EMCOR Group (UK) has been awarded a three year extension of its facilities management contract with one of London's most iconic institutions, the Natural History Museum.  EMCOR Group (UK) has provided mechanical and electrical engineering services across all of the Museum's sites since 2001, ensuring the Museum has a solid infrastructure in which to preserve and display many of the 70 million specimens under its care. 

The Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) has played a key role in rolling out a revised British standard designed to improve access to and within buildings for disabled people.

Building Engineering Services Training (BEST) has been selected as one of only two national M&E training providers to share in £11m of Government funding to create new apprenticeship places. Announced on 14 May by Skills Secretary John Denham and Schools Secretary Ed Balls, the funding forms part of a new approach to help employers train skilled workers of the future.

De Dietrich Remeha Group and Baxi Group have entered into detailed discussions to form a new group company that will have a leading position in the European heating market.

Over the last 12 years, capital expenditure on school buildings has risen from under £700 million in 1996-97 to £6.7 billion in 2008-09 and will rise to around £8 billion in 2009-10.  A number of capital building programmes in the education sector are now well underway including the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) Programme, the Academies Programme and the recently announced Primary Capital Programme to rebuild and refurbish 50% of primary schools.

Thanks to the recent advances in fluorescent lighting technology, specifiers now have considerably more choice in selecting the best luminaires for high and low bay applications.

The old adage "if it looks too good to be true, then it usually is" is as appropriate for this industry as it is for many others. Bargain prices for items such as wiring devices, circuit protection products and other electrical ancillaries are a bargain for a reason, possibly several reasons. They may be counterfeit and carry the distinguishing marks of well known brand names, they may be very good imitations or facsimiles of well known products but carry another manufacturer's logo or they simply are manufactured in and sourced from low cost countries using budget components with a lesser regard for quality and safety.

Building controls expert BG Controls has reinforced its Systems Support arm of the business by opening a dedicated service and maintenance office in Preston.

The City of East London in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, representing The Amathole District Municipality, will receive assistance from the City of Glasgow in the second global LightLinks Competition. The winner was announced at an awards ceremony held at the LumiVille public lighting trade fair.

Resource Data Management (RDM), the pioneering HVACR control and energy monitoring company has acquired leading software developer Resorsys.

A new footbridge in Aylesbury - the Bourg Walk - has been named Overall Winner at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Engineering Excellence Awards 2009, the highest honour for civil engineering excellence in the Thames Valley region.

Samsung has stepped up its drive to capture a significant slice of the UK air conditioning market by forging a strategic alliance with nationwide specialist wholesaler HRP Ltd. The move makes Samsung's DVM Plus III (VRF) range available nationally through a newly formed specialist HRP subsidiary, Samsung Air Conditioning Centre (SACC), and Samsung split systems available through HRP's extensive branch network.

Building Product Design Group, which includes brands such as Glidevale, Passivent, Kingfisher Louvre Systems, Richmond Building Products and Z-Led, has promoted Graham Dronfield and Neil Rideout to joint managing directors. The two combine to bring over 40 years' experience within divisions of the company to the board.

Working alongside key players from the mainstream heating industry including Worcester Bosch, Dimplex, Baxi, Danfoss Heat Pumps, Vaillant, Stiebel Eltron, Zehnder UK and Myson, BEAMA has created the BEAMA Domestic Heat Pump Association. Its chairman is Chris Davis, head of renewables at Dimplex.  

Live trials of Mitsubishi Electric's award-winning Ecodan systems over the past winter have clearly demonstrated that the low-carbon heating system lives up to expectations and is more than capable of dealing with whatever the British weather can throw at it.

Gas Safe Register now has more than 121,000 registrations for engineers and 56,500 for businesses - exceeding expectations for the first year in a matter of months.

We've all been there - trying to take accurate measurements while holding both ends of the tape measure at the same time and marking the wall with a pencil that you can't quite manage because you don't have three hands! If that sounds familiar then you are in for a treat with the introduction of the new TLM130i from Stanley, a quick and efficient precision laser tool that makes light work of a host of measurement tasks.

For many construction companies there has been growing concern regarding the liabilities of both the company and individual directors.  Added to this, The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 (the new Act), which came into force last year on 6 April makes it easier to pursue successful prosecutions against large organisations in the UK for corporate manslaughter. The new Act is not retrospective so deaths which occurred before 6 April will be governed by the old law.

