2018 April

The new Siemens PX programmable Compact Controller with island bus complements the Desigo family. It is available in two versions, with either 22 or 36 IO’s on board. It can be expanded with TX I/O modules to cover up to 16 IO datapoints. In combination with up to two TXI2.OPEN, the compact controller also offers various third party integration options. The controllers use the truly open BACnet protocol and are available in either IP or BACnet over LON options. The IP controllers include a built in web communication allowing remote connection.

David Frise has been appointed chief executive of the Building Engineering Specialists Association with immediate effect and he says his key goal is to raise the profile of engineers in the sector because they have a 'vital social and economic role to play'.

The Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA) is warning of issues over incorrect and potentially harmful handling of refrigerants for air conditioning. FETA has advised that there have been some instances of R410A (classified as A1, nonflammable) being completely removed from some air conditioning systems which are then simply recharged with R32 (classed as A2L, low flammability).

BESA has been appointed as a Registered End Point Assessment Organisation (RoEPAO) which allows it to assess new training standards in England. This follows the Association’s appointment in 2017 as an officially-registered New Standard apprentice delivery body able to operate across the UK.

OFTEC has restated its calls for an overhaul of the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) following a recent report from the National Audit Office (NAO) which confirms the scheme ‘has not achieved value for money’.

Experts are pointing out that Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are not a good indication of energy efficiency for buildings. The growing calls for other ways to indicate building energy use come as Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) are introduced this month.

Around 80% of engineering services firms say turnover increased or was steady during the final quarter of 2017, according to new findings from the sector-wide Building Engineering Business Survey, sponsored by Scolmore.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has approved the Arbn Consult (Arbnco) reporting software for use in registering exemptions for the MEES legislation.

The Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) has raised concerns that the UK’s increasing reliance on digital infrastructure puts it at risk of hacker attacks.

Or a chill wind for construction? Karen Fletcher considers the Chancellor’s Spring Statement.

Are construction clients finally reaching the end of their collective tether when it comes to building performance? Karen Fletcher outlines the issues that are coming to a head.

Modular construction has gained considerable momentum over the past five years in the UK due to its positive impact on cost, programme, quality and safety. Offsite construction consultant Darren Richards discusses the latest developments.

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) says a ‘perfect storm’ is brewing that will radically alter the shape of training delivery and competence assessment across the UK building services sector.

Built in 1494 during the reign of Henry VII, the historic Square Tower in Portsmouth has undergone many changes of use during its 524-year life. Following a major refurbishment, including a new heating system, the tower, owned by Portsmouth Council, has become a popular venue for weddings and corporate gatherings.

Northern Ireland has established itself as a major location for the film industry, .To keep up with the increasing demand, a major investment was recently made in a state-of-the-art 120,000 sq. ft. studio space that has been built on a former landfill site in Belfast.

Parkstone Yacht Club in Poole was established in 1895 and is situated on the North shore of the second largest natural harbour in the world. In the summer of 2016 work started on Parkstone’s new state-of–the-art clubhouse in Pearce Avenue. The new construction will accommodate the club’s active 2,800 members including around 480 sailors, aged 4 – 18 most of which are locally based.

Southern Housing Group wanted to include solar thermal as part of an upgrade to Lisgar Terrace estate. Oventrop UK limited were employed by H&V Service Plan to deliver solar thermal domestic hot water systems to 7 newly created apartments on phase 2 of the development.

Madison restaurant at St Paul’s in London is the first venue in the UK to install a ground-breaking new heat pump-based air curtain, which provides high efficiency heating and cooling.

Staff and pupils at Dunsville Primary School in Doncaster are benefitting from highly efficient heating and hot water, thanks to four 120kW Thision L Evo gas condensing boilers from Elco. The new wall mounted boilers have been installed in-line on a floorstanding cascade system within the school’s basement plant room.

The UK moves to MEES this month, but Australia has been linking building performance to commercial tenancies for many years. Paul Angus and Ian Dixon of Aecom Australia tell us how the NABERS system works, and why it has been so successful.

Mitch Layng believes that MEES offers opportunities if handled correctly. Here he considers the different stakeholders in the property sector and outlines the possibilities that lie in the new legislation for each.

As the property market becomes increasingly competitive, there is a need to differentiate through better building performance. Andy Lewry, James Fisher and Matt Holden discuss how sustainability results in high performance buildings.

With MEES now in force, EPC ratings are paramount for building owners. Consultant Colin Lillicrap explains why a more detailed EPC analysis could help identify more cost-effective improvement measures – and may even result in a better rating.

For building services managers water offers two major challenges - using it efficiently and ensuring it is safe. David Meacock explains why the latest technologies can support better performance when it comes to stored water.

Alan Edwards of the CSCA explains why a relatively new Association is offering reassurance to FMs and building owners that their water treatment will be carried out to recognised and audited standards.

Against a backdrop of rising mains water supply costs and climate change causing stress to water resources, building services engineers are under pressure to reduce water consumption and associated costs. Mark Hadaway considers the alternatives to mains water.

