2019 July

Chartered psychologist, Peter Green recommends how and why organisations need to address mental health in the workplace.

Julia Kitchen explains what agile working is and how companies can achieve it.

Hern Yau discusses the importance of air quality for optimal occupant performance and safety.

Dario Giordani explains how the Construction Products Regulation keeps cables safe from fire, and why it concerns everyone in the industry.

Sandy Damm takes a closer look at smoke detection and the best way to select and maintain your equipment.

Richard Gordon explains why upgrading fans is a cost-effective approach to saving energy in existing buildings.

Gemma Kilburn explains why the replacement of an ageing water heater is an easy way to improve your sustainability.

Commercial property expert Jackie Cocking considers how the use of office space and the working environment is changing.

Andy Green outlines the key factors of installing a new heating system, regardless of a building’s age.

As environmental legislation continues to tighten, a continued focus on improving the energy performance of UK buildings is essential if the nation is to achieve its new goals. One practical opportunity for improved efficiency lies with the boilers, says Paul Arnold

Prime Minister Theresa May announced on 12th June that the UK will eradicate its net contribution to climate change by 2050. The statutory instrument to amend the Climate Change Act 2008 was laid before Parliament on the same day.

The Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group has welcomed Government efforts to address the construction industry’s late payments but is calling for further action – and faster.

In the next of a series of moves to enhance the robustness of cardholder qualifications, CSCS and SKILLcard are requiring all applicants to have satisfactorily completed the CITB health, safety and environment test or approved equivalent. This will now be the only way to show satisfactory evidence of health and safety compliance.

A government taskforce has stated that the government’s plans for a net zero electricity grid are hindered by ‘poor quality’ and ‘inaccurate’ data on the UK energy system.

Modern Building Services magazine is switching from plastic wrapping from September 2019.

One of the UK’s leading housebuilders is putting the mental health of its staff at the very top of its agenda by training 60 employees to become dedicated mental health first aiders.

The ECA and other members of The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP) are launching a series of programmes to bring industry and education together. The move follows a report that highlights school leavers as poorly-prepared for careers in engineering or electrotechnical sectors.

OFTEC, the trade body for the oil-fired heating industry, has revealed research that supports liquid biofuels as a low-cost, highest-impact carbon reduction solution for oil-heated homes.

Winners of the BSRIA Soft Landings Awards 2019 were announced on 14th June, at the end of Association’s conference held at Arup’s London office.

The 2019 ECA Industry Awards showcased some of the key achievements by leading talent in the sector during an impressive ceremony held in London on Friday 7 June.

Leading UK engineers have assessed the possibility of using hydrogen in place of natural gas in the UK’s gas grid and concluded that there is no reason why this cannot be achieved safely. This would contribute significantly to the UK’s 2050 carbon emission reduction target and help address the climate emergency.

As the Government adopts the CCC’s new targets on carbon reduction, Chris Yates analyses the UK’s unique triple energy mix and explains why we are uniquely positioned to decarbonise, minimise cost and diversify supply.

Karen Fletcher considers two of the main drivers of change in how buildings are being designed and operated

The UK government has committed itself to a legally binding target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The building engineering sector will be crucial in delivering the practical steps needed to turn this vision into reality, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).

Today’s fast-paced business world is requiring companies to actively seek out new opportunities in order to keep up with the competition and gain a stronger foothold in the market.

Artic Building Service has secured a new maintenance contract to deliver the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Maintenance services to the prestigious King’s College Hospital.

Air conditioning installation contractor Coolair Equipment will bring state-of-the-art technology to a major office redevelopment in central London.

When a veritable army of enthusiasts descend on the mystical Vale of Avalon, they are there to experience what has become a music and aesthetic phenomenon that is just synonymous with Glastonbury.

Rehau’s Rautitan pipework has been specified for Hungate – a new high quality, town centre housing development being built in the historic city of York.

Mikrofill has supplied a range of its products for the refurbishment of John Black Day Hospital in the West Midlands. The hospital, which provides mental health services, has undergone transformation from an in-patient to an out-patient facility. This included refurbishment of its building services.

University College London (UCL) has worked with Artic Building Services for a number of years and has now begun delivery of hard FM services at the university’s Clare Hall site near St Albans, Hertfordshire.

Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is the only major that is played on grass. Each year a staggering 1 billion people follow the action and with around 500,000 people attending, this makes it one of the largest annual sporting events in Europe.

This project is nestled in a stunning location, between the Cambrian Mountains and the Irish Sea. The Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus will provide new facilities for research into bioscience, agri-tech, and the food and drink sectors. It is a £40m new development boost the university’s current portfolio.

CentraLine by Honeywell has launched the Merlin NX, a programmable Niagara 4 BACnet MS/TP room controller that enables integrated room management and offers application engineering and installation benefits.

Viega has extended its Megapress range further with new Easytop ball valves designed for thick-walled steel tube systems. The new products are available in ½” to 2” sizes and with both a standard EPDM sealing element and a Megapress S version with an FKM sealing element suitable for higher temperature applications up to 140oC.

Cistermiser’s infrared urinal flushing control valve is fully detailed in a new brochure designed for easy use by specifiers, installers and merchant counter staff.

Dunham-Bush has signed an exclusive agreement with Eco-Airvent to manufacture and distribute their energy efficient Classmaster heat recovery ventilation units.

Grundfos understands that engineers and installers are busy in their day-to-day jobs, but also that industry professionals are also keen to find time to learn more about pumps and keep up to date with new technologies. With this in mind, Grundfos is offering a range of training options.

The Rinnai HDC 1200i continuous flow hot water unit is now available. It offers the capacity to deliver in excess of 1500 litres of temperature accurate hot water per hour, with an overall gross efficiency of more than 95%. These levels of performance, with excellent efficiency levels, mean the Rinnai 1200i is more than capable of meeting and exceeding the hot water demands of all applications.

Swegon has been awarded Sweden’s prestigious Great Indoor Climate Prize for its WISE ‘smart’ ventilation system.

SWEP has launched a new range of brazed plate heat exchangers (BPHE) that keep tap water applications running efficiently for longer.

Toshiba Carrier UK (TCUK) has developed a new mini-touchscreen air conditioning room controller with an intuitive touch interface that enables clients to add their own branding and corporate messages.

Rinnai is introducing the Zen and Zen Plus home hot water and heating system which marries established and proven manufacture durability with new technologies to offer great energy efficiencies, user control and, importantly, unparalleled level of comfort. Rinnai UK will be launching this innovation plus several other cutting-edge appliances during 2019.

With the introduction of the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) policy, the number of companies needing to measure and provide usage data to the government will almost treble.

Lochinvar has introduced a new range of wall-hung, gas-fired, high efficiency condensing boilers that produce an extremely low level of NOx emissions. They incorporate a high quality stainless steel heat exchanger, which is supported by a new ‘Five plus Five’ extended warranty.

Over 440 conference presentations and academic posters given at the 19th All-Energy and the inaugural Dcarbonise 2019 held at Glasgow’s SEC on 15 and 16 May, are now available to download free of charge from the link below

The Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) is encouraging people in the building controls sector to make one small change to their everyday lives to improve energy efficiency in buildings and create a more sustainable future.

This year’s JTL Apprentice Awards saw a number of young people recognised for their hard work and commitment to furthering their knowledge in our sector. The ceremony took place on 6th June in London.

Condexa Pro boilers, from Vokèra by Riello, offer a modular approach that means output can be accurately sized to suit the heating demands of a project while optimising efficiency.

Donna-Marie Evans considers the crucial role of HVAC in delivering better buildings.