Leading industry bodies such as the UK Green Building Council, BRE Global, the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association and the British Institute of Facilities Management have signed up as partner organisations for CIBSE’s Non-compliance costs campaign.

A cautious welcome to the Coalition Government’s approach to technology training has come from Keith Marshall OBE, Chief Executive of SummitSkills, the sector skills council for building services engineering.

Speaking at the spring conference of the Building Services Engineering Employment Agency Alliance, Mr Marshall referred in particular to two recent statements made by members of the new administration, both of which provided some cause for optimism.

Dimplex has expressed concern over the sudden closure of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme following the new coalition government’s withdrawal of grant funding for renewables projects as part of its plan to make immediate spending cuts of £6 billion.

Four Seasons Group (FSG) has acquired Berkeley Controls Group Ltd (BCG) for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition of BCG adds a significant new skill set to the Group, supporting the ability of Four Seasons to offer clients the capability to reduce energy bills and comply with increasing amounts of carbon reduction legislation. BCG will add a further £4 million of revenue resulting in combined pro-forma revenue for the Group in excess of £30 million.

One of the many environmental initiatives to come out of Europe is the gradual phasing out of older, less efficient light sources, and this process has already begun. As a result, building operators who hang on to older light sources such as T12 fluorescent tubes and some high pressure sodium (SON) lamps are now finding they have to pay a lot more for replacements.

The Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) that came into effect in April 2010 were a welcome development, but also a missed opportunity. Pure renewables such as wind, photovoltaics (PV) and hydro power were the big winners, but only very small-scale combined heat and power (CHP) was supported, which confused a lot of energy experts.

HVCA Publications, the publishing division of the Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association, has launched a Guide to Good Practice for the Installation of Fire and Smoke Dampers (DW/145).

Kevin Talbot, Chairman of the HVCA Ductwork Group, in his foreword to DW/145, explains: “This guide highlights many of the basic principles contained in the design and installation process, whilst at the same time identifying the responsibilities that attach to the team as a whole – which, of course, comprises designers, builders, manufacturers and local authorities, as well as mechanical services, ductwork and other specialist contractors.

Baxi-SenerTec UK, the business unit responsible for marketing the Dachs mini-CHP product in the UK, has now become part of Baxi Commercial Division by relocating at the start of 2010 to the same premises in Birmingham. David Shaw, Business Manager for Baxi-SenerTec UK, will join Baxi Commercial Division, reporting to managing Director Paul Hardy.

ABB has launched its drives and motors swappage scheme, allowing companies to trade in their old products from any manufacturer for new ABB drives and motors.

The scheme offers at least 17.5% discount off published list prices for new drives from 0.12 kW to 400 kW and new motors from 0.75 kW to 710 kW when old equivalent products from any manufacturer are traded in.

Building Engineering Services Training (BEST) Ltd, the leading UK training provider for the Building Services Engineering (BSE) sector, has announced two new strategic alliances which for the first time offer a uniform, high standard, national apprenticeship scheme for ductwork and scaffolding.

A new enhanced version of the software tool SBEM has just been unveiled by BRE. The tool which calculates the energy usage and carbon emissions for all non-domestic buildings will enable designers, developers and suppliers to demonstrate compliance with the revised Part L of the Building Regulations which takes effect this October across England and Wales.

Paul King has been appointed as Service Sales Manager with the Service & Maintenance division of Walter Meier (Climate UK), with a remit to focus on strategic growth and expanding the company’s service, maintenance and installation operations.

Paul first joined the industry over 25 years ago, serving his apprenticeship as an air conditioning and refrigeration engineer. Since then he has held senior management positions in a number of companies and has developed broad experience of every aspect of air conditioning and refrigeration systems.

Wagner UK has launched a series of CPD Seminars to help fire system designers, installers and consultants better understand the implications of a new European Standard that has changed the way Aspirating Smoke Detection Systems have to be designed and installed.

A new partnership formed between Buro Happold and research, development and advice consultancy Archial Sustainable Futures will provide strategic design advice to property developer Marchday for its Lingfield Point development in Darlington.

In a recent article, the Financial Times highlighted the news that thousands of businesses are still unaware of their responsibilities under the new CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme – even though it officially began in April 2010.

