BGR (Bundesanstalt f. Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe)

BGR has chosen Halton Solutions for the ventilation of their kitchen

Hannover, Germany (2014)

71% cut in the ventilation energy bill: that’s what BGR (German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources) benefit from after the refurbishment of their staff restaurant. This thanks to a high efficient combination of the Demand Controlled Ventilation system M.A.R.V.E.L. and the Capture Ray Technology which enables heat recovery on the top of the savings gained by M.A.R.V.E.L.
This shows that the savings gained by Demand Controlled systems is not made at the expense of heat recovery.

BGR has chosen Halton Solutions for the ventilation of their kitchen.

BGR (German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources) is the central geoscientific authority providing advice to the German Federal Government in all geo-relevant questions.

Geosciences are an integral part of daily life – much more than we are probably aware of. Clean drinking water, sand and clay for building houses, energy and heat are just as much a part of geoscientific research as protecting human lives from georisks.

The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources is committed to sustainable use of natural resources and protection of the human habitat. As a neutral institution feeling responsible for the future they advise ministries and the European Community and act as partners in industry and science. The leading motive of their daily work is “Improvement of Living Conditions by Sustainable Use of the Geo-Potentials”.

Energy resources are one of their focus. In that field, the best energy is the energy you don’t use. The refurbishment of BGR’s staff restaurant had to represent this leitmotiv.

One cannot overstate that the catering business is the most energy-consuming out of all commercial and residential buildings. At 800 kWh/m² (1), the catering business is the most energy-consuming activity out of all commercial and residential buildings in the United States, far ahead of the hospital sector (at 600 kWh/m²). All things being equal, this observation may also be considered valid in Europe and in many other countries.

Halton has designed a solution that demonstrates, once more, that this analysis is not a fatality.

The requirements for the refurbishment project of BGR’s staff canteen restaurant were quite high. The kitchen is divided in several zones:
– The main kitchen;
– The distribution area with two front cooking poles;
– The dishwashing areas composed of 2 poles (kitchen ware and tableware).

The main kitchen and the dishwashing areas have been equipped with Capture Jet™ ventilated ceilings enabling up to 15% reduction in exhaust airflow rates compared to traditional ventilated ceilings. The distribution area has been on its side equipped with a Capture™ Jet hood (up to 40% reduction in exhaust airflow rate compared to traditional hoods) and a Jet Extraction System (JES).

These technologies ensures that the exhaust airflow rates are reduced at their minimum level and prepares well the ground before M.A.R.V.E.L. comes in the picture.M.A.R.V.E.L. is a concentration of technological innovations.

The first one is emblematic. M.A.R.V.E.L. « scans » the surface of the cooking blocks to determine, in real time, the status of the appliances: switched off, idle or in the process of cooking. Each status corresponds to a different exhaust airflow need. The maximum value is used only in cooking mode, for a limited time period. This leads to a first drastic reduction of the exhaust airflows.

71% cut on BGR’s energy bill

71% cut in the ventilation energy bill: that’s what BGR (German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources) benefit of after the refurbishment of their staff restaurant. This thanks to a high efficient combination of the Demand Controlled Ventilation system M.A.R.V.E.L. and the Capture Ray™ Technology which enables heat recovery on the top of the savings gained by M.A.R.V.E.L.

This shows that the savings gained by Demand Controlled systems is not made at the expense of heat recovery.

On a typical heating season, the combination of M.A.R.V.E.L. and heat recovery allows to save 208,721 kWh. This represents per year:
– 10,500 € savings on heating thanks to M.A.R.V.E.L.;
– 2,704 € savings on the fan consumption thanks to M.A.R.V.E.L.;
– 17,800 € savings on heating thanks to the heat recovery.

BGR is saving not less than 31,000 € a year which represents a cut of 71% on the energy bill of their kitchen ventilation system.