transformer room.
Ground level substations should be at least 150mm higher than the outside (pavement) level
to reduce the risk of flooding.
Adequate ventilation to open air by means of permanent installation which is completely
segregated from ventilation system of the main building shall be provided.

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3.

CABLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Cables form a very large physical part of any electrical installation. The electrical designer
should provide an efficient method of controlling the cable installation work involved, and
throughout the length of the cables they must all be secured and segregated as may be required.
Cable management implies the enclosure, segregation and mechanical protection of the cables
within the building.
3.1

Enclosure and Mechanical Protection

3.1.1

Conduit and Trunking

Conduits may be metallic or plastic. It is an ideal way of installing a large number of small
cables to a point of utilization or distribution, and is cost effective in many instances. Conduit
is the most easily rewirable if it is designed correctly, and provides good mechanical protection.
Metallic systems give EMC advantages.
Trunking is available in the same material as conduits. This is the (normally) rectangular
enclosure for cables which is designed for surface mounting or installation inside false ceiling.
It may be subdivided for circuit segregation purposes. It is usually kept out of sight in false
ceiling or other industrial environments. However, a large range of more aesthetically pleasing
trunkings is available for use in exposed locations.
Conduit and trunking are usually combined, with individual small diameter conduits glanded
off from trunking to feed separate points.
3.1.2

Underfloor Systems

Underfloor systems fall into two main types: those designed from incorporation into floor
structure itself, such as trunking systems for casting into the screed, etc. and those designed to
be installed inside the raised floor in commercial buildings.
Systems for building into floor structure itself are usually galvanized steel and need to be of
high strength to withstand the rigours of building site conditions at the first fix stage. The spine
of such systems is usually flat trunking with a top flange intended eventually to become flush
with the floor screed and to which thin but robust covers are attached. This system needs careful
planning in the design stage, particularly with respect to the termination of the trunking and
distribution boards, etc.
The more recent approach to underfloor wiring is that adopted where the functional floor is
raised above the structural floor (so called raised floor), and a void is formed for the cables
between the two floors. Plastic material is very popular but metallic systems are available if
mechanical or EMC protection is important in a specific application. Usually a number of
parallel trunkings run side by side to provide the segregated circuits, so that crossover and
junction sections are required. Conduits (of flexible type) can be glanded off to outlets, etc.

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3.1.3

Cable Tray

Cable tray is particularly appropriate for situations where large numbers of cables have to run
for considerable lengths. The metallic (often slotted) construction of heavy duty cable tray
makes it appropriate for the support of heavy cables. This method allows excellent mechanical
support with accessibility and little problem from grouping factors due to bunching of cables.
Trays can be installed alongside to accommodate circuits which need to be segregated or easily
identifiable.
3.2

Segregation

The cables to be accommodated may comprise low voltage cables supply building services and
points of utilization within the building itself, or passing through it, communications cabling
(including telephones, data, fibre optic network, etc.), and security wiring (including fire alarms,
emergency lighting and other services at both mains and extra low voltage levels). Thus
consideration has to be given at an early stage to the need to segregate the circuit types. The
routes along which each of the types of cables will principally run must be established, and a
layout of the distribution services thus built up.
According to the EMSD COP, Code 5B states the requirements for segregation of different
types of circuits:
Low voltage circuits should be segregated from extra-low voltage circuits.
Fire alarm and emergency lighting circuits should be segregated from all other cables.

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4.

STANDBY POWER SUPPLIES

Reliability of electrical supply to commercial organizations is essential for continuity of

production and safety of goods and personnel. A standby power system is defined by IEEE as:
An independent reserve source of electric energy which, upon failure or outage of the normal
source, provides electric power of acceptable quality and quantity so that users facilities may
continue in satisfactory operation.
Generally, the emergency standby provision should be provided for the following loads:
Emergency lighting
Fire services equipment
Fireman lifts
Lift homing system
Medical facilities
Data processing equipments
Communication centers
Control systems
Building requires the provision of standby power supply by generator set because of the
following reasons:
Safety: The loss of power supply would result in an unacceptable level of danger of human
life or health. An alternative form of power supply must be available in the event of a power
failure where human life is at risk.
Security: An alternative form of power supply for emergency equipment to ensure a very
high-level of security in military sectors, government buildings, communication centers,
etc.
Financial loss: Critical industrial processes, large financial institutions, etc.
Others: Any other systems for the consideration of convenience (HVAC equipment, tenant
loads, etc.)
The two main types of standby power system are standby diesel generators, where the energy
storage is in the form of fossil fuels, and battery-based uninterruptible power systems where
the energy storage is in the form of an electrochemical reaction.
4.1

