Figures from the latest Electrical Contractor's Association's Member Business Trends Survey indicate that the UK construction industry is preparing for a challenging time over the next one to two years.

LG and Siemens are entering a global partnership to develop commercial air control solutions and systems. The world wide partnership is aimed at increasing sales of commercial air conditioning products and building management systems for both companies and to increase their respective market shares.

Grundfos Pumps has been presented with a Green Hero Award by David Bellamy at a special ceremony held at the Tower of London.

Low Carbon Energy Assessors are reporting high volumes of workload for energy certificates, as demand increases ahead of the 1 October deadline and those affected rush to get their certificates.

In a significant step to address the building services industry's environmental impact, by July 2009, every contracting company that deals with refrigerants will need to be accredited as competent in its F-Gas handling processes. This will not only be mandatory but also vital to secure business, as end-users will be legally bound to ensure operatives handling refrigerants on their behalf are F-Gas qualified and that their employing company is registered with the approved accreditation body.

More than one million injuries and 2.3 million cases of ill health are experienced by workers in the UK ever year, losing British businesses around 40 million working days and forcing more than 25,000 individuals to give up work because of injury or ill health. For employers, this equates to £495 a year in direct costs for every worker in employment.

Structural and civil engineering consultancy Curtins Consulting Ltd has received ACE's Engineering Excellence Property Award for the part it played in the redevelopment of the iconic Fort Dunlop in Birmingham.

Visitors to The Energy Event will have an exclusive opportunity to hear about the most advanced strategies for protecting their businesses from market volatility in a seminar from EIC, the UK's market leader in energy consultancy. The Energy Event, sponsored by Total Gas & Power takes place at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham on 10-11 September 2008.

Siteco Limited, the world leading manufacturer of technical indoor and outdoor lighting systems, has joined the KNX UK Association. In terms of UK turnover, Siteco is the largest lighting manufacturer to make KNX its preferred protocol for lighting and associated controls. The KNX UK Association represents manufacturers, integrators and users of KNX technology as well as distributors and training establishments. Siteco joins a fast growing UK membership, expected to top 50 by the end of 2008. 

Plumbers and electricians will compete at the Skill M&E UK finals, being staged at Interbuild 2008 (Sunday 26 - Thursday 30 October at Birmingham's NEC).

The Energy Minister, Malcolm Wicks, has given the go ahead to Helius Energy plc to construct a 65 MW biomass power station near Stallingborough in North East Lincolnshire. 

Accredited compliance schemes are proving to be the most cost-effective and reliable way for lighting manufacturers and end users to fulfil their obligations under the WEEE Directive, says leading recycling specialist Lumicom.

David Ross has joined Faber Maunsell's Edinburgh office as Associate Director within the Building's division.

FG Eurofred is attacking the UK air conditioning market with a new image, a new structure, and a unique selling proposition.

The rising cost and consumption of electrical power and increasing pressure on companies to become green, has led to energy efficiency becoming a widely debated topic. However, in the headlong dash to show green credentials, exaggerated claims are being made which need to be challenged.

In September, a number of colleges around England will be offering two new diplomas for 14-19 year olds that herald a key development in our sector. They will greatly improve the understanding of building services engineering by showing young people how exciting and challenging the industry can be. Even more important for employers, they will improve the quality of the people that we recruit into the industry.

Marshall-Tufflex's Supertube FR, formulated for applications where fire safety regulations are at their most stringent, is a key component in the upgrade of London Underground's Victoria Line OPO CCTV camera system, where more than five miles (8,100m) of the high-performance conduit has been installed.

Ability to work with the electrical contractor in developing solutions to the energy metering and lighting control needs of a new multi-purpose conference and function centre helped Eaton win the order for electrical distribution equipment and lighting controls for the new Orsett Hall Hotel Pavilion near Grays in Essex.  

Energy efficiency and overall cost of ownership were key considerations in the design of a new £68m production site in Bridgewater for Robert Wiseman Dairies. Consequently, consulting engineers AE Robb & Associate specified Chalmor's long life, energy efficient Endurance fittings for lighting in the CIP (Cleaning In Production) room. The fittings were installed by electrical contractor Norstead.

Trox UK has supplied and installed exposed multi service chilled beams (MSCB) in the refurbished offices of contractor M W Kellogg in Greenford, Middlesex. The initial contract was for one floor with a potential rolling refurbishment programme covering four buildings and 30 storeys.

Ridi has provided a comprehensive lighting installation at Pinewood Infants School in Farnborough to offer a new school building with a high performance learning environment. 

