SummitSkills, the sector skills council for building services engineering (BSE), has been granted the Basic Skills Employer Pledge Award for its commitment to basic skills and is now encouraging businesses across Wales to get involved in the pledge as well.

HVCA has achieved ISO 9001:2000 quality assurance certification in respect of its membership handling and review processes.

Mitsubishi Electric's new Green Gateway Initiative Manager, Martin Fahey has attacked the idea of a significant growth in residential comfort cooling within the UK market as unnecessary and unsustainable.

A Green Charter produced by LG makes it clear that the company is well on the road towards a ‘take back' strategy and ‘end of life' recycling of air conditioning equipment.

As architects and specifiers look increasingly for zero carbon options in building design, Mark Thompson from Pickerings Lifts looks at how new lift technologies can contribute to overall carbon-neutral building performance.

MK Electric, part of the Honeywell Automation & Control Solution Business and global supplier of electrical products, has entered into an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement with EnOcean GmbH, a pioneer in energy harvesting technology for intelligent green buildings. MK is currently integrating EnOcean's self-powered wireless sensors into its wiring devices product portfolio to address the wireless, energy-saving switching needs of its UK customers.

Former NG Bailey Engineering Director Jim O'Neil has been elected chairman of M&E Sustainability, the organisation spearheading the promotion of sustainable building services engineering.

Three Buro Happold employees have completed the London Marathon as it celebrated its centenary year. International multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy Buro Happold contributed a sponsorship of £1,500 towards the total raised by Neil Coker and Richard Press, who work from the company's London office, and David Hull, who is based in Leeds. The money raised will benefit a selection of worthy causes.

Mark Krull, Sales and Marketing Director at Logic Certification, commented: "It is with great pleasure that we welcome Bob Fisk to the team. Many of our centres will already know Bob as he has been carrying out EV visits on our behalf for some time. Bob has many years of industry experience, within centres and out in the field. With his straight forward and practical approach he is a natural fit for Logic Certification and we wish him every success in his new role."

Keith Irwin has joined the Johnson Controls team as business development manager for systems & service, a position that will see him further enhance high-level relationships with end users, and continue to raise the company's profile in the London, Thames Valley and South-East areas.

Danfoss has taken a major stake in Britain's fast growing heat pump market through the acquisition of Sheffield based Eco Heat Pumps.

BEST (Building Engineering Services Training Ltd) has relocated its head office to The Priory Business Centre in Burnham, Bucks to provide the space and office flexibility to accommodate their growing organisation.

Grundfos has announced an increase in the amount of investment that the Group made in the all-important area of Research and Development in 2007 which saw this figure reach an impressive £80m.

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

SummitSkills has launched the Sector Skills Agreement (SSA) for building services engineering, a plan that will address the sector's skills issues and lead to significant workforce development improvements and productivity benefits for the sector.

Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) are generally considered to be a more energy efficient option to gas boilers. By extracting warmth from the surrounding air, the heat energy released can be many times the energy required to power the equipment. In some instances however, a gas-fired condensing boiler may be a better choice, as ASHP systems are, by their very nature, dependent on the ambient temperature and more efficient at certain times of the year.

Luminaires from Riegens Lighting have played a vital role in improving the visual environment for people employed in Tube Lines Limited's control room at Westferry Circus. Feedback from employees suggested that the overall visual environment was poor for VDU screen work and that more control would be beneficial.

Dalkia has been awarded a new three year operation and maintenance contract at the University of Stirling.

Fifty McDonald's restaurants across the country are now saving 50% on power bills for kitchen extractor fans with the help of ABB Inverter drives.

Buro Happold is helping the University of Sheffield to achieve a carbon neutral building at the new Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). The erection of two large wind turbines in April makes this the first carbon neutral, major manufacturing facility in the UK.

Simmtronic has supplied its SPECS3 fully addressable, digital lighting controls for two more prestigious office buildings at Spinningfields - Allied London's 4.6 million sq ft business district development in Manchester.