Standby Diesel Generating Sets

Because oil is still a principal source of standby energy, diesel engine driven generating sets
are used on a large scale as a back-up to the public electricity supply. Such sets comprise a
diesel engine, coupled to a generator with appropriate control gear for operation,
instrumentation and protection. Usually the sets are electrically started from 12 V or 24 V
batteries and arranged to run automatically on mains failure, take over the load and shut down
again when the main supply returns. The load is usually separated into non-essential (normal)
and essential groups and only the latter are then supplied from the standby set during mains
outage. In this case, the distribution is arranged so that these loads can be switched from main
to emergency supply at one point and so that there is no unintentional path from the emergency
generator to normal loads which are not meant to be served by it. In effect the building is
divided at the main intake into two distribution systems and only one of them is connected to
the emergency changeover switch.

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Diesel generating sets are rated according to their electrical output expressed in kW at a load
power factor usually assumed to be 0.8 lagging. The most popular size for general standby lies
in the 150 to 500 kW range. Engines are usually air cooled whereby an engine drive fan
circulates atmospheric air around the hot surfaces of the engine. The exhaust flue should be
directed upward, not in enclosed space such as lightwell, and at 5 m from the surrounding
sensitive receptors such as open windows and any fresh air intake for the HVAC system.
An emergency generator can be started either manually or automatically. Normally, it takes 8
to 10 seconds for a diesel generator to come to full speed. During this period, there is no supply
to the load. According to the COP for Minimum Fire Service Installations and Equipment and
Inspective, Testing and Maintenance of Installations and Equipment of FSD, the emergency
generator set shall be designed for cold starting and be capable of supply power for the full
rated essential load in not more than 15 seconds from initiation of the starting procedure.
Besides, the unit shall be complete with a fuel storage system capable of sustaining full load
operation for a period of not less than 6 hours.

Air filters
Exhaust pipe
Cooling Fan

Control
Panel

Fuel Tank

4.2

Battery

Uninterruptable Power Supplies (UPS)

As mentioned before, it takes around 10 seconds for a diesel generator to come to full speed
and during this period there is no supply to the load. In some applications, an interruption even
of this short duration is not acceptable, e.g. computers of communication centers. These
applications led to the development of UPS, which depends on a battery and inverter to provide
an emergency supply. Because computers are sensitive to voltage and frequency fluctuations,
it is useful to feed them through a network which smoothes out fluctuations in the supply and
suppresses surges caused by switching of other equipment connected to the same supply.

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The primary role of any UPS is to provide short-term power when the input power source fails.
However, most UPS units are also capable in varying degrees of correcting common utility
power problems:
Power failure, defined as a total loss of input voltage.
Surge, defined as a momentary or sustained increase in the mains voltage.
Sag, defined as a momentary or sustained reduction in input voltage.
Spikes, defined as a brief high voltage excursion.
Noise, defined as a high frequency transient or oscillation, usually injected into the line by
nearby equipment.
Frequency instability, defined as temporary changes in the mains frequency.
Harmonic distortion, defined as a departure from the ideal sinusoidal waveform expected
on the line.
UPS manufacturers generally use kVA to describe the UPS output ratings, and it is this rating
which determines the maximum load that can continuously be supported by the UPS when the
mains supply fails. When selecting a UPS to service a particular load it is important that the
combined load does not exceed the UPS output rating.
The range of UPS modules:
Micro-systems:
Mini-systems:
Small-sized systems:
Medium-sized systems:
Large-sized systems:

up to 250 VA
500 2000 VA
2 20 kVA
20 100 kVA
above 100 kVA

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5.

BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY ORDINANCE (CAP. 610)

The core parts of the Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance (Cap. 610) are concerning the
requirements for compliance with the Building Energy Code in new construction of specified
types of buildings and in major retrofitting works of relevant building services installations, as
well as the requirement for conduction of energy audit in commercial buildings.
EMSD has established a Technical Taskforce with the relevant trade parties, professional
institutions, academics and government departments to formulate the new Building Energy
Code (BEC) for the Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance. This BEC sets out the technical
guidance and details in respect of the minimum energy efficiency requirements governing the
prescribed building services installations under the Ordinance. Building services installations
designed, installed and maintained in accordance with this BEC are deemed to have satisfied
the relevant requirements of the Ordinance in the technical aspects.
For the energy efficiency requirements for lighting installations, the lighting power density
(LPD) of an individual space classified in the following table should not exceed the
corresponding maximum allowable value given in the table, unless the total electrical power
consumed by the complete fixed lighting installations in the space does not exceed 100 W.

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The lighting power density of a space is affected by the target maintained illuminance, lamp
and circuit efficacies, room size and room surface reflectance (which would affect utilization
factor, UF) as well as lamp and luminaire maintenance. The recommended illuminance can be
referred to international guidelines. The following graphs show the relations between lighting
circuit efficacy and UF for different maintained illuminance values. Maintenance factor is
assumed to be 0.75.

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120

Em = 300 lx

Lighting Circuit Efficacy (lm/W)

100

80

60

40

LPD = 10 W/m2
LPD = 12 W/m2
LPD = 15 W/m2
LPD = 17 W/m2
LPD = 20 W/m2

20

0
0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Utilization Factor

120

Em = 500 lx

Lighting Circuit Efficacy (lm/W)

100

80

LPD = 10 W/m2
60

LPD = 12 W/m2
LPD = 15 W/m2
LPD = 17 W/m2
LPD = 20 W/m2

40

20

0
0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

Utilization Factor

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0.8

1.0

120

Em = 750 lx

Lighting Circuit Efficacy (lm/W)

100

LPD = 10 W/m2

LPD = 12 W/m2

80

LPD = 15 W/m2
60

LPD = 17 W/m2
LPD = 20 W/m2

40

20

0
0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Utilization Factor

Besides lighting power density, BEC also states the minimum number of lighting control points.
For any space that is classified as an office, it shall comply with the requirements given in the
following table.

In a space with actual lighting power density (LPD) value lower than the allowable value, fewer
number of control points can be provided, the percentage reduction of which should not be
more than the ratio given by the difference between the allowable LPD and actual LPD to the
allowable LPD.
% of reduction

Allowable LPD Actual LPD

Allowable LPD

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N
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Space Area A
0< A
15 < A
30 < A
45 < A
60 < A
75 < A
90 < A
105 < A
120 < A
135 < A
150 < A
180 < A

(m2)
15
30
45
60
75
90
105
120
135
150
180
210

N
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24

Space Area A
210 < A
240 < A
270 < A
300 < A
330 < A
360 < A
390 < A
420 < A
450 < A
500 < A
550 < A
600 < A

(m2)
240
270
300
330
360
390
420
450
500
550
600
650

For the energy efficiency requirements for electrical installations, the purposes are to:
Minimize losses such as iron losses, copper losses, losses due to phase current unbalance
and harmonics, and indirect losses due to rise of temperature in the power distribution
system; and
Reduce losses and energy wastage in the utilization of electrical power.

For minimizing copper losses, the requirements are:

The maximum copper loss in a feeder circuit, single or three phase, should not exceed 2.5%
of the total active power transmitted along the circuit conductors at designed circuit current.
This requirement does not apply to circuits used for compensation of reactive and distortion
power.
The maximum copper loss for non-residential buildings in a sub-main circuit, single or
three phase, not exceeding 100 m length should not exceed 1.5% of the total active power
transmitted along the circuit conductors at designed circuit current.
The maximum copper loss for non-residential buildings in a sub-main circuit, single or
three phase, exceeding 100 m length should not exceed 2.5% of the total active power
transmitted along the circuit conductors at designed circuit current, subject to the sum of
losses in sub-main circuit and final circuit over 32A (based on circuit protective device
rating) not exceeding 2.5%.
The maximum copper loss for residential buildings in a sub-main circuit, single or three
phase, should not exceed 2.5% of the total active power transmitted along the circuit
conductors at designed circuit current.
The maximum copper loss for a final circuit over 32A (based on circuit protective device
rating), single or three phase, should not exceed 1% of the total active power transmitted
along the circuit conductors at designed circuit current.

