If you have come across this section of our web site, it exists for testing purposes. We are testing a new method of putting material onto the web site. Needless to say, this section will not be here for long.

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If you have come across this section of our web site, it exists for testing purposes. We are testing a new method of putting material onto the web site. Needless to say, this section will not be here for long.

One of the biggest changes to the IEE Wiring Regulations is the requirement for residual-current protection. Colin McAhren explains the reasons behind it and how to meet it.

The UK Green Building Council has devised a new definition of zero carbon for building based on off-site generation. It is spelled out in its report ‘The definition of zero carbon’ produced by its zero-carbon task group chaired by Mark Clare of Barratt Developments.

Calorex Heat Pumps has become the first company to gain product certification under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme administered by BRE.

The Department for Communities & Local Government (CLG) must spend more money promoting the legislation supporting energy certification if the scheme is to be a success, several industry representatives have warned.

SummitSkills played host to an interactive skills event for girls aged 16 to 18 at the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering & Technology. The event was designed to raise awareness of building-services engineers and the career opportunities it holds — up to Chartered Engineer status. One person who attended the event subsequently contacted SummitSkills interested in doing work experience, and is now considering the sector as a career.

Birmingham building-services provider JS Wright has won the £1.1 million contract to fit out the 10-storey Atlanta Boulevard low-energy housing scheme, being built in association with Community Housing Association.

Rob Molyneux of Stroma Technology is believed to have lodged the first Display Energy Certificate for a public building in the UK, just a few weeks after issuing the first Energy Performance Certificate for a non-domestic building.

Adrian Hewitt (left), principal environmental officer with the London Borough of Merton and originator of the ‘Merton rule’ is this year’s winner of the HVCA-sponsored Gold Award for outstanding industry service.

Ruskin Air Management has appointed Direct Ventilation Distributors (DVD) of Leeds as agent for the Actionair brand in Yorkshire and the north east of England.

Baxi Commercial Division’s human resources manager Paddy Fletcher completed the recent London Marathon in just 3 h 33 min, raising £624 for charity. It will be split between charities chosen by staff at the company’s sites in Erdington and Warwick — the Birmingham Children’s Hospital, the Myton Trust and the children’s ward at Warwick Hospital.

Poor procurement practices represent the major cause of waste across the UK construction industry. This view was highlighted by the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group in its evidence to an enquiry being undertaken by the House of Lords Science & Technology Sub-committee chaired by Lord O’Neill of Clackmannan.

Vent-Axia’s VK Honda racing team is participating in the World Superbike championship this year, and readers of Modern Building Services have the opportunity to experience first hand the awesome sight of the VK Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade in action. Information on how to enter is at the end of this story.

Faber Maunsell consultant John Ogle has become the first energy assessor accredited to produce Display Energy Certificates and advisory reports in England and Wales, according to the Government’s central register.*

Waiving tuition fees for UK engineering students will increase the number of professional engineers and provide much-needed resources for the sector, according to the Association for Consultancy & Engineering.

The inclusion in the Government’s legislative programme of amendments to the construction contracts legislation contained in Part II of the Housing Grants, Construction & Regeneration Act 2006 has been welcomed by the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group (SEC).

Continued expansion has led to Monodraught opening a northern office in Bolton. It will be run by Philip Payne, who has been with the company for 15 years.

Dalkia’s success in improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon-dioxide emissions at the headquarters of Ofcom in London has led to an extension of the contract.

First-year undergraduates from Southampton university recently attended a Constructionarium to give them a taste of what a career in engineering and project management has to offer The group of 80 students was hosted by Faber Maunsell and Laing O’Rourke for this hands-on week-long residential construction experience, which is designed to be part of a 21st-century engineering education linking the world of academic theory with contractors and consultants from the industry. They were split into four teams to design and build scaled-down models of real-life construction projects.

CIBSE’s new president believes it is time for the institution to position itself as the leading authority on the built environment.

Rapidly, and seemingly inexorably, rising fuel costs gave added meaning to the recent CIBSE Conference on ‘Sustainability — niche to norm’ in Gateshead because, quite simply, reducing fuel bill reduces carbon emissions.