The solution to combining high quality, energy efficient lighting with flexible, re-configurable workspace at Santander Consumer Bank in Mönchengladbach has proved to be two special variants of Waldmann's Tycoon free standing luminaire.

Simmtronic has won a contract to supply its SPECS3 lighting control systems for commercial office buildings, Regent's Place One and Regent's Place Two on British Land's new 490,000ft2 mixed use development on the west side of Regents Park, London.

Herb specialist Scotherbs has moved into a new state-of-the-art facility in Longforgan, near Dundee, which features the latest environmental control technology from Mitsubishi Electric fitted with the expertise of Carlisle Refrigeration.

Southroyd Primary School in Pudsey, West Yorkshire is delighted with its new heating control and automation system, which keeps staff and pupils comfortable while using as little energy as possible.  Installed by Combserve Ltd, it uses a LonWorks open system to connect everything - sensors, controllers and an operator interface running on a desktop PC. The LonWorks standard provides flexibility to install the best system components from any manufacturer of LonMark-compatible products, at the outset, during upgrades and if existing components fail.

BRE and a team of construction industry experts and educational suppliers have carried out a Changing Rooms type makeover of an Ealing school to mark National School Environments Week.

Lochinvar has earned top marks for supplying condensing water heaters for St Peter's School, York, a co-educational boarding and day school for children aged three to 18.

Iconic architecture combines with state-of-the art energy efficiency at Bridgewater Place, a 32-storey mixed use development in Leeds, thanks to Electrak's Buscom combined power and signal busbar and KNX lighting control system.

Ellis Patents has secured a major order for its Emperor cleats to be used in one of the world's biggest new oil projects - the multi-billion dollar Kashagan Project in Kazakhstan.

The Cornish town of Redruth has implemented an innovative lighting renovation plan - lighting the exteriors of its historical and architecturally significant buildings with LED lamps. Sustainable lighting company Greenled is rolling out the new lighting programme through the Redruth Economic Arts Partnership (REAP) who is coordinating the initiative to provide lighting throughout the town.

The latest specification MHS Ultramax R3600SB boilers have been installed at a major central London office development in high and low temperature circuits which meet the 260,000sq ft building's heating and energy management system needs.

Colt International has scored at Highbury Square, a new residential development built on the site of Arsenal Football Club's old stadium, with a hat trick of products. Colt has been awarded the complete package associated with the smoke ventilation of the corridors and staircases, in a project valued at over £600,000.

With the government aiming to dramatically reduce carbon emissions, the heating products and fuels used in commercial and industrial buildings have recently come under close scrutiny. However, there has been little consideration for the 600,000 commercial and industrial buildings located in rural, non-mains-gas areas, which rely on LPG, oil, electricity or solid fuel for their heating. Here, Laura Luty, Bulk Market Manager for Calor, explains why it's important for rural premises to have a voice in the carbon emissions debate, and discusses some of the renewable and low-carbon options available for industrial premises. 

For many years there has been a concern within the industry that the lack of apprenticeship schemes is the main cause for the skills shortages which we see today.

It's fair to say that MT32 has proved a revelation for many people working within, or allied to, the electrical industry. Not only does it save time and money, it delivers super quick installations that are, quite simply, impossible to get wrong.

There are many occasions when electrical equipment is recessed into a surface to make it less obtrusive and most of the time this is no problem at all. However, if that surface is a fire barrier there is a risk of compromising the fire integrity of the structure. Under these circumstances, specifiers and installers need to take measures to restore the fire protection.

Using the thermal performance of the ground to heat or cool a building is an ancient concept. However, until recently it has not been incorporated into a working solution for modern day construction. London-based Interseasonal Collection & Exchange (Icax) has developed the technology to make the concept as user-friendly as possible and Fulcrum Consulting, one of the UK's leading building services consultancies has assisted in its integration as part of Howe Dell Primary School's innovative design.

Largely driven by the changing needs of electrical contractors and engineers, cable management and identification products have come a long way over the past few decades. This has been the result of a number of factors. Firstly, as the industry has continued to evolve, new builds and refurbishments have become more complex, leading to a greater need for innovative cabling solutions which assist in the design element rather than acting purely as a function of the building. 

Seaward Electronic has introduced a new hand held electrical installation tester that is designed to meet the earth resistance measurement requirements of the BS7671 17th Edition Wiring Regulations.

Hager has launched an Ashley maintenance free junction box to meet the needs of the 17th edition wiring regulations for inaccessible locations.

