Cleverly simple control of energy
• Electric room and water heating
• Open window detection
• Installed, commissioned and warrantied by Prefect
Cardiff is one of the UK’s most popular urban destinations, offering an eclectic mix of history, culture, and fresh and exciting innovations. The Neighbourhood student accommodation is the former 6th form college converted into an 11 storey, 123 student room facility, with social and study spaces, a gym, a cinema room and gaming areas, in which there is a careful balance between luxury living and energy efficiency. McCarthy Bainbridge Limited (MBL) are the Electrical and Mechanical consultant engineers for the project. They specified PrefectIrus to control hot water and room temperature control. MBL were looking for a control system that could provide many of the features of a building energy management system but at a fraction of the cost, Mark Pragnell one of MBL’s directors explains. “Their product served the exact purpose that we were looking for and it was doing things that other systems aren’t providing and also they have a good reputation in the industry.”
“We put the proposal forward to our client (Ethos Property) and then they bought the system direct from Prefect. We recommended that it would be best practice to have Prefect install the system and it worked well, Prefect policed the process and only when they were satisfied did they hand the job back to us. They installed it, they commissioned it and then they warrantied it. They also provide the annual cover on the system. They were brilliant, really easy to deal with.”
Another key consideration, as this was a retro-fit project, was how quickly and easily the system could be installed. “The building was in operation, so we couldn’t just tear down walls and ceilings. By using the existing electrical wiring, we avoided having to run data cables throughout the building. This speeded up the install and kept disruption right down.” Mark explains.
The CU3 control unit incorporates Lux, humidity and decibel sensors. These alert maintenance managers to failing lighting and ventilation products and excessive noise over prolonged periods. The controller also has integrated window-open detection – Mark has experienced older solutions, “In the past window switches and cabling have been a right pain and tended to fail. The new temperature-drop system from Prefect is much better and the inclusion of the PIR for passive detection is a real benefit too.”
The City Road development is an electrical system. However, the next phase that MBL are working on is a wet system, Mark explains, “PrefectIrus works just as well on a wet system. If we had used a BEMS we would have had to start introducing the motorised valves and actuators and all the additional cost that would have brought, whereas, with PrefectIrus it’s just a thermal drive that goes on over the TRV, nothing special is required.”
Accommodation has come a long way for recent generations of students. City Road, Cardiff is packed with a wealth of facilities to ensure that student life is as easy, secure and comfortable as possible. PrefectIrus is proud to play its part in the student experience, living up to The Neighbourhood’s Live. Study. Enjoy, philosophy.
Cardiff is one of the UK’s most popular urban destinations, offering an eclectic mix of history,
culture, and fresh and exciting innovations. The Neighbourhood student accommodation is the former 6th form college converted into an 11 storey, 123 student room facility, with social and study spaces, a gym, a cinema room and
gaming areas, in which there is a careful balance between luxury living and energy efficiency.
McCarthy Bainbridge Limited (MBL) are the Electrical and Mechanical consultant engineers for the project. They specified Prefect Irus to control hot water and room temperature control. MBL were looking for a control system that could provide many of the features of a building energy management system but at a fraction of the cost, Mark Pragnell one of MBL’s directors explains. “Their product served the exact purpose that we were looking for and it was doing things that other systems aren’t providing and also they have a good reputation in the industry.”
“We put the proposal forward to our client (Ethos Property) and then they bought the system direct from Prefect. We recommended that it would be best practice to have Prefect install the system and it worked well, Prefect policed the process and only when they were satisfied did they hand the job back to us. They installed it, they commissioned it and then they warrantied it. They also provide the annual cover on the system. They were brilliant, really easy to deal with.”
Another key consideration, as this was a retro-fit project, was how quickly and easily the system could be installed. “The building was in operation, so we couldn’t just tear down walls and ceilings. By using the existing electrical wiring, we avoided having to run data cables throughout the building. This speeded up the install and kept disruption right down.” Mark explains.
“PrefectIrus works just as well on a wet system. If we had used a BEMS we would have had to start introducing the motorised valves and actuators and all the additional cost that would have brought, whereas, with PrefectIrus it’s just a thermal drive that goes on over the TRV.”
The CU3 control unit incorporates Lux, humidity and decibel sensors. These alert maintenance managers to failing lighting and ventilation products and excessive noise over prolonged periods.
The controller also has integrated window-open detection – Mark has experienced older solutions, “In the past window switches and cabling have been a right pain and tended to fail. The new temperature-drop system from Prefect is much better and the inclusion of the PIR for passive detection is a real benefit too.”
The City Road development is an electrical system. However, the next phase that MBL are working on is a wet system, Mark explains, “PrefectIrus works just as well on a wet system. If we had used a BEMS we would have had to start introducing the motorised valves and actuators and all the additional cost that would have brought, whereas, with PrefectIrus it’s just a thermal drive that goes on over the TRV, nothing special is required.”
Accommodation has come a long way for recent generations of students. City Road, Cardiff is packed with a wealth of facilities to ensure that student life is as easy, secure and comfortable as possible.
PrefectIrus is proud to play its part in the student experience, living up to The Neighbourhood’s Live. Study. Enjoy, philosophy.
