The days when building services engineers could simply concern themselves with meeting the necessary criteria to maintain comfort conditions are long gone. Quite rightly, other issues such as energy efficiency and sustainability are now considered just as important.

Energy efficiency, of course, has the highest profile but increasingly more emphasis is being put on the environmental impact of buildings and their services throughout the whole life cycle. In this respect, it makes a lot of sense to consider both the commercial and environmental impact of buying new plant when existing plant can be refurbished. This is something that applies to all items of plant, but air handling units (AHUs) illustrate the principle very well.

A considerably large proportion of businesses are reliant on air-conditioning or refrigeration equipment- sometimes even both. The consequences incurred when these systems break down can be disastrous for any company or individual, making periodic service and maintenance vital.

Public buildings have very specific acoustic requirements within certain rooms, often determined by the activity within the room which in turn sets the acoustic performance specification. School and hospital environments are a prime example of where effective acoustic solutions are essential, demanding a calm and comfortable environment for all. Noise can seriously harm an individual’s health leading to pain, fatigue, hearing impairment and communication problems, as well as interfering with daily activities and performance at school. Indeed, high-quality acoustics in the classroom for example, are necessary for all children to be able to learn, and for deaf and hard-of-hearing children they are vital.

Two years after the start of the credit crunch, indications are that there is some light at the end of the tunnel for the UK economy. Although life is still tough out there for businesses, programmes of planned maintenance and refurbishment that have been mothballed in recent months are edging back onto the agenda, and forward-thinking building managers can gain an edge in a tough market by reducing heating costs with renewable heating like heat pumps.

As workplaces have become increasingly computerised and automated our working lives have become increasingly dependent on a vast array of electrical and electronic gadgets, gizmos and appliances. All of which has led to a much greater reliance on the distribution of power and data around buildings and a demand for more ways of accessing this power and data.

When faced with replacing an ageing pump, engineers often install a like-for-like replacement, even though this can mean missing out on more energy efficient technology. Concerns often relate to the cost and disruption of selecting alternative equipment. The scale of these problems is, however, frequently over-estimated.