SummitSkills, the sector skills council for building services engineering (BSE), has recommended significant changes in training and education for the sector in England, following the completion of stage two of Horizon, the Sector Skills Agreement for the industry.

HVCA president John Miller has challenged the Government to enforce important changes introduced last year to Part L of the Building Regulations.

The Domestic Building Services Panel of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and HVCA Publications here launched a Solar Heating Design and Installation Guide, a comprehensive manual that provides vital information to help with the specification, design, and installation of both domestic and commercial solar heating systems. The 162-page book has been compiled to assist professional heating engineers with hot water systems that produce heat energy principally from the sun.

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.

Commissioner Andris Piebalgs has been announced as a keynote speaker at the forthcoming Renewable Heating & Cooling Congress

The Baxi Commercial Heating Training Academy at the Erdington premises in the West Midlands is now officially open for business and follows the recent move by the Andrews business unit to these premises where Potterton Commercial is based.

A high profile exhibition showcasing short listed work from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize has opened at The Robert Gordon University's Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment.

Fitting Panasonic air conditioners is even more attractive for installers, who now get valuable free Panasonic Rewards Pounds to spend online in the Panasonic e-shop.

Tour & Andersson has won the Market Leading Technology Award at the inaugural key supplier conference held by NG Bailey Limited.

Now in its fourth year, the hugely successful ARC Show comprises the only dedicated annual architectural lighting exhibition in the UK and a two-day industry conference.

E.ON has joined forces with former Tomorrow’s World presenter Philippa Forrester and former Changing Rooms star Oliver Heath to launch E.ON EnergyLab – a nationwide talent search to find Britain’s next big innovations in energy efficiency.

Ashley Bateson has accepted the invitation to become a Partner of Hoare Lea Consulting Engineers. Ashley Bateson, MSc, CEng, MCIBSE, MEI, joined Hoare Lea in 2004 to establish the Sustainability Group. As Principal he has built a group that has gained a high profile and reputation in the construction community.

SummitSkills is calling for nominations for the UK National Training Awards 2008, an event to reward the outstanding talent of apprentices and engineers across the building services engineering sector.

A host of big name organisations have already signed up to switch off with CIBSE’s 100 days of carbon clean up campaign, which helps to raise awareness of simple behavioural steps and managerial initiatives that can cut carbon emissions from buildings.

Northern Europe has lost a huge number of engineering plants in recent years because of the cheaper production overheads available elsewhere.

Axair Climate has announced a number of changes at senior management level. Mike Slattery, formerly head of the applied products division, has been promoted to the post of Managing Director, with effect from 1 October 2007.

A team from lighting controls specialist Simmtronic and clients was one of the 250 entries in the construction industry’s charity yachting event, the Little Britain Challenge Cup regatta.

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) 2.2 million people work in Britain’s construction industry which is the country’s biggest industry. The HSE says it is also one of the most dangerous industries with over 2,800 people having died from injuries they have received as a result of construction work in the last 25 years.

Companies moving into the prestigious 15 Fetter Lane development in the City of London have the chance to reduce their carbon footprint and save energy costs, thanks to lighting management specialists Ex-Or Limited.

Diners and revellers at Regent Inns’ much loved Old Orleans floating restaurant can now enjoy the colourful heritage, spicy Cajun/Creole food and highly charged atmosphere of America’s deep south in air conditioned comfort provided by Daikin VRV heat pump systems.

Fourteen Broag Avanta 24S boilers and one Broag Quinta boiler have been installed in the student accommodation of the University of Liverpool. The student flats at Tudor Close were fitted with the high efficiency boilers, replacing existing older boilers, during renovations of the twenty year-old residences.

Manchester’s latest jewel in its architectural crown, Skyline Central - a modern inner city apartment and health club complex - not only looks good, it’s also designed to offer residents a safer, smoke-free living environment.

Office lighting at Gateshead’s Civic Centre is turning green - thanks to a major programme to replace and recycle its existing office lighting units.

Saint-Gobain soil systems have been selected for the biggest healthcare project ever undertaken in the North East. With cast-iron being the standard specification for pipework in NHS schemes, Saint-Gobain’s Ensign soil system was chosen for its superior high-performance coatings.

Lochinvar has supplied its high efficiency space and water heating equipment to Butlins’ prestigious new timeshare development in Minehead.