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The BEC also states the minimum nominal full-load motor efficiency for polyphase induction
motors as given by the following table:

The design total power factor for a three-phase circuit connecting to the meter of the electricity
supplier at designed circuit current should not be less than 0.85. The design total power factor
for a circuit at or above 400 A (based on circuit protective device rating), single or three phase,
at designed circuit current should not be less than 0.85.

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A main incoming circuit at or above 400 A current rating, single or three phase (based on circuit
protective device rating) should be incorporated with metering devices for measuring voltages
(all phase-to-phase and phase-to-neutral), currents (three phases and neutral), total power factor,
total energy consumption (kWh) maximum demand (kVA) and total harmonic distortion.
A feeder or sub-main circuit exceeding 200 A and below 400 A current rating, single or three
phase, (based on circuit protective device), except for correction of reactive or distortion power
purpose, should be incorporated with metering devices, for measuring currents (three phases
and neutral) and total energy consumption (kWh).
A feeder or sub-main at or above 400 A current rating, single or three-phase, (based on circuit
protective device rating), except for correction of reactive or distortion power purpose, should
be incorporated with metering devices for measuring voltages (all phase-to-phase and phaseto-neutral), currents (three phases and neutral), total power factor, total energy consumption
(kWh), maximum demand (kVA) and total harmonic distortion.

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6.

LIFT DESIGN AND INSTALLATION

6.1

Introduction

Lifts are essential installations to a building. Without them, most office buildings would be
untenable. Lift design is about the vertical circulation of people in a building. It must be
designed to consider all principal and secondary circulation areas, escape routes, service routes
and areas. Circulation patterns should be rational, e.g. avoid pedestrian passing through a lift
lobby, where other persons are waiting. Ensure that incompatible types of circulation do not
coincide, e.g. tenants and goods traffic.
It is necessary to consider the levels of occupancy and density of usage so as to permit the free
movement of people and goods. Consider the relationship of major spaces, e.g. meeting and
seminar rooms, with entrances and the people handling equipment. Consider the importance of
the journey undertaken, e.g. rapid access to trading floors.
Planning details of the lift installation should be discussed and agreed with Architect, Structural
Engineer and Clients representatives. The followings are some of the points which should be
checked, established and determined for the building.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

6.2

The number, capacity and speed of the lifts necessary to give adequate lift service;
Relevant statutory regulations;
The provision of safe and convenient access to the machine room;
The loads that the lift will impose on the building structure, the holes to be left in the
machine room floor, the cut-outs for landing doors and wall openings for push-buttons and
indicators.

Lift System Design

For a lift system design, it is needed to decide the rated capacity and speed of a lift car, as well
as the number of lift cars to be installed in the given building. For major buildings and for
groups of lifts there is no simple relationship between the rated speed and the building height.
The number and size of the lifts and the requisite handling capacity all have to be taken into
account. A general rule is to define the time to travel from the first served floor to the furthest
served floor, as indicated in Table 4 in BS5655:6 2002. For broad guidance, reference can be
made to Table 5 in BS5655:6 2002, where the travel limits shown are based upon current
general practice.
Where a lift is required to be a fire-fighting lift, the minimum speed should be in accordance
with the recommendation in BS 5588-5. The speed should be such that the lift will run its full
travel in not more than 60 s.
The functional use of the building can also be a factor in the choice of speed. This is particularly
the case where lifts serve local and express zones. Service to express zones will generally result
in lifts bypassing a number of floors before reaching the first floor of the express zone.

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The number of passenger lifts that should be installed in a given building, and their
capacities, depend on the characteristics of that building. The most important of these are:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

the number of floors to be served by the lift;

the height of the floors;
the population of each floor to be served;
the maximum peak demand, which can be unidirectional, as in the up-peak or down-peak
periods, or multidirectional.

6.3

Design Considerations

A lift installation for office buildings is normally designed to enable the building to be
populated at a given rate and three main factors to be considered are:
(a) the building population or the number of people who requires lift service;
(b) the handling capacity of the lifts or quantity of service (the maximum flow rate required
by the population);
(c) the lift interval or quality of service required.

