2022 June

The recent passage of the Building Safety Act is a welcome recognition of the fact that making safe buildings is a highly skilled operation says the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, endorsing the need for more effective regulation and a profound change in culture.

For the best part of 30 years, chillers were in danger of being left behind as the growth and popularity of VRF solutions began to dominate the market for comfort cooling in commercial settings. Darryl Smith, Managing Director of AUK Distribution, explains why chillers contain the technologies to now fight back.

• 13% rise in detailed planning approvals against the preceding three months
• 18% decline in main contract awards against the previous year
• 9% increase in underlying starts during the three months to May

Glenigan has released the June 2022 edition of its Construction Review.

ABB’s Chris Plumb explores some of the hidden functionality that can help users of variable speed drives (VSDs) to further optimise their HVAC processes, as well as save energy.

Water system maintenance is extremely important, with it acting as a preventive measure for greater health and safety issues within the system. Most water systems require annual servicing, recommissioning, and flushing so, it is important for facilities teams to adequately allocate time for this. Safely doing this in a school setting, with vulnerable end-users, is essential. So, how can a facilities team in a school setting utilise summer shutdown to remain on top of water system maintenance? 

Systems performance in manufacturing has the attention of businesses, and  with good reason as energy prices continue to rise. Organizations are focused on doing more with less, improving productivity, shrinking their environmental footprint, and spending scarce capital budgets in ways that will provide the best return on investment.

Jim Norris, National Head of Sales at VES, says following the difficult years the NHS has faced in the UK everybody has been made acutely aware of the need for adequate ventilation, good indoor air quality, and a safe environment to care for those who have been hospitalised. 

Everyone will agree that it has been a rough couple of years. But – and it’s a BIG but – once again the construction industry has shown its willingness to adapt and adjust. The general consensus is that it has done pretty damn well to be where it is today. 

Martyn Ives, Distribution Sales & Technical Services Director at Fujitsu General Air Conditioning UK, highlights the importance of unlocking the full potential of HVAC systems.

In April 2021, the UK government set out its aggressive goals to reduce carbon emissions 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. COP26 was considered the most significant climate talks since the 2015 Paris agreement and the focus is now firmly on governments and businesses reaching these targets to help fight climate change. Michael Anderton of Johnson Controls looks at retrofit as part of the process.

With occupancy levels at their highest than at any other point during the pandemic, now is the time to make sure building systems can start working at full capacity again. Brian Beetson of Mitsubishi Electric looks at how. 

Decarbonising current building stock has become a key concern in order to successfully fall in line with net zero targets in future. Moreover, continuing to create buildings that are ‘healthy by design’ is critical to successfully catering to the wellbeing of their occupants. Steve Richmond, Head of Marketing and Technical at REHAU Building Solutions, discusses how architects and contractors can successfully balance these dual concerns.

Faced with a competitive market for tenants, office landlords have turned to smart buildings to give them an edge. In addition to providing landlords with energy saving and operational performance improvements, smart buildings must provide a seamless user experience, which exceeds, or at least matches the home comforts employees enjoy while working remotely. 

Trading since 2004, Wrexham based manufacturing company, Turtle Covers were looking to move premises to facilitate their expanding business.  Having found the perfect location their new warehouse needed a state-of-the-art heating system.

The demands on our office buildings have changed over the last few years: flexibility, digitalisation and energy efficiency are what’s important. At the same time, these buildings should create a comfortable, healthy and safe environment for employees.

On Clean Air Day 2022, Elta Fans is calling on businesses to adopt best practices when it comes to indoor air quality (IAQ) management, starting with better monitoring processes.

A snap survey of members of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) reveals long-term concerns over inflation, with 80% of respondents viewing it as an issue in the next 12 months and beyond. 

Over 15 years after it was first installed, The Kingspan KoolDuct System continues to support excellent HVAC system performance as part of the Sterile Services Unit (SSU) for the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

GEZE UK, the UK subsidiary of GEZE GmbH, a leading manufacturer of door and window control systems, has introduced the After Sales Solutions brochure that details the after sales services GEZE UK offers for manual and automatic doors and windows.

Altecnic, the UK's leading supplier of hydronic solutions and part of the Caleffi Group, has unveiled its latest product brochure debuting 146 new product ranges, as well as a shift in focus to sustainable heating through the introduction of a heat pump focussed section.

Titon’s powerful but compact HRV1.6 Q Plus MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation & Heat Recovery) unit has recently been installed in Moda Living’s Lexington Tower

Are you a low carbon, sustainability, or building-services professional, willing to volunteer to help the Church of England with the challenge of Net Zero Carbon? Or an ecologist, able to input on the management of our precious churchyard habitats?