Dunham Bush has supplied over 140 Lynx fan coils to the new Mountbatten Building at the University of Southampton. The units were selected by principal consulting engineers CH2M Hill for their high performance and compact, discreet design. The main design and build contractor is Bovis Lend Lease.

Efficient hot and cold water supplies are on tap for more than 3,000 passengers and 1,200 crew aboard the UK's latest superliner, P&O Cruises' Ventura. Aquatherm's Fusiotherm pipe system serves all 15 decks on the huge ship, making this the largest Fusiotherm system afloat, and one of the largest installations worldwide. The lightweight polypropylene piping offers significant advantages over traditional steel and copper systems.  

A building control system from Priva Building Intelligence is helping a Dutch football club to successfully manage its energy consumption.  Abe Lenstra stadium is home to SC Heerenveen, which plays in the Eredivisie, the Dutch Premier Division.  The stadium has a seating capacity of 26,000, and in addition houses a multifunctional sports hall, swimming pool and squash courts. 

Oceanair, a national distributor for Sanyo Air Conditioners, has supplied a low energy Gas Heat Pump (GHP) VRF air conditioning system to heat and cool a new conservatory at Beedles Lake Golf Club in Leicester.

Helvar's DIGIGIM control system is the driving force behind the lighting systems at the Victoria & Albert Museum's new Contemporary and Islamic Middle East Galleries, helping illuminate exhibits dating from the 8^th century right through to the latest in fashion, furniture and product design.

The winners

As ever it was a difficult choice, but between the judging panel and members of the industry who took part in our internet voting, the following winners were chosen.

Lead-acid accumulators are amongst the earliest examples of electrical technology and remain as one of only two electrical devices that cannot be isolated. Over 90% of the worlds' UPS population is supported by lead-acid batteries and dominated in Europe by Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) technology. However, despite their long and largely unchanged technological heritage, VRLA battery technology, which was established, predominately in the 1990s, has a chequered reputation of indefinable lifespan and questionable reliability.

In a bid to meet Kyoto carbon targets the Government is continuing to roll out a raft of energy efficiency legislation. Since buildings are responsible for nearly 50% of the EU CO2 emissions, with much of this generated by energy hungry services, it is consultants that have been set the challenge of delivering low carbon buildings. Commercial buildings are responsible for around 13% of total carbon emissions in the UK and although they do not have as much of an impact as domestic property they still have a vital role to play in the struggle against climate change. 

Schools and colleges

Traditionally school water tanks were designed to hold a day's supply of water, but in those days a higher volume of water was used in the preparation of school dinners and shower facilities after field sports. Today, the same schools use a lot less water and so the water level in the tank moves very little, remaining stagnant for some time, which provides optimum conditions for the development of Legionella.

Although freestanding lighting, in the form of uplighters or combined up and downlighting, has been available for many years it has only had limited use in the UK, compared to many other European countries. With more and more organisations adopting flexible working practices, however, it is now proving to be the ideal solution for providing an equally flexible lighting installation.

Skilled apprentices, engineers, and management personnel took to the stage in front of employers, college representatives, and trade leaders, in recognition of their hard work and commitment to high standards. All industries of the BSE sector were represented with award categories in plumbing, electrotechnical, heating & ventilating and air conditioning & refrigeration.

Steve Fitzsimons, Business Energy Manager at npower business, discusses why supply chain and regulatory pressures are placing a new priority on energy reduction.

The world is a very different place than 100 years ago, and will be different again in another 100 years. A key change will be climate. Without getting into the debate on the extent of climate change, increasing numbers of organisations realise that they have responsibility for minimising the impact their activities are having on the environment. This is not philanthropy, this is common sense: why should organisations generate a profit at the expense of future generations?

It seems that every time we open a newspaper or magazine someone is telling us that we must reduce our carbon footprint and make sure that our offices and homes are green. There is a huge amount of information in the media - some of which makes sense and some of which gives us conflicting opinions and it seems it is up to us to decide how we can make it work for us.

