The Building of the Future - new headquarters

Published on: June 29, 2021.

Categories: General

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What does the building of the future look like? At Aalberts hydronic flow control, we never stop looking for the answer. Sustainability is in no doubt top of mind. It is our mission to improve the energy efficiency of buildings via sustainable innovation. From source to emitter, we engineer, innovate and optimize hydronic balancing systems that help cut down energy consumption and CO2 emissions for buildings.Thanks to the growth of the Aalberts hydronic flow control family, we have an opportunity to showcase our own sustainability concept of future-proofing buildings.

Maximize sustainability potential of the new head office

Designed with the utmost care for energy efficiency, the new head office of Aalberts hydronic flow control is a green building with a sustainable energy supply. The installations of our hydronic balancing technology ensure that future-proofing buildings are no longer a challenge. In our new building, countless efficiency measures were considered during the designing phase and implemented to maximize sustainability potential.

Best of all, 6,000 solar panels are planned to be installed, meeting the energy needs of both the production and office facilities. Additionally, we provide electric charging stations for cars, which run on solar power. Taking sustainable innovation to the next level, Flamco’s thermal charging station Flextherm Eco is installed in the office kitchen. It utilizes renewable energy, converts electricity into heat during the daytime and storages heat whenever needed.

Recover and reuse residual heat

In addition to renewable energy supply, waste heat produced in the factory is recovered and reused in the heating system for the office area. Our state-of-the-art HVAC installations enable us to realize low temperature surface heating. Flamco’s expansion systems and automats are installed in the boiler room for pressure balancing, temperature protection and leakage detection. In particular, the use of Flamco’s air and dirt separators guarantee system efficiency of the heating and cooling systems and a reduction in heat loss and energy consumption. With the help of Flamco pump groups, heating distribution is regulated and secured throughout the entire office. Most importantly, the buildings, including the factory, are highly insulated to ensure warmth.

Energy efficiency outside the boiler room

The boiler room is not the only place where we can improve energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. Heating and cooling distribution systems significantly contribute to energy savings and comfort control. The new head office of Aalberts hydronic flow control is equipped with Comap’s underfloor heating and ceiling cooling systems. Our efficient cooling system relies on heat pumps and renewable energy, and we use adiabatic cooling for the production facility.

“Benefiting from the Comap connection solutions and balancing valves, we can bring heat to where it is needed,” says Diem Kemper, PM director of Aalberts hydronic flow control. A change-over system with balancing valves is designed and installed to enable the seasonal requirement for heating and cooling. The switch from heat to cold and vice versa is regulated via a change-over system and by means of regulating valves "in-house".

Beyond zero-energy building - Smart heating and cooling systems

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The development and implementation of the Flamconnect remote services help us move one step closer to achieving a sustainable innovation. The new head office is not only a zero-energy building, it is also a smart building equipped with a smart portal for heating and cooling installations. It provides real-time operational data digitally, which makes system monitoring and maintenance easy, saving time and money. Additionally, the Flamconnect Metering gives us insights on water and heat consumption and helps us optimize energy-saving measures. Thus, having data that proves our balanced hydronic system is highly efficient is right at our fingertips.

Flamconnect is not the only smart solution we have in-house. The Secos system manifold is installed in the office space and meeting rooms for optimal energy control, providing flexibility for on-demand heat supply and precise temperature control. Therefore, it is effortless to change room temperature, control energy consumption and improve energy savings based on the actual need for individual meeting rooms. This energy control system is paired with Comap’s smart home thermostats, regulating heat and flow at an optimal level, and thus putting comfort control and energy savings at ease.

These IoT innovations contribute to the digitalization of the buildings and in the construction sector, which lowers energy consumption, makes the use of space more efficient and guarantees the comfort of occupants indoors. With the help of sensors, our use of light, heat and water is reduced, which subsequently improves energy efficiency. Moreover, in combination with our own IoT solutions, sensors provide us with data and insights to help us better manage the sustainability of our building. It is the key to future-proofing our new head office.

Aalberts hydronic flow control specializes in complete hydronic solutions to heating and cooling systems from source to emitter. We believe that our sustainability mindset boosts our innovation in the field of building energy efficiency. It is now in the sustainable and innovative design of the new headquarters office in Almere, the Netherlands.