People and plants are both more productive in a controlled environment — and Priva’s expertise with both cross-fertilises.

The amount of solar irradiation that falls on Britain is very similar to Germany, Europe’s largest market for solar collectors, which is why Buderus is targeting the UK for the next stage in expanding its solar-thermal business.

Hager has launched a range of consumer units to meet the requirements of the 17th Edition of the Wiring Regulations.

A new consumer unit for domestic and light commercial applications from ABB features a flexible split-load option providing protection and isolation capabilities.

Merlin Gerin has launched a range of reclosable residual-current circuit breakers that brings higher levels of security and more convenience for resetting circuit protection.

With the introduction of the 17th Edition of the Wiring Regulations, new consumer units from Square D have been specifically design to accept new RCDs, MCBs and RCBOs (residual current circuit breaker with overcurrent protection) to help ensure compliance. The Domae and Qwikline II units offer significantly different designs suitable for dwellings and commercial and public buildings.

Biomass in the form of wood chips for heating provides a very effective approach for reducing carbon emissions when it can be used to replace existing plant such as oil-fired boilers, as a school project in Suffolk demonstrates.

The £5 million energy programme that has now been switched on at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital is expected to save £688 000 a year and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 1627 t a year — as well as reducing emissions of other harmful gases such as sulphur dioxide.

Simmtronic has supplied Specs3 fully addressable digital lighting controls for two more prestigious office buildings for the Spinningfields development in Manchester. Contractor NG Bailey awarded the contracts for 3 and 4 Hardman Square. The initial Cat. A shell-and-core contracts have been followed up with feature-rich Cat. B schemes building on the backbone system and tailored to the requirements of incoming tenants.

The erection of two large wind turbines in April is believed to have made the new advanced manufacturing research centre at the University of Sheffield the first carbon-neutral manufacturing facility in the UK.

Following 10 years’ experience using Oventrop valves, contractor Lorne Stewart selected them for the heating and DHW systems of the new £28 million Gateway Academy near Tilbury in Essex for Thurrock Council.

The 35 500 m2 of the Sheffield warehouse of IDS Logistics at Sheffield is protected against draughts when doors are open by 12 Airbloc ambient-air curtains.

The kitchen of a new bistro restaurant in the leisure complex of Sandy Balls holiday centre in the New Forest is ventilated using a Heydal ventilated ceiling system from Britannia Kitchen Ventilation. It provides a clean line of sight across the kitchen, in contrast to conventional extract canopies, which can be unsightly — especially if the kitchen is on view to diners.

SAS International metal ceiling systems and lighting rafts have solved the challenge of designing the ceiling systems for The Undercroft at St Pancras International posed by height restrictions.

Baudet has supplied 144 bathroom pods for student halls of resident at the University of Greenwich as a cost-effective and time-saving solution for providing bathrooms.

The installation of a biomass boiler has more than halved energy costs at the Clothier Laboratory of NaREC, the New & Renewable Energy Centre, in Hebburn. Wood Energy supplied the 500 kW Binder boiler to replace a conventional gas-fired boiler to provide heat for the large 40 m-high test faculty. It uses locally sourced wood fuel supplied in standard ISO hook bins. This is thought to be the largest biomass installation in the north east of England and has reduced energy costs from £3200 to £1400 a month.

British sailing prospects in at least the next three Olympic Games will be enhanced by a mobile support facility cooled by two inverter-controlled Panasonic air-conditioning systems — with redundancy to ensure comfortable working at all times in hostile climates. The inverter drives also minimise start-up loads on the standby generator of the facility, which is based on a 40 ft container, if ground power is not available.

As part of a complete low-energy building design solution for the new Dumbarton plant of Diamond Power Speciality, Reznor floor-standing warm-air heaters have been installed.

Solar shading that also enables windows to be cleaned easily has been installed on Building 3140 in Oxford Business Park.

Temperatures in excess of 33°C in summer in the gearbox plant of JCB Transmissions have been reduced by over 10 K following the installation of six Breezair TBA evaporative coolers.

