Andrews has introduced a smaller version of its Maxxflo condensing storage water heater.

Boilers with cast-aluminium heat exchangers from Clyde Combustions deliver outputs from 80 to 630 kW. Modulex and Super Modulex boilers are pre-assembled floor-standing units with pre-mix modulating burners that turn down to 30%.

Cylinders from Glow-worm for unvented domestic hot water come in six sizes from 115 to 300 l. They operate direct from a mains water supply and recover in 20 minutes. Heat loss is as little as 70 W.

Biddle Air Curtains has developed a door curtain using lower water temperatures, such as those available from condensing boilers.

A fine-textured paint finish is now offered by SAS International for its range of metal ceiling panels and tiles. SAS FT negates the chance of lighting hot spots associated with uplighting and glare occurring. It also increases the perceived flatness of a metal ceiling.

The Menvier Planete emergency luminaire from Cooper Lighting & Security is only 45 mm deep. achieved by using super-thin cold-cathode lamp technology.

The availability of condensate pumps for Glow-worm’s range of high-efficiency domestic heating enables them to be installed in locations without access to a gravity drain.

Xpelair now offers a comprehensive range of fans specifically designed for light-industrial applications ranging from commercial kitchens, bakeries, hotels, pubs and schools through to garages, factories and warehouses.

A course on water treatment and preventing legionella has been developed by Logic Certification to enable those involved in installing and maintaining hot- and cold-water storage and service supplies to thoroughly understand how legionella bacteria are formed, the associated health risks and prevention using chemical water treatments. The course will also enable them to understand their duties and obligations as laid out in HSE document L8.

IES has launched its alternative to SBEM software (Simplified Building Energy Model) for assessing compliance with the new Building Regulations. VE Compliance has passed all the tests required. Its established thermal-simulation tool called ApacheSim has been developed to offer a more accurate and comprehensive route for assessing compliance with Part L2 2006.

A gas-fired condensing boiler with a 4-star NOx rating in accordance with EU Directive 92/42/EEC has been introduced by Gemonix-UK. Evinox boilers are available in six sizes with wide-ratio modulating outputs up to 484 kW.

One effect of the Energy Technology List and Enhanced Capital Allowances has been to impose higher standards of efficiency for radiant heating — a challenge that Ambi-Rad has responded to.

Multi-service chilled beams can be very effective at servicing office buildings, particularly in refurbishing existing buildings to modern standards. NIGEL ATKINSON explores their considerable potential

There are many ways of testing the thermal and acoustic performance of fan-coil units for air-conditioning systems. JULIAN JOWITT compares them.

Trox has supplied over 600 fan-coil units and a range of grilles and diffusers for the refurbishment of Unilever House in London in a £600 000 contract.

Two VRF air-conditioning systems powered by natural gas have been installed at the headquarters of Strathclyde Fire & Rescue at Hamilton. The Sanyo units were supplied by McQuay UK to provide heating and cooling for the 420 m2 office complex. The overall system comprises two 3-pipe GHP units on the roof and 48 indoor units.

Axair Climate has moved into the market for fan-coil units by setting up a partnership with Ability, a major manufacturer of FCUs and based in Dorset.

Using induction systems to air condition a building may seem old fashioned today, but it can be the ideal solution for a range of applications, according to ROMAN NEMECZEK

With the use of many refrigerants coming under environmental pressure, attention is being focused on ammonia for air-conditioning applications. ROB LAMB explores the issues

JOHN GARBUTT highlights energy-efficiency issue for ductwork in the latest Building Regulations.

The strength of VRV/VRF air conditioning in the UK has grown as the capability of these systems has evolved. MARK DYER examines this ever-growing market.

Vaillant is entering the UK air-conditioning market with a range of energy-efficient high-wall and cassette split systems. Well known for innovation and service in domestic heating, Vaillant is initially concentrating on the domestic and light-commercial market, before moving into the large-commercial and heavy industrial sectors.

