Water

Overview

Water heating

When considering the overall energy requirements of a building, hot water is an area that cannot be ignored. The UK Government's Energy White Paper (2007) estimates that 11% of an individual's carbon emissions stem from the provision of hot water. We consider economic and ecological aspects of water heating as a matter of course in our planning work. The requirements of fire safety, hygiene and disabled access are also not ignored.

Rain water

The responsible use and disposal of rainwater have become increasingly important over recent years. Where practical, our preference is for the on-site capture and storage of rainwater for use. Where this is not possible and the capacity of street drainage systems has been exhausted, on-site drainage systems have to be built.

The planning of rainwater storage as well as drainage systems are part of our portfolio of services.

Irrigation

Our German office first planned drip irrigation systems with Solar PV electricity supplies nearly 20 years ago. Application areas have ranged from vineyards to large private gardens. Drip irrigation systems have a range of advantages over other systems, for example sprinklers:

• low water usage
• low water flow rates allow use of low-energy solar pumps
• no capping of the soil surface
• no erosion caused by water run-off
• reduced disease problems because foliage remains dry and fungal spores are not splashed onto plants

While drip irrigation is generally the most efficient in terms of resources, we will design whatever system is best suited to your requirements.

Related case studies

• Building services renovation in halls of residence
• Use of rainwater on industrial estate