Around 30,000 businesses using half hourly electricity metering will be included in the scheme, though of these only the 5,000 biggest energy users will be placed on a league table of energy savers. Anyone who hasn’t already registered has until September 2010 to do so online at the Environment Agency (EA) which is administering the scheme.

Almost the entire product range of Trox can be found in six of the ten World Cup stadiums in South Africa. Stadiums and multifunction arenas are particularly demanding structures, but thanks to innovative solutions, Trox was able to meet these requirements with its components and systems.

The lighting within the world famous Ashmolean Museum, now re-opened after a major multi-million pound redevelopment, is being controlled by KNX intelligent building technology. The installation was designed and supplied by KNX UK member, Andromeda Telematics and offers energy savings, flexibility for future changes and the automated testing of a public building out of hours.  With the specification of a powerful graphical head end display which shows the real time status of all lighting throughout the museum, the potential energy savings for lighting and the use of natural daylight are maximised.

Designed as a model of sustainability and incorporating energy saving measures and renewable energy production, the state-of-the art, John Hope Gateway Visitor Centre at  Edinburgh’s Royal Botanical Gardens is fitted with Zehnder Flatline radiant heating and cooling panels.

A Dimplex ground source heat pump is being used to supply domestic hot water to the first supermarket built to PassivHaus standards in the UK and Ireland, a Tesco store in Tramore, County Waterford.

PassivHaus buildings are designed to be extremely energy efficient - usually this means the annual energy consumption is under 15kWh/sq m. The building fabric features high levels of air tightness and insulation to keep heat in, meaning only minimal space heating is required – and making the water heating an even more important consideration in the performance of the building.

Design consultancy Morgan Professional Services (MPS) is providing sustainability advice and complex mechanical and electrical engineering design for Carnegie Primary in Dunfermline East, which is acccset to be one of Scotland’s greenest.

Offsite manufactured plant rooms from Armstrong have reduced installation times for two top quality new office buildings at the prestigious Lydiard Fields Business Park . In addition to streamlining the schedule, the variable speed drive pumps at the heart of the HVAC systems will ensure long-term energy efficiency by automatically reacting to the heating and cooling requirements of each building.

Three additional water heating appliances from Andrews Water Heaters and Potterton Commercial, both part of Baxi Commercial Division, have been supplied for installation in Manchester United’s Old Trafford Stadium. The two latest refurbishment projects comprised the installation of a further Andrews Supa-Flo water heater and two Potterton Commercial NXR3 cast iron sectional boilers. The former has been fitted to provide hot water to the players’ changing rooms and some of the South Stand hospitality suites, whilst the boilers supply low pressure hot water (LPHW) to the South Stand heating and air conditioning systems.

Passivent has worked with Morgan Ashurst on a £130m PPP for East Dunbartonshire Council, building six new secondary schools. Under the scheme, schools have to achieve at least a ‘very good’ BREEAM rating, which Passivent natural ventilation is proven in practice to help achieve.

As part of a major refurbishment, Architects Alexi Marmot Associates specified a combination of Modular Lighting Instruments and LTS Light & Luminares products to create a new lighting scheme for the John Harvard Library in London, maximising the feeling of light and space and transforming the dated library into a contemporary and welcoming environment.

The National Gallery in central London houses one of the greatest collections of Western European paintings in the world and is on show 361 days a year. To replace inefficient R22 chillers, Airedale has designed a highly efficient and reliable bespoke chiller solution to meet the stringent footprint and energy performance criteria of this heritage building.

At Canada Place in downtown Vancouver a special Annual Light Show on the Canada Place Sails plays nightly courtesy of Martin Professional and Moment Factory. Visible from multiple points across the city, the Canada Place Sails light up in a dynamic display of imagery, light, colour, texture and animation and is an inspirational show that highlights scenes from Canada’s diverse landscape and history.

Rehau has supplied the cable management solution for the Cat 6a wiring installation at the newly opened £86m MidKent College campus in Gillingham.

Rehau’s Profila data cable management system has been installed throughout the three buildings and two huge glass pavilions which make up the new campus providing further education for 14-19 year olds and adults throughout the Medway area.

When it comes to specifying the lighting systems for commercial buildings, flexibility and speed of installation, reconfiguration and customisation is just as important as low running costs and energy efficiency.