Multi-service chilled beams are more than air-conditioning units. They can combine various elements to produce a cost-effective, attractive, easy-to-install unit that maximises siting flexibility and minimises costs — says TERRY FARTHING

Carrier is targeting the residential and light-commercial markets for air conditioning with a range of 10 new products. Many more are promised.

Air-conditioning and refrigeration distributor Kooltech has placed a £2 million stock order with Mitsubishi to cover summer demand for the M Series and Mr Slim air-conditioning systems.

J&J Design System Specialists teamed up with distributor DYSK air conditioning to provide a tailor-made air-conditioning solution for TD Packaging in Swindon, a large contract packer for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. The solution used Sanyo’s ECOi range to meet fluctuating loads in different production areas.

LG has added new colours, finishes and other features and benefits to its Art Cool range of air-conditioning units. Behind the slim profile and clean lines of Art Cool Wide, Mirror and Standard are efficient, effective and advanced air-conditioning units.

Advanced Engineering Technologies has introduced a new controller for fan tile units for its Flexible Space concept featuring Hiross underfloor air conditioning, Nesite raised access flooring and Movinord demountable partitioning.

Samsung has launched an R410A version of its Digital Variable Multi VRF air-conditioning system. The launch of DVM2 is the first stage of introducing over a hundred new products during 2006.

The increasing importance of building services commissioning has been recognised with the launch of the first ever National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in the subject. This is a timely boost for the profession, says ROGER CLARKE

Not only does the dynamic balancing simplify the commissioning of wet systems, it brings many design, installation and operating benefits. STEPHEN HART explains.

STEVE AVERY explains the thinking behind Carrier setting up its own commissioning team and the benefits of a manufacturing becoming so closely involved with projects.

The commissioning requirements of a new hospital in Lewisham are met by a range of valves from Crane Fluid Systems.

Oventrop has developed a valve that simplifies the commissioning of domestic-hot-water systems and provides significant energy savings by thermostatically controlling temperature and flow in the system.

SAV has added centralised control to its commissioning modules for fan-coil units. By centralising the control capability for up to six fan-coil units at the module, site wiring is simplified — with only a single cable being required to connect to the module to the building-management system. It enables commissioning engineers to perform a range of tasks from a central point.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the then president of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, Terry Wyatt, in a landmark presidential address warned the building-services industry that it had no long-term future unless it responded quickly to the pressure for change.

Government plans to exploit the potential for renewable energy have been published in a report launched by ministers from Defra and the DTI. It is the Government’s response to the Biomass Task Force, which made a series of recommendations in October 2005.

Leeds Rhinos rugby hero Barrie McDermott paid a visit recently to the Morfitts site team, which is nearing completion of a £900 000 contract to install M&E and plumbing services in the new Carnegie Stand at Headlingly Carnegie Stadium in Leeds. Developed with Leeds Metropolitan University and situated at the eastern end of the stadium, this stand will accommodate 4550 spectators. It will also have 12 seminar rooms, a major facility for up to 350 people and a HelpZone. The stand will give the university a permanent base at the stadium and strengthen the strong relationship between the university and Leeds Rugby.

Colt Group has reported record turnover for 2005.

A 27 t boiler is craned into position by M&E contractor SES as part of the £2.5 million of building-services work in the refurbishment of the Pimlico district-heating scheme in London. The contract includes the installation of three new 27 t boilers, two CHP engines and associated equipment to the existing pump house on the north side of the River Thames. Each 17 t CHP engine can produce 2 MW of electricity, and each boiler is rated at 8 MW. They serve 3200 dwellings and 40 commercial premises with heating and hot water.

Robertson Property has scooped a major environmental award for its role in the development of the £13 million Scottish Natural Headquarters in Inverness. The building achieved a score of 84% in the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology for offices, which is said to be the highest score since the system was introduced in 1998.

