In the face of mounting evidence that some system designers are increasingly using non-standard sizes of ductwork, ADCAS (Association of Ductwork Contractors & Allied Services) is renewing its initiative to rationalise the standard sizes of circular ductwork.

The Energy Institute (EI) has signed a protocol with the Scottish Buildings Standards Agency (SBSA) to recognise suitably qualified members from the EI’s register of energy consultants to be accredited to issue Energy Performance Certificates in Scotland.

To promote building-services engineering as a career, four winners of last year’s National Training Awards organised by SummitSkills, have visited their former schools to act as ambassadors for the industry.

Ecobuild returns to Earls Court in London from 26 to 28 February with over twice as many exhibitors as last year and more free seminars - over 75 compared with 60 last year.

NG Bailey has strengthened its ICT and building-services capability with the acquisition of s2s. This company is an IP security-focused managed-services provider with a turnover of £7 million.

Taking a break from testing and inspecting all fixed electrical systems at the Rothera Research Station of the British Antarctic Survey are Jason Faulkner (left) and Asa Downing, two electricians from the Ipswich branch of Inviron Building Systems.

BESCA (Building Services Competence Accreditation Ltd) has been approved by the Department for Communities & Local Government to operate an accreditation scheme for energy assessors.

New construction orders in the year to November 2007were virtually the same as the previous year, rising by just 1%. There was a 3% rise compared with the previous three months and a rise of 5% compared with the same three months a year earlier — according to figures from the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform.

Fläkt Woods sales team pedals its way to charity fund raising

Willmott Dixon Construction has appointed Aqua Mechanical Services as M&E design and install contractor for the redevelopment of Colchester Institute.

Copeland Compressors has named Calorex Heat Pumps as its manufacturer of the year. The award is for outstanding performance across a broad business spectrum.The award caps a year for Calorex that saw this energy specialist smash through the million kWh mark of measured ground-source heat-pump performance data by extending its award-winning range of units.

Haden Young’s managing director David Beck (right) recently donned overalls for two days on site as part of Marie Curie Cancer Care’s ‘Back to the shop floor’ campaign at the new Birmingham Hospital Project, where Haden Young is designing and installing all building services — and raised £30 509 for the charity. The cheque was received by Christine Brown, Marie Curie community fundraiser (left) and Ann Brown, nurse of the year.

BSRIA has opened a subsidiary office in Beijing in China to act as a local hub for China and the wider Asia region. The office will provide dedicated market research and a window to other BSRIA services.

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.

Balfour Kilpatrick has won a £4.6 million contract to provide M&E services for a new replacement secondary school in Durham. The 3-storey building will accommodate 1450 pupils and replace the existing building of Johnston School.

Project and cost consultant Davis Langdon has been appointed to provide consultancy services on the planned £215 million revamp of City College in Norwich. The firm’s Norwich office will provide project management, CDM co-ordination and cost-management services on the project, which will increase the capacity of East Anglia’s largest college from 16 000 to 20 000 students.

The National Energy Foundation has launched a virtual-reality computer game in schools across England as part of a programme to change attitudes to climate change.

With a heating/cooling capacity of 360 kW, the ground-source heat-pump system at the new Stockport Academy is the largest such system designed by Buro Happold. James Dickinson, David Bell and Elaine Bissell outline the scheme and associated plant.

Energy-efficient warm-air heating of large commercial and industrial buildings can be effectively achieved using recuperative plate heat exchangers within air-handling units. Andrew Patch explains.

The Code for Sustainable Homes will soon start to have more effect — as Robin Wood explains.

The Code for Sustainable Homes will soon start to have more effect — as Robin Wood explains.

Do you know your EPCs from your DECs? John Fallon unravels the jargon and outlines the two new types of certificates, when they apply and their significance.

A method of controlling natural air movement to ventilate buildings is recognised by the Energy Technology and, therefore, qualifies for Enhanced Capital Allowances.

Display Energy Certificates for buildings are intended to stimulate reductions in their energy consumption. Lisa Wilkinson discusses the role of monitoring an targeting to improve the operational rating of buildings.

Before going for renewable-energy sources to improve a building’s energy certificate, make sure your building is ready first, says John Bailey.

