The headline news in February was that the Committee for Climate Change (CCC) has recommended that no new homes be added to the gas grid from 2025. And that our existing domestic building stock be weaned off gas in no short order.

“In this issue we look to the future of buildings, while assessing where we really are. While it’s fun to consider where technology such as the Internet of Things might take us down the line, it is important to bear in mind the realities of applying technology to real buildings.

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

"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.

A phrase now truer than ever as the digital age has empowered every consumer to review their experience at every shop, café, and restaurant. These positive or negative reviews may have the ability to make or break a business. This does however raise standards for business owners as they compete to increase customer satisfaction. Now, this culture of improved customer service is spreading to other industries including commercial and residential building landlords.

“At our Round Table discussion this month, the conversation quickly came round to the topic of wellbeing. It seems to be a theme that is working its way across the industry, whether we’re looking at building controls, indoor air quality or heating.

From April 2019 the rules on energy and carbon reporting are changing. What does this mean for you and your organisation?

“There’s often an unintended underlying theme in our features, even though they deal with different aspects of building services. This month, the motif is transformation.

The government's plans for the construction sector are ambitious. Earlier this year Theresa May announced that her government aims to bring about a 50% reduction in energy use of new buildings by 2030, saying that, “By halving the energy use of new buildings – both commercial and residential – we could reduce the energy bills for their occupants by as much as 50 per cent.”

On behalf of our media partner, Modern Building Services, I’d like to invite you to join us at EMEX where MBS will have a strong presence at the event bringing MBStv cameras along to film what’s going on and carry out interviews on their stand E11.

With over 30 years’ experience in the industry, Alan Barber, Technical Director of Heatlink, has a wealth of experience and is frequently offering advice and support on Heat Interface Units. One of the biggest problems that he sees time and time again is the issue of contaminated water and the difficulty of flushing systems installed with an HIU. But is there a simple fix?

The ‘Health, wellbeing and productivity in offices’ report shows that staff costs typically account for 90% of businesses operating costs, so any factor that impacts their ability to produce should be a major concern for any organisation. If the true value of the office environment included a calculation for good ‘wellbeing’, then the systems being specified would certainly offer an incentive to go far beyond legislative requirements. Going further than legislation provides further benefits, particularly when energy performance is improved and operating costs are reduced.

Energy management needs to be embedded into all sectors of British Business, but the sector that should be most clearly focused on efficiency seems to a degree to ignore the issue. Why is the FM industry often ignoring leading on energy management?

“In our features this month, the themes of integration and a collaborative approach are high on the agenda.

“I have to admit that it’s hard not to feel a sense of deja vu when I read a government report that’s calling for greater collaboration and allround better performance in the UK construction industry. We have really heard it before from Sir Michael Latham (Constructing the team, 1994) and Sir John Egan (Rethinking Construction,1998).

Private Frazer’s catchphrase in Dad’s Army reflects the mood at many Climate Change discussions. The decarbonising targets of an 80% reduction by 2050 are challenging, to put it mildly. However, it may be possible to reach our targets on emissions, although there is a mountain to climb.

As specialists in HVAC, building engineers are used to tracking the regulatory requirements around M & E. Over the last year, however, it has been a regulation relating to the construction side of our industry that has caught a number of companies on the hop. I am referring, of course, to EN 1090 which dictates requirements for CE marking for the ‘Execution of steel structures and aluminium structures’.

“This month, industry experts offer their views on indoor air quality. It’s one of those topics that has been around for quite some time, but now it is combined with a greater emphasis on wellbeing and is rising up the agenda for our built environment.

As government moves to decarbonise the UK's heating, MBS looks at a brief history of our move to gas, and why it's going to be such a challenge to find new sources of heat for homes, industry and commercial buildings. 

LG Electronics Air Conditioning and Energy Solutions division offers several engineering tools focused on HVAC, during the overall life-cycle of a building, relating to three categories.

"It’s been a tough week for the construction industry. Not only did we discover more about the awful management practices at Carillion, but Dame Judith Hackitt’s final report on the Independent Review of Fire Regulations and Fire Safety did not pull any punches when it came to our sector’s working practices: Ignorant; indifferent; inadequate.

As you’ll see from our front cover, MBS is celebrating 15 years of bringing its readers the broadest coverage of this sector, with insights from experts in all areas of building services - designers, contractors, installers and end-users.

"At Ecobuild this year, representatives of the Better Buildings Partnership were making it known that clients are fed up to the back teeth of buildings that don’t deliver what they want – efficiency, maintainability, operational effectiveness. These weren’t just general moans, but a clear message that enough is enough. (See our News Analysis)

One of the most topical areas currently for VRF installations is the specification of Hydro Kits, which extract heat from a VRF Heat Pump or Heat Recovery system, air-cooled or water-cooled; for the production of domestic hot water.

In our continuing Top Tips series, we offer an infographic of insights from experts who have written for MBS or taken part in our round table. This is a quick summary of some of the advice that leading engineers and consultants have offered in the run up to the introduction of MEES. 

In the March issue we are looking at a number of solutions to familiar problems – how to ensure that homes and businesses have affordable, reliable heat with minimal impact on the environment. Or how to keep temperatures in data centres within tight margins in the face of rising energy costs and planning requirements.

In our February issue, expert authors shared their thoughts on building controls, and how to make the most of today’s tech. Here’s our summary of their top tips.

Lord Rupert Redesdale talks exclusively to MBS about the important issue of the UK's energy challenge and how we might balance our energy requirements with the shift to renewable generation. 

Politicians make vocal cries that consumers should switch supplier. This has been a traditional refrain, but the reality is that energy supply and costs are entering the perfect storm bringing a headache for British business.

Towards a new perspective on environmental conditions in buildings