One of the symptoms of the recession seems to be that, when a construction or refurbishment project does get the go ahead, installation needs to be carried out on a fast track basis, across the board. This is particularly the case with lighting and electrical services, an aspect of the build that has traditionally had to cope with last minute design changes, with costly rewiring expenditure often proving a headache.

Chilled beam technology makes them a flexible and low-energy choice for new-build and refurbishment projects. Sophisticated engineers, suppliers and architects are working together to take beams a step further and link them with other sustainable solutions to offer a flexible approach suitable for the project and client needs. As well as being highly energy efficient, chilled beam systems are also a water-based system, which is another strong environmental trend.

The United Kingdom Fire and Rescue Services attended 722,000 fire and false alarm incidents in 2008/09. Unwanted fire signals divert essential resources from the emergency services and put an unnecessary drain on public finances - costing the UK economy around £1 billion a year.

In one of the largest PFI health schemes outside of London, the opening of the new wing at the Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) marked another highlight in the £500m development of healthcare services in Central Manchester. The entire development covers over 265,000sq m, including four new state-of-the-art hospitals, ten new buildings, and major extensions and refurbishments to the Manchester Royal Infirmary.

Monodraught has a long history of working with academic partners to help develop its range of low-energy building services products. These include the natural ventilation system known as Windcatcher, which is used by over 1100 schools throughout the UK to deliver fresh air to a room from roof level whatever the wind’s direction, and without mechanical assistance. Monodraught and Brunel University have been investigating the performance of Windcatcher systems for the past four years by measuring key components of air quality (temperature and carbon dioxide concentration) in five schools and sixteen school classrooms ventilated by square Windcatchers. The data has been compared against current UK benchmarks, such as Building Bulletin 101 (BB101).

When designing an energy efficient building the obvious targets are those that make the most impact and with building services systems it is likely to be the chiller, lighting and glazing.

Assuming a building is being designed to meet or exceed the new 2010 regulations then the proportions of carbon emissions will change radically from, say, a building designed 10 years ago. Typically the carbon emissions of this new building will come from a third lighting, a third cooling/chiller and a third others, which include terminal fans, air handing unit fans, pumps and heating.

The government has set very ambitious targets to reduce emissions in the UK - an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and an interim 34% reduction by 2020 - and the solar PV industry is extremely important in meeting these targets, which will require lots of low carbon energy.

Grundfos has become a well-known name in the supply of high quality pumps for commercial building services applications heating, air conditioning and pressure boosting but have not necessarily been the first name to spring to mind when considering wastewater pump suppliers. 

However, in recent years Grundfos has devoted a large amount of time and energy into developing a complete range of pumps to effectively handle a surprisingly broad range of wastewater applications.

New to the Fujitsu range of air conditioning products is a state-of-the-art AA rated cassette split system for cooling and heating that ticks all the boxes for today’s energy conscious installations.

The upgraded system, which offers 12.5kW nominal cooling, combines significant energy efficiencies, quiet operation and a strikingly stylish, slimline cassette (840 x 840mm x 288mm net dimensions, excluding the grille).

MK Electric has developed the Sentry range of skeleton units to bring 21st century safety standards and design to social housing. Skeleton boards are spine backplate assemblies that fit within a Mantel or Clifton type enclosure – essentially a kind of metal utilities cupboard – that may also contain the meter.

Enter the Grundfos new web portal and see the all new web window that will help to simplify pump selection by making available to you for the first time a one stop shop for commercial building services professionals.

The website offers a number of key areas such as product information where you can find out more about specific Grundfos pump families and their areas of application and a quick pump selection feature to allow you to select the pump(s) that best meets the needs of your particular application.

Danlers Limited design and manufacture a range of indoor and outdoor electronic time lag switches for lighting or heating loads, which are ideal for simply saving energy in stairwells, store rooms, student accommodation, smoking shelters etc.

Pressing the button switches the load on, and it switches off automatically after the time lag has elapsed, thus saving energy by ensuring lighting, or other loads, are not left on unnecessarily.

Exterior lighting manufacturer Paviom Ltd has extended its outdoor lighting portfolio by announcing the launch of Aptus and Multus. The new illuminated, sculptural bollards have been designed by international award-winning product designer, Terrence Woodgate, for the new Bollard and Wall Light range.

