Mitsubishi Electric Living Environmental Systems UK, which has pioneered the use of energy efficient air conditioning, has been accepted as a Partner by the European Comission's Sustainable Energy campaign in recognition for its Green Gateway Initiative.

NICEIC and SELECT have launched an information platform for the Scottish building services industry, www.sbsc.uk.net, which allows companies to register as Approved Bodies, appoint Certifiers and gives them the ability to manage the Certification process.

The Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) has pledged its commitment to addressing industry skills shortages with the launch of a £10 million training fund.

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

In response to a massive expansion in its training provision, leading training provider BEST (Building Engineering Services Training) has launched a new website (www.best-ltd.co.uk) introducing a variety of useful and innovative features for both apprentices and employers. This dramatic revamp will assist existing apprentices with their training, help prospective learners in choosing a building services engineering apprenticeship to suit their needs and also encourage employers in this sector to take on an apprentice.

KNX UK, the Association representing manufacturers, integrators and training establishments and users of KNX technology, has presented the first winners of the annual KNX UK Awards designed to recognise the very best in KNX technology and applications.

Cliff Bailey has been appointed as the new laboratory manager at Trox UK. In this role, he will manage Trox's state-of-the-art test facilities in Thetford, Norfolk, which include five hightech demonstration laboratories and an ultra-modern fan coil unit test chamber.

While choice can be empowering, it can also be confusing - and this is definitely the case when it comes to choosing light sources, says Ian Fursland of The Lamp Company.

Colt International has appointed a new technical director, Paul Compton, who has worked for the company for over 25 years, establishing himself as an expert in the field of smoke control.

In a first for Northern Ireland, GM Training has chosen Logic Certification to provide ACS certification at its new centre in Belfast.

ABB is welcoming a new IEC international testing standard for electric low voltage motors that will make it easier for users to save energy by selecting the right high efficiency motors.

Reaction to news of the latest campaign by the Association of Ductwork Contractors and Allied Services (ADCAS) to rationalise the standard sizes of circular ductwork has been prompt and positive.

Vaillant and United Refrigeration UK Ltd have secured a deal that will see United Refrigeration become one of the main distributors of Vaillant air conditioning in the UK.

Employees in the construction and building sector are ready and willing to shrink their workplace emissions but need more support from their employers to do so. According to the findings of a Carbon Trust report into employees' attitudes to carbon reduction, 64% of employees surveyed from the sector said they wanted to cut their carbon emissions but wanted more guidance and empowerment.

PE, the UK's leading independent supplier of specialist generators for sale and rental, has recently presented Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity with a cheque for £5,000.00 for its ongoing appeal to help rebuild and refurbish the Hospital, buy vital equipment and fund pioneering research.

GE Consumer and Industrial is offering free lighting energy audits in an attempt to get businesses and public sector organisations thinking about their energy usage.

The UK's first centre of excellence in low carbon technologies for buildings is set to open at London South Bank University (LSBU).

HVCA Publications, the publishing division of the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association, has launched an updated edition of its guide JS5 Welding Safety in conjunction with the Electrical Contractors' Association.

The dedicated website for H&V09 is now live at http://www.handvexhibition.com/.

Recent research findings published by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), which confirm that participation in new-entrant training provides positive commercial benefits for employers, has been endorsed by HVCA president elect Gareth Vaughan.

SummitSkills has welcomed government plans to expand and strengthen apprenticeships.

BEST has formed an innovative partnership with private training facility The Plumbing Academy, in Kent, to establish a new delivery scheme for heating and plumbing apprentices in the South East.

To enable the industry to meet the new requirements of the 17th Edition, the Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) has published a comprehensive, user-friendly book for electrical contractors, apprentices, designers and installers alike. Simply laid out using a series of clear tables and diagrams, 'Guide to the Wiring Regulations BS7671: 2008' addresses all areas of the new requirements in straightforward terms.

Top electrical contractors have helped create the 11 outstanding lighting schemes that have been honoured in this year's Lighting Design Awards.

Faber Maunsell's innovative approach to sustainable design saw them scoop the New Build Project of the Year prize at the Low Carbon Performance Awards.

Carrier Corp will commemorate the 100-year anniversary of its subsidiary in Italy, Carrier S.p.A, with a European customer event at its Villasanta manufacturing facility near Milan.

Buro Happold staged a company-wide ‘wear Red for RedR Day' at the end of February, raising a total of £1,383 for the aid and development charity RedR - the Register of Engineers for Disaster Relief. It is the second time the practice has run a RedR Day since the scheme started three years ago.

Buderus has opened a new commercial training and sales administration centre at Blackpole in Worcester.

Phil Philippou has joined Johnson Controls as VRF Sales Manager for Systems & Service, responsible for strategically developing sales and new channels to market for York VRF equipment throughout the United Kingdom.

NICEIC has opened an Equipment and Publications Centre at its Warwick House headquarters. The Centre offers test equipment, electrical hand tools and publications at beneficial rates for contractors attending training courses.

Modern building technologies being used to preserve a historic coastline have been recognised and honoured with two significant awards.

Demand for places on training courses in refrigerant handling and essential ACR technology and theory is expected to surge, following the recent introduction of tough new competence standards as part of the F-Gas Regulation.

Frico Limited has unveiled a pan-European campaign to further encourage energy efficiency. The Frico Energy Savers initiative invites building services consultants and engineers to become Frico's energy-saving partners, via its website www.frico.co.uk, in return for a donation to the Rainforest Foundation and exclusive access to its latest energy saving products.

By January 2009, all air conditioning systems with a cooling capacity of 250 kW or more must have been inspected to comply with the Energy Performance in Buildings Regulations. This aspect of the Regulations must not be ignored, warns CIBSE, despite the current focus on Energy Performance Certificates and Display Energy Certificates.

The National Energy Foundation (NEF) is launching LogiCity, a virtual reality computer game, in schools across England as part of a programme to change attitudes to Climate Change.

Trox UK has invested over £100,000 in further extending its test facilities and purchase of specialist equipment.

SummitSkills, the sector skills council for building services engineering, has announced two new appointments to its expanding team.

As part of their commitment to offer a range of state of the art training courses, Grundfos has now produced a new training schedule for 2008.

Carrier Rental Systems has announced the launch of a new operation and a new service in the UK, Carrier RentalXpress.

With the last twelve months having seen the successful launch of a number of new products and Red Dot accolades for both its suspended Vision III luminaire and Domino spotlight, Ridi UK has appointed the Glasgow-based lighting design expert, Arcalite, as its agent for Scotland.

Toshiba Air Conditioning has launched a new industry-wide benefits scheme that goes hand in hand with a fresh appreciation of the value of its installers throughout the UK. The scheme is called ‘Additions' to emphasise that it is all about giving added value. Registered Additions members immediately gain points on all system purchases, redeemable for free Toshiba products.

The Government's draft strategy for sustainable construction falls very short of the mark, according to the mechanical and electrical sector's leading sustainability initiative.

A group of investors led by Qatar Islamic Bank and newly established Islamic investment bank QInvest has completed and signed on a deal to acquire 80% of the building of the London Bridge Quarter which includes the famous 'Shard of Glass' new London Bridge Tower. This was achieved alongside Sellar Properties of London who retain 20% of the deal.

HVCA president John Miller has re-stated his Association's commitment to reforming and reshaping the industrial relations culture across building services engineering - and to the work currently being undertaken to harmonise employment terms and conditions across the mechanical and electrical sectors.

Pickerings Lifts has launched a new Escalator Division, to supply and maintain a broad range of standard and bespoke escalators and travelators.  

Fläkt Woods ended 2007 with total sales of over 5,500 Jet Thrust fans in Portugal, representing 65% of the served market.

Desigo RXC terminal unit controllers from Siemens Building Technologies have become some of the first devices to achieve certification and be allowed to use the eu.bac logo. This accreditation proves the Desigo RXC controllers provide energy efficient control, and can be a major factor in reducing the carbon footprint of a building.

Seven hundred organisations across the UK signed up to cut carbon emissions from their buildings during the 100 Days of Carbon Clean Up Campaign run by The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), in association with E.ON, one of the UK's leading electricity and gas companies.

Do you know someone who is overflowing with talent? SummitSkills, the sector skills council for building services engineering (BSE), is calling for nominations for the SkillPLUMB and SkillELECTRIC competitions, as the hunt begins for the UK's finest plumber and electrician.

At a time when the gulf in lighting resources between rich and poor cities is greater than ever, The Lighting Urban Community International Association (LUCI), in association with sponsor Thorn, narrows the gap by announcing the outcome of the LightLinks programme.

The Government's strategy to ban sales of traditional tungsten filament light bulbs in favour of compact fluorescent lamps is insufficient and misguided, says the consultancy and testing organisation, BSRIA. BSRIA believes that not enough attention has been paid to lifecycle issues, the waste problem posed by compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and their light performance.

Members of the RS Components Electrical and Automation sales team have successfully completed Schneider Electrics' Gold Level training course on variable speed drives (VSDs). Gold is the highest level training programme available from Schneider Electric and is designed to provide an in-depth technical knowledge and expertise on the chosen subject.

An important new Code of Practice designed to ensure the leak tightness of refrigeration systems across the UK has been published by the British Refrigeration Association and supported by the Institute of Refrigeration.

Horstmann, a long established manufacturer of domestic and commercial heating controls is now part of the Entity Group.

With the introduction of the 17th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations rapidly approaching; the Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) has announced it will provide each of its member firms with a free pack containing the17th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations together with ECA advice.

As governments, NGOs and the media consider the implications of the United Nations Bