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.

Building design influences human behaviour. But business and working trends also have an impact on the requirements for buildings, and the office is no exception. MBS reports.

In uncertain economic times, refurbishment and retrofit offer excellent solutions for building owners and the construction industry. Les Littlewood highlights some cost-effective approaches.

With new Ecodesign requirements under ErP coming into force this September, specifiers are under pressure to ensure that heating system upgrades are compliant. Dan Martindale argues that replacing existing atmospheric water heaters with new ultralow NOx models may be the easiest and most cost-effective way of meeting the new regulations.

In buildings with a high and constant demand for heat and power, CHP offers a long-term solution to significant financial savings and low carbon heat. But to optimise the benefits, planned maintenance is key, as Mike Hefford explains.

Chris Caton shows that with careful planning, a replacement install can ensure longevity and reliability in heating and hot water systems that have reached the end of their life.

With MEES, ErP, EPC, Lot21 and F-Gas now a stark reality for building operators, 2018 may be the best time to look at upgrading your old chiller system. Jason Tinsley explains more.

Flue and chimney systems need inspecting and cleaning at regular intervals. John Hamnett looks at some of the key issues around maintenance programmes.

Stephen Hart explains that while small flow paths in two port control valves can be unavoidable, the risks can be mitigated by smart system design and product selection.