Now available is the Fujitsu J-Series multi air conditioning VRF system, the next generation of air conditioning products designed and engineered to meet environmental and energy efficiency standards. Fujitsu’s J-series is quick and easy to install and commission and provides the end-user with comfortable conditions throughout the year.

MK Electric has just published the 47th edition of its catalogue in a CD ROM specification version, so displaying one of the largest quality ranges of electrical product and accessories available on the market in a user-friendly electronic format. It is also provided online as a download from the website.

With Samsung’s convenient new Data Management Server 2 (DMS2), building managers can remotely oversee portfolios of air conditioning systems and virtually leave the systems to manage themselves.

As part of its commitment to offer total solutions for connecting pipes, Conex offers Triflow Solder Ring fittings - a system with an integral solder ring solder designed to take the guesswork out of soldering. Triflow capillary fittings are ideal for all types of installation, including potable water systems since the soft solder is totally lead-free.

The new MPOptimate system from the AMP Netconnect Business Unit of Tyco Electronics is a high-performance pre-terminated fibre-optic cabling system that offers a high degree of flexibility for today's data centres as well as a future-proofed migration path to the 40 Gbit/s and 100 Gbit/s applications of the future.

Metal Halide lighting specialist, Venture Lighting Europe, has launched the Ceramic Master-PLUS range. Using the latest developments in slip cast, single piece, arc tube technology, these robust ceramic lamps provide an unbeatable combination in terms of both performance and reliability.

HCP has launched a Radiant Heating Service Raft. This innovative product has been developed in accordance with SAS International’s System 600 acoustic lighting raft. 

Traditionally radiant heating panels or tiles have been used in suspended ceilings however integrating radiant heating panels into acoustic lighting rafts offers further design flexibility. These service rafts are freely suspended below coffers leaving large areas of the concrete soffit exposed, enabling free air movement to the structural slab for natural thermal mass cooling.

Fujitsu’s range of energy efficient wall mounted plasma air conditioners have been specifically designed to create a comfortable, inviting indoor environment for both patients and staff of GPs surgeries and dental practices.

Not only do the units provide a comfortable, draught free, ambient temperature, they also offer an extremely versatile and cost effective method to provide clean cooling and heating, making them a flexible year-round solution.

Megaman has announced the launch of its unique PowerLens technology, which provides a higher luminous intensity that fulfils the EuP requirements of directional lamps and that is now being offered as part of its reflector range. Offering excellent lighting effects combined with a light-optimising design, the Megaman CFL reflectors can now offer energy savings of up to 78%, making them the most effective eco-replacements for traditional halogen and incandescent lamps.

CIAT Ozonair Ltd has launched a new range of highly efficient Dynaciat Power water-cooled water chillers that provide significant savings in energy consumption - up to 25% compared to previous models. 

With cooling capacities from 220 to 720 kW and heating capacities from 250 to 800 kW, the new range provides an optimal solution for all cooling and heating applications in private and public offices, healthcare facilities, commercial premises and apartment buildings.

MHS Radiators has an enormous range of low surface temperature (LST) radiators for a multitude of applications. Available in four different styles: Safeguard, Slimguard, Ecoguard and Aeroguard, there are hundreds of different permutations – making it one of the most flexible ranges of LST radiators available in the UK.

Anyone wanting to lower their energy use to meet carbon reduction targets or reduce energy bills could do a lot worse than start by looking at their heating to find more energy efficient ways, and a new CPD-accredited guide has just been launched to help.

Daikin Europe has introduced a new EWWD-FZ range of centrifugal chillers that incorporate oil free compressors with magnetic bearings. This compressor technology not only eliminates the need for oil as a lubricant and associated maintenance and reliability issues, it also contributes to making this range one of the most energy efficient on the market.

Douglas Delabie has introduced the ES L Pattern TMV (thermostatic mixing valve).

The company says this anti-scald TMV device is up to 40% quicker to install and is designed for use with wash hand basins, showers and bidets in higher risk and healthcare applications.

Sontay has launched the GS-CO2 product range of carbon dioxide, temperature and humidity and monitoring devices.

Offering full Building Schools for the Future (BSF), Building Bulletin 1 (BB1) compliance, the GS-CO2 sensor series combines ease of operation with real-time monitoring and the ability to swiftly adjust ppm CO2 levels.

