Priva Case Studie
Jackson House
Priva technology cuts installation costs by a third
A review of the building controls system at Jackson House in Ipswich enabled the system to be upgraded and extended and, by specifying PRIVA technology, has also cut the installation cost by a third.
Jackson House had previously been the CEGB’s nuclear power training centre. Now it provides office accommodation for Jackson’s staff and a tenant, Suffolk County Council. Electricity is the only energy source available which, without good control, has the potential to be expensive to operate.
The existing building controls were a mix of discrete controllers, predominantly controlling the air handing units, and two standalone outstations controlling the electrode boilers and chillers. Alan York, Jackson’s Mechanical and Electrical Design Manager, was looking to replace the discrete control system as several of the controllers had failed and spares were no longer available. He consulted his PRIVA Partner and discussed his requirements with them.
“The client already knew that he had to replace the discrete controllers and was thinking along the lines of a networked building management system (BMS) solution which would use the existing outstations,” said PRIVA Partner Roger Coote. “He had appreciated that this would allow him an easier route to achieving his ultimate goals of introducing Internet technology to the controls’ communications, improving energy management and future-proofing the BMS. However, the costs involved far exceeded Jackson’s budget.”
A PRIVA BMS was proposed as it would deliver all the features that were required. Leaving the existing field wiring and field peripherals (sensors, valves, dp switches, etc) in situ, a PRIVA HX8E replaced the obsolete system. A special feature of the PRIVA Compri HX is that it was designed from the outset to support TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) as standard and has an inbuilt Web browser.
“PRIVA has really thought about the Compri product range and have not only considered tomorrow’s requirements, but they have also looked back at the existing building stock and realised that by designing the system electronics in a specific way, screened cables would not be required,” explained Roger Coote. “Had the client gone down the original route, the cost of the controls wiring would have been around a third of the total job. Instead, by installing the PRIVA system we were able to eliminate this cost to the client.”
With the new control system installed and operating, Warners and its client are now considering the future development of the BMS. Since the original installation was completed the company has added optimisation of all five air handling units, on/off coil temperature monitoring, an improved frost protection strategy, and maintenance switches. In addition, Warners is recommending that PRIVA’s TC Remote software be introduced allowing the building’s divisional managers the capability to control their own environments from the comfort of their PCs. 