The environment inside an Audi Centre and the aesthetics outside, were both transformed following the installation of Monodraught natural ventilation and specially designed Windcatcher units.

For electrical contractors, the advent of steel wire cable management tray has dramatically reduced data cable installation times, and, as a consequence, helped reduce costs too.  Up to 40% quicker to install than traditional perforated steel tray, steel wire tray can be cut, shaped and fixed on site.  What's more, the installer does not need to be a qualified electrician, allowing contractors to free up the time of skilled workers for other tasks and speed up the electrical installation still further. 

A key factor in current building design sees the coming together of two issues of ever-increasing importance: indoor air quality and energy efficiency.

Manrose Manufacturing Limited has just launched its latest catalogue with a new colour coded, simple to use format that provides the most comprehensive guide to ventilation on the market today. Its 100 pages include descriptions of each item, colour photographs, technical information, performance graphs and packaging data, all in colour coded sections covering domestic, commercial and specialist ventilation, accessories and the new heating range.

Venture Lighting's new Low Wattage Ventronic is the new and innovative electronic ballast for use with 20W to 150W lamps, with a number of advanced features that improve performance and lamp life.

The AMP Netconnect Business Unit of Tyco Electronics has developed the Hi-D (High-Density) cable management system for data centres. This new system can increase patch densities by, on average, 30% with improved cable management and access compared to traditional techniques.

Zucchini, manufacturer of Europe's most comprehensive range of busbar power distribution systems, has responded to clients' demands for a busbar that puts safety first and foremost.  The Company's new MR 5-pole series has been specifically designed for use in  heavy-duty applications, where sure protection is required against harsh environmental or operational conditions.

The Xgard IR LPG from Crowcon is a new, low cost infrared (IR) fixed gas detector designed to detect LPG gas hazards before concentrations reach flammable levels. Typical environments requiring LPG monitoring include buildings such as hotels, hospitals or offices that use LPG as their main gas supply.

Coolmation has introduced a breakthrough system for contractors and consultants with its new EXP series. Unlike ordinary heat pump chillers, the EXP series is a self-contained hybrid system capable of producing hot and chilled water simultaneously for commercial air-conditioning systems with delivery achieved through a 4-pipe system to provide significant savings on capital equipment, design, installation and energy costs.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is set to launch the new KX6 Compact to provide a cost-effective, energy-efficient VRF system for smaller installations. The new KX6 gives all the big system benefits of flexibility and control for smaller office, retail or apartment developments of 2-8 rooms.

Vaillant is upgrading its climaVAIR heat pump air conditioning range, with the launch of new, energy efficient, cassette, floor/ceiling fixed speed and inverter split systems, all of which will be available from April 2008. 

Kopex International has published its new catalogue covering Electrical Conduit and Cable Management Systems for Hazardous Areas.  The 24 page publication gives in-depth technical and ordering information for the company's complete range of ATEX and IECEx approved metallic and non-metallic conduit systems and accessories.

Doby Verrolec has launched a new range of Easyfit Access Doors purpose-designed for use with circular ductwork.

Vaillant has unveiled its new recoVAIR heat recovery ventilation unit.  Designed with the class leading features and quality associated with all Vaillant products, the recoVAIR fully complements the existing range of market leading appliances currently available for UK domestic and commercial applications.

A ground-breaking new air conditioning chiller called Tetris dramatically shortens delivery times, while delivering class-leading energy efficiency and low noise performance.

Sontay has added a new series of gas sensors and a water detection alarm to its comprehensive offering. Designed for ease of use with an impressive array of options, the new products are a valuable addition to any building management system.

Building on its popularity as an effective and efficient commercial lighting option, RIDI Lighting's wall mounted Corona luminaire now features an integral three hour emergency battery option.  Previously unavailable in the UK, the new CORONA-LUMO now provides Corona users with an invaluable time cushion, with no loss of light, in the event of a power failure.

Armstrong has extended its range of innovative commissioning valves and now offers extremely easy-to-use valves for applications from DN15 up to DN300.

