OCS Engineering has been launched as a new company to replace what was formerly the technical division of OCS — the £600 million property support services company that delivers ‘one complete solution’.

The status of professional engineers has been acknowledged by the UK financial-services industry with their acceptance as certifiers of documentary evidence of customer identity — as might be required to open a bank account or take out a loan. Until recently, professional engineers were not accepted by the banking industry as certifiers of documentary evidence of customer identity.

Building Engineering Services Training (BEST), the training subsidiary of HVCA, has announced a 3-year plan to consolidate its position as the preferred supplier of training to the building-engineering-services sector.

The industry’s specification for sheet-metal ducting (DW/144) is being revised by the technical committee of the ductwork group of the Heating & Ventilating Contractors’ Association. Proposals for revision and suggestions for new items to be included are welcomed from all sectors of the building-services industry.

The Government is to cut planning restrictions on micro-renewable technology as a new report proposes streamlining the planning system for household applications.

Bitzer has set up a new company in France to remanufacture and repair all compressor brands and technologies. As a know-how centre, the new company will be a pilot for the future duplication of the same activity in other countries through Bitzer subsidiaries or with independent companies certified by Bitzer.

The top of Baskerville House in Birmingham, which is currently undergoing a massive £30 million transformation by developer Targetfollow provides a view of the city’s ever-changing skyline for an SES site supervisor. The Birmingham office of building-services provider SES is part of a joint venture with Alfred McAlpine Plc and is nearing the end of the £6.1 million programme for installing and commissioning mechanical and electrical services.

The 50 000th Engineering Services SKILLcard, the personnel-registration scheme for the mechanical sector, is presented to Jak Nazha (right), a project engineer with HVCA member Michael J. Lonsdale Ltd of Slough by Phil Hope, MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Department for Education & Skills. The presentation of the platinum SKILLcard was made during a recent meeting in the House of Commons of the All-Party Parliamentary Building Services Engineering Group.

Mitsubishi Electric is hosting a series of CPD-approved seminars to help consultants and contractors understand the issues surrounding the requirement for renewable energy that will dominate building and planning permission in the future.

Dalkia is working with Martin McColl to provide a comprehensive facilities-management solution for 1300 stores — which include Martin’s, McColls’s and RS McColl.

‘A better construction industry, a better built environment, a better deal for members and a better outcome for the client,’ have been highlighted by the new president of the Heating & Ventilation Contractors’ Association, Mike McCloskey, as the association’s key goals during his presidential year.

Progress to building up the Low Carbon Consultants Register by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers has got off to a flying start. Demand for training leading to the exam to enter the register has exceeded expectations, with the first course having started in the middle of July.

White Young Green has been appointed by Croydon Council to provide civil, structural and building-engineering services for a new £2.1 million project in Addington to provide training opportunities for adults.

Graphisoft, a major supplier of 3D model-based software and technological services for the built environment, has pledged its support to educational institutions in Britain with the donation of over £250 million-worth of software, support and study curriculum programmes over the next five years.

Clyde Combustions has revamped itself as Clyde Energy Solutions — and defined a new approach and expanded its range of products and services.

BSRIA’s new ‘Design framework for building services’ was launched by Nick Raynsford, MP, at the first meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Building Services Engineering Group.

People passing by Harrods in London’s Knightsbridge can note this display of LG Art Cool air-conditioning units in one of the windows. It is sizable display, at 2280 mm wide, 2050 mm high and 550 mm deep and features Art Cool units with mirror surfaces and subdued pastels.

A Government report that looks 30 to 40 years ahead surely ought to transcend politics. ‘The energy challenge’ identifies the right buttons. Time will tell if the will exists to press them.

With the development of a new range of rooftop air conditioning units, Lennox has attempted to redefine standards for energy efficiency.

Refrigeration and air-conditioning contractors should welcome the mass of new regulations facing the sector, according to GRAEME FOX

The delivery of low-energy buildings that interact with the environment is just one of the factors that will influence the design of office lighting, as HUGH KING explains.

As a result of recent and forthcoming changes in legislation, sending discharge lamps to landfill will soon be a thing of the past. BRYAN NEILL discusses the implications of these changes and the emergence of recycling as the only feasible route for lamp disposal.