Energy Performance Certificates for Buildings will not just happen from April. Hywel Davies explains how readers of Modern Building Services can become involved in assessing the energy performance of buildings and issuing certificates.

Hamworthy Heating now offers Roth solar panels as part of its renewables option for commercial heating and hot-water systems.

To help those involve in the industry to find their way around the building-certification process and likely future legislation, environmental-control specialist Mitsubishi Electric has produced a free, independent guide to Building Energy Ratings.

Underfloor heating and cooling, combined with ground-source heat pumps, are reducing energy consumption and carbon-dioxide emissions by 30 to 40% for the new £18 million headquarters of Gloucestershire Constabulary. This sustainable solution played a key role in this PFI project receiving a BREEAM excellent rating.

Since the installation of two ABB variable-speed drives at a block of managed business premises in Monmouthshire, the running cost of the air-handling unit has been reduced by over 70%. Costs have been reduced by over £6000 a year, and carbon-dioxide emissions reduced by 12 t a year.

Vaillant’s new auroTHERM plus VFK 990 flat-plate solar collectors can be connected in series in horizontal or vertical orientation to suit the available roof space. These collectors have a special anti-reflex coated toughened 4 mm-thick glass. The collector consists of an ultrasonically welded copper grid with a high selective absorber coating and 60 mm of rear and side insulation.

With buildings generating almost half of the UK’s carbon emissions, building services consultants have a unique role in both creating and assessing a low-carbon environment. Nygel Humphrey explains how energy-efficient ventilation can contribute to this vision.

Replacing two old cast-iron boilers with two Ultramax 381 gas-fired condensing boilers from MHS has reduced energy costs for a private golf and country club in Cornwall by 16%. The payback period for the China Fleet Country Club will be within 3.5 years.

Hoval’s SolKit is a highly efficient solar system for generating domestic hot water for commercial and residential applications. It comprises solar collectors with bracketry and flashing kits for on pitched roof, in-pitched roof, on flat roof or on the wall. The system also includes a stainless-steel cylinder, sophisticated plug-and-play digital-control system, pre-mixed heat-transfer fluid and all connections.

Hamworthy Heating has joined forces with Rural Energy to offer a comprehensive and practical solution to using biomass boilers.

Chris Monson explains the philosophy behind a European-wide scheme for certifying the performance of building controls.

By eliminating wiring costs, wireless sensors can increase the scope and flexibility of building-management systems — especially if they do not need batteries. Armin Ander explains.

Liftstore’s CMS Anywhere software monitors the performance of lifts in a building and provides alerts to potential problems and breakdowns.

The BACnet protocol for building systems does not impose a cost premium for achieving open functionality. Steve Loughney explains.

David Epps offers a perspective on building controls that not only deliver balance-sheet value but that help companies deliver on their HSE and CSR policies.

Honeywell equipment meets the control requirements of the new Cotswold Water Park Four Pillars Hotel in Gloucestershire. This hotel has 220 guest bedrooms, a range of light and airy conference, banqueting and meeting rooms, gymnasium, lakeside restaurant and 10 separate 2-bedroom suites.

The first project in the world to use Helvar’s Digidim router for controlling lighting is the total refurbishment of the landmark Blekholmen premises in Stockholm, taking DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) to a new level.

Honeywell’s Smile controller provides weather-compensated heating control in buildings that are too small for a building-management system but too large for domestic-type controls. It provides similar capabilities to the Honeywell Aquatrol 2000, which has provided weather-compensated heating control for many years.

Keep Keen Controls has installed a control system from Priva Building Intelligence at the new £32 million Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster. The controls design included interfacing with 150 Mitsubishi split air-conditioning systems.

To controlled lighting in little-visited areas of its self-storage warehouse in Bridgwater, UK Storage has installed Danlers PIR occupancy switches.

Design RXC controllers from Siemens Building Technologies for terminal units are among the first devices to achieve certification and be allowed to use the eu.bac logo (see page 33 for more information on eu.bac). This accreditation proves that these controllers provide energy-efficient control and can be a major factor in reducing a building’s carbon footprint.

Legrand has launched an engineering manual on CD-ROM containing detailed information on how to plan and safely install cable-management systems from its Swifts, Salamandre and Arena-Walsall ranges.