The EPIC range of fan coil units launched by Advanced Air can achieve specific fan power (SFP) as low as 0.15 w/l/s making them the most energy efficient unit in the European market.

Panorama Seamless is an innovative, cove lighting solution from PJR Engineering, which is specifically designed to eliminate the dark zones and shadow problems usually associated with traditional fluorescent fittings. 

Ideal for coving and accent lighting schemes in hotels, department stores, public buildings etc, Panorama Seamless creates a continuous, unbroken line of panoramic, seamless lighting.

Traditional heating systems for apartment buildings generally use fossil fuels, which release large amounts of CO2 during combustion, are expensive to run and do not offer a cooling option. Daikin Europe has now addressed these concerns by introducing a new Daikin Altherma air to water heat pump series, providing efficiency and comfort on a scale suitable for large residential buildings.

Bilco has become the first manufacturer of roof hatches which pass the revised requirements of the Florida Building Code.

The Florida Building Code was revised in 1992 following hurricane Andrew. In 2007 roof hatches were added to the list of products that are required to be tested to high velocity hurricane zone standards.

With the move to modular off-site building techniques over recent years, S&P Coil Products Limited (SPC) has developed their range of ThermaTile Plus Radiant Panels to allow for in-built services such are lights, sensors, sprinklers etc. These services can be either pre-installed or the panels can be pre-drilled ready for installation on-site.

Halers Lighting has launched the Halers EvoLED, an exceptionally high- powered LED luminaire, comprising high performance qualities that mean it’s 90% more efficient than the traditional halogen lamp option, whilst delivering the same light output properties.

Modular Lighting Instruments is pleased to announce its first organic light-emitting diode. Inspired by the organic molecules that create OLEDs, the O’Leaf has been designed to symbolize an elegant flower with the wafer thin OLED as the flower petal on a delicate stem. O'Leaf represents what Modular Lighting Instruments is well known for - cutting edge design combined with a high level of technical performance.

In anticipation of the forthcoming changes to lighting industry standards to improve the efficiency and quality of office lighting, Thorn has launched a new range of modular fluorescent luminaires: Menlo³.

JG Speedfit, the pushfit solution for plumbing and heating systems has launched a new underfloor heating website.

The website aims to educate users about the benefits of underfloor heating, while removing the mystique, and perceived difficulty behind the specification and installation.

With the UK photovoltaic market set to grow following the introduction of the Government’s Feed In Tariff (FIT) in April, Mitsubishi Electric has produced a free, CPD-Accredited Guide to the technology that explores the issues around solar power and highlights the rules of thumb necessary for specifying and installing these systems.

Two new additions to the TALEXX lighting systems from Tridonic are TALEXXengine FULMEN and TALEXXspot LED. TALEXXengine FULMEN consists of an LED module, lens optics and a heat conducting mounting plate which, together, produce a suitable light source for spotlights and a direct, energy efficient replacement for LV halogen lamps in spotlights. The new TALEXXspot modules have been designed specifically for use in downlights or spotlights as a replacement for CFL's, LV halogen lamps or lower wattage metal halide lamps.

Wylex has launched a brand new range of 6KA circuit protection devices. The new range includes updated miniature circuit breakers and matching RCBOs, the design centring on the incorporation of the latest high quality Siemens MCB & RCBO technology and resulting in what thje company believe is the best range of domestic circuit protection devices available on the market today.

Trion has announced that its complete range of Air Boss T Series electronic air cleaners have been independently certified by leading European testing house TUV for compliance with European safety and performance regulations. This confirms T Series as one of the few electronic air cleaners on the UK market which HVAC contractors and catering end-users can specify that is tested to meet the demanding TUV standard for odour and fume removal in commercial kitchen applications.

The BETA release of a new range of software called ASHRAE 90.1 Studio developed by EDSL which automates the LEED compliance process will be taking place in the next few weeks. This new programme enables the user to obtain the performance rating in a fraction of the time using other software currently available.

The Kos H (Horizontal) from Purmo is an elegant, decorative, slimline radiator, combining minimalist appearance with high heat outputs, thanks to its flat front panel, adapted top cover and unique, slightly curved sides. By merging beauty with plenty of power, this radiator looks good and performs well in any kitchen, hallway, bedroom or living room.