Britain’s businesses are failing to give their employees the information they need to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions in the workplace, according to a new survey from npower business. The survey revealed that 75% of UK workers are concerned about climate change, but that only 33% are given information by their employers about how to save energy at work.

Ex-Or has announced its acquisition by Honeywell. The company, which develops manufactures and distributes intelligent, energy-saving lighting controls, will become part of Honeywell's Environmental Controls and Combustion (ECC) business unit, itself a division of Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions (ACS). Ex-Or will, however, retain its brand and continue to trade as Ex-Or.

The ECA has received funding of £30,000 from The Carbon Trust as part of its Networks Initiative, which encourages UK businesses and organisations to cut their CO2 emissions.

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.

The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) have signed a new membership agreement, strengthening links between the societies and broadening the exchange of knowledge and ideas between engineers.

Ideal Boilers is kicking off the summer by launching a host of promotions on its popular range of Imax commercial appliances.

Up until the end of September 2007 they are offering every installer that purchases an Imax the choice of three promotional offers.

Honeywell is offering a certified CPD presentation at customer sites, to help ensure that operators of refrigeration equipment are complying with the legislation surrounding the use and management of fluorinated gases.

Simmtronic has announced the appointments of Steve Petts as National Sales Director and Kevin Stubbs as a Senior Sales Project Manager. Each has 30 years experience in the lighting industry and will strengthen Simmtronics new business team as the Company continues to expand.

Hurleypalmerflatt has appointed James Rooke as an Associate Director within its Energy & Sustainability Division. James, who was previously at WSP, is a specialist Chartered Energy Engineer and has provided technical consultancy for major clients in the public and private sector.

Coolmation Group, the exclusive UK distributor of Rhoss Spa chillers, has announced a landmark in its partnership with the leading European chiller manufacturer Rhoss Spa.

Coolmation Group, the exclusive UK distributor of Rhoss Spa chillers, has announced a landmark in its partnership with the leading European chiller manufacturer Rhoss Spa.

The UK Living Environmental Systems Division (LES) of Mitsubishi Electric is calling for a radical change to the way we heat and cool our commercial and residential buildings with the introduction of a10-point action plan which will contribute to the reduction of over three million tonnes of CO2 emissions a year by 2016. Much of the Company’s plans centre around the utilisation of untapped heat energy that exists in the air all around us, and the wider use of cool outside air to reduce the need for air conditioning.

Applications are now being invited for the annual Queens’ Awards for Enterprise from UK-based businesses excelling in International Trade, Innovation or Sustainable Development.

Outstanding companies from the building and construction sectors are amongst those being urged to apply for an Award – commonly seen as the equivalent of a corporate knighthood. The deadline for entries is midnight on 31 October 2007.

Toshiba Corporation has announced that it will be a Tournament Sponsor of the Rugby World Cup 2007 to be held in France, Wales and Scotland this autumn.

Many end-users are losing up to £300 for every £1000 spent on energy saving equipment for their premises because they are unaware it qualifies for the Government’s Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme, according to Daikin Airconditioning UK Ltd.

Despite all the recent publicity about climate change and dwindling resources, the UK building industry is still dragging its heels when it comes to sustainable design and construction, according to a recent survey. A shocking 62% of a sample made up mainly of built environment professionals believes that the UK is a laggard when it comes to sustainability – with only 5% optimistically calling it a pioneer.

BSEE and the BCIA have again joined forces to bring you The 2008 Building Controls Industry Awards, an awards programme designed to bring together the entire building controls industry in a celebration of the companies, innovations and people that are achieving the highest professional standards and helping to drive this dynamic industry forward.

It is a frequent news headline that there may be health risks for those who live or work in close proximity to a mobile phone mast. As you may be involved on projects that involve mobile phone masts a summary of the current position is outlined below. While the risks have not been conclusively proved, for those who have rented a part of their land to a mobile phone operator this can be a concern and it seems likely that more and more property owners will seek to remove masts from their land.

The installation of an innovative air ducting system from Kingspan Insulation is aiding rest and relaxation at Brunel University’s newly refurbished Student Union Building, and has made the student nightclub, Academy, the coolest hotspot on campus. KoolDuct, Kingspan Insulation’s pioneering pre-insulated ducting system, was installed as part of a £10 million upgrade of the Student Union Building, the hub of student activity at Brunel.

HCP, a wholly-owned division of SAS International, has won another project with the BBC. Following its successful involvement on the BBC Media Village project at White City in London, over 1,000m of trench heating has been installed in the new BBC Scotland headquarters building. This stunning new 34,000m² landmark building at Pacific Quay, Glasgow, on the south bank of the river Clyde, will be fully operational this year.

