The theme of Alistair Darling's 2008 budget was ‘Stability and opportunity: building a strong, sustainable future'. Feedback would seem to indicate that the building services industry has broadly welcomed the content, but many feel the Chancellor could have gone further to encourage or define more specific targets.

If the developed nations of the world are to meet the targets set by various governments at the Kyoto World Summit, they are going to have to take a much more affirmative approach. Preempting any further legislation or taxation, which many see as inevitable, individuals and businesses are obliged to implement effective energy policies now - before they are forced to.

The built environment throughout the UK boasts many iconic buildings. These impressive, sophisticated and often seemly impossible structures dominant our urban landscapes, win coveted design and architectural awards and proudly fly the flag of progress. But what do these buildings stand for? They say we are bold, sophisticated, daring and adventurous. Could they also underline a mindless approval of architectural designs of a few inflated egos?

Use of mercury in compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) has been very much in the news recently with, in my opinion, mixed effect. On the one hand the publicity has reinforced the need for all discharge lamps to be disposed of responsibly rather than being sent to landfill. This is particularly important in the domestic sector where people are probably less aware of such things, but it will also make commercial organisations think carefully about disposal.

The heating and hot water industry has accelerated towards improving energy efficiency and reducing NOx emissions with the relatively recent introduction of condensing gas appliances.  Arguably, the rush to bring on this technology, after years of almost leisurely development, was fuelled by legislation. However, renewable technologies, such as solar thermal systems and heat pumps amongst others, are well established. Also, some leading manufacturers applied the technology to appliances not required, then or now, to be condensing, for example, commercial gas-fired water heaters.  

One of the challenges facing many specifiers and their end clients is the need to ensure comfortable conditions for the internal environment while keeping any damage to the external environment to a minimum. In this respect, air conditioning often finds itself cast as the villain of the peace.

The publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 4^th Assessment Report in mid November 2007 was a significant piece of research.  It offers a stark wake up call to start this New Year. 

As Britain becomes an increasingly litigious society, more employees in the building services industry are making claims against their employers for stress at work. There is an inexpensive way, however, by which employers can minimise the risk of litigation, at the same time as improving productivity and decreasing staff costs. The surprisingly simple – and affordable - answer is Employee Assistance Programmes.

A building management system can be a key tool for any business. It can provide a comfortable working environment for building occupants enhancing productivity and contribute significantly to saving energy costs and a reduced carbon footprint if used correctly, but despite this, all too often the capabilities of the BMS itself are not fully utilised and the potential benefits are lost.

Here is an interesting thought; if tomorrow, we all stopped using hot water for bathing and washing clothes we could probably reduce energy consumption by as much as 33%.

It has been interesting following the heating and architectural trade press over the last few years, and watched how the subject of Global Warming has gradually been accepted as something we can do something about, by watching our Carbon Footprints, a relatively new and bandwagon phrase.

The construction industry is renowned for its waste but can no longer ignore the need to sort and recycle waste. According to government statistics, over 70 million tonnes of waste is produced by the construction industry every year.

You can invest in the most energy efficient and sophisticated products on the market, and they are available in abundance, but this can all be wasted if someone just opens the window because they are too hot.

With the Government currently considering a draft climate change bill to curb carbon dioxide emissions it appears global warming is finally being taken seriously. This is no surprise to the building services industry. The most intensive use of energy in a building usually results from heating or cooling spaces.

With some industry insiders pointing out that the construction industry spends twice as much on litigation as it does on training, it is clear we need to improve our attitude to training provision in this country.

Gordon Brown claims that Britain will lead the international response to climate change. But as a nation compared with virtually every other developed nation we are short on real measures, especially those relating to heat technologies and in particular thermal solar energy.

There is an obvious need for the industry to be more energy efficient and pay more attention to the ways in which energy is used and wasted. With this May’s Government Energy White Paper addressing the ramifications of climate change and increasing energy efficiency, this question is especially pertinent. To accelerate the transition to a Iow carbon economy, urgent, ambitious action is required.

When it comes to implementing policies aimed at improving the green credentials of buildings, and in particular reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, the commercial property market isn’t changing as rapidly as some campaigners would wish.

Much has been written in recent years on the subject of energy efficiency.

Within the HVAC industry we are all now familiar with topics we had never heard of a decade ago such as Life Cycle Costs, EFF1 motors, Enhanced Capital Allowances and the myriad of other arguments that have been developed in recent years to support and encourage specifiers within the industry to select energy efficient variable speed pump technology over their less efficient fixed speed counterparts.