Mitsubishi Electric, has launched a new wall-mounted, inverter driven heat pump air conditioning system with an industry high COP of 5.25 in heating and 5.15 in cooling modes.

Claiming adaptability, guaranteed safety, controlled air quality, improved indoor comfort and well-being, all with an ingenious and totally environmentally-friendly heat recovery system, CIAT Ozonair Ltd has launched a new range of roof top units.

Digitemp, from Xpelair, gives summer cooling and winter warmth from its stylish wall mounted units and can be 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.

Xpelair is introducing the CarbonLite range of innovatively designed fans which have a long working life and low energy use.

ICB's Evalon-Solar, a single ply membrane incorporating power generating photovoltaic cells encapsulated in one homogenous product, has proved it can produce up to 20% greater output than the common crystalline type panels.

Launching as part of TridonicAtco's TALEXX brand, new flexible TALEXXtape modules have been designed to provide the basis for more creative lighting solutions where special criteria has to be met. The TALEXX brand highlights TridonicAtco's resourceful approach to LED lighting and TALEXtape modules are no exception, providing brilliant white light or jewelled colours to create the right illumination for shelving systems, handrails or in-edge injection applications.

The new ceiling mounted presence detector EBDSPIR-PRM from CP Electronics is an extension of the EBDSPIR detector range and offers many additional features not found on the standard EBDSPIR detector, including presence as well as absence detection.

Danlers manufacture a comprehensive range of passive infra-red occupancy switches for automatic lighting control including the popular ceiling flush mounted version (pictured).

Scorpion Power Systems has upgraded its popular Phoenix Dual Mains Automatic Changeover Panel, which can now be incorporated with a Building Management Systems (BMS) and Fire Control Panel.  Also offered with a remote annunciator panel, thereby enabling fire officers to see the status of alarms around a building, the Phoenix has enhanced monitoring facilities and can be adapted to meet individual designs.

The latest addition to the Seaward range of Advanced PATSolutions test equipment packages brings together the latest technology equipment in electrical safety testing.

A new website (http://www.ribaonlinecpd.com/) brings all RIBA approved CPD material together to provide simple and fast access to product and business related learning for construction industry professionals.

Dimplex is expanding its range of outdoor heaters with the launch of the new slimline CPH quartz halogen range. Designed to IPX5 water ingress protection rating, these heaters are suited to outdoor spaces no matter what the weather.

Dimplex has again expanded its range of electric water heating products with the launch of the V range of oversink water heaters. With a rapid heat-up, the new point of use water heaters are ideal for a wide range of light commercial applications where use is intermittent, including village halls, office kitchens, and staff rooms.

Rehau has added a number of new features to its Profila Data PVC cable management system which help maintain its position as one of the market's most innovative and advanced solutions.

Clyde Energy Solutions has introduced a new range of air source heat pumps that provide very cost efficient heating. Combined with the ExoTank, they give the flexibility of using other energy sources such as solar panels or biomass boilers, or even conventional fuel boilers, and a controller that chooses the cheapest or most appropriate energy source at any time.

Hager has launched a range of consumer units to meet the needs of the 17^th edition wiring regulations.

Buderus has launched its solar thermal heating system, designed specifically for large commercial installations.  Although the system is new to the UK market, Buderus solar collector technology is the result of over 25-years experience in solar heating in Europe.

Broag has unveiled a high efficiency, fully modulating, floor-standing condensing boiler developed specifically to fit directly into the same floor area as a traditional boiler of equal output. This enables the new carbon saving fuel efficient plant to be installed at minimum cost.

New features and enhancements in the latest desktop and mobile versions of Estimation's Service Manager Plus offer significant benefits to building services contractors and other construction disciplines involved in service and maintenance work.

Daitem, Europe's leading designers and manufacturers of security alarm systems has added new features to their popular Espace range.

Thorn unveiled an all-new solar-powered LED concept luminaire for urban areas at the recent Light+Building show in Frankfurt, Germany.