Cooper Lighting has completely redesigned its Crompton Varsity range of surface fluorescent luminaires, giving this popular product line a sleek, contemporary styling that is not only attractive but also easy to clean.

New from Manrose Manufacturing, ProShowerlite (the Professional Showerlite Fan Kit) incorporates seven different pieces of ventilation equipment in one package. Providing an effective and powerful way to extend household ventilation, the new kit contains everything required to provide extra ventilation for the bathroom, shower or any other room in the house.

Hager has launched a twin pan assembly board with metering mounted inside to offer a compact and convenient solution for metering energy consumption to meet Part L2.

MK Electric has revolutionised its Ackermann range with the launch of a new suite of floor boxes - for raised, flush and screeded floor applications - that deliver very robust, high load bearing performance together with greater ease and speed of fixing.

The new Aero range of multidirectional downlighters from Fozz Lighting, combine compact dimensions and functional design to provide the perfect illumination for retail and commercial environments. Extremely versatile, Aero luminaires are available in either surface, pendant or floor standing versions, all designed to provide the right illumination where it is required.

Addressing the growing use of KNX-based networks in residential and commercial projects, Wieland Electric has launched the gesis KNX Series. Using the new gesis KNX Series in combination with Wieland's comprehensive range of KNX compatible devices, users can now build KNX-based networks with components from a single source.

MK Electric has introduced a comprehensive range of innovative lighting controls - MK Sensors - designed to deliver energy savings and lighting usage management in a wide range of commercial applications. Lighting represents, on average, up to 40% of a building's total energy consumption; and also the largest opportunity for energy savings. MK Sensors not only help realise the highest potential savings in energy consumption, and thus to energy bills; but also offer the shortest payback periods when compared to means such as diffuser replacement and lamp type changes.

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.

Users can enjoy years of reduced energy bills with the free cooling delivered by the new Climaflakt KCAG and KCDC range of air-cooled chillers from Fläkt Woods. These offer capacities from 20kW to 150kW, with both air-cooled in cooling-only and heat pump models. The units fully integrate with Fläkt Woods's chiller, air handling unit and chilled beam ranges and complement the KCCC range of R410A chillers which offer 150kW to 900kW capacities.

Sontay has added a new range of compact heat meters and heat meter integrators to its comprehensive offering. The products are simple to operate and easy to read displays make them the ideal addition to any building management system.

Digitemp from 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.

Vaillant has strengthened its award winning Total System Solution with the introduction of the auroTHERM exclusive VTK 570 vacuum tube collector - a vacuum tube collector with direct flow. The collector offers high efficiency performance and can generate the highest annual solar gains per m2 of any of our solar collectors.

They say size isn't everything, but standing at just 25cm tall, the CAS ECO 2 roof ventilator from Itho can be discretely installed on roof tops, but still packs a mean eco-friendly punch. Offering highly efficient extract ventilation from all wet rooms, this multiple apartment central extract unit boasts a reduction in energy consumption of up to 40%. Identified by its flat design and low construction height the unit sits discretely out of view from most passers-by.

Indirect / direct lighting and excellent appearance are notable features of Omega D/I, a range of recessed modular fluorescents from Thorn.

Tridium has launched VYKON hvac, a quick, intuitive, software-based solution for automatically creating heating, ventilating and air-conditioning control applications within a standard Tridium JACE controller. Powered by the industry-leading NIAGARA Framework, VYKON hvac dramatically speeds up control system engineering for system's integrators, whilst ensuring consistency and accuracy of set-up.

Now available from Lindab Ventilation is a range of Acoustic Flexible Ducting, which combines noise reduction capability with the proven advantages of the company's Tecflex concept.

CADBID (http://www.cadbid.co.uk/) is an innovative new online service that helps CAD draughters to find clients and clients to find CAD draughters. As such, it is a valuable resource for freelance CAD draughters, CAD bureaus and any organisation that uses CAD resources - with no transaction-based fees.

Smedegaard Pumps has developed a new range of electronic energy saving circulators which can save up to 40% more energy than a standard pump.

TridonicAtco's new xitec technology has been used to improve the PC PRO T8 ballast which, until now, has been at the very pinnacle of system efficiency and lamp management. The improved properties of the innovative PC PRO T8 xitec include a high level of integration and a wealth of additional functions to provide enhanced performance.

Providing comprehensive metering facilities to meet the requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations is now straightforward with the latest range of distribution switchgear from Moeller Electric.