A report by SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for building services engineering, estimates that up to 10% of work in social housing and 55% of work in private housing may be postponed or cancelled as a result of the recession. In Impact of the recession on the building services engineering sector, SummitSkills suggests that between 67,000 and 154,000 jobs are at risk in the contracting industry.

A luxury Victorian hotel situated in Newquay, Cornwall is moving with the times by relamping all of the lighting fixtures with Megaman's energy saving lamps. By introducing Megaman's candle lamps into the existing traditional light fittings, the hotel has managed to maintain its Victorian charm whilst saving energy and running costs.

Lion House is an ultra low-emissions office building, designed and built for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in Alnwick, Northumberland.

The Barbican Estate was officially opened in 1969. Designed and built for City professionals, the dramatic architecture was the work of Chamberlain, Powell and Bon. In 2001 it became a Grade II listed building and since then has been designated a site of special architectural interest for its scale, cohesion and the ambition of the project.

The small footprint, high efficiency design of new generation VRF systems from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Europe (MHIE) is proving an ideal heating and cooling option for Newcastle's Haymarket Metro redevelopment project.

JS Humidifiers has supplied a low energy JetSpray humidifier to provide electrostatic control to the award winning Fujitsu data centre in North London. Having employed many energy saving and IT optimisation strategies, Fujitsu North London conserved the energy equivalent of 6,000 homes per year and won Most Sustainable Refurbishment at the Building Services Awards 2008.

Philips, in association with Architainment Lighting Ltd has installed a state-of-the-art LED lighting solution at London's County Hall. Offering exceptional lighting projection of up to 500 feet, Philips ground breaking ColorReach Powercore technology has ensured that County Hall is now as much of an iconic landmark on London's Southbank by night as it is by day.

A new school designed to enhance learning and performance is bringing a fresh approach to education in Derby with help from Passivent.

LSI Architects has revealed the design images of the new £9m teaching centre, Jubilee 3, at Easton College in Norfolk. Designed by the London and Norwich based architectural practice, the Jubilee 3 Centre, embraces pioneering green technology, making the scheme one of the most advanced buildings of its type in the region. The building, which is now under construction, will become part of a complex with the existing Jubilee 1 and 2 buildings, also designed by LSI Architects, around a central garden court. It will provide two new laboratories, teaching rooms, a lecture theatre to seat 66, a café, social areas and flexible learning space for the students.

To the point

Since 2005, the Ecodesign Directive has been one of the key enabling mechanisms to drive forward the European Union's policy designed to reduce the levels of environmentally damaging emissions and to increase the use of renewable energy sources.  The Directive establishes a framework to prescribe design principles to apply to energy using products and systems, together with any necessary labelling requirements under the Energy Labelling Directive.

The Directive requires these systems to be inspected by a competent and accredited person who belongs to a scheme approved by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG). There are several such schemes, one of which is operated by CIBSE Certification. This is a scheme for air conditioning assessors for both complex and simple systems, and is one of a range of accreditations offered by CIBSE Certification in support of the Energy Performance in Buildings Regulations. CIBSE also accredits inspectors to undertake these inspections in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The project, named installation of the year by the KNX (UK) Association, was designed by systems integrator Building Evolution. According to managing director Nigel Stafford, KNX was chosen because it is an open standard and for the full functionality that it offers.

Whilst there is an increasing need to understand which of the available Low and Zero Carbon (LZC) Technologies can work together to optimise system energy  efficiency, it is also important to go back to basics with regard to the design of the conventional part of the hot water system and consider what is the most effective combined solution. 

The demand for energy saving fan coils has increased significantly due to Part L 2006 of the Building Regulations setting a target of 28% reduction in carbon emissions from the base in Part L 2002.  We all know that it doesn't stop there; industry representatives are confirming the new 2010 Part L will target a further 25% reduction in carbon emissions with a view to getting commercial buildings carbon neutral by 2019.

The UK is no longer a nine-till-five society.  In addition to British employees having the longest hours in Europe, many businesses have embraced flexible working as a way to meet the needs of the business and  help staff achieve a better work/life balance.  Coupled with this, shopping hours have been extended so that some retailers are open around the clock.  These activities have influenced the occupation of our buildings and subsequently increased demand for lighting.

The temperature at Truro Cathedral, one of the UK's finest landmarks is not only now more agreeable with its visitors, but the Cathedral can rest assured that in the current economic downturn, they are also saving money as gas consumption is down 30% due to the recent installation of five Hamworthy heating Milborne boilers, leading to the significant reduction in the Cathedral's carbon footprint, which is a key focus of the Cathedral's maintenance policies.

