2018 December

By Andrew Boothroyd, Energy Upgrade and Service Director, Armstrong Fluid Technology

The Smoke Control Association (SCA) has declared its backing for a new industry initiative launched to encourage the government to deliver on all of the recommendations laid out in Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review of building regulations and fire safety processes.

SES Engineering Services (SES), has completed a £9.6m M&E contract at Godiva Place, a 770-bed student accommodation scheme at Coventry University.

Incoming Institute of Refrigeration (IoR) president Kevin Glass addressed the Institute at his inaugural address on 8th November. In it, he highlighted the importance of the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors and the potential harm of poorly-managed Brexit.

In the 2018 Budget, the Chancellor announced the closure of the enhanced capital allowances (ECA) scheme from April 2020. Manufacturers of eligible equipment are warning businesses to take full advantage of tax relief opportunities.

Calls from the ECA and BESA to protect SMEs from employment red tape and to increase support for engineering skills are reflected in the Budget announcement made by Chancellor Philip Hammond.

Renu Chopra joins MBS and MBStv this month, and will be applying her multimedia skills to support our involvement in new media.

Homes England, the government’s ‘housing accelerator’ has published a strategic 5-year plan that will make modular offsite construction a requirement.

At the BESA National Conference, speakers and delegates expressed their frustration with the process of Brexit and resulting business uncertainty – and highlighted the need for clarity from government.

GF Piping Systems has supplied its Cool-Fit 2.0 system to for a craft beer specialist in Rotherhithe, south-east London.

Able to trace their history back over seven centuries to 1413, today the oldest university in Scotland, has many proud boasts. Offering four faculties, that serve nearly 8,000 students and with a world-renowned reputation, this is a university that is fully committed to achieving the highest standards.

A vast amount of data cabling is required to keep Swansea City Football Club’s media centre running smoothly – and Marshall-Tufflex’s Sterling Curve and Sterling XL PVC-U trunking have provided the perfect cable management solutions.

The new Energy for Life: Tropical House at Marwell Zoo in Winchester is benefiting from the latest Priva BMS technology as part of a fully coordinated controls package delivered by CambridgeHOK. The control of parameters such as temperature and humidity is vital to the health and wellbeing of all animals and plants housed within.

Polypipe Terrain, manufacturer of waste and water management systems, will help complete the UK’s tallest residential complex. The Kent-based firm will supply ventilation, drainage, soil and waste systems to the £385 million Deansgate Square development in Manchester city centre (pictured).

Wieland Electric’s Metalynx2 has played an important role in the refurbishment of the high specification, design-led office space at 30 Gresham Street in the City of London (pictured).

Ten years ago, MBS conducted a survey. This year we repeated the exercise. Karen Fletcher reports on the results.

Karen Fletcher reviews the news of 2018 and considers what might be heading our way in 2019 and beyond.

As the winter season starts to take hold, boiler breakdowns will become more prevalent and these can frequently be caused by freezing condensate pipes. There are a number of recommendations on how these can be minimised and one of these is that condensate pumps should be fitted both in new and remedial situations.

Cistermiser and sister company Keraflo are jointly presented in a brand new corporate website (See link below) which reinforces a shared commitment to producing smart, efficient water management solutions that optimise control, deliver savings and help to ensure the safety and preservation of the earth’s most precious resource.

Rehau has launched a new CPD course for professionals who want to learn more about the specification and installation of acoustic soil and waste pipework solutions.

With so many apps available nowadays, it can be hard to work out which ones are worth downloading. Grundfos has been working to make life easier for anyone who fits domestic and commercial circulators, and these apps are available for free from the App Store and Google Play.

Johnson Controls has introduced the York YLAA scroll chiller available with low-global warming potential (GWP) R454B refrigerant from 190 to 530 kW cooling capacity.

Locations such as pubs, restaurants and sports pavilions and commercial buildings of similar size are proving popular applications for the Econoplate BV Series of semi-instantaneous hot water units, thanks to their responsive and high performance, compactness and lower capital cost compared to traditional solutions.

Today many more industry professionals are able to take advantage of the great flexibility offered by Grundfos Ecademy. This means that no matter if a user’s focus is on large or small projects, or if they are involved with supplying or specifying pumps within a domestic set-up or in larger commercial buildings; or perhaps they operate mainly within industrial applications or specialise in water utilities; there are specific modules that have been designed to help everyone to gain a deeper insight into many of the pump challenges that might be encountered.

Trend Controls has unveiled the latest development of its IQ Vision software. It integrates Trend controllers, third-party devices and internet protocols into a centralised software platform that allows modern connected buildings to be managed efficiently.

On October 31st, Reznor opened their new distribution centre (DC) in Wervik, Belgium.

Mitsubishi Electric hosted over 50 members of its Partner Programme at its ME VIP conference in Turkey. The guests were given an exclusive tour of Mitsubishi Electric’s latest European factory, where its range of M Series air conditioning products is manufactured. The factory is 40,000 m2 and has an annual capacity of 500,000 air conditioning units.

Desigo Control Point is the new embedded building management station from Siemens. It consists of touch panels in several sizes and of web servers that enable remote control of buildings from any smart device. Installation and operation are straightforward.

As part of its ongoing commitment to provide knowledge and training to its Members and the wider pump-using industry, the BPMA has secured CPD accreditation across its full training programme.

Entries for the Building Controls Industry Association Awards close on 21st December 2018, so there is still time to enter. 

Speaking to MBStv, head of the Energy Mangers Association (EMA), Lord Rupert Redesdale, reminded all building owners and product suppliers that in April 2019, the new Streamlined Energy & Carbon Reporting (SECR) scheme comes into force.

The long-awaited BB101 2018 was released on 24th August 2018 and it is the largest change in ventilation design regulation and guidance since 2006.

Facilities management professionals must develop their leadership skills and take greater responsibility for what goes on in buildings following the Grenfell fire tragedy, according to CIBSE FM Group chair Geoff Prudence.

The UK building sector and heating in particular has been identified as having the greatest potential for significantly reducing emissions to meet the nation’s stringent reduction target by 2050. And with a staggering 80% of the total lifetime costs of a commercial building spent on its operation and maintenance there are added economic incentives for improving building efficiency.

People offer countless excuses for failing to maintain HVAC plant – ‘It’s too expensive… too disruptive… too timeconsuming… too difficult… too much effort’, the justifications go on. The arguments in favour of maintenance are, however, powerful and the cost is absurdly low when compared with the cost of dealing with a catastrophic equipment failure.

"There are some years that really do seem longer than others, and 2018 is one of them. Let’s be honest, Brexit is straining everyone’s nerves. Our Annual Survey shows it as top of the list of concerns for businesses in our sector.

Landsec’s results announced on 13th November show that the company is financially steady, in spite of pressure on retail property returns and on the London office market.

Space is now at a premium in urban areas, and we’re seeing more and more buildings being constructed upwards resulting in people having to live in closer proximity to one another.