At the heart of the new building management system (BMS) installed at Chevron’s new European headquarters in Aberdeen, is its ability to contact security staff, no matter where they are on site, to immediately advise of any critical alarms. The BMS, supplied by Priva Intelligent Buildings and installed by Campbell Control Services Ltd, uses SMS (Short Messaging Service) to contact security staff, via their mobile phones, while they patrol the site. A short message provides sufficient information for the staff to either take immediate remedial action or contact the site’s service and maintenance provider.

Vaillant has provided 5kW and 6kW high efficiency climaVAIR air conditioning units for an enormous 150,000 sq ft office and warehousing conversion project in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, owned and managed by Bossdean Properties Ltd. The units were specified and installed by Eco-Mech, a division of Process Mechanical Ltd (Pro Mech), who specialise in the design, supply and installation of integrated renewable energy systems. Pro Mech has also installed Vaillant’s high efficiency climaVAIR cassette range air conditioning with an output of 8kW in its own premises.

BSEE and the BCIA have once again joined forces to bring you 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.

With an ever-increasing number of cables coming onto the market, and a growing awareness of the need to comply with regulatory standards and ensure best practices it is high time that a number of cable issues are seriously addressed. A vitally important task is to get to a point where installers can confidently rely on manufacturers’ cable ratings and to have absolute confidence that the cable being supplied ‘does what it says on the box’.

The pressure is on in the commercial world, with businesses everywhere feeling the squeeze from high energy costs. In any building with air treatment, it’s pointless installing an efficient system if you don’t protect the area’s weak points – its doorways. Every time an access point is opened, all that expensively warmed (or chilled) air can escape. Air curtains offer the ideal solution, explains Phil Chilton, Commercial Products Manager at Dimplex, by creating an invisible barrier of air over open doors and entrances.

Critical computer loads have traditionally required continuous voltage supply with a maximum break of 20ms to function without failure. At the same time, the temperature and humidity of the ambient cooling air has been controlled to within fine limits and close control air conditioning has been the norm.

For a whole range of reasons, sustainability has become very high profile and is beginning to influence decision-making at all levels, from corporate policy at board level right down to the heating plant equipment selected for a new build or refurbishment project.

Metal pipework systems have traditionally been the material of choice for many working in the construction industry. However the life-cycle cost of a product is becoming more important in construction and increasingly the industry is considering whole life costings when deciding which products to specify. As a result the specification of plastic pipework systems has increased significantly over recent years, with around 15% of all pipework installations in building services applications now plastic. This is set to continue rising at a steady pace, especially with the cost of copper continuing to rise.

Energy-conscious specifiers who increasingly are favouring low energy lighting and automatic switching as ways of reducing consumption are cautioned to check the ratings of PIR light controllers. A headline rating of 2000W is required to switch just 500W of low energy lighting to cope with the initial surge of energy they draw when switching on. Indeed, this is why incandescent lighting often continues to be most appropriate where it is desired to limit energy consumption by automatic switching on and off of lights if there will be frequent switching.

New from LG for end-user benefit, is a Radio Frequency Remote Controller and Receiver Kit. This allows ducted indoor units to be controlled through any type of ceiling wirelessly, without the need for a receiver to be fitted inside the room.

The Honeywell HVAC Drive can cut project costs as well as making it easy to select and install a high quality variable frequency drive for pump, fan or compressor control. New drives with IP21 protection cost less than established IP54 models, yet both types are equally easy to install and can be set up in 30 seconds using their Start-Up Wizard. Modbus is built-in, and there are plug-in cards for other common open and proprietary buses.

Hager is launching a new range of Ashley multi function soft start dimmers. The range can dim both mains, such as mains halogen, and low voltage lamps via a dimmable transformer without the need for derating. They can also control the speed of fans and motors.

MK Electric has introduced a white version of its popular, industrial-quality Metalclad Plus range. Metalclad Plus is purpose designed for super-tough environments – such as factories, workshops, garages, schools and laboratories – where an extra degree of durability and impact-resistant is desirable.

Frico Limited has launched two new products into the market.

The Comfort Panel SZR is used for water supplied heating/cooling systems and is primarily intended for mounting in false ceilings, but can also be suspended from the ceiling. With its flat satin-finish surface, discreet countersinks, minimum maintenance and easy and flexible installation, the SZR range is perfectly suited to offices, shops and any other fine spaces.

CP Electronics has launched the new EBDSPIR, a compact ceiling mounted presence detector that can be mounted flush into a ceiling tile or alternatively on the surface of the ceiling using a fast fix detector box.

Trox UK has introduced a new range of aluminium roll down grilles principally for floor mounting.