Honeywell Building Solutions (HBS) is helping the Royal Air Force’s leading fighter station to strengthen control across its site-wide building automation system to generate additional energy savings. Improvements are the result of installing a Honeywell Enterprise Buildings Integrator (EBI) front end supervisor.

A 28% reduction in gas consumption equivalent to 159.6 tones of C02 emissions per annum has been achieved by AEC using their analytical techniques to optimise the efficiency of the heating systems at the Tower of London.

Fläkt Woods has been awarded a contract for the supply of 689 chilled beams for one of Australia’s most prestigious, energy conscious new buildings, Adelaide’s City Central Redevelopment, Tower 2.

Contractor Jay Dee Heating and Electrical has installed both Hager’s Klik Digital Connection System (DCS) for lighting control plus metering in Angus council’s new headquarters to meet the new amended Scottish building regulations.

Comfort conditions for visitors to the new Time and Space project at the Royal Observatory, part of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich will be controlled by Oventrop valves chosen by Inviron, the M&E contractors for the project.

Colt International’s WRF (water refrigerant flow) air conditioning system, Colt Caloris, has been installed in the impressive five-star hotel development, Luton Hoo. Just ten minutes from Luton Airport, this Grade I listed stately home is being lovingly restored by Elite Hotels to provide 144 luxury rooms in glorious 17th century surroundings.

Raychem self-regulating electric underfloor heating has been installed to heat the Bentley Drivers Club’s (BDC) new clubhouse and headquarters at Wroxton, near Banbury. Jointing Technologies, a Tyco Thermal Controls’ distributor partner, was commissioned to design and install the underfloor heating system and controls by M & E contractor, Scion Technical Services.

The Teesside office of Faithful+Gould is celebrating the successful completion of its role on a half a billion pound contract in Peru.

Its team has recently undertaken a review of construction costs on civil engineering elements for a new Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) plant for Chicago Bridge and Iron (CB&I), one of the world's leading engineering, procurement and construction companies.

Carbon dioxide is often seen as the enemy of the environment – a greenhouse gas that is largely responsible for the global warming that is rapidly changing the Earth’s climate. In fact, harnessed properly, it is a highly effective cooling agent that is a friend to the planet and which can offer massive advantages in high capacity applications such as mission critical data cooling.

It is a huge misconception that energy losses and significant fuel costs are simply part and parcel of heating industrial premises. Although attaining the perfect economic balance can prove a challenge, solutions are achievable that create comfortable indoor climates and deliver energy efficiency.

As climate change continues to hit the headlines, the challenge to conserve energy has become an increasingly hot topic. The issue is now widely debated and treated with varying degrees of seriousness, but political pressure and legislation both at home and from Europe is slowly bringing about some necessary changes, particularly for the construction industry.

On the face of it, the case for working in open plan offices is pretty clear cut. Not only is it more conducive to communication and less bound by ideas of that great contemporary no-no that we call ‘status’, the economic case is seemingly open and shut. Open plan workstations not only take up around half the space of cellular offices, the costs of fitting out a cellular office are around 25% higher than an equivalent open plan space. So little wonder that open plan offices are now the standard form of most British workplaces.

Tight lead times from clients throughout the construction sector are leading electrical installers to look at ways to shave valuable time off all projects. A main driver for the cabling industry to introduce innovation to save time on projects will come from work won in the public sector, on schemes including schools and hospitals.

Cooper Lighting and Security has launched a new edition of its handy A5-format buyers’ guide, which includes essential details of all the company’s most popular product lines.

In its 116 pages, this full-colour shortform catalogue covers the Crompton Lighting range of mains luminaires, as well as the Menvier and JSB ranges of emergency lighting and fire detection systems.

PDS is a cost effective presence detector range from energy saving controls experts CP Electronics. Featuring a built-in light level sensor, the PDS unit can be set to keep lights off should there be sufficient natural light. An optional override facility allows extra flexibility i.e. lights can be turned on even when there is sufficient natural light, and then automatically turned off when the occupancy has ceased.

Seaward Electronic has upgraded its new mobile PDA-based software that enables users to record the results of workplace electrical appliance safety tests and other tests and inspections quickly and easily.

Following the success of its Digital Variable Control VRF systems, Vaillant is looking to further strengthen its position in the air conditioning market by adding a number of new products to its existing climaVAIR range.

Johnson Controls has announced its move into the UK domestic and light commercial market with the launch of a range of mini-split heat pumps, designed for ultimate reliability, easy installation and high efficiency.

The range of reverse-cycle air conditioners, which operate using the ozone-friendly refrigerant R410A, incorporates 19 products, from 2kW to 14kW, including:

New additions from LG to its Art Cool Gallery series allows the end-user to adapt the front panel of this highly efficient air conditioning unit as a picture frame to hold any image wanted – famous painting, family, friends, football teams, pets, children or any portrait-shaped picture.

