Mitsubishi Electric Living Environmental Systems UK, which has pioneered the use of energy efficient air conditioning, has been accepted as a Partner by the European Comission's Sustainable Energy campaign in recognition for its Green Gateway Initiative.

NICEIC and SELECT have launched an information platform for the Scottish building services industry, www.sbsc.uk.net, which allows companies to register as Approved Bodies, appoint Certifiers and gives them the ability to manage the Certification process.

The Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) has pledged its commitment to addressing industry skills shortages with the launch of a £10 million training fund.

Following a member consultation exercise, the HVCA Council has pledged its support to the development of a model of a single organisation to represent mechanical and electrical contractors - brought about by the convergence of the HVCA and the Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA).

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.

In response to a massive expansion in its training provision, leading training provider BEST (Building Engineering Services Training) has launched a new website (www.best-ltd.co.uk) introducing a variety of useful and innovative features for both apprentices and employers. This dramatic revamp will assist existing apprentices with their training, help prospective learners in choosing a building services engineering apprenticeship to suit their needs and also encourage employers in this sector to take on an apprentice.

KNX UK, the Association representing manufacturers, integrators and training establishments and users of KNX technology, has presented the first winners of the annual KNX UK Awards designed to recognise the very best in KNX technology and applications.

Cliff Bailey has been appointed as the new laboratory manager at Trox UK. In this role, he will manage Trox's state-of-the-art test facilities in Thetford, Norfolk, which include five hightech demonstration laboratories and an ultra-modern fan coil unit test chamber.

While choice can be empowering, it can also be confusing - and this is definitely the case when it comes to choosing light sources, says Ian Fursland of The Lamp Company.

Colt International has appointed a new technical director, Paul Compton, who has worked for the company for over 25 years, establishing himself as an expert in the field of smoke control.

In a first for Northern Ireland, GM Training has chosen Logic Certification to provide ACS certification at its new centre in Belfast.

ABB is welcoming a new IEC international testing standard for electric low voltage motors that will make it easier for users to save energy by selecting the right high efficiency motors.

Reaction to news of the latest campaign by the Association of Ductwork Contractors and Allied Services (ADCAS) to rationalise the standard sizes of circular ductwork has been prompt and positive.

Vaillant and United Refrigeration UK Ltd have secured a deal that will see United Refrigeration become one of the main distributors of Vaillant air conditioning in the UK.

Employees in the construction and building sector are ready and willing to shrink their workplace emissions but need more support from their employers to do so. According to the findings of a Carbon Trust report into employees' attitudes to carbon reduction, 64% of employees surveyed from the sector said they wanted to cut their carbon emissions but wanted more guidance and empowerment.

PE, the UK's leading independent supplier of specialist generators for sale and rental, has recently presented Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity with a cheque for £5,000.00 for its ongoing appeal to help rebuild and refurbish the Hospital, buy vital equipment and fund pioneering research.

GE Consumer and Industrial is offering free lighting energy audits in an attempt to get businesses and public sector organisations thinking about their energy usage.

The UK's first centre of excellence in low carbon technologies for buildings is set to open at London South Bank University (LSBU).

HVCA Publications, the publishing division of the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association, has launched an updated edition of its guide JS5 Welding Safety in conjunction with the Electrical Contractors' Association.

The dedicated website for H&V09 is now live at http://www.handvexhibition.com/.

Dry Coolers are often the heat rejection of choice, since on the face of things they appear to provide free cooling, with little or no running costs. Primarily used to reject heat from air conditioning plants, they are often chosen in preference to wet systems, as they negate the risk of bacterial growth (e.g. Legionella) and require a minimal level of maintenance.

Perched high above the city of Bristol, the Wills Memorial Tower - the centrepiece building of the University of Bristol - simply faded into darkness each night. Now, a new floodlighting scheme, made possible thanks to a £750,000 restoration project to return the tower to its original colour, has been supplied by Thorn.

Students at the newly constructed Walthamstow Academy are enjoying warmth generated by the latest biomass technology thanks to the installation of a 120kW biomass boiler from Broag. Fuelled by compressed wood pellets, the boiler is fed, unusually, from a store situated on the ground floor adjacent to the first floor plant room.

Mercury Recycling has been appointed to collect and recycle all fluorescent tubes and sodium lamps from the University of Manchester. The University is Britain's largest single-site university and disposes of over 25,000 fluorescent and sodium lamps per annum. The arrangement ensures that the site is supplied with a number of Lampsafe, and Bulbsafe containers for collection and recycling by Mercury Recycling operatives. Provisional agreement has also been reached over the collection of non-hazardous batteries as the University intends to introduce a battery recycling scheme later this year.