JS Humidifiers has supplied two Neptronic SKG gas-fired humidifiers to a manufacturer of composite materials on the Isle of Wight. These materials are made by Gurit and used in the production of high-end vehicles such as Formula 1 cars, the Airbus 380, as well as wind turbines. The humidifiers assist in the curing process in the paint spay booths.

The building manager of Southroyd Primary School in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, Mick Laycock, is delighted with the school’s new heating control and automation system, which enables him to deliver energy-efficient comfort throughout the school.

To investigate the role that daylighting can play in reducing carbon-dioxide emissions at its retail sites in the UK, BP has installed 17 Solatube daylighting systems at its site on Childs Way in Milton Keynes. They are installed in the retail and back-office areas. During the day, there is no need to use electricity for lighting these areas.

Riegens Lighting has completed the provision of a safe, visually stunning and economically viable lit environment for the refurbished Bridgelink at the National Exhibition Centre, which links the NEC with the railway station and Birmingham International Airport.

Just two and a half hours were needed for the installation and wiring time of a 24-way distribution board for a major school-building project in Birmingham, compared with a normal 90 h. This large time saving was made possible by using Schneider Electric’s new modular wiring system.

Even-Heat underfloor heating is contributing to a safe environment for vulnerable tenants in a new apartment block in Banbury. Cheshire Court is a development by Hills Partnership on behalf of the Bromford Housing Group, a major housing association in the Midlands. The 12 single-bedroom apartments have easy access for wheelchairs and no threat from hot, sharp surfaces.

Luminaires from Riegens Lighting have improved the visual environment in the control room of Tube Lines at Westferry Circus following feedback from employees that the overall visual environment was poor for VDU work and that more control would be beneficial.

The King’s Lynn branch of HSBC is looking to achieve energy savings of up to 20% following the installation of a Mitsubishi Electric M2M controller to provide remote access to the Mitsubishi Electric G50 controller for its City Multi VRF system and other services via the GPRS mobile telephone network.

SAS International acoustic lighting rafts are playing a key role in reducing the carbon footprint of the new headquarters of the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) in Dublin by enabling the thermal mass of the building to be exploited.

A series of power cuts at its headquarters in Feltham revealed that the limited UPS of Alliance Pharmacy was insufficient to maintain essential IT services for the group. The power cuts had been caused by workmen accidentally cutting through power cables, and to tackle the problem Alliance Pharmacy turned to Scorpion Power Systems.

The electrical consumption of kitchen extractor fans has been halved at 50 McDonald’s restaurants across the country with the help of ABB inverter drives.

Malcolm Moss argues that in the face of rising steel costs the right specification for ductwork is even more essential to reduce waste.

Peter Thomsen maps the future for the energy efficiency of chilled-water plant and demonstrates how energy savings of 60% can be made over today’s best practices.

Aermec’s NSB range of air-cooled water chillers are designed to deliver free cooling whenever possible to reduce energy consumption. They operate in three modes.

Energy-efficient climate control for the head office of Pullman Fleet Services in Doncaster is provided by six energy-recovery VRF systems from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Many air conditioning plants do not perform to specification, wasting energy and costing thousands of pounds in inflated fuel bills. Mike Creamer looks at the scale of the problem and a new solution.

Air Diffusion’s latest range of panel floor grilles is available with full detail on the structural point loading of each standard model.

A ‘green charter’ produced by LG and running to 20 lavishly illustrated pages shows that the company is well on the road towards a ‘take-back’ strategy and end-of-life recycling of air-conditioning equipment.

Following the recent publication of a CIBSE Technical Memorandum, Mike Price reviews why chilled-water fan-coil units are one of the most effective means of providing air conditioning.

Not only does air-conditioning Oceanair have plenty of stock, but it is also an important provider of industry training and is also working to develop new and original business areas.

Carrier Rental Systems has published a comprehensive range of sales and product literature for its air-conditioning rental products.

Johnson Controls has introduced its York YDS VRF air-conditioning system to the UK. YDS is in its third generation and is based on six outdoor condensing units and over 30 indoor units.