6.3.1

Population

The first parameter to establish from the eventual occupier (if known) is the total building
population. If a definite population figure is unobtainable, an assessment should be made from
the usable area and probable population density.
Most estimates start from a knowledge of the usable area. This is the area that can be usefully
occupied, which excludes circulation space (stairs, corridors, waiting areas), structural
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intrusions (steelwork, space heating, architectural features, etc.), training rooms, smoking
rooms, toilet facilities, cleaners areas, etc.
Average population density can vary from around one person per 4 m2 to one person per 20 m2.
It is essential therefore that some indication of the probable population density be obtained
from the building owner. If no indication is possible, the values in Table 6 in BS5655-6:2002
may be used as guidance.
The arrival rate can be expressed as a percentage of a buildings total population. In many
buildings it is unlikely that all of the total possible population will be present on any day, and
hot desking and home working are now considered significant factors. Thus in design
calculations the total building population can be reduced by 10 % to 20 % to account for:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)

persons working at home;

persons away on holiday;
persons away sick;
persons away on company business;
vacant posts;
hot desking.

6.3.2

Handling Capacity

Having established the population requiring lift service, it is necessary to determine the flow
rate at which people will enter the building and require transportation to higher floors. This
will vary according to:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)

the purpose of the building (commercial, institutional, residential);

the location of nearby bulk transport facilities;
whether the building is in the heart of the city or in the suburbs;
the starting and finishing habits of the building population, i.e. unified or flexitime working;
the type of tenancy, i.e. single or multi-tenanted;
the prestige of the building.

The flow rate is usually expressed as the percentage of the total population requiring lift service
during a 5 min period, known as the handling capacity of the installation. It can vary between
10 % and 25 %.
If no information is available on the flow rate to be expected, 12 % may be assumed for
speculative buildings, or buildings where flexitime will be practised, and 17 % for buildings
where unified starting times will exist. Table 6 in BS5655-6:2002 gives guidance for a number
of different building types.

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6.3.3

Interval

The interval is expressed in seconds and is calculated by taking the round trip time (RTT) of
one car and dividing it by the number of cars interconnected in the common group system. It
provides a criterion for some measure of the quality of service. For office buildings, the interval
may be specified by the purchaser not to exceed a certain value according to the quality of
service desired. Table 7 in BS5655-6:2002 indicates usual expectations.

6.3.4

Lift lobby arrangement

The grouping of passenger lifts is particularly important where they provide the main means of
vertical transportation within the buildings. Lifts should always be placed together, rather than
distributed around a building. This will provide a better service (shorter intervals), mitigate
against the failure of one car (availability of adjacent cars) and lead to improved traffic control
(group supervisory system). Eight lifts are the maximum number of lifts that should be grouped
together, especially if large lifts are used (> 2000 kg). This allows passengers to determine
when a lift arrives, to walk to the car and to enter it before the lift doors start to close. The
following figure shows the recommended groupings of lifts in offices by BS5655.

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The distance across a lobby is usually 1.5 to 2 times the car depth. If the lobby is any larger,
passengers have too far to walk and the closure of the car doors has to be delayed to
accommodate the increased walking time.
Lift lobbies should not be part of a through circulation route, either to other lifts, or other areas
in the building. Lobbies should be provided that are dedicated to passengers waiting for the
lifts. The ideal lobby size would be one which could accommodate one full car load of
passengers waiting and permit the simultaneous disembarkation of one full car load of arriving
passengers.
It is suggested that the position of any central lift core should be towards the centre of the
building and that actual walking distances should be no greater than 45 m from any point of
the building.

6.3.5

Lift well

The well should be exclusively for the lift and should not contain cables or devices, etc., other
than for the lift. The dimensions of the lift well shall have values shown in Figure 6 of BS ISO
4190-1:2010.

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Extract from Code of Practice for Building Works for Lifts and Escalators 2011:

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36 of 39

In case of multiple lifts situated side by side in a common lift well, the internal dimensions
shall be determined in the following manner:
(a) the total width of the common well shall be equal to the sum of the individual well widths
plus the sum of the boundary widths between the wells, each boundary width being at least
200 mm;
(b) the depths of the constituent parts of the common well shall be the same as those laid down
for the individual lifts.
(c) The pit depth shall be that specified for the fastest lift in the group;
(d) The minimum height above the highest level served shall be specified for the fastest lift in
the group.