Bryanston School, a palatial country house which dates back to 1897, occupies a magnificent 400 acre estate in North Dorset and has turned to state of the art design and technology for its new centre for Maths and Science.

Keston Boilers has supplied a bespoke rig to Honda Racing Development Ltd (HRD) that will provide all heating and domestic hot water (DHW) needs to its engine production facility, in Bracknell. HRD supplies the F1 racing engines that power Honda Racing and Super Aguri F1 teams.

Riegens Lighting has just fulfilled the brief to provide a safe, visually stunning and economically viable lit environment for the newly refurbished Bridgelink, at The NEC (National Exhibition Centre) in Birmingham.

A Kier Group company has won a contract to provide mechanical and electrical (M&E) maintenance covering all of Her Majesty's Court Services (HMCS) premises throughout Wales.

The Lamp Company has supplied in excess of 300 lamps for re-lamping floodlights at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Cornwall's Trelissick Garden has become the first National Trust property in the UK to install an LPG powered Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit. Rurally located near Feock, close to the city of Truro, Trelissick Garden used to rely mainly on Calor LPG to provide fuel for the onsite catering facilities. But when the restaurant and café were to be extended and refurbished, it was the ideal time to integrate a low-carbon heating solution into the mix.

Electrical fit out is drawing to a close at Fort Dunlop one of Birmingham's iconic buildings which is being transformed by Urban Splash.

Jaeger, Pilot, Julian Graves and Regatta are among the well known brand names at Belfast's The Outlet designer shopping centre that have chosen Dimplex air curtains to provide an invisible barrier of air to keep either warm or cold air in when the doors are frequently opened.

Managed lighting systems from Ex-Or Limited are helping companies worldwide to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. Australian companies in particular recognise that sophisticated lighting control is the key to meeting the stringent five-star Australian Building Greenhouse Rating (ABGR).

Attracting some of the most influential names in the building controls industry, over 200 professionals will attend this glittering evening of networking and celebration, so why not join us for a great night of business and entertainment as the whole industry gathers together to mark the achievements of both companies and individuals.

Following a highly successful preview at the Hannover Fair, Wieland Electric has launched wieplan 3.0, a powerful yet easy to use software tool for configuring DIN rail terminal block assemblies using Wieland components.

Engineers with a certain level of experience can choose to branch out and become selfemployed instead of working exclusively for one employer. This is true in almost every sector. There are clear benefits to becoming selfemployed, but what needs to be considered before going it alone and what are the working options available to engineers in today's marketplace?

These early systems were well-placed to make the most of the burgeoning computer industry, and as the computer became more sophisticated, so did the cable management.

Awareness of environmental issues and the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions has increased considerably in recent years. With various government targets in mind, and the ever-growing issues and concerns around energy consumption, the environment and sustainability; it is now essential that it is understood what effect can be had on the efficiency and environmental impact of buildings.

Lighting is one of the major contributors towards annual energy bills, especially for a commercial building. At the same time, lighting is one of the primary factors that influence workplace performance; affecting occupant energy levels and mood. A comprehensive lighting refurbishment is often the way to ensure these diverse but equally important elements of building operations are met.

Vent-Axia has launched the HR100R/RS range of easy to install, self-contained heat recovery units, purpose-designed for single bath/bedroom applications in hotels, nursing or care homes, and other multioccupancy properties. The HR100R/RS can successfully ventilate these spaces in compliance with new Building Regulations for bathrooms and WC's, recovering up to 70% of the heat that would otherwise be wasted by ordinary fans.

Vimpex has introduced a new green lens version for its popular SL-401 series of ultralow current xenon strobe lights for use in non-fire applications. The SL-401 series offers a wide range of interchangeable coloured polycarbonate lenses and fire labels for clear lenses.

Megaman UK has released a new concept in catalogues. Split into two distinct sections, the 2008 catalogue details the company's energy efficient lamps on one side and, when turned over, highlights the Fozz Lighting range of products, that provide flexible, energy saving lighting solutions for a wide range of domestic and leisure applications.

Digitemp, from low carbon ventilation specialist Xpelair, gives summer cooling and winter warmth from its stylish wall mounted units. Quickly and simply installed from inside the room, even at multiple stories, to a patented external folding grille system. This eliminates the need for awkward and sometimes impossible external access.