The economic climate is a major influence on the UK market for air conditioning, but new technical trends are emerging — as David Garwood explains.

The choice for heat rejection from an air-conditioning system should not just be between dry coolers and evaporative cooling. Both techniques can be used to advantage, as Stephen Fairgrieve and Jaeggi Guentner explain.

Independent distributor FM has been selected by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a distributor for its complete range of VRF and split air-conditioning systems in the UK. FM is a wholly owned subsidiary of AMP Air Conditioning.

Ahead of the ban on the use of R22 virgin fluid for the maintenance of air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment, McDonald’s has converted equipment at one of its outlets in Montagny-sur-Yverdon in Switzerland from R22 to Forane 427A from Arkema, a new generation of HFC.

Moving on from constant-volume fan-coil units to variable volume makes the approach to air conditioning more energy efficient — as Barry Trewhitt explains.

The international broadcasting centre for the Olympic Games in Beijing will be cooled using 22 Carrier air-cooled chillers supplied on the basis of a rental contract.

LG Air Conditioning’s AC Smart central controller can provide individual monitoring and control of up to 64 indoor units, setting heating or cooling mode, temperature, fan speed and also checking for faults.

Simple control of cooling units in a room using presence detection is provided by a PIR thermostat from Danlers.

Clivet Aircon has set up a training centre for its Versatemp air-conditioning system at its Portsmouth business centre. This facility will help building-services engineers, facilities managers and property managers gain a deeper insight into the working of Versatemp systems and how best to plan maintenance.

With the arrival of the Neosys range of air-cooled chillers, Lennox has completed the Ecolean range and now offers chillers from 20 to 460 kW using R410A.

Dunham Bush has supplied over 140 Lynx fan-coil units for the new Mountbatten Building at the University of Southampton. They were selected by consulting engineers CH2M Hill for their high performance and compact, discreet design.

Dunham Bush has supplied over 140 Lynx fan-coil units for the new Mountbatten Building at the University of Southampton. They were selected by consulting engineers CH2M Hill for their high performance and compact, discreet design.

Hywel Davies reminds of the importance of commissioning — and where guidance is to be found.

Prefabricated valve assemblies from Marflow Hydronics have helped reduce installation and commissioning time for fan-coil systems at two office blocks in the Royal Court development in Winchester. Governator assemblies, developed for use with fan coils, were selected by M&E contractor Dodd Group following technical appraisals by its in-house designers.

Armstrong has extended its range of commissioning valves and now offers easy-to-use valves from DN15 to DN300. The additions to the ARMflo CBV-G range are of ductile iron in sizes from DN65 to DN300. The multi-turn micrometer-style handle enables precise adjustment to design flow rates with a high degree of reliability.

Substantial reductions in both installation and commissioning time have been achieved in a project at Calderstone’s Hospital in Lancashire using Tour & Andersson’s TA-HUB to provide centralised balancing of several terminal units at a time.

Pegler Yorkshire’s Proflow Venturi range of valves is described as offering a unique and modern approach to commissioning heating and chilled-water systems.

Rather than delivering buildings that are more comfortable and use less energy, variable-flow systems can do quite the opposite without care in the selection and choice of control valves. Martyn Neil explains.

Commissioning is a totally natural process and should be our first step towards sustainable buildings, according to Mike Malina.

Marflow Hydronics has developed a remote-commissioning concept that enables flow-regulation valves to be adjusted remotely from a central PC or other control device without the commissioning engineer needing to gain access to, for example, a ceiling void where the valve may be located. As well as speeding up commissioning, the concept also enables systems to be reconfigured quickly and easily to accommodates changes to layout in an area.

Lars Fabricius highlights some of the commissioning issues raised by the switch to variable volume systems.

Danfoss Randall has updated and improved its product selection guide for energy-saving heating and cooling controls, which now provides extra invaluable information to help select the right components.

Creda’s latest product directory includes its latest electric panels heaters, plinth heaters and towel rails.

Legrand has launched a new ‘solutions’ brochure that is described as demonstrating its ability to provide total electrical solutions across different industrial environments.

