M&E Sustainability chairman Jim O’Neil joined Mayor of London Boris Johnson for the official opening of a major new research facility at London South Bank University.

Paul Hardy, Managing Director of Baxi Commercial Division has been elected to the board of CIBSE which consists of seven officers (President, President-Elect, three Vice Presidents, Immediate Past President and Honorary Treasurer) and five elected members.

The largest UK pure research project in the area of printed lighting panels continues to expand with more than £4m of new funding and three new partners.

Commercial building refurbishment continues to grow in importance as the UK struggles to tackle a burgeoning budgetary deficit and Government finances get ever tighter. However, although the fiscal outlook looks bleak, the downturn does offer a real opportunity for the commercial heating sector to play its part in raising the energy efficiency of existing buildings and lowering their carbon footprints and energy costs.

Solid state lighting (or LEDs) is already being seen as the future of lighting; its potential for CO2 reduction is drawing the attention of designers and Governments across the world. But are LEDs matching these expectations? The progress from widespread use in theatrical and architectural lighting since the turn of the century has been truly dramatic and today LEDs are serious contenders in main stream interior lighting.

The fact that many of us are dealing with linear or compact fluorescent lamps on an almost daily basis makes it very easy for many people to take them for granted and overlook their inherent complexity. But this complexity in design and manufacturing can have a major impact to on the way these light sources need to be treated at the end of their life – and should inform the specification process at the beginning of their life.

Daikin Europe is joining major European research institutions in developing economically feasible net zero energy building (nZEB) concepts based on heat pumps. These research institutions, including Manchester University, will be partners in this exceptional cross-border project, coordinated by Environment Application Research at Daikin Europe.

Historic buildings and structures in Britain are renowned throughout the world, with their local and regional diversity and architecture creating national character of global interest and admiration. Yet these buildings are at constant risk of decay caused by the elements and ageing, and being equally endangered through a lack of understanding by many who claim to be able to maintain, repair and conserve them.

Grundfos Pumps has won a Green Hero award from The Green Organisation, presented during a special ceremony held at the Tower of London.

Global energy management specialist Schneider Electric is calling for clearer advice on the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, following reports from customers who are still confused by the legislation.

EnOcean and Texas Instruments (TI) have expanded their cooperation to provide innovative wireless solutions for building automation.

“The premature scrapping of the Low Carbon Building Programme by the newly formed coalition government has sparked a number of comments from the renewable technologies industry but one important point appears to have been largely overlooked.” Says Neil Afram, Managing Director of the Daikin Distributors, Space Airconditioning plc.

Wood based fuel quality can now be certified as part of a new scheme being launched by HETAS. The Solid Biomass Assurance Scheme (SBAS) is being launched with the support of government funding from the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC). It will enable wood fuel and biomass producers to market their products using the recognised HETAS SBAS logo to provide customers with a mark of quality assurance.

With ever-growing pressure on organisations to cut their carbon emissions, carbon reduction specialist Sabien Technology is calling for tighter regulation and more extensive testing of products that claim to save energy.

Fujitsu has significantly increased its capacity for product recycling by building a new £20M plant in Japan with the environmentally-friendly new factory capable of recycling 900,000 units a year – this doubles the capacity of the old factory.

A newly-formed product management team is to lead the delivery of a major programme of new product development at Trox UK.

Refcom, the Register of Companies Competent to Handle Refrigerants, is enhancing its long-standing voluntary scheme and re-branding it with the more appropriate name Refcom Elite.

One of the many advantages of a building management system is that it works largely in the background of day-to-day building operation, ensuring that internal comfort is maintained. Occupants are unlikely to notice the BMS, unless something goes wrong.

WindowMaster is supplying natural ventilation systems for two of the schools being constructed by the Newham Learning Partnership (NLP), a consortium which has been selected by Newham Council to deliver its Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Rehau underfloor heating has been installed in a new build science block at Marlborough School in Woodstock by specialist installer Anders Heating.

JS Air Curtains has supplied a Rotowind air curtain for a revolving door at the Hope University in Liverpool. The air curtain was installed by M&E Contractor, HE Simm, and is helping to maintain internal temperatures, keeping students and staff warm at the new Registry Building at the Hope Park Campus.

MHS Radiators has supplied 544 of its chrome and white electric-only Space towel rails to Strata SE1, London’s tallest residential tower, in Southwark, London.

Birmingham City Hospital has turned to Rada to help target improved efficiencies in infection control after detecting higher than expected rates of C. difficile in one of its former Nightingale wards. The ward, which had been an acute ward for the elderly, was deemed a hospital hot spot with more occurrences of the infection than other areas.

Lewden Electrical Industries was the preferred supplier when a bespoke feeder pillar distribution cabinet was required for a project at the University of Hertfordshire.

The SCS Group has completed a £250,000 building management system (BMS) for the University of Sussex that controls the ventilation, air conditioning, under-floor heating and hot water systems at the Brighton campus.

Fagerhult fittings have created a striking visual statement for the newly opened Crosshouse Resource Centre in East Ayrshire, Scotland, as well as ensuring that the lighting is highly efficient and effective. The circular, suspended Teres luminaire was selected for the two principle spaces of the building which combines a medical centre, council office, library and learning unit.

