2019 November

As the election draws closer MBS has looked through the party manifestos for our area from the Conservatives, Labour party, Liberal Democrats and the Green Party of England and Wales. 

With the latest piece of emission legislation in place for over six months with little fanfare, Charlie Mowbray looks at the implications to both new and existing boilers.

In October, government launched a consultation on the Future Homes Standard. Karen Fletcher looks at the proposals, with a focus on plans for domestic heating.

Ryan Kirkwood looks at how a combination of good boiler selection and efficient design can help overcome installation challenges in older buildings

Hot topic of the moment is how to supply heating and hot water to buildings while meeting tougher targets on energy and carbon. Craig Dolan looks at the solutions available.

Jon Belfield examines and explores how the government's target to have a net-zero carbon economy can be achieved and the opportunities it presents.

Chris Irwin on the search for a truly open approach to building controls – and the project that is bringing the vision closer to reality.

The future of smart buildings promises benefits for those who can tap into the new era of connected systems and the IoT. But Karen Fletcher warns that there is a lot of hard work required for those to want to step into this new world.

In the face of growing concern about our environment, sustainable buildings expert Adam Selvey considers how we can find a balance between achieving zero carbon buildings and the wellbeing of humans who are in them. 

Key industry figures have responded to the Queen’s Speech delivered on 14th October in the House of Lords, which set out the government’s priorities for the year ahead.

The government launched a consultation on building regulations in October in an attempt to drive greater use of low-carbon technologies and world-leading levels of energy efficiency.

A new Health & Wellbeing Group has been established by BESA, with Nathan Wood of Farmwood M&E chairing. The new group has already been invited by BSI, EFT Consult and a group of like-minded industry bodies to help draft the UK’s first British Standard (PAS) for the health and wellbeing performance rating of commercial and domestic buildings.

Procurement organisation and social enterprise body Fusion21 has launched a national Heating and Renewables Framework which could be worth up to £500 million over a four-year period. The launch is set for January 2020; submission deadline is 20th November 2019.

Barbour ABI has released its latest top-50 league tables for the construction industry. The total value of the projects it covers is just under £20 billions.

Grundfos Pumps has announced that for the first half of 2019 they have had sales growth and increased earnings despite a challenging global market.

The Commissioning Specialists Association (CSA) will be hosting a series of seminars in 2020, with the first taking place at The Crystal Building in London on 31st March 2020.

The 2020 Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) Awards are now open for entries with a number of different awards on offer.

The way homes are designed and delivered in the future could be changed after architect and TV presenter George Clarke’s charity signed a contract with Northumbria University.

Over 20,000 ECS cardholders have now signed up for the ECS registered electrician status.

Tom Murray explores some of the most important factors relating to water heater specification.

The experience that your friend or colleague complaining that they are cold when you feel comfortable or even hot is a common phenomenon and there are many reasons why two people might experience the same temperature differently.

The answer is obvious. Everyone. The provision of clean, wholesome water at the turn of a tap is second nature, or so we would like to think.

Cable management is an integral part of the specification process. When it comes to specifying cable management systems, there are a number of key areas to consider in addition to cost per unit and installation time.

Mitsubishi Electric has extended its R32 offering with the extension of its M Series range to include the MFZ-KT range of R32 floor-mounted units. The range offers more choice for customers looking to switch to the lower-GWP refrigerant with the small- to medium-sized split-type applications.

Swegon has launched two new modular versions of its Gold air handling unit. The Gold Top and Gold L-Concept address a problem encountered all too frequently by design engineers – the shortage of space made available for building services plant.

A new ground-breaking plastic water supply system for the UK commercial market, called MecFlow, has been launched by Polypipe Building Services.

Lochinvar has launched a new low NOx emission version of the Charger direct gas-fired commercial water heater to help meet air quality targets.

The Grundfos Product Center (GPC) is a bespoke online search and sizing tool that will help specifiers and installers choose the right pump to meet the requirements of any project. It can also be very helpful for engineers aiming to find out more information about the pumps they already have.

Since the launch of the UPS3 15-50/60, it has gained a significant following of supporters and those numbers are continuing to grow.

Mitsubishi Electric has launched a new London office and a specialist team dedicated to delivering energy efficient HVAC solutions in the capital. The office, located at Sustainable Bankside II in Southwark, demonstrates Mitsubishi Electric’s commitment to supporting the growing construction market in London and is specifically aimed at bolstering its consultative offering.

It was a case of natural selection when Dunham-Bush Evolution radiant panels were installed at the recently refurbished sports hall and gymnasium at the Charles Darwin School in Biggin Hill, Kent.

Grundfos Pumps were delighted to play their part in helping a hospital achieve energy savings by providing the Sligo University Hospital with a detailed Energy Check report. This outlined the energy savings that were achievable by exchanging the hospital’s existing pumps with intelligent MAGNA3 and TPE3 pumps.

Precious books and manuscripts dating back nearly 1,000 years will be protected in controlled environmental conditions courtesy of high efficiency Carrier AquaSnap chillers and heat pumps in a new world-class library at Lambeth Palace, home of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Developer Chipping Homes has specified air source heat pumps from NIBE for its attractive Fellside development in the picturesque village of Chipping in the Ribble Valley, which comprises 39 family homes.

A nationwide project to upgrade Pizza Hut’s kitchen ventilation systems to a higher performing, energy efficient solution is underway. Project manager Marcus Sawkins of GFMS Services has already upgraded several of the restaurants’ systems with the Elta Fans QUBE Centrifugal Box Fan which is reducing energy usage.

Trox Easylab air management systems, VAV units, and fume cupboard controllers have been chosen to optimise energy efficiency at the new BREEAM 'Excellent'-rated Collaborative Teaching Laboratory (CTL) at the University of Birmingham.

Hoval has extended the upper range of its popular UltraGas condensing boilers with the launch of the UltraGas (1550) – a 1550kW boiler that features a remarkably small footprint for its output of just 3.3m2. The Hoval UltraGas (1550) is currently available as a single boiler and will be launched as a double boiler in the spring of 2020.

BESA Group Chair Nathan Wood on what the Health & Wellbeing in Buildings Group aims to achieve.

This month’s MBS round table, sponsored by Swegon, considered the rise of the smart building and smart kit.