Grundfos has expanded its web site to include more information about its products and their applications.

Keraflo has completely revamped its brochure covering the Aylesbury range of float valves. The web site is also being updated.

Polypipe’s latest brochure gives details of its range of specialist industrial piping systems. There are systems that can withstand extremes of temperature, chemical attack and the effects of waste products.

The latest Sylvania trade lighting catalogue features a full selection of the most popular commercial lighting fittings from Havells Sylvania. The catalogue includes products form Concord, Lumiance and Sylvania for commercial interiors.

The scheme for Enhanced Capital Allowances is explained in a CPD-accredited industry guide from Mitsubishi Electric.

Dimplex’s range of recessed CAB air curtains have a number of features to make installation quick and easy.

Armstrong has extended its MBS range of integrated heating solutions, which comprise boilers and associated ancillary equipment installed onto a framework. These rigs are now available for applications up to 690 kW, compared with 120 to 320 kW previously.

Lochinvar’s EcoKnight range of fully condensing gas-fired boilers comprises five models with outputs from 41 to 141 kW, based on a system design with flow/return temperatures of 50/30°C.

By improving thermal transfer between a borehole and the heat-extraction system of, for example, a ground-source heat pump, the GeoClip is said to improve performance by up to 20%. Available in the UK through GBT (Europe), the use of GeoClips could help reduce the number, depth and cost of borehole installations.

The ExoAir range of air-source heat pumps from Clyde Energy Solutions is available as four units with outputs from 6.7 to 16.5 kW. With an outside air temperature of 0°C and water temperature of 35°C, the COP is 3.7, rising to 4.4 with an outside air temperature of 10°C.

Estimation has added new features and enhancement to its Estimation Service Manager Plus package. The changes apply to the desktop and mobile versions and include improved reporting and management functionality and key productivity features.

The provision of a submetering system for piped services in buildings can be reduced by up to 90% using Micronics fixed clamp-on meter solutions based on non-invasive, ultrasonic technology.

Creda’s TPRIII Electronic Pilot Plus range of energy-efficient panels heaters have electronic thermostats to give precise regulation of room temperature to ±0.3 K. There is a background temperature setting 5 K below the thermostat setting.

Polypipe Ventilation has applied the concept of its Domus FireBrake for preventing the spread of fire through plastic ventilation ducting to electrical conduit with the launch of the FireBrake electrical conduit.

Glow-worm has added 35 kW versions to its Flexicom cx combi and hx heating-only range.

ICB’s Evalon-Solar PV systems is a single-ply membrane with PV cells encapsulated in one homogeneous product. It is said to have an output 20% greater than common crystalline panels. This product can work with diffuse sunlight.

GE’s T5 Watt-Miser lamp is said to use 5% less energy than standard T5 lamps for the same light output and achieve an efficacy of up to 110 lm/W.

A range of mechanical extract ventilators from Itho Ventilation use low-consumption DC motors and is said to use considerably less energy than conventional MEV systems. They can be used to provide continuous extraction of contaminated damp air from all wet rooms.

Greenstock’s Aura range of compact fluorescent lamps achieve a guaranteed life of up to 30 000 h on a 12 h switching cycle.

Two heating controllers from Honeywell ensure that tenants take action to have gas-fired central-heating systems serviced, a valuable feature for landlords of rented accommodation.

Crowcon’s Xgard IR LPG is a low-cost infra-red fixed gas detector designed to detect LPG gas hazards before concentrations reach flammable levels. Typical environments requiring LPG monitoring include hotels, hotels and offices that use LPG as their main gas supply.

Douglas-Delabie’s Temposoft range of timed-flow push basin mixers and taps required only gentle force to operate them compared with other timed-flow taps.

Cooper Lighting & Safety has restyled and updated its Menvier Safe Edge exit sign for use in prestigious applications.

To provide a means of complying with the requirement that a voltage indicator used for checking that an electrical circuit is dead is proved with a proving unit before and after use, Martindale has introduced the VI13700G voltage indicator and associated proving unit.