NEIL JONES examines the philosophy behind the use of controls to realise better lit buildings and lower energy consumption.

To achieve a significant reduction in lighting costs, the 4-star Riverbank Plaza hotel in London has installed lighting sensors from Steinel. When the hotel was built about a year ago, sensors were not installed. However, to save energy and reduce costs, the management consulted lighting experts, who advised that installing sensors and energy-saving lamps would significantly reduce costs.

To achieve a significant reduction in lighting costs, the 4-star Riverbank Plaza hotel in London has installed lighting sensors from Steinel. When the hotel was built about a year ago, sensors were not installed. However, to save energy and reduce costs, the management consulted lighting experts, who advised that installing sensors and energy-saving lamps would significantly reduce costs.

Lighting-control specialist Simmtronic has considerably enhanced its commissioning and maintenance services for lighting projects with a restructuring of its engineering operations.

To meet growing demands for luminaires in sports halls with higher light outputs, Whitecroft Lighting has introduced the Serve 6 fitting. They use six 55 W TC-L lamps. Serve 6 meets CIBSE LG4 guidelines and has a low profile to minimise intrusion into areas with low ceiling heights. They can also be used in warehouses, factories and distribution centres.

Compact fluorescent lamps with a life of 48 000 h are available from Greenstock. This life is guaranteed when operated on electronic ballasts and a 12-hour switching cycles.

A wire-free system for testing emergency lighting systems has been developed by P4. Fastel KFR brings all the benefits of Fastel technology into a radio-monitored LAN addressable self-testing system. Because no data wiring is required to the emergency luminaires, Fastel KFR can be installed very quickly and effectively.

Ridi’s shallow-profile T5 Waveline diffuser luminaire is now available with a polycarbonate reeded lens, adding impact resistance and fire retardance to its qualities.

Chalmor’s EasiFit T5 kit provides a quick and efficient way to upgrade existing light fittings that use T8 lamps. The replacement T5 lamps last longer, are more efficient and have a higher light output.

Venture Lighting’s catalogue on HID lighting systems is described as an invaluable tool for the lighting designer. Information includes light output, life, colour and applications.

The Crompton Patriot bulkhead luminaire from Cooper Lighting & Security offers robust, durable and energy-efficient lighting indoors and outdoors.

NICK CULLEN argues that exploiting the potential of energy efficiency to reduce carbon emissions comes well ahead of implementing renewable technology.

PAUL KILBURN finds that the new Building Regulations provide welcome guidance on providing energy-efficient ventilation.

KAREN TREWICK explores how electric-heating solutions can improve a building’s energy efficiency.

Renewable energy is used to provide heating and cooling for the 3400 m2 logistics centre of Olympus KeyMed at Southend using a ground-source installation. A Mitsubishi Electric WR2 heating/cooling system uses 50 boreholes 98 m deep to draw heat from the ground for heating or to use the ground as a heat sink when the building requires cooling. The system was designed by consultants ME Engineers and installed by Total Concept Solutions.

Many chiller systems fall far short of delivering their optimum efficiency, even when linked to control systems. JIM KILCOYNE explains how fine-tuning a system can make a significant difference to performance.

An independent analysis of gas consumption for the heating system at County Hall, Swansea has shown a 21% reduction in gas use following the installation of a heating energy controller from Fuelstretcher.

The efficiency of wet underfloor or radiator heating systems can be improved using a controller from ESSCO Controls to vary the flow temperature according to outside temperature.

Fine tuning an established building-management system can help achieve huge reductions in energy consumption. NORMAN FERGUSON explains how.

Evaporative cooling can be very effective for cooling the indoor environment, particularly large spaces. Its capital and operating costs are also much lower than conventional air conditioning, as STEVE KIRKWOOD explains.

Evaporative cooling can be very effective for cooling the indoor environment, particularly large spaces. Its capital and operating costs are also much lower than conventional air conditioning, as STEVE KIRKWOOD explains.

The already low heating requirement of the new Nature Centre at Attenborough Nature Reserve, opened recently by Sir David Attenborough, is met by a wet underfloor heating system served by a heat pump drawing energy from the adjacent lake.

The already low heating requirement of the new Nature Centre at Attenborough Nature Reserve, opened recently by Sir David Attenborough, is met by a wet underfloor heating system served by a heat pump drawing energy from the adjacent lake.