Thanks to a feat of engineering, ‘rain stopped play' is a thing of the past on Wimbledon's famous Centre Court.  Major refurbishment at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has given the court a state-of-the-art retractable roof. 

Under a partnership agreement with Cheshire County Council, MITIE Engineering Services (North) Ltd, working closely with Buderus, have recently completed a boiler replacement at Greenbank School in Northwich.

A new fire system designed to tackle a chronic false alarm problem at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire - home to the world renowned National Spinal Injuries Centre - has been hailed a resounding success with an 80% drop in incidents in its first year.

Contractors and consultants concerned with fastrack, power distribution projects, will be interested to hear about the new MS busbar series from Zucchini.

The feature-packed MEM Memera Consumer Unit range has been redesigned and expanded.  It now includes units developed specifically to overcome problems faced by installers endeavouring to meet the requirements of the 17th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations (BS 7671), in particular the need for more wiring space when units are fitted with RCBO protection of individual outgoing circuits.

The Lopak II is a welcome addition to Thorn's LumExpress contractor range, providing a sleek low bay for factories, warehouses, sports halls and DIY outlets all in one box. Taking either HST or HIT (250W/400W) lamps it provides 20% more light than its predecessor, is easy to install, has low running costs, and offers years of reliable performance.

Draka claims to have become the only cable manufacturer in the UK to be able to offer installers a full range of third-party approved SWA (Steel Wire Armoured) power cables down to 4mm².  The newly enhanced LPCB (Loss Prevention Certification Board) approved 600/1000V Firetuf Powerplus cable offering is available in two, three and four-core options with nominal conductor areas spanning from 4mm² to 400mm².  The range also includes a 2.5mm² seven-core cable.

Air movement specialist, Torin-Sifan, has launched a range of energy efficient double-inlet EC Centrifugal Pod blowers. Utilising a low carbon 230v EC motor, the EC Pod Blowers offer a highly efficient performance as well as extremely low specific fan power and noise levels. Designed for a multitude of applications including warm air heating; fan coils; air curtains; heat recovery systems; and telecommunications cooling, Torin-Sifan's EC Pod Blowers are also extremely versatile featuring on-board electronics with 0-10v speed control capabilities.

Sontay has added a new range of micro split-core current switches to its comprehensive offering. The products are simple to operate and there are no moving parts to fail - making them the ideal addition to any building management system.

With the Met Office predicting a warmer than average UK Summer in 2009, air-conditioning specialist, London Cool provides a large equipment fleet extending from portable units to chillers which can help facilities managers, business owners and contractors solve temporary cooling problems.

Lochinvar offers a wide range of heating and hot water solutions. For small commercial applications the Impetus continuous flow water heater range offers many benefits.  

Substantial technical improvements place the new wall mounted SRK-ZIX inverter heat pump single splits from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Europe (MHIE) among the top performers in air conditioning efficiency. Advanced technologies and remodelled indoor and outdoor units produce markedly better performance than earlier models - in both Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) for cooling and Coefficient of Performance (COP) for heating, with the industry's highest ratings in the range at 5.71 and 5.56 respectively.

Clyde's Bohemia Antique-Style cast iron column radiator offers a stylish and reliable heating solution that will complement classic or contemporary interiors. Part of Clyde's comprehensive collection of cast iron, steel and designer radiators, Bohemia can be used with either open vented or sealed heating systems with a maximum operating pressure of 6 bar, and is also certified for 0.7 bar steam central heating systems.

Mitsubishi Electric has launched a unique new control system for the hotel sector to bring complete automatic control to individual rooms and help reduce energy costs.

Philips is to continue transforming the way cities are illuminated by introducing the final elements of its innovative UrbanScene family of complete, flexible energy-efficient lighting solutions.

The development of a new RF515 Multi-parameter Transmitter means that Comark's advanced RF500 Wireless Monitoring System can now be used for almost any data monitoring application in virtually any industry.

Danlers Limited design and manufacture a range of energy saving time lag switches, including an exterior IP54 rated weatherproof version (pictured).

Alfa Laval has introduced a new series of Plate Heat Exchangers (PHEs) developed specifically for high theta duties in the HVAC sector.

Stokvis has launched Modupak, an extremely versatile prefabricated package comprising up to five skid-mounted 120kW condensing boilers.

With temperatures looking set to soar, chiller and air conditioning hire specialist Coolmation can provide building owners, facilities managers and contractors with a range of temporary cooling solutions when indoor temperatures cannot be maintained by installed air conditioning systems.