Two new NVQs have been introduced for people working in building-services engineering. Building Services Engineering Technology and Project Management NVQs at Levels 3 and 4 are based on standards developed by SummitSkills, the sector skills council for building-services engineering. They are awarded by EAL, the leading awarding body for engineering vocational qualifications.

Mitie Engineering has been awarded the M&E contract for the first phase of the £22.4 million redevelopment of Cardonald College in Glasgow. It will include a skills centre to help address the current skills shortage in construction. The first phase will see the creation of a new centre to train skilled workers for the construction industry, allowing the college to increase its intake by 20% in this area and provide much needed vocational training.

Ambi-Rad has undergone a management buyout for an undisclosed sum. The company says it is Europe’s number-one manufacturer of radiant-tube heating systems for the commercial and industrial markets and a major supplier of warm-air heating systems.

Multi-disciplinary consultancy Buro Happold has opened a new office in Edinburgh. It is in Morrison Street and will be the base for up to 15 multi-disciplinary engineers within the first year. Matthew Smith, group director, is head of the office.

Consulting engineers Mott MacDonald shared recognition with architects Foster & Partners and Gateshead Council for the design of Sage Gateshead. The project has recently won the RICS North East Renaissance Award for Design & Innovation and the Award for Tourism & Leisure — bringing to 12 the number of awards since its opening in December 2004.

A hole in one was the highlight of the annual golf day of contractor Briggs & Forrester at the championship Collingtree Park Golf Club in Northampton. It was the achievement of John Hinton of John Hinton of WSP Consulting Engineers at the par-3 fifth hole.

New orders for construction projects in the private-commercial sector continue to surge ahead, according to figures from the Department of Trade & Industry.

The chairman of BESCA, the competent-persons self-certification scheme for commercial and domestic HVACR work has reacted to calls for the Government office responsible for the Building Regulations to cap further scheme applications to reduce confusion in the industry.

Grundfos has purchased land for its third factory in Hungary. It is at Szekesfehervar and will make KP and AP pumps from the wastewater range. Production will take up to 20 000 m2 with 1000 m2 of office space.

Following a record turnover of £75 million in its first year of operation since a management buyout, Space Cooling Systems has changed its name and brand image — following growth into other sectors, notably mechanical and electrical. The move aims to build on the company’s success as a refrigeration and air-conditioning contractor.

Space Air, distributor of Daikin air-conditioning equipment, has signed a new sponsorship deal with Krystal Racing to campaign in the Metzeler Racetec National Superstock Championship. Ex-BSB racer Howie Mainwaring has joined Jay Fernandez in the team. Mike Pensavalle has also joined the team. 98 and 99 in this shot are members of the 3-bike team.

The £7 million Widnes Health Care Resource Centre in Halton is one of a range of projects for which the Manchester office of consultant White Young Green has provided design services for Morrisons Construction. It is one of over 40 healthcare centres forming part of a rolling £125 million programme. The work is part of WYG’s appointment for St Helens LIFT (Local Improvement Finance Trust).

HBG has been appointed for the construction of phase two of the Darwin Centre at the Natural History Museum in London. The construction period of this £41 million contract starts in June 2006 for completion in July 2008.

Rising copper prices are prompting high levels of interest in plastic pipework, according to Durapipe UK. Since the Spring, the company has seen a 20% increase in enquiries for its plastic-pipework systems and attributes the rise in part to the need of specifiers and contractors for alternative materials to help combat the copper crises.

ALISON NICHOLL discusses the opportunities and challenges of implementing carbon-efficient technologies.

The latest Building Regulations and the run-up to them over several years mark a sea change in the approach to the design and operation of buildings. CIBSE’s new president, DAVID HUGHES, sees the role of building-services engineers as vital in this transition.

One effect of the Energy Technology List and Enhanced Capital Allowances has been to impose higher standards of efficiency for radiant heating — a challenge that Ambi-Rad has responded to.