An innovative design and build company in Fareham, Hampshire has just released details of a highly energy efficient way of controlling the temperature within buildings using low temperature heating and high temperature cooling.

Riegens Blocks luminaires have been installed in the newly refurbished King Solomon Academy in Lisson Grove, NW London. Specified by Arup, the brief was to provide high quality, robust luminaires that would provide a good even light distribution, a vital element for today’s classrooms that have to cater for both traditional teaching methods and high tech presentations.

Lighting Control expert Delmatic has secured the contract to supply a lighting management system for the new London Bridge Tower, more commonly known as The Shard of Glass.

The introduction of a new Government and the impending legislation changes and carbon reduction commitments are continuing to affect the products and services which we offer. I spoke to Paul Hardy, Managing Director of Baxi Commercial Division to find out his thoughts on how the changes will affect the industry.

Cleanliness in hospitals is a subject continually in the media as the government puts increasing pressure on healthcare providers to ensure high standards of hygiene are maintained and that preventative measures are taken to avoid hospital-acquired infections.

There was significant hype surrounding when the NHS reached its 60th birthday two years ago and not without good reason as today it is the world’s largest publicly funded health service. With a staff of 1.7m people, this means that only the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, the Wal-Mart supermarket chain and the Indian Railways directly employ more people. The number of patients that the NHS deals with is equally staggering – on average one million patients every 36 hours, which is equivalent to 463 people a minute.

It is less than two months now until the new Approved Documents for Part F and Part L of the Building Regulations come into force. Here, Steve Mongan, Head of Marketing at Xpelair Ventilation Solutions, looks specifically at the implications of the revisions to Part F and the impact this will have on the building services industry.

The Government’s first Private Finance Initiative outside the UK involves Johnson Controls looking after all the facilities at the British Embassy in Berlin. The company’s Regional Operations Director in Germany, David Munro, outlines the challenges and how they were overcome.

Gareth Evans from PPM Technology discusses the advances in technology that have made it possible for a wireless system to continuously monitor the indoor environment allowing a scientific approach to the systematic monitoring and management of IAQ.

On the road to the 2016 zero carbon homes target, Building Regulations and the Code For Sustainable Homes are raising the bar on efficiency. Ian Mitchell, Residential Product Manager at Vent-Axia, reveals how mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems (MVHR) are the ideal carbon cutting solution.

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.

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 it provides the end-user with comfortable conditions throughout the year.

Aereco has come up with a useful solution for new air tight dwellings requiring mechanical ventilation which offer economies in both energy and cost and allow contractors to meet the demands of the code for Sustainable Homes and the forthcoming changes in BREG 2010 Part L legislation.

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.

Fujitsu’s range of energy efficient, cassette air conditioners are the ideal choice for the retail sector in creating a comfortable, inviting indoor environment for the consumer. With eight cassette types to choose from they are an extremely versatile and cost effective way to provide both heating and cooling making them a flexible year-round solution for any type of retailing.

Legrand has moved to strengthen its position as the global leader in wiring devices by launching a new range that it says will change the market beyond recognition.

Fujitsu’s J-Series is playing an important part as a vital component in a system which provides free and eco-friendly hot water for homes and businesses. The development of the Eco Hot Box, a zero carbon method to produce free hot water, is a major technological breakthrough by All Four Seasons, the air conditioning and heat pump installation specialists.

Glow-worm is strengthening its position within the renewable technology market with the launch of the Clearly Heat Pump range of Air to Water Heat Pumps.

As one of the smallest and lightest Air to Water Heat Pumps on the market, Clearly Heat Pumps are the right choice for both new build and retrofit installations alike.

Hager has launched a new range of occupancy sensors that are easy to install and programme. They combine occupancy sensing with a photocell to switch or dim lighting in response to both movement and natural light levels.They are available as flush or surface mount, offering standard or digital lighting control. They can also be supplied prewired.

Victaulic has a new tool available to prepare pipe for efficient and reliable flame-free joining.

The VE460 shop fabrication roll grooving tool is designed for use with pipes from 100–1500 mm/4-60” in diameter, depending on pipe material. It is suitable for preparing pipes to be joined with Original Groove System (OGS) couplings for 100–300 mm/4–12” sizes or the Advanced Groove System (AGS) ranging from 350–1500mm/14–60”

Danlers Limited design and manufacture passive infra-red thermostat products, designed to automatically control loads such as stand alone air cooling units.

Osram has developed the most compact lamp to date featuring metal halide technology. The new POWERBALL HCI-TF 15W has the same light output as a 35W halogen lamp packing a powerful punch for such a small product. Featuring an average lifetime of 12,000 hours and a GU6.5 ‘twist & lock’ base for simple handling and precision positioning in the reflector, POWERBALL HCI-TF 15W is the perfect solution for accent lighting in professional applications.

Vaillant’s commercial offering consists of a comprehensive range of high output boilers and a range of corresponding controls, delivering a complete building solution.