MWA Technology is offering Anticor anti-corrosion materials for passive and active protection, and a large range of self-adhesive industrial tapes.

CLICK Scolmore has launched its Flipping Big Book, an A5 catalogue containing everything that the larger version has to offer plus an Interactive CD. As the name suggests, it has electrical accessories on one side and, when you flip it over, it has CLICK Scolmore's lighting products.

RIDI Lighting has launched its next generation education lighting control product and its recent installation, through Reavey & Son Electrical of Southampton, has passed the test at Burnham Copse primary school in Tadley, Hampshire.

Available from LG is a complete range of outdoor units to cover all possible configurations of air conditioning for both domestic and commercial buildings - including the world's only indoor mounted condensing system for VRF the Multi V Space.

ABB has launched the latest version of its award winning 6-step energy saving plan, providing customers with information on the best ways to save money by applying variable speed drives and low voltage motors to their fan and pump applications, among others.

Hansford Sensors Ltd now offer a range of submersible vibration sensors, which have been specifically designed for operation in partial or complete immersion in water, making them ideal for the monitoring of pumps in a maintenance role.

The addition of a web-based PC interface to MLS Digital, Ex-Or's building-wide managed lighting system, offers users greater operational interactivity with the ability to monitor occupancy via a dynamic visual display.

The new digital tension meter (DTM) from PIX Europe gives HVAC engineers the opportunity to make significant efficiency gains and achieve cost savings from accurately tensioned transmission belts.

Waldmann Lighting has launched the Ataro range of free-standing and desk mounted luminaires that produce a quality of illumination that clearly outshines all its competitors.  

The potential energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness of buildings' HVAC systems has been given a huge boost by CentraLine from Honeywell, with its new Spyder terminal unit controller and Zio programmable wall units.

Zip Heaters (UK) Ltd has extended its HydroTap range with the launch of the Zip HydroTap 4-in-1 and 3-in-1. 

Delta Controls and Complete Control Installations (CCI) have launched a plug and play fan coil unit controller, which allows building owners and managers to accommodate changes to floor plan layouts without the need for costly programme modifications.

Water consumption in domestic, commercial and industrial premises is easy to reduce using Honeywell pressure reducing valves.

The Ackermann Cablelink Plus modular floorbox from MK Electric offers unrivalled performance for managing data and power in raised underfloor applications. Built to be very robust thanks to its high load bearing capability when in-situ, it is also designed to be installed easily and quickly.

MHS Radiators has launched a new range of energy saving radiant ceiling panels which are perfect for integration with T-Bar suspended ceiling systems. 

New or existing air conditioning sites will benefit from the LG Art Cool range of indoor units which are aesthetically pleasing, energy efficient, top of the range units aimed at enhancing any site.

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

REHAU is launching an innovative and cost effective solution for its data management systems which enables them to achieve compliance with the visual contrasting requirements contained within Part M of the Building Regulations.

HVAC balancing specialist Taconova (UK) has introduced the STLV and STFL series of high-limit temperature safety control valves from Danfoss which are designed to limit secondary water temperatures in large scale commercial and public building heating and DHW systems.

Trion, the air purification specialist for the catering, hotel and restaurant sector, has extended its market leading AIR BOSS T Series electronic air cleaner range with three new units. The T3003, T4004 and T5005 increase the series to 11 air cleaners in total, providing end-users and contractors with configurations which improve fume and odour removal performance across a greater variety of kitchen exhaust applications.

ATC Semitec has introduced a range of pipe-mounting disc thermostats to ensure better control of hot and cold water systems. 

New high efficiency floor-standing heat pump indoor air conditioning units from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Europe (MHIE) boast the highest CoP (Coefficient of Performance) levels in their class.

In these days of rising energy prices and developing Part L legislation, Fläkt Woods has created its e³-Line concept, which includes their JM range of fans fitted with EFF1 motors, providing a more energy efficient solution. This platform is already complete and will enable the even higher efficiency rating motors to be introduced in compliance with the International Standard IEC 60034-30. Branded the e³-Line A range, it is available for selection using the on-line fan selection tool.

Incorporating new technology and innovative designs, Fläkt Woods has launched three new versions of its famed Jet Thrust Fan system.

Swiftclean has launched an extreme deep cleaning service for local authorities struggling to improve living conditions in sub-standard housing.

NoWyr (No Wire) has introduced a range of remote wireless switching products. The system is a complete solution housed in an IP65 enclosure.