New from Kamco are Easicult dipslides, designed for routine monitoring of microbes, and to give an easy way to determine the total bacterial count in cooling system water and industrial fluids without having to send samples to a fully equipped laboratory.

The new Draabe NanoFog humidification atomiser has been specifically designed for use in areas with low ceilings, making it ideal for providing precise humidity control in offices and a wide range of other applications.

Hager has launched a new Klik OS light sensitive occupancy sensor that promises large energy savings for simple on/off lighting control solutions. The new sensor has the option of both presence detection or, for greater savings, just absence detection.

Scorpion Power Systems has launched PowerTherm, an innovative and cost effective range of Combined Heat & Power(CHP) systems that reduce energy costs and increase power reliability and quality. Unique to the European market, PowerTherm's engine technology gives 85.5% package efficiency with thermal recovery, enabling the units to provide an outstanding energy output compared to fuel consumption as well as shrink a company's carbon footprint. 

Danlers Limited manufactures 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.

LG is introducing a new range of cassettes which give the user greater airflow control along with being the slimmest on the market - the units can be easily slotted into just a 184mm ceiling void.

Tyco Electronics has launched a new UK web site for its AMP Netconnect Business Unit.

Zucchini, manufacturer of Europe's most comprehensive range of busbar power distribution systems, has published a definitive guide to their latest generation of low to medium power Busbar solutions.

Vent-Axia has launched OPAL, a new series of energy efficient panel heaters. Slimline and stylishly designed, the low carbon OPAL range is an ideal wall-mounted heating solution for applications, extending from residential and student accommodation to apartments and hotel rooms.

AEC UK has launched the T6 Compact+, a true on-line double conversion UPS that has been specially engineered to offer performance, compactness and reliability for critical applications. Available in power ratings of 10kVA to 30kVA in three to single phase and 10kVA to 40kVA in three to three phase, the T6 Compact+ is lightweight for easy manoeuvrability, has convenient access for cable and battery installation and with noise levels of just 60dBA at one metre, can be conveniently located in computer rooms. 

Coolmation has launched the TCAE Y Pack range of space saving chillers, designed specifically for retrofitting in replacement projects where space is at a premium. Available from 150kW to 350kW these energy efficient chillers, also available as reverse cycle heat pumps, boast an exceptionally small footprint almost half the size of their predecessors.

Armstrong has launched a new range of packaged variable speed multipump booster sets. The 6800 IVS series incorporates integrated frequency converters for variable speed pumping and provides outstanding energy efficiency, pressure control and occupancy comfort, all with reduced system complexity, and at a lower capital cost. The range features Soft Fill, an innovative concept introduced by Armstrong in 2007, providing a fully-automated process which reduces the risk of hydraulic shock damage and water hammer by controlling the pump speed to ramp up gradually to a fill setpoint.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has launched a new wired controller for its KX6 compact VRF air conditioning system. The RC-E3 controller has been an established component in the KX4 system portfolio for some time, and is now available for the new KX6 range.

The new iDialog uninterruptible power supply from Riello UPS offers compact and versatile power protection with advanced features for office-based desktop PCs, workstations and small entry-level servers.

Smart controls offer industrial and commercial facilities an effective way to save energy with minimum supervision. Gareth Rowlands, Product Manager for EIB, ABB low voltage products, explains how intelligent building controls can be used to reduce the energy consumption of factory buildings and plants.

Intelligent Buildings are generally regarded as those where the owners and managers have complete control over the working or living environment. This can include heating, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting as well as the operation of blinds & shutters, electrical appliances, windows, security systems, metering and many other functions. The control of these is achieved seamlessly through the use of KNX technology, a simple and time proven system for intelligent electrical installation networking that offers significant advantages over other alternative approaches to building automation and control.

We can never stress enough how important training is and with KNX gaining in popularity in the UK there is an increasing demand for KNX certified training courses which deliver both theoretical and practical training. One company keen to promote this is Ivory Egg who offer an introductory and full certification course from their base in West Sussex.

Visualisation and KNX are widely discussed topics which still cause friction. On the one hand, electrical engineers are faced with timeconsuming programming work; on the other hand, restricted options limit the creative scope and make the topic of visualisation into a domain for technically minded KNX experts. With the JUNG Facility-Pilot, visualisation can now be realised for every electrical installer. And the system can do much more.

Sustainability is a phrase that we are all familiar with and as we strive to meet Government targets, the benefits of an effective building control system cannot be underestimated. One recent project at Oundle School shows just what can be achieved through the integration of multiple control systems and the benefits which a common platform can bring to a project.