The competitively-priced and popular Ultramax WM high efficiency condensing boiler from MHS Boilers now comes with a two year full parts and labour guarantee, as well as its first annual service, included as standard.

A test rig, designed specifically for refrigeration training centres and colleges offering F-Gas training and refrigeration compliance courses, is proving extremely popular. The fully mobile rig is manufactured by Bitzer UK and it is ideal for the classroom environment.

A test rig, designed specifically for refrigeration training centres and colleges offering F-Gas training and refrigeration compliance courses, is proving extremely popular. The fully mobile rig is manufactured by Bitzer UK and it is ideal for the classroom environment.

Fluke has reduced the recommended prices of its rugged Fluke Ti25, TiR and TiR1 Thermal Imagers for a limited period, until 30 September 2010. The Ti25 is reduced from £4846 to £4199, the TiR from £3230 to £2799, and the TiR1 from £4846 to £3799.

Rada has published its Product Selector, a guide to the UK’s widest range of showering, washroom controls, fittings and systems designed for commercial applications. This intuitive guide is grouped by application and colour-coded for ease of use, presenting each product complete with key features and benefits, best practice applications, approvals and, where relevant, plumbing schematics.

The AMP Netconnect business unit of Tyco Electronics announces the general availability of its reduced diameter MRJ21 Ultra Slim Gigabit Ethernet cabling system.

Monodraught has extended its range of SUNPIPE natural daylight systems with the introduction of a new 1000mm Diamond Dome model, which has already been installed in two facilities at a leading UK science park.

Sleek, modern design combined with state-of-the-art technology makes CIAT Ozonair Ltd’s new Major Line range a revolution in comfort units. A product of CIAT’s sustainable development philosophy, Major Line consumes 20% less electricity than its predecessors and is extremely quiet in operation, generating 2dB less noise. It also filters indoor air to protect the well-being of occupants.

Helvar has launched a series of compact and versatile LED drivers.

The first in a line of LED product developments expected from the Finnish manufacturer this year, Helvar’s new constant current converters (LL-U-CC) provide power to LED applications with a high level of efficiency (>0.8). The driver’s dual current output (350m/A / 700mA) and universal power supply ensures adaptability for different applications and geographic areas.

Polypipe Terrain has launched a comprehensive new range of passive fire protection products designed to allow the creation of the best possible fire ratings for drainage stacks in above-ground installations. The new Terrain Firetrap products all comply with BS 476 and enable the specification of Terrain drainage systems that conform to the requirements of Part B Building Regulations.

Newly available from Aereco, the Demand Control Ventilation specialists, is a glossy booklet detailing 10 substantial reasons for contractors, installers, specifiers, house builders, social housing and stockists to use humidity sensitive ventilation products on all types of residential buildings.

Elta Fans has announced the availability of a new brochure on the twin-fan version of its QuietflowDCV range. The full-colour, 36-page brochure covers all the features, benefits, specifications, technological improvements and technical data, as well as all relevant current legislation and the role of twin-fan units in providing continuous ventilation. Brochures for the Elta Fan Quietflow SQS and QuietflowDCV Single Fan units are also available.

Raychem’s recently launched CeraPro conforms to the highest performance level of the new issues of the Building regulations domestic services compliance guide for under-tile heating installations. CeraPro is an impressive domestic under-tile heating solution, it is an easy to install, economically efficient, professional system that not only provides total flexibility for rooms of all shapes and sizes, but also exceeds the minimum performance standards required for under-tile heating.

Eaton’s Electrical Sector has announced that its versatile xEnergy modular switchboard system has been verified by testing as fully meeting the requirements of BS EN 61439-1 and BS EN 61439-2, the new UK standards for low voltage switchgear assemblies, which were published in January 2010. This provides specifiers and users of xEnergy products with the highest level of confidence in their performance and safety, as well as invaluable future proofing.

Heating, plumbing and renewable energy specialist Pulsar direct is showcasing its popular eco training courses at PHEX at Old Trafford from 13-14 October and at Stamford Bridge from 17-18 November. The BPEC accredited training courses cover underfloor heating, boilers, plumbing and solar energy systems.

The KNX Standard was created by the KNX Association and is the world’s only Open Standard for home and building control and is approved to European Standard GENELEC EN 50090, US Standard ANSI/ASHRAE 135, International Standard ISO/IEC 14543-3, and Chinese Standard GB/2 20965.

With any 21st century building design, energy conservation is paramount if the demands of regulations, industry targets and client requirements are to be achieved. Building controls play the critical role in the electrical and mechanical design process by providing the operating parameters, strategy, measurement and monitoring functions of the building services.

Reputedly home to more millionaires per square mile than any other county in the UK, Cheshire is no stranger to impressive executive homes. However, when David Edwards decided to commission a multi-million pound property that would become his new family home, he was keen to use the most advanced technology to create a house that would not only have the wow factor but one that would offer exceptional comfort, convenience and energy efficiency.

KNX ticks all the boxes as the only truly-open and international bus protocol for modern, future-proof building management. So it makes sense that it ought to be ubiquitous, and to be part of everyone’s thinking from day one of a project. So what’s holding us back?