Manrose Manufacturing Limited has increased their popular low profile, modular ducting systems range. Totally unobtrusive, this system has significant advantages over conventional round systems and can be easily concealed when installed along the top of wall units, or easily hidden in ceiling voids and cavity walls. Designed to meet all current building regulations, this is one of the most comprehensive ranges of modular flat channel ducting provided on the market.

Marshall-Tufflex has launched a new brochure giving full details of its Cat 6 compliant trunking systems.

Thorn's new Voyager Economy range of self-contained emergency lighting bulkheads and Exit signs offers the best combination of practicality and affordability.

MK Electric has published an extensive and authoritative guide to the most significant recent changes to the IEE Wiring Regulations entitled: 17th Edition MK Sentry Solutions. The changes are designed to further harmonize with international and European standards in a number of important areas.

As developers continue to put the squeeze on the amount of space allocated to panel building, Katko has added the ideal solutions to their comprehensive range of load break switches.

Danlers manufacture a comprehensive range of passive infra-red occupancy switches for automatic lighting control. The products are easy to install, using the existing wiring in a building.

The 2008 issue of ABB's 44-page drives and motors catalogue is now available.

Wagner UK has launched a new range of silentrunning air sampling smoke detection units as part of its popular Titanus family. The new units are fitted with highperformance fans and additional soundproofing to produce a totally silent running system for applications such as domestic premises and offices where ambient background noise is low. The new silent-running versions are available for both the Titanus Top·Sens and Titanus Pro·Sens systems.

The new lighting management system LMS from CP Electronics combines state of the art technology with the versatility to meet every lighting control requirement. The compact dimensions of the single channel, lighting control module allow unparalleled flexibility, as it is small enough for installation in suspended trunking systems or inside light fittings, where space is at a premium.

New from LG Air Conditioning is the AC Smart central controller which can handle up to 64 indoor air conditioning units - it can monitor and control each and every unit individually.

Katko has introduced push button, emergency, on/off switches to their comprehensive safety switches range.

Seaward Electronic has introduced a new test data management program that has been specially developed for use in conjunction with large corporate database systems.

Lindab has added new Perforated Ceiling Diffuser designs to the popular Comfort range of air terminal devices.

All electronic equipment has a shelf life, so a good maintenance programme, is essential in prolonging optimum efficiency, and should also weigh up when it is time to call it a day. Manufacturers and distributors need to take responsibility for their products while bearing in mind the 2007 WEEE directive.

Holophane Lighting has just released its new Columns and Brackets Brochure, to complement the extensive range of exterior luminaires featured in the main Holophane Catalogue. From decorative styles that enhance their surroundings or standard options that discreetly blend in, the columns and brackets featured have all been designed in accordance with EN40.

MK Electric is transforming light operation with the introduction of a range of innovative self powered switches - called Echo - that are entirely wireless and battery-free. MK is the first major UK manufacturer to incorporate this patented technology - so-called ‘enabled by EnOcean', after the German company that developed it - into switches; and the new Echo range harvests tiny amounts of ambient energy to wirelessly operate lighting at ranges of up to 30 metres within buildings.

Trox has recently launched a new initiative of refurbishing VAV equipment and systems within its service division.

JS Humidifiers has enhanced its reputation for low energy humidifiers with the launch of the HumEvap MC3 evaporative humidifier. Energy consumption is 150 times lower than electric steam humidifiers with correspondingly massive reductions in CO2 emissions. The new humidifier also incorporates improved control and innovative hygiene features.

New energy recovery ventilators from Panasonic efficiently provide a constant flow of fresh air - economically cooled or heated by energy recovered from exhaust air to produce significant cost savings. Energy recovery, using an improved counter-flow heat exchanger, reduces the air conditioning load by 20% compared to regular ventilation. Typically, the energy recovery ventilators complement Panasonic air conditioners to create a comfortable and healthy indoor environment in sealed buildings.

The new Full Systems catalogue from Venture Lighting provides the most comprehensive guide to Metal Halide lighting on the market today.

Seaward Electronic Ltd has introduced a new checkbox to verify the in-service performance of portable appliance testers.

Sabiana has recently launched a new range of radiant panels to compliment their existing DS range, designed for sports halls and industrial areas.

Searle ushers in a new generation of environment friendly 1.2kW to 9.9kW unit coolers with its KEC cooler range, exclusively built around low noise, high efficiency EC fansets. Specially developed for cold rooms and cool cabinets, the KEC range offers impressive energy and cost savings because the EC motors require just 50% of the power input of comparable coolers. Each fanset saves £100 on energy costs per year - significantly reducing the payback period.