The largest boiler manufacturer in Germany is embarking on a new push into the UK market for commercial boilers.

Summer temperatures of up to 43°C in the catering unit of Martin Baker, which makes ejector seats have been reduced to around 23°C following the installation of Breezair evaporative cooling. In other parts of the factory, summer temperatures of around 40°C have been reduced to the same level.

Over 350 Crane Dominator valve units have been installed to control heating and chilled water to fan-coil units in the 5600 m2 office development at Trinity Gardens In Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

The installation costs for piping in Europe’s largest cold store have been halved using a pre-insulated ABS piping system. The 330 000 m3 chilled warehouse of Cadbury’s near the M6 in Birmingham had its pipework installed by Innovate Refrigeration, which specified GF Cool-Fit, supplied by Manor, the specialist copper and plastics division of BSS.

An intelligent infrastructure management system based on Category 6 cabling has been supplied to Belfast City Hospital by the AMP NetConnect division of Tyco Electronics, working with installer Black Box Network Services.

The specification of a plant room made off-site has assisted security at a prison by drastically reducing installation time and contractor access. The 3200 kW LPHW plant room includes storage for hot water and was made for HMP Birmingham, formerly known as Winson Green Prison, by Armstrong Integrated Systems. It measures 10 x 7 x 2.9 m and weighs over 30 t. It was delivered in two sections and craned onto a precast foundation. Only final connections were required on site.

Lindab’s CADvent system for designing ductwork projects and compiling bills of quantities has been successfully using by Michael Williams Engineering (MWE) for a custom-built dust-extraction system for a potato store in Scotland. This software is free to Lindab customers and is based on Autodesk.

Lighting that combines function and aesthetics has been achieved at Chailey Heritage School in Sussex using ALE and AIDA architectural luminaires from RIDI Lighting.

Automatic smoke vents supplied by Bilco protect residents in one of the largest accommodation blocks for students in the UK. The vents were specified for Queen Mary, University of London, by architect Fielden Clegg Bradley. the 14 double-leaf Lumivent vents were supplied to contractor Laing O’Rourke for Westfield Student Village, a development of three blocks with 995 bed spaces.

The ability of Lochinvar’s Power-fin boilers to deliver high outputs from a small space was one of the factors leading to their installation at the New Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster and Sheffield. It is forecast to serve a million passengers in its first full year of operation.

The refurbishment of the DVLA headquarters at Swansea includes Hager’s Klik DCS to provide daylight-linking control. The system was specified by contractor Lorne Steward.

Honeywell Building Solutions is responsible for service and maintenance at one of the best ice rinks in the UK, iceSheffield, and the neighbouring English Institute of Sport Sheffield. Both facilities are managed by Sheffield International Venues (SIV).

The £140 000 contract to design and install a building-management system for the OCS stand at the Brit Oval cricket ground in London was carried out by Integrated Control Systems. The contract was awarded by Hilton Building Services.

Future changes in the layout of the new 1400 m2 headquarters of Torquay-based property developed Cavanna Group will be much simplified by providing air-conditioning using the Hiross Flexible Space system. A recent study by CABE has identified a 90% decrease in churn costs in a building with underfloor HVAC, power, telephone and data systems compared with HVAC services in the ceiling and a cellular floor.

As part of a strategy to maximise the use of renewable energy, the headquarters of the Spinal Inurieis Associate in Milton Keynes has a lighting-management system supplied by Ex-Or. The building, designed by architect Peter Hall, has no corridors, large internal open spaces and a exterior with extensive glazing.

The operating costs of the hydrotherapy pool at a hospital in Oswestry are being sharply reduced by a purpose-designed system for dehumidification, ventilation and heat recovery.

Following the destruction of the heat rejection system serving the Zwinger, Semper Opera House and the Semper Gallery and Palace in Dresden, it has been replaced with new equipment that includes electronically commutated DC fans made by Ebm-papst.

