Lean System Design (LSD)
What is Lean System Design (LSD)?
Lean System Design (LSD) is an approach to designing building services that focuses on three key objectives:
- Lean in Energy Consumption: Reducing the building’s energy demand and ensuring that energy is consumed as efficiently as possible.
- Lean in Equipment Quantity: Minimising the amount of installed equipment, thereby reducing both initial capital costs and ongoing maintenance expenses.
- Maximising Renewable Performance: Ensuring that renewable energy sources, particularly electricity generation, are used effectively to maximise their potential.
LSD can aid the transition to more sustainable energy sources, including renewables and heat networks, and for prepare buildings to integrate with heat networks in the future.
Key Principles of LSD
Lean Plant Design
Design for Future Heat Networks: Modern systems must be compatible with future heat networks. This means designing with wide temperature differentials (ΔTs) and ensuring low return temperatures.
Hybrid Plant Room: Integrating various technologies like heat pumps and electric boilers to create a hybrid plant room that optimises energy use and reduces the need for excessive equipment.
Substantial Thermal Storage: Implementing large thermal storage systems decouples demand from supply, allows for off-peak charging, and effectively shaves peak demand, enhancing overall system efficiency and reducing energy costs.
Consume Energy Efficiently
Optimising ΔT: Select the lowest flow temperature that meets demand while achieving the highest ΔT. This maximises the efficiency of the heating system and reduces energy losses.
Eliminate Stored Hot Water: Avoid storing hot water, which requires high temperatures to prevent Legionella bacteria, by using on-demand systems like heat interface units (HIUs).
Reduce Energy Demand
Minimise Energy Waste: Focus on reducing the building’s energy demand through improved insulation, airtightness, and the use of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems.
Right-Sizing Equipment: By understanding the actual energy demand, you can avoid oversizing heating and cooling equipment, which leads to lower costs and energy consumption.
Automatic Monitoring and Targeting
Monitor Performance: Implement an Automatic Monitoring and Targeting (AM&T) system to continually assess energy usage and identify areas for improvement.
Data-Driven Decisions: Use energy data to make informed decisions about system adjustments and upgrades, ensuring optimal performance over the building’s lifecycle.
Benefits of Lean System Design
Energy Efficiency
By reducing energy demand and optimising system performance, LSD helps lower energy bills and reduce carbon emissions.
Cost Saving
Minimising the quantity of installed equipment not only reduces initial costs but also decreases ongoing maintenance and operational expenses.
Future-Proofing
Designing systems that are compatible with future heat networks ensures that buildings are prepared for upcoming energy trends, avoiding costly refurbishments.
Implementing LSD in Your Energy Centre
To successfully implement LSD in your building, follow these steps:
Anticipated Outcomes of Lean System Design
Implementing Lean System Design (LSD) in your commercial building delivers several key benefits:
- Reduced CapEx: Lower upfront costs due to the minimised need for equipment and simpler system design.
- Reduced OpEx: Decreased operational expenses through energy-efficient systems and reduced maintenance requirements.
- Reduced RepEx: Significantly less equipment means fewer replacements, leading to lower replacement costs over the building’s lifecycle.
- Less Equipment: A huge reduction in the amount of installed equipment, simplifying system management and maintenance.
- Lower Embodied Carbon: Reduced carbon footprint due to fewer materials and a leaner system design.
Further Information
Lean System Design CPD
If you would like to find out more about Lean System Design, we offer a CPD seminar:
FAQ
The primary focus of Lean System Design (LSD) is to achieve three key objectives: reduce the building's energy demand, minimise the amount of installed equipment, and maximise the performance of renewable energy sources.
LSD can aid the transition to more sustainable energy sources, including renewables and heat networks, by ensuring that modern systems are compatible with future heat networks. This involves designing systems with wide temperature differentials and low return temperatures to enable effective integration with heat networks.
The four key principles of LSD are:
1. Be Green: Design for future heat networks and implement a hybrid plant room with thermal storage.
2. Be Clean: Optimise the temperature differential (ΔT) and eliminate the need for stored hot water.
3. Be Lean: Reduce energy demand through improved insulation, airtightness, and efficient ventilation.
4. Be Seen: Implement an Automatic Monitoring and Targeting (AM&T) system to monitor performance and make data-driven decisions.
By reducing energy demand and optimising system performance, LSD helps lower energy bills and reduce carbon emissions. Additionally, minimising the quantity of installed equipment not only reduces initial costs but also decreases ongoing maintenance and operational expenses.
To successfully implement LSD in an energy centre, the key steps are:
1. Treat the design as a heat network, ensuring compatibility with future heat networks.
2. Accurately assess the peak energy demand to avoid oversizing equipment.
3. Understand the 24-hour usage profile to optimise system design.
4. Implement measures to shave peak energy demand, such as substantial thermal storage.