Electronically commutated motors provide clear advantages over AC or conventional DC motors in terms of service life, controllability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness explains CIVE PALFREY.

With the launch of integrated concepts in applying air-conditioning technology, Daikin looks set to attract considerable interest.

Air conditioning in a small office block in Daventry was upgraded in a few days, rather than weeks, by using Mitsubishi Electric’s Replace Multi Technology.

To meet increasing demand, Brasted’s Restaurant & Conference Centre near Norwich has been doubled in size with a 280 m2 extension.

The possibility of a fire starting in an underground archive store in Cheshire has been prevented using Wagner’s OxyReduct system. The facility is operated by DeepStore and is 150 m below ground in a rock-salt mine.

Technical issues associated with providing air conditioning for 630 m2 of prime commercial office space in the 15-storey mixed-use Whitehall Quay development in Leeds have been addressed using the Hiross Flexible Space System from AET. Its use was specified by project consultant Gilfillan Associates for developer K. W. Linfoot Plc.

The ability of cable specialist Lapp to provide complete installation-ready solutions is being exploited for moving walkways and baggage-handling conveyors in Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport.

Underfloor heating installed in a dual-purpose community centre in County Durham as a safe and economic alternative to LST (low-surface) radiators.

With no spare space on the site of Derby’s new acute hospital for storage and fabrication work, the expertise of Rycroft proved invaluable in designing and making water-heating equipment that could be craned into position and connected quickly and easily.

Steel-wire cable tray from Cablofil is used for the installation of lighting, power and data cables throughout this new sports complex at Lakeside in Doncaster. This 15 000-seat stadium is being built by Carillion and will integrate sports and community facilities into a single venue.

Round-the-clock working was the order of the day as Weatherite replaced two air-cooled condensers at a hospital on Merseyside. They are mounted on a framework above a plant room housing chillers which serve operating theatres and other departments at Southport & Formby District General Hospital.

Noise problems for a residential/commercial development in Wimbledon on a site bounded by three main roads and the main railway line to London’s Waterloo Station have been addressed by a Passivent AV (assisted-ventilation) system with acoustically treated ducting and Passivent Fresh 80 dB acoustic wall inlets.

Natural smoke ventilation under the control of SE Controls’ OSO system networked into the fire-alarm system has been installed in the Battersea Reach waterfront development in London.

Pumps with extremely low maintenance requirements will bring valuable benefits for the new heart-and-lung unit at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. The 4300 Series in-line pumps from Armstrong Holden Brooke Pullen make it possible for routine maintenance on critical HVAC systems to be carried out in minutes instead of hours.

Close control of environmental conditions for a clean room making cleaning fluids for spectacle glass and contact lenses is provided by a Priva building-control system. It controls temperature and relative humidity for BioVision in Belgium.

The space-saving qualities of Kingspan KoolDuct pre-insulated ducting have been used to good effect in the £9 million National Science Learning Centre based at the University of York.

The safe and economic operation of the recirculating domestic-hot-water circuits in the new North Star Campus buildings at Swindon College is achieved using Oventrop’s new Aquastrom T Plus multi-function valve. The valves were chosen by NG Bailey (Bristol) for hydronic and thermostatic balancing. As well as simplifying the commissioning stage, this valve provides significant energy savings by controlling temperature and flow.

To minimise site work, Fulton Boiler Works has designed, manufactured, installed and commissioned a fully packaged steam plant room for Stoke Mandeville. The plant room produces steam for autoclaves, heating and hot water and was designed and built to a very detailed specification. Marketing director Gordon Bareham tells us that this is one of the largest projects ever carried out by the company.

Nearly 300 Classic Column radiators have been supplied by Bisque Commercial as part of a £40 million refurbishment project at the new Hendon Campus at Middlesex University. They were specified by consulting engineers WSP Group and installed by EMCOR Engineering Services based in Hatfield.

Ormskirk District & General Hospital is benefiting from environmentally generated heating and electricity supplies following the completion of a new energy centre equipped with combined-heat-and-power plant. Built under a 30-year Private Finance Initiative energy contract with Dalkia, the scheme has provided an investment of £5.3 million in new plant. The agreement includes the operation and maintenance of the new plant to provide secure and stable future energy supplies to the hospital.

