Yorkshire Fittings has strengthened its commercial sales team with the appointment of two Commercial Regional Managers and a new Sales Engineer. Dave Jewison and Billy Ritchie have been promoted to the role of Commercial Regional Manager, having previously been employed as Sales Engineers.

The Hodgson & Hodgson Group has successfully completed the design and installation of noise control measures for the development of 53 luxury apartments on the site of the former Ripon College in North Yorkshire.

Global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan has honoured Honeywell with its prestigious 2006 European Security Company of the Year Award in the building technologies space. The Award recognises Honeywell’s successful sales programmes, continued solutions innovation and strategic acquisitions in the security sector.

Vaillant’s Applied Systems Division has provided The Keswick Country House Hotel, Cumbria – part of the chain of Choice Hotels – with two ecoCRAFT 240kW floor standing condensing boilers and a VRC 630 cascade controller and combined weather compensator. These replace the old modular boiler and water heater.

Auxilia Group, the specialist provider of air conditioning and refrigeration services to the retail sector, is delighted to announce the successful completion of an approximate £1 million capital raising round. The round was led by Nash Fitzwilliams, the corporate finance boutique that specialises in the European building products and services industry, with debt funding being provided by HBOS.

Two newly built special education schools in Durham County have been specified with Potterton Commercial's Eurocondense plus boilers to drive their underfloor heating systems. Durham County Council specifier Bruce Kirtley chose the condensing boilers for Evergreen Special School and Whitworth School to meet the council's energy rating for buildings target and to comply with the increasing Government legislation surrounding the efficiency of heating installations.

Buro Happold’s Ground Engineering group has been bolstered by the appointment of Hugh Mallett, who will lead its new Geoenvironmental team.

Fläkt Woods is supplying the ventilation solutions for the car parking areas at the Bahrain World Trade Centre.

A full set of CIBSE’s industry standard guidance, the CIBSE Guides which offer comprehensive technical guidance on key areas of building services, is to be sent free of charge to every university offering accredited building services courses as part of a new initiative to support the next generation of engineers.

Priva Building Intelligence is providing environmental management at a new prestigious arts centre on the Stornoway sea front. The An Lanntair arts centre is the result of a £3.06 million grant from the Scottish Arts Council’s National Lottery award and is the largest arts development in the Highlands & Islands for some three decades. A Priva building management system (BMS) was installed by system specialists, Campbell Control Services, under contract to Paisley based H&V engineers, Taylor & Fraser Ltd.

Grundfos has recently produced their first Sustainability Report which clearly demonstrates that the company is well on the way to achieve many of the goals it has set itself.

Honeywell Building Solutions business (HBS) is celebrating twenty five years of service and maintenance work at Hillingdon Council’s unique Civic Centre.

The Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) has been awarded prestigious City & Guilds centre status. The education and training department underwent rigorous training to be approved as an official provider of City & Guilds' widely recognised industry qualifications, in particular the 2381 16th Edition Wiring Regulations Update and 2391 Inspection and Testing courses.

Trox Group has restructured in a bid to guarantee its future and create the right conditions for continued expansion.

Agreement has been reached between the HVCA and the trade union Amicus on a third three-year operative pay deal.

Fläkt Woods has been awarded a substantial contract to supply car park ventilation solutions for the 53 storey Dual Tower Buildings, located in the heart of Bahrain’s new $1.3 billion Financial Centre development.

There’s no doubt that rising energy costs, the drive to reduce carbon emissions and concerns over the long-term security of our energy supplies are having a significant effect on the need for energy efficiency in today’s building services sector. Karen Trewick, Marketing Communications Manager at Dimplex takes a look at why electric heating is set to be the system of choice as reserves of fossil fuels dwindle and the use of renewable energy sources grows.

The dichotomy surrounding cooling towers and evaporative condensers is that one arm of government is encouraging their use whilst another is doing the opposite.

Chilled beams have a bright future in the air conditioning sector, according to Terry Farthing, Sales Director of Trox (UK).

Rowan Crowley, Event Director for the forthcoming H&V07 and co-located RAC07 (NEC Birmingham, 27 Feb – 1 March 2007) examines the shows’ theme of Sustainable Solutions for the Future and focuses on a selection of exhibitors who will be addressing these issues.

When Priva Building Intelligence required more office space at its Dutch headquarters the obvious answer was to develop a new purpose-built structure on the existing headquarter site.  But rather than erect just another office complex, the company drew on its knowledge and experience in building controls and energy management and constructed an energy-efficient building that utilises an underground thermal storage system that is capable of providing heating and cooling throughout the building, eliminating the need for boilers and chillers. The system is managed, obviously, by a Priva building management system (BMS).