Some of the latest thinking in controlling internal temperatures in the summer are being applied in a new £4 million boarding block for St Lawrence College in Kent.

To meet the requirements of casino operator Stanley Leisure to protect critical power equipment in its refurbished headquarters in Liverpool against power outages, Computer Power Protection suggested an integrated package including both uninterruptible power supply and a Scorpion standby generator. The critical equipment includes computers and communications

Specially designed luminaires providing both direct and indirect lighting have been supplied by Whitecroft Lighting for the National Assembly of Wales in Cardiff Bay. They have been installed through most of the building and provide a clean, stylish lighting solution combining high performance with low cost of ownership.

A former engineering factory in Watford has been transformed into what is believed to be the largest Mazda showroom in Europe. The 2500 m2 showroom is heated by two Nordair/Niche MUA 75 VAV direct-fired warm-air heaters positioned externally. Heated air is delivered into the large interior spaces through a single drum louvre at high level. In the workshop, a TTW150 warm-air unit provides background heating.

Tests of impulse fans to control the flow of smoke in enclosed car parks during fire have confirmed the predictions of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) used by Colt for system design. The series of test was carried out by BRE and Colt in a simulated car park.

Thermal Transfer has completed an £850 000 refurbishment contract to provide a state-of-the-art facility for manufacturing pharmaceutical delivery systems. Bespak designs, develops and makes specialist medical devices, including metered-dose inhalers, dry-powder devices, actuators and compliance aids.

Visitors and exhibits at The Tank Museum at Bovington in Dorset are now protected by a technically advanced fire-detection and alarm system supplied by Gent.

Natural ventilation based on passive stack ventilation is providing energy-efficient comfort throughout a 3-storey school building with 70 classrooms in Coventry.

The issue of the generation of power-system harmonics in building-services installations is addressed by the SED2 variable-speed drives and the free HarmonEE software from Siemens Building Technologies.

There are two return connections on the Ultramax SB range of boilers from MHS Boilers. One connection enters the condensing heat exchanger, and the other is at a temperature above the dewpoint temperature of flue gases.

Victaulic now offers its full Coparite copper product range in the UK. This product range is a derivation of the Victaulic mechanical grooved-end system for steel tubes.

TAC Satchwell has launched a range of software modules to deliver essential information on the cost and performance of a building by providing systematic facilities information at all levels of operation.

Lindab has introduced bends for LindabSafe ductwork that can be used in tight corners. Standard bends have a centre radius the same as the diameter, compared with an inside radius of 0.6 times the diameter for the BKU range.

Apollo’s new mounting box for ceiling tiles enables bases for fire and smoke detectors and sounders to be fitted, wired, tested and commissioned before the false ceiling is installed. When the ceiling is in position, the mounting box is slotted into place without disturbing the wiring. The back box is part of the mounting box, and detector heads can be fitted to the it before installation

The E-touch Box from TridonicAtco is a stand-alone automatic test system for emergency lighting designed to utilise the EM Pro range of DALI emergency inverters.

Pressfitting pipe systems for gas in copper and stainless steel from Geberit have been awarded Advantica approval. This fitting method creates a positive and frictional connection through the controlled deformation of the pipe and fitting without hot works.

Broag’s Remeha of high-efficiency cast-iron sectional hot-water boilers have pressure-jet burners and achieve a combustion efficiency of up to 92%. They can burn natural gas or light oil and, being sectional boilers, can be assembled on site.

Vent-Axia has introduced a range of smoke fans for ventilating occupied spaces in the event of a fire. There are models with temperature resistance to 200 or 400°C for siting inside or outside the fire-rated zone of a building and providing emergency smoke extraction for up to 2 h.

Over a hundred HVAC drives with native BACnet capability have been installed in the new Blackburn Hospital, which is the firs major building in the UK to use to BACnet communications protocol to control its building services. One of the key benefits is a significant time saving during commissioning.