Please find below a selection of latest headlines and articles on the website of “Modern Building Services”. For more information, please visit www.modbs.co.uk or click the relevant headline.

Sustainable-power business Ener-G has boosted its production capacity for CHP and biogas generators by 50% with the opening of another factory in Salford. Only last year the company doubled its original manufacturing space by opening a second factory in Sunderland and has now trebled its original manufacturing space to 3200 m2 by converting an adjacent building.

EMCOR Group’s engineering-services division has won the multi-million contract to install all shell-and-core M&E and public-health services at the 110 Fetter Lane development in central London.

The recession will be good for building design and is likely to spawn some of the greatest and best-value architectural creations of modern times. That was the message of Michael Thirkettle, chief executive of design and construction consultancy speaking after the recent address by Prince Charles at the Royal Institute of British Architects recently.

A £2 million fund has been set up to accelerate the transition to low carbon in the north west of England. It will provide grants of £100 000 to £500 000 to new projects that can demonstrate significant savings.

The first of 14 prefabricated modules that will form one of four core risers at Heathrow’s new Terminal 5C facility is lowered into position by NG Bailey. The risers will be up to 25 m high with a 24 m2 footprint.

Today’s fan-coil units are very different from those of just three years ago — with major advances in their potential for energy-efficient air-conditioning and controllability, as our industry survey shows. Make sure you don’t miss the huge impact that variable-speed motors can have on reduce carbon emissions!

An unusual application of a humidifier from JS Humidifiers was to supply a gin-and-tonic mix to revellers at a London bar. The wall-mounted Mistifier Plus humidifier sprayed one part Hendrick’s gin to three parts tonic water into a room decorated like the inside of a cocktail with giant limes, massive straws and a soundtrack by sound artist Douglas Murphy.

A US$500 million upgrade programme of the Empire State Building in New York is expected to reduce energy consumption by up to 38% and provide a replica model for similar projects around the world. The first phase is scheduled to be completed within 18 months and will achieve over half of the projected energy savings. The re­maining work will take a further 36 months.

Cost savings of over £12 000 a year are being achieved by Ritrama, a manufacturer of adhesive materials in Eccles, without any capital outlay using Chalmor’s LifeSaver scheme to upgrade lighting and controls. After three years, when the capital cost has been repaid, annual cost savings will increase to £90 000. The scheme finances refurbishment projects for which repayments are less than the savings achieved.

London 2010 Olympics success for Dunphy