Intatec has developed an e-learning web site covering the accurate specification and installation of anti-scald products. This online training programme covers the essentials of anti-scald, including TMV2 and TMV3 applications, with information presented in easily digestible sections.

JCC Lighting’s latest catalogue (number 21) of lighting products contains over 500 pages of products and accessories and is the company’s biggest to date, containing everything a contractor needs for all lighting applications.

Victaulic has redesigned its corporate web site to reinforce its global reach and focus on design solutions for today’s variety of construction challenges.

Wolseley has prepared a guide covering its wide range of sustainable product choices. It has been prepared by Wolseley’s Sustainable Building Centre and includes heating and ventilation products, insulation, lighting, renewable technology and bathrooms and toilets.

Rafiki Protection has made available a free pocket-sized guide to the design of fire-alarm systems. This guide is in line with BS 5839 safety standards and offers a clear explanation on all aspects of designing fire-alarm and detection systems. It explains the categorising of fire-alarm and detection systems and covers sounder devices, smoke devices and heat devices.

Electrak International has launched a new web site. It provides up-to-date information on the company’s powertrack, floor boxes and desk modules. There is also a 6-minute movie showing full details of the company’s products and systems.

The SBEM technical manual is now available for downloading from the SBEM web site. This manual looks at the requirement for a calculation methodology for the UK that complies with Article 3 of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, which has been developed into the National Calculation Methodology.

Mercury Recycling has created a web site to provide simple advice and information of all aspects of the Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment Directive. The variety of products in any one company that come under WEEE can be staggering, and Mercury’s services means that disposal can be made easily via a single source.

12 months’ experience of using a natural cooling and ventilation system in the Lee Valley Athletics Centre (LVAC) has included performing well during hot summer weather.

Trials of Crabtree’s range of anti-microbial electrical switches and socket outlets have shown the technology to be exceptionally effective.

To significantly reduce the time taken for installation and commissioning for the new medium-secure unit at Calderstones Hospital in Lancashire, Tour & Andersson’s TA-HUB centralised balancing system was chosen.

The hugely variable requirements for heating, cooling and ventilation of a mosque in Glasgow are met by a Unico system installed during the complete refurbishment of the Madarassa Taleem ul Islam.

Scorpion standby power

To simplify and speed installation and commission of heating and cooling systems at The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, over a thousand Oventrop Cocon 4 valves for fan-coil units were used by contractor Mercury Engineering.

Johnson Controls has been awarded the £3.2 million contract for chillers and building-management systems for two new hospitals in the north of England. The projects are the refurbishment and update of Pontefract general Infirmary and the new general hospital at the Pinderfields site in Wakefield. Both projects are due for completion by 2010.

Faced with higher-than-expected water bills at Paddington Station, Network Rail opted for flow-measurement and analysis services offered by Micronics to establish how and where water is being used.

With machinery in a hygienic and sealed packaging area of Aimia Foods contributing to temperatures rising above 28°C, CoSaf Environments has installed Breezair evaporative coolers to help keep temperatures down.

As part of the £8 million refurbishment of the club restaurant and spa areas of the Gleneagles Hotel and golf resort in Scotland, Grundfos Pumps has supplied a wide range of energy-efficient pumps, including award-winning Magna circulators, TP centrifugal pumps and an ultra-efficient MPC 3-pump booster set.

Fans supplied by Fläkt Woods serve the ventilation requirements of a new 17-storey building on the eastern gateway of the Canary Wharf Estate in London.

Lighting and acoustics are combined into a prefabricated solution at the recently completed Beaufort office centre in Chepstow using SAS International’s System 600, which also enables the thermal mass of the building to be used for cooling by facilitating the free movement of air to the exposed concrete slabs.

A range of air-conditioning systems from Toshiba Air Conditioning satisfy the special requirements of two new developments at the University of Manchester. They are the new, large Alan Turing Building and the refurbished Schuster Building, which house the School of Physics & Astronomy and the School of Mathematics.

Underfloor heating from Even-Heat has been selected to serve parts of the new lecture-theatre complex at Durham University.

An historic building in the Riverside dock area of Liverpool is being redeveloped as part of the city’s European Capital of Culture year. This Grade 2 listed warehouse used to hold slaves as they passed through Liverpool. The conversion is part of the Buddleia Project and involves developing the 6-storey building into conference and exhibition facilities, restaurant and business units.

As part of the refurbishment of the Grade 2 listed Harte & Garter Hotel in the centre of Windsor, air conditioning is provided by Daikin systems.

TraceTek systems for detecting water leaks are being installed throughout the Shanghai World Financial Center, one of the world’s tallest buildings. To prevent disruption to business continuity, water-sensing cables are being located in all sensitive areas such as data centres and computer rooms, and close to water services.

Baxi heating boilers hot water

Tour & Andersson has supplied 1841 valves, including over a thousand differential-pressure and flow-control combination valves for the Terminal 5 buildings and rail station at Heathrow Airport. The company has also supplied three TA-Aqua+ oxidation technology units for the project.

Chloride Power Protection has provided critical back-up protection for the two new data centres of the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency in Swansea. The work was commissioned by M&E contractor Lorne Stewart.

Vaillant’s ecoTEC pro 28 high-efficiency combi boiler has been installed in over 500 homes in York as part of a continuing programme to update the city’s social housing in line with the Decent Homes initiative. British Gas Housing Services Group is installing the boilers as part of its 3-year partnership with the City of York.

Weatherite Building Services has installed kitchen extract canopies at the Waitrose Supermarket in Bloomsbury, London.

UK water softener company Tapworks has reported 2007 as its best year ever for water-softener products.

ICS has unveiled a range of food-safe, biodegradable antifreeze for use in the food and beverage industry and where low oral toxicity is preferred.

Football supporters visiting Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium are enjoying the protection of a static-inverter based emergency lighting system supplied by Cooper Lighting & Security. With crowd safety being of paramount concern in the design of the new stadium, a reliable, high-quality emergency lighting system was essential to ensure that people would be able to leave safely in the event of a mains-power failure.

Comer Homes, the listed building conversion specialist, is installing Geminox boilers to the 450-apartment development of Royal Connaught Park, the filming location for some of the Harry Potter movies.

H&V valve manufacturer Hattersley has won the contract to supply range of valves for part of Birmingham’s new £500 million super hospital.

The replacement of boiler plant serving a nursing home has been effectively achieved by ganging six domestic boilers together rather than using two commercial boilers flued to the front of the building. Roger Peet of contractor MH Craggs explains, ‘The architect was absolutely against the concept of using domestic boilers ganged and fitted with controls as opposed to two commercial boilers, which would have taken up a huge space.‘In the end, we prevailed by sheer force of our common-sense proposition. Six Glow-worm boilers provide all the heating and hot water, via a hopper head, needed by the site.’

The current Terracotta Army exhibition in the British Museum is the largest exhibition of this archaeological discovery outside of China itself — and necessitated the provision of a tightly controlled environment.

Air-conditioning equipment installed as recently as 10 years ago is an energy-guzzling monster compared with the latest equipment, and Mitsubishi Electric has addressed the issues of replacing such equipment to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by more than half.

The current Terracotta Army exhibition in the British Museum is the largest exhibition of this archaeological discovery outside of China itself — and necessitated the provision of a tightly controlled environment.

home insulation carbon emissions

Solar-shading specialist Levolux is going totally carbon neutral by supporting a major rainforest plantation project in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley to offset its emissions of carbon dioxide.

supply chain integration

To help increase the knowledge base of the design and commissioning of hydronic variable-flow systems, Tour & Andersson has devised a series of CPD presentations.

The complexities of the F-Gas Regulation to prevent refrigerants entering the atmosphere have been digested into a new code of practice.

The Renewable Energy Association has acknowledged the release of the Planning Policy Statement on Climate Change and hopes that it will provide a positive contribution to the mass take up of renewable technologies across the country.

The apprentice scheme of Trend Control Systems has recruited 50 new apprentices this year. Seven are employed directly by Trend and the rest by 26 Trend partner companies — independent building-system integrators which install Trend products. There were 550 applications for these apprenticeships.

The apprentice scheme of Trend Control Systems has recruited 50 new apprentices this year. Seven are employed directly by Trend and the rest by 26 Trend partner companies — independent building-system integrators which install Trend products. There were 550 applications for these apprenticeships.