Bespoke prefabricated heating equipment can deliver numerous benefits from increased efficiency and greater quality control to time, budget and labour savings. Chris Meir takes a look at the methods and benefits.

Andrew Yates explains the growing popularity of offsite construction of utility cupboards as the pressure to build quickly and to high standards grows.

David Draper offers his five top tips to help extract the maximum benefits when designing and installing modular wiring.

Stuart Turner explains why a modular approach to boilers for heat networks is a flexible and efficient solution.

Condensate from dehumidifiers, air-conditioning systems, commercial cooling systems and condensing boilers can be a problem when it cannot be removed by natural gravity. But there is a solution provided by the Grundfos Conlift range.

The Nor-Ray-Vac system from Reznor (part of the Nortek Global HVAC Group) combusts fuel at the point of use, enabling maximum efficiency with no distribution losses. It is a product that is proving particularly useful in large open spaces such as warehouses and factories.

Sime has launched its Murelle Revolution 30, the first completely integrated boiler and heat pump in a single cased product. Using an ErP A++ 30 kW Murelle boiler and sealed 4kW output heat pump, Sime is targeting its Murelle Revolution 30 at new build, social housing and the retrofit renewables markets. The Murelle Revolution 30 can be installed by any registered Gas Safe installer in a single installation process, without an F-gas-registered installer present

The Tango range of pump solutions from Armstrong Fluid Technology offers efficiency with built-in parallel sensorless pump control; motor efficiency exceeding IE4; embedded intelligence and connectivity; and innovative design for ease of maintenance. These capabilities deliver energy savings of more than 30%.

Titon’s new HRV3 PH ECOaura MVHR unit has successfully achieved Passivhaus accreditation. The unit, when used with Titon’s new Aura-t touchscreen or Aurastat VT controller, provides exceptional indoor air quality and energy efficient performance within a building.

Trend Control Systems’ range of IQ4 controllers now comes with full BACnet Building Controller (B-BC) compliance. This development is part of the company’s determination to reinforce its position as a provider of non-proprietary open protocol solutions that are fully interoperable with other manufacturers’ products, whilst continuing to provide all of the control functionality that Trend customers and Partners have come to expect.

The MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards) are now in force and landlords need to be aware that the fixed services involving the HVAC - including pumps - are very much in the spotlight in terms of their contribution to the overall energy rating.

Construction has begun to transform a disused day care centre into 60 apartments in the London Borough of Hillingdon to provide independent living for its older residents.

Our ErP compliant range includes the highly efficient Nor-Ray-Vac a gas fired continuous radiant tube heating system designed specifically for the building it is required to heat. The Nor-Ray-Vac system is designed to provide uniform heat coverage over the entire floor area. The system can also cater for distinct zones providing a varied degree of comfort level within the overall layout of the building. With increased comfort, along with a reduction in operating costs of up to 60% over conventional systems, Reznor will help keep end users operating costs down.

Viega, the global manufacturer of piping systems has introduced its Smartpress press connections to the UK. The newly redesigned system provides a quicker and more reliable method for connecting multi-layer composite pipe (MLCP). Smartpress connectors are suitable for a wide range of domestic and commercial applications including drinking water and heating installations. The highly corrosion-resistant Smartpress fittings are available in dimensions from 16 to 63mm and the range includes manifold and radiator connection blocks.

Fujitsu Air Conditioning (UK) has extended its range of Airstage J-IIIL Series VRF systems with the introduction of two brand new 40kW and 45kW outdoor units. This increases the number of outdoor models with side discharge fan(s) in the company’s J-Series of standalone heat pumps to 14, with capacities ranging from 12.1kW to 45kW. The two new side discharge units (AJY126LELAH and AJY144LELAH) are extremely compact. Each product has a much smaller footprint than current models with the same output capacities.

One of the most topical areas currently for VRF installations is the specification of Hydro Kits, which extract heat from a VRF Heat Pump or Heat Recovery system, air-cooled or water-cooled; for the production of domestic hot water.

The market-leading circular duct systems Lindab Safe and Lindab Safe Click have been certified for strength and leakage according to the toughest tightness class D by Eurovent. Lindab is the first company in Europe to receive such a certificate for a duct system from the renowned organisation.

"At Ecobuild this year, representatives of the Better Buildings Partnership were making it known that clients are fed up to the back teeth of buildings that don’t deliver what they want – efficiency, maintainability, operational effectiveness. These weren’t just general moans, but a clear message that enough is enough. (See our News Analysis)

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond gave his first Spring Statement on 13th March, and used this to highlight some key issues facing the construction industry. Whilst telling the country that our “best days lie ahead of us”, the chancellor touched on the late payments issue and its effect on the UK’s small businesses. Hammond called for evidence on “how we can eliminate the continuing scourge of late payments”.

The BREEAM Awards 2018 took place on March 6th at Excel, in partnership with the Ecobuild exhibition, and saw an international audience enjoy an evening which recognised sustainable building projects of all types.