Crowcon's CheckBox IMH (Instrument Management Hub) automates the calibration and bump testing of portable gas detectors, reducing operation time and so reducing costs. The station can test up to 10 Crowcon detectors at once, calibrating, bumping and uploading data files as required.

Mercury Recycling Limited has launched a new website that is designed to provide information on new legislation and how this will affect your organisation with respect to safe waste disposal. New EU legislation means that certain wastes are now categorised as hazardous and as such can only be taken to a suitably licensed recycling facility or authorised landfill site. Spent lamps and used batteries are examples of hazardous waste.

The new Honeywell HVAC Drive makes it easy to select and install an inverter for pumps and fans. Choosing the right model for any application is simple – just select the motor power. All Honeywell HVAC Drives are preconfigured, IP54 rated and have a Class C RFI filter, so can be used in every situation.

Vortice has launched their most innovative mechanical extract product yet, the Penta MEV.

B.A.C.Balticare has announced the largest number of new B.A.C. products and improvements to the operation of existing models in the 40 year history of B.A.C. in Europe.

BSS has introduced a new range of Infrared Heaters to its already comprehensive portfolio of BOSS branded products in preparation for the busy winter installation period.

Rehau has launched its new Intelligent Design software for the design of underfloor heating and plumbing systems.

Cool, ultra-modern with minimalist, clean lines, the new Cesar range from Thorn Lighting is a highly versatile collection of wall-mounted cylindrical floodlights. Two types are available, one with dual light emission (up/down), which can be independently switched, and the other up or down only. This flexibility enables the projector to wash the front of a building or direct the light down onto the pavement creating pools of light without glare.

The AMP Netconnect Division of Tyco Electronics has introduced a new 24-port PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) midspan unit that conforms to the IEEE 802.3af standard as well as supporting Cisco and legacy pre-standard systems.

Harvesting the waste heat in winter months is the latest invention from Monodraught.

Mitsubishi Electric has produced two more dedicated brochures to illustrate exactly how the office and retail sectors can comply with new environmental regulations governing energy consumption, whilst still ensuring they provide the most ideal environment in which to work and shop, in the most cost-effective way possible.

The new Cash Management module from Estimation is believed to be the first cash book and cash flow forecasting software in the UK to fully address the unique requirements of the construction industry.

The new x-touchPANEL from TridonicAtco has evolved from the successful x-touchBOX to provide an extraordinarily versatile and user-friendly control unit with clear symbols that enable the user to control the visual environment.

Colt International has announced the availability of its Size 7 Low Noise Horizontal Concealed Caloris WRF unit. Complementing the existing Caloris range, this unit will efficiently heat and cool much larger spaces, such as open plan offices and shopping malls, with low noise and high efficiency.

The New Optimax HE is simply about making life easier, claims Ferroli’s Senior Product Manager John Lawton. Ferroli’s New Optimax HE combi and system boiler started as the proven, successful Optimax Band A and included fourteen engineering upgrades suggested by extensive customer feedback.

Toshiba Air Conditioning Sales has announced that its latest high wall indoor units will use an integral six-stage air filtration process that includes the use of Sasa, Zeolite and Vitamin C based products.

LiftStore has launched TripTrack, a cost-effective lift safety solution aimed at helping building owners in the public sector to improve passenger safety, improve maintenance efficiency and even reduce the risk of litigation.

The new Troja luminaire from Pracht has to be one of the best looking vandal resistant fluorescent luminaires on the market.

Dimplex has added two new colour brochures to its useful series of product literature to showcase its expanding range of water heating products. The comprehensive new water heating literature gives suppliers and specifiers all the information they need to make the correct product selection for each installation.

MK has launched a new aspirational and inspirational range of wiring devices to meet the need for chic aesthetic accessories in contemporary interior environments – both domestic and commercial. The new Arctic range of switches and sockets is a fusion of stylish aesthetics and perfect functionality that will enhance or complement modern interiors, while making a statement of its own.

Sylvania has launched a unique low-energy light kit, the Micro-Lynx Combo. There are four products in the range; all are mains voltage with an integrated electronic transformer, utilising a twist and lock feature for safe replacement of the lamp. The Micro-Lynx Combo kit includes either a recessed or surface fixture available in chrome or white finish, complete with a 6W colour 840 Micro-Lynx F fluorescent lamp.

Life is an innovative new range of luminaires from Whitecroft Lighting that has been designed to simulate the appearance of skylights and provide daylight conditions in any environment. There are two basic elements to the Life range, Life Q and Life L, which can be used independently or combined to create a dramatic visual impact.

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.

In October we outlined a brief glossary of general construction terms. A popular term is of course, liquidated and ascertained damages (LAD’s). Set out below is a summary of LAD’s which are a common way of dealing with delay in construction and engineering projects.