WindowMaster has introduced an electronic window-control programmer as part of its systems for natural cooling and ventilation control. Called NV SoloT, it enables WindowMaster to offer a compact and convenient solution to deliver consistent natural ventilation.

Vent-Axia has introduced two more whole-house ventilation system. The LoWatt HR204 is an SAP Appendix Q listed solution capable of 70% heat recovery. The 205 MEV is a central extract system designed to operate solely from a cooker-hood location.

Lochinvar has added a new model to its TurboCharger range of gas-fired condensing water heaters. The 117-380CE offers the highest output of the range of six models, with recovery rates from 700 to 2160 l/h through a temperature rise of 44 K. Storage capacities are from 230 to 380 l.

A new arrangement between BSRIA and NBS will help designers write and convert specifications to NBS format. This service will help designers get the most from NBS Engineering Services, which provides a consistent approach to writing specifications and speeds up the process of keeping specifications up to date and accurate. It will save time for engineers to focus on core design work.

MHS Boilers now offers the Aerotop range of air-to-water heat pumps from Elco. They can be used for space heating and to generate domestic hot water via an indirect cylinder.

Amtech Group has acquired NES Specification Expert (SPEX) software for creating and managing specification documents.

The LMS lighting-management system from CP Electronics combines state-of-the-art technology and versatility. Its compact dimensions enable it to be installed in suspended trunking systems or inside light fittings.

Alfa Laval’s City community-heating substation is designed to provide on-demand heating and hot water for apartments and single-family houses connected to a community-heating network. There are two versions to provide direct or indirect connection to the network.

This time-lag switch from Danlers can be used to save energy by switching off heating or lighting loads after a pre-set interval. Applications include stairwells, store rooms, student accommodation, smoking shelters etc.

Customised has devised a system for controlling taps and showers and the flushing of ECs and urinals that is resistant to vandalism and minimises the risk of self harm.

GE Lighting’s T5 LongLast linear fluorescent lamps have a life of up to 30 000 h, considerably reducing the costs of replacement and maintenance and the number of lamps needed overall.

Elson’s Coral Eco package is designed to simplify the use of renewable energy for schemes such as apartment blocks or clusters of bungalows.

Rehau’s Nu-way’s M series of burners is available for gas, oil or dual fuel with outputs from 200 kW to 2.8 MW. They are fully modulating. Other key features include an EN676 Class 3 low-NOx head (<80 mg/kWh) and damper actuator on stage 2.

Dimplex’s CPH quartz-halogen range of outdoor heaters is designed to IPX5 water-ingress protection rating to withstand all weathers.

The ceiling-mounted presence detector EBDSPIR-PRM from CP Electronics is an extension of the EBDSPIR range and offers many additional features, including presence and absence detection.

Big Foot Systems are designed to support anything installed on a flat roof, creating a secure support for all air-conditioning/refrigeration roof plant and associated services. The key to the systems is that they allow you to maintain the roof without decommissioning the equipment supported on it. Big Foot eliminates the need for drilling holes in the deck or building concrete supports — potential sources of damage and leaks. They offer a free 48 hour design service and can supply a bespoke framework from stocked parts and deliver the next working day. All Big Foot Systems are covered by an independent 15 year warranty.

Crowcon’s Xgard IR detector for LPG is a low-cost fixed-gas detector to detect LPG hazards before concentrations reach flammable levels. Typical environments requiring such monitoring include hotels, hospitals or offices that use LPG as their main gas supply.

To support its ‘Clearly solar’ product package, Glow-worm has introduced a heating design service for use by installers, house buildings and specifiers.

CIBSE’s scheme for low-carbon energy assessors has been approved by the Department for Communities & Local Government. CIBSE accreditation is now accepted as a qualification for the following work.
• Providing Energy Performance Certificates for commercial buildings or dwellings.
• Providing Display Energy Certificates for commercial buildings or dwellings.
• Carrying out air-conditioning assessments for complex systems.Stephen Matthews, CIBSE’s chief executive, says, ‘The accreditation requirements are complex, and setting up the systems will not be accomplished overnight. We will be phasing the work of accreditation to meet, as far as possible, the regulatory timetable.