These grilles can be used for a range of applications, typically as air distribution devices for trench heating, floor induction diffusers and decentralised air conditioning units.

The new high pressure humidification and percent cooling solution from HygroMatik, the HygroMatik HDS, offers the very latest in energy efficient and hygienic AHU humidification. This adiabatic cold-water system enables a high humidification output to be achieved with a very low energy consumption, as well as providing a free cooling effect. It guarantees high-performance humidification in winter, whilst during the summer mist evaporation cools the air, saving up to 1/3 cooling capacity.

The new LST (low surface temperature) version of Dunham-Bush’s popular Series AM fan convector ensures that surface temperatures do not exceed 43°C – satisfying the growing requirement for fan convector casings and grille temperatures to be safe.

Katko has launched a complete, end-to-end range of front and side-operated modular switch fuses. Radically redesigned using the latest technology, the new Katko product range is compact, occupying less space than traditional models and is expected to be a popular choice amongst panel builders.

When it comes to Rockers, Interplast have got a brand new hit on their hands. Ready to roll, right now, is their just launched Edison Designer range of user-friendly 1, 2, 3 or 4-gang switches with big rockers.

Today’s HVAC drives can deliver major benefits in commercial, residential and industrial buildings. ABB’s new checklist for HVAC consultants aims to ensure that neither consultants nor their clients miss out. ‘Variable speed drives selection for building services: Checklist for HVAC consultants’ highlights all the drive features that can help to deliver the best possible performance from the HVAC system.

Mitsubishi Electric has launched an incredibly efficient new heating system that harvests and upgrades the energy found naturally in the outdoor air to minimise energy use within our homes and dramatically reduce carbon emissions.

Airedale has added a highly efficient reverse cycle heat pump option to its proven StoreMaster range of fully packaged / split system air conditioning units. The dual circuit heat pump offers the flexibility of cooling or heating dependant on the season and provides 3kW of heating energy for each kW of electrical input power.

JS Humidifiers has recently developed its JetSpray compressed air and water humidifier to include many new features, such as a remote user interface, easy commissioning, advanced hygiene technology and an increased capacity from 300 to 600 litres per hour.

Vimpex has announced the addition of the new Hosiden Besson TriTone entry-level sounder to their extensive range of AV sounders and beacons for fire, security and industrial applications. The addition of this new product now provides system designers with one of the widest choices of fire alarm products available in the industry, from the simplest 3-tone sounder through to the sophisticated 7-message Fire-Cryer voice sounder family.

The Scalebreaker C230 tank mounted pump from Kamco has been developed for descaling larger calorifiers, boilers, cooling towers, and heating systems.

A new full-service property and facilities management service has been introduced by Centurion, which not only provides traditional FM services, but can help clients source, acquire and manage properties.

Whitecroft Lighting’s new DUO luminaire embraces new technologies and innovations to address the visual needs of the workspace and create a greatly improved working environment. DUO’s revolutionary Bio Dynamic lighting system gradually varies both lighting intensity and colour temperature throughout the working day to counteract the peaks and troughs in alertness that most people experience through the day.

An efficient and effective lift control system is vital to building owners and, aside from the reliability and safety aspects associated with the ever changing areas of lift legislation, going green is becoming the prime consideration when installing or upgrading a building’s lifts.

Producing a technically correct specification for a human-safe ‘clean agent’ fire extinguishing system, which reflects current standards and the latest gaseous extinguishing technologies, is now a fast and straightforward process with the new FP SpecWriter software package developed by Siemens Building Technologies.

Hager has launched a new range of IP65 weatherproof enclosures available in GRP or metal. Available with a choice of plain mounting plates or DIN rail modular chassis, Orion Plus can be used for enclosing a wide variety of equipment.

Rada has introduced the Tripoint-F electronic basin tap, an ideal no touch tap for public washrooms and hand washing environments such as offices, hotels, leisure and sports facilities, surgeries and similar.

Thorn’s re-designed Civic lantern opens up a new world for designers and installers of street lighting. Apart from the essentials of good road lighting – high performance and durability - Civic now integrates sustainability and energy saving with quick and easy installation and operation.

Toshiba Air Conditioning’s new Digital Inverter 3 (DI3), the third generation of its popular, energy-efficient inverter-controlled split systems, gives contractors the choice of re-using existing R22 or R407C pipework or installing new. This could save vital time, money or re-routing.

A new Utility Meter Monitor has been designed to work in conjunction with Utility Meters to monitor and quantify the energy usage in commercial premises.