The editor of this newspaper has asked what our industry should be doing to be more energy efficient, and whether we have the products on the market to meet our efficiency needs. My answer may surprise you.

There is an obvious need for the industry to be more energy efficient and pay more attention to the ways in which energy is both used and wasted but should the industry be doing more and do we have the products on the market to meet our needs?

When disposing of used light sources, building operators have the choice of crushing them before they are removed from site, or employing a contractor that will take away intact lamps for processing.

Having spent 28 years in the commercial lighting industry I remain fascinated by the contractual and design processes used by the construction industry. Often it seems that we make a real effort to make it difficult to do business with each other!

The curse of the ancient prophets Jeremiah and Cassandra was to foresee the future, tell the truth – and to be roundly ignored. Until relatively recently, the same tragedy befell environmentalists the world over.

A window of opportunity has led to a number of companies being formed to take advantage of the sales opportunities in the solar sector. Aided by a high profile Government renewable energy campaign, these companies are riding the wave of interest in solar systems providing off-the-shelf solutions.

Sports fans in the UK have experienced a roller coaster of emotions over the years, with highs and lows ranging from Kelly Holmes’ stunning double gold medal victory in the 2004 Athens Olympics to England’s rather mediocre display at this year’s World Cup competition in Germany.

What made London’s bid for the Olympic Games so strong was the legacy it will leave behind. Not only will the area see a massive boost in terms of the regeneration work and infrastructure, but work on the project to build the Olympic site will also create a local base of skilled workers.

The construction boom looks set to continue with a significant amount of current and future projects, for example the 2012 Olympics, requiring a vast range of sports facilities and venues to be built over the next few years. Sports stadiums are often designed with a number of uses in mind, not only in terms of their primary purpose, but also taking into account how the space can generate additional revenue, for example through conferences and corporate entertainment. Many projects require legacy issues to be examined, making future use of space a key consideration. Versatility, flexibility and longevity in terms of building design, including boiler plant, are therefore vitally important in creating facilities and venues which will meet environmental requirements today and tomorrow.

It has been a pretty good year for world sport. Highlights include the recent impressive displays of sporting prowess demonstrated at the Commonwealth Games, Wimbledon and the World Cup; news that London has won the 2012 Olympics, and the (admittedly belated) completion of Wembley Stadium.

In an in-depth article focusing on the elements of risk to the operation of standby power systems, published in Building Services & Environmental Engineer in September 2004, Harath Engineering (now part of Chloride) made predictions that business continuity issues would result from the National Grid reducing resilience of electricity supplies in summer months. It warned Hi-Tec business operations of risks to mission critical operations and the increased need to ensure the absolute integrity of a back-up power supply to maximise power availability. On 27 July 2006 these predictions proved accurate. After a period when daytime temperatures were consistently significantly above 30°C, Central London had an extensive and extended power interruption and many businesses were shocked to find they had deficiencies in their power protection systems. The seriousness of this type of event is typified by the experience of a major datacentre which recently had a failure in back-up to its mission critical power system, leaving its customers’ websites out of action for 12 hours.

As I write this, the start of the 2012 London Olympic Games remains six years, one month, 25 days, five hours, and 46 minutes away.

The new stadia, currently under construction, for example at Islington, Wembley, and also planned for the forthcoming London Olympics 2012, generally go far beyond accommodating state-of-the-art football grounds and athletics facilities. Most now incorporate event and exhibition halls, conference suites, office space and dual function rooms that are used as hotel bedrooms overlooking the central event area, and convert to corporate hospitality boxes on event days. There are also likely to be fitness clubs, concessions, as well as community facilities and numerous bars and restaurants. Every one a veritable small town!

WSP are, at any particular time, involved in the design and delivery of a number of major international sporting venues around the World. Experience has shown us that the sport sector is a progressive and dynamic testing ground for the incorporation of new building technologies. For instance, past innovations include safety and security systems, EPOS, ticketing, materials specification and advanced media and rich product technologies.

Developing major sporting and infrastructure projects are set to provide an ideal opportunity for the building controls industry to showcase the benefits of good building control. Dramatic increases in energy costs have created real challenges for the operators of major sporting venues and addressing these issues with creative energy saving building management solutions will certainly increase the profile of the building controls industry.