Enhanced corrosion resistance and extra efficiency are to be offered on Carrier’s established and popular Aquasnap chiller range with the substitution of the highly effective all-aluminium micro-channel heat exchanger (MCHX) technology in place of traditional heat exchangers.

Smith’s Environmental Products is launching the Caspian range of fan convectors in response to customer demand. As the leading supplier of domestic and light commercial fan-assisted hydronic heat emitters in the UK, Smith’s has designed and manufactured the new range to meet installers’ ever increasing demand for a higher output fan convector for use in the light commercial market.

TopVent warm air heaters from Hoval have been developed specifically for use in large spaces such as factories, warehouses, exhibition halls, retail halls and sports arenas and feature the company’s patented Air-Injector air distributor.

Daikin Europe N.V. has completed its Sky Air Super Inverter Series with a new 140 class unit and updated 100 and 125 class units.

Taconova (UK) has introduced the innovative AV 23 Setter Bypass HT Solar Type balancing valves which offer direct regulation, indication and isolation of flows for solar heating systems. Designed for domestic, commercial and public sector applications, the Setter Bypass balancing valves allow accurate and fast balancing without diagrams, tables or measuring devices.

Two new shower fitting kits designed specially for the commercial sector have been introduced by Rada, the commercial division of Kohler Mira.

Both the EV standard range and the EV heavy duty version feature a slide bar that doubles as a grab rail, making them ideal for special care installations such as care homes and on general contracts where budgets are more restricted.

Johnson Controls has launched Zafiro - a Eurovent A-Class water-cooled scroll chiller - specifically designed for optimum efficiency, easy installation and reduced energy costs.

An energy efficient and updated inverter driven R-410A air conditioning split combination is available from Daikin Europe. Designated FTK/XS-F and RK/XS-F, the series is available in heat pump and cooling only versions in 50, 60 and 71 classes.

Andrews claims the largest range of direct gas-fired condensing high efficiency water heaters, offering a wide selection of sizes in both storage and non-storage units. The first to be offered were non-storage high temperature units and the Supa-Flo R300 is the current well respected refinement of its type.

Contractors installing cable management systems will now find it easier to negotiate corners that are not a perfect 90o, with the launch of a flexible corner section by Hager for its Tehalit C60 system.

VES Andover Ltd have introduced Sensaire, a brand new range of low energy use air handling units and extract fans, designed to comply with the requirements of Part L2 of the Building Regulations.

They are available with a complete built-in controls package and an easy to use remote touch screen controller.

Pegler Yorkshire has launched Tectite Advance, the latest product to join the comprehensive Tectite range as part of the company’s policy of continuous product development

A new technically advanced roof dome makes SolaLighting’s market leading Solatube Daylighting System the brightest prospect yet in homes, offices, factories, hospitals, schools and many other applications.

Developed to combine the thermal efficiency of a plate heat exchanger with the pressure and temperature resistance of a shell & tube unit, the new AlfaDisc all-welded exchanger is ideal for duties involving high pressures and temperatures such as steam heating and applications involving aggressive fluids.

KSB has announced the arrival of its new mini-Compacta lifting unit, designed for a wide variety of applications.

Suitable for use with domestic water supply, sanitation and drainage, as well as in building services situations such as heating, air conditioning and ventilation, the mini-Compacta offers all the functions of a much larger unit, but with a minimum space requirement. KSB believes it to be the smallest lifting unit manufactured to EN12050-1 currently available on the market.

The new Crowcon Hydra addressable gas detection system provides a novel way of detecting toxic gases from vehicle exhausts, such as Carbon Monoxide (CO), oxides of Nitrogen (NO/NO2) and petrol vapour, in enclosed or underground car parks.

Daikin Europe N.V. has introduced a mini heat pump version of its R-410A VRVIII air conditioning system. Designated VRVIII-S, the new version operates both on single and 3-phase electrical supply and is available in 4, 5 and 6hp models with capacities of 11.2, 14.0 and 15.5kW (cooling) and 12.5, 16.0 and 18.0kW (heating).

Johnson Controls has launched a heat pump version of its popular York Tempo range of chillers designed to supply warm and chilled water for air conditioning applications.

The new Spygas Freon from Telegan Gas Monitoring is designed to help air conditioning and refrigeration engineers detect Freon leaks and check the tightness of pipe joints in hard to reach or dark areas quickly and safely.

Mitsubishi Electric has just released its new product catalogue to provide customers with more information about the company’s extensive product range than ever before.

TSI Instruments has announced a newly redesigned line of Airflow Instruments for ventilation test, including the new TA460. This Thermal Anemometer is a multi-function instrument that accurately measures air velocity, air flow, temperature, humidity, and pressure simultaneously, and displays the five parameters on the large graphic display.