6.4

Lift Traffic Analysis

The planning of a lift installation is generally based on round-trip time calculations. The
handling capacity and interval could then be calculated from the round trip time.
It should be appreciated that all calculations on the round trip time are dependent on a number
of factors that vary according to the design of lifts and assumptions made on passenger transfer
and hence different manufacturers will differ somewhat in their methods of calculation owing
to the variations in lift design, especially with regard to rates of acceleration and deceleration
and door operation time etc. Therefore the results of calculations made by different
organizations will not be exactly the same.
Apart from manual calculation, lift traffic analysis can be done by software simulation, like
HEVACOMP Electrical Designer. This program will analyze passenger traffic movement in
a building and suggest possible lift design solutions. It is based on standard probability
equations of traffic flow.
The traffic flow analysis is based on peak arrival rate of the buildings population during a 5
minute period in the morning. This may not be an accurate method to use when there is an
unusual traffic pattern in a building such as may occur in some public buildings or in buildings
where there is a lot of inter-floor traffic coinciding with the normal arrival time of the occupants.
Input parameters:

Number of floors
Standard floor to floor heights
Arrival rate (% in 5 mins)
1st floor population using lifts
Standard population per floor
Upped bad load cut-off
Lower bad load cut-off
Fixed floor stop
Min and max interval

Floor to floor heights can vary between floors or a constant height can be used. Some staffs on
the first floor may use the stairs instead of the lifts. Then this condition can be allowed by
setting the percentage of first floor population using the lifts. The population of the building
must be specified, this population can be averaged out over all floors or specific values can be
defined for each floor. The floor number which the lifts will always call at can be defined at
the fixed floor stop entry. The load cut-off values allow the selection of upper and lower

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values so that very empty and very full solutions could be discarded. The quality of service can
be controlled by specifying maximum and minimum acceptable interval times. The lift system
can be single rise or high and low rise.
A standard set of lift configurations is stored within the program and all configurations will be
analyzed. You can change or extend the programs database of lifts if required. If it is needed
to analyze a lift that is not in the database, a non-standard calculation can be set up to analyze
the required lift separately.
Outputs:

6.5

Number of cars required

Average number of people transported by a lift in each travel
Round trip time
Interval

Fire-fighting Lifts

A fire-fighting lift installation includes the lift car itself, the lift well and the lift machinery
space, together with the lift control system and the lift communication system. The lift may be
used in normal times as a passenger lift by the occupants of the building but, in order to prevent
the risk of the entrance being obstructed when the lift is required to go into the fire-fighting
mode, it is essential that it is not used for moving refuse, nor for moving goods.
According to the Code of Practice for Fire Safety in Buildings 2011 by Buildings Department,
no part of the floor served by a firemans lift should be more than 60 m from the door of the
lift lobby measured along actual passages. If the internal layout is not known at the design stage
or is not shown on plan, a direct line measurement of 45 m may be used for design purposes,
provided that the layout of the floor when occupied satisfies the 60 m requirement. As
stipulated in BS9999:2008, fire-fighting lifts must be within a firefighting shaft which contains
stairs, lobbies, fire main and the lift itself. The entire shaft must be enclosed by a structure
which is fire resistant (usually two hours). The fire-fighting lift may share a common shaft with
other lifts. In such cases it must also share a common lobby and all lifts in the shaft will need
to be constructed to a similar standard in terms of the fire resistance of the materials used in
the cars and all must have fire resistant landing doors.

Firefightin
g lift

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Firefighting lift lobby

Passenger lifts

Firefighting lift

Code of Practice for Fire Safety in Buildings 2011 and Code of Practice on the Design and
Construction of Lifts and Escalators 2010 specify the requirements for the firemans lift. The
requirements are:
(a) The car of a firemans lift should have a minimum internal dimension of 1.1 m, a net
internal floor area of not less than 1.35 m2 and a rated load of not less than 680 kg.
(b) The door opening of a firemans lift should not be less than 800 mm wide and 2000 mm
high. The doors should be fitted with power operated automatic self-closing device.
(c) The speed of the lift car shall be such that it will reach the topmost discharge point of the
building in not more than 1 minute, calculating from the time when the lift doors at the
level of designated point of entry where the firemans switch is located are completely
closed to the time when the lift doors at the topmost discharge point start to open.

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