As part of a contract worth over £100 000, Weatherite has replaced R22 air-conditioning systems at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire for the UK’s first operational Eurofighter Typhoon Squadron.

Britain’s tallest residential building, when it is opened this autumn, will have its requirements for heating, cooling and air conditioning services provided by a range of Grundfos pumps. The company worked with Rotary (NW) to devise a solution for Beetham Tower using a combination of TP close-coupled circulator pumps and NB single-stage pumps.

Equipment from the VRF air-conditioning range of Sanyo has been selected for Slater Menswear stores nationwide. ECOi 2-pipe VRF systems for the large open-plan sales floors are supplemented with inverter split systems in modular or cellular areas and rooms. The systems are being designed and installed by Spencair Mechanical and supplied by Sanyo distributor Easy Airconditioning.

To facilitate the rapid replacement of boiler plant at Piccadilly Theatre in London, Keston Boilers supplied a rig comprising four Keston C110 condensing boilers providing 440 kW of heat.

In response to customer requests, Airedale has developed an outdoor condensing unit with dual circuits — taking up less space and making less noise than two condensing units.

LG now offers a range of floor-standing air-conditioning units for one-to-one applications. There are four models offering cooling capacities from 8.1 to 21.1 kW and heating from 6.9 to 20.5 kW.

Lindab now offers its LindabSafe ductwork system treated with a coating that slowly releases silver ions over the lifetime of the ventilation system. The presence of silver ions stops bacteria multiplying and also inhibits the growth of moulds, yeast and algae. AgION is said to be particularly appropriate for hygiene applications such as food and pharmaceutical plants or healthcare.

Tenmat has developed an intumescent fire sleeve for all popular ceiling fans and ventilation ducts. These simple sleeves fit round the fan or vent spigot and are then pushed into the ceiling.

A range of air-supply units for commercial kitchens from Nordair-Niche addresses many of the issues in BS 6173 and DW 172.

Speedfit now offers a wide range of white flexible hoses. They are available in lengths of 300 and 500 mm in 15 and 22 mm sizes with union nut or 15 and 22 mm Speedfit x Speedfit push connections. The range also includes ends with plain tail, integral service valve and an elbow pattern.

The Grundfos CR family of multi-stage centrifugal pumps has a vertical design with suction and discharge ports at the same level.

Glow-worm has introduced a condensing version of its popular Xtramax boilers. The Xtramax HE High Performance storage combi is rated at 33 kW and stores 200 litres of hot water for instant delivery.

Elson has been appointed UK distributor for the APV range of heat-exchanger interfaces between dwellings and central boiler plant. The Compakva VX-32P provides central heating and instantaneous domestic hot water via a stainless-steel heat exchanger.

Pegler offers a finish for its taps and mixers that destroys bacteria on contact. Called Kliniklene, it is described as being as much a part of the products as chromium.

Xpelair offers a range of kitchen extractors for professional applications in its ChefX range. These units are designed for continuous, heavy-duty and demanding use.

Hamworthy Heating has added six condensing models to its Dorchester range of water heaters. The DR-FC range provides continuous outputs from 585 to 1836 l/h based on a 44 K temperature rise. They have storage capacities from 227 to 483 l.

Calpeda has launched new ranges of circulating pumps for the building-services sector.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has added high-performance inverters to its range of energy-efficient packaged air-conditioning systems for the commercial sector. They are said to achieve energy savings of up to 40% and lower noise levels. They operate with R410A.

Electric panel heaters specifically designed for new buildings are available from Chatsworth Heating. Euro-4 heaters are controlled from a main programmer, giving 2-zone capability as required by the new Part L Building Regulations.

A comprehensive range of biological grease traps to help restaurants, cafés and commercial meet Part H of the Building Regulations is available from ACO Building Drainage. These new regulations requiring drainage serving kitchens in commercial premises preparing hot food to be fitted with a grease separator or other effective means of removing grease.

MHS’s Decoral Ten radiators are made from recycled aluminium and are 40% smaller than conventional steel-panel radiators of the same heat output.

The Rhoss Powercool range of air-cooled chillers being distributed by Coolmation in the UK qualify for Enhanced Capital Allowances. There are eight chillers in the range with cooling capacities from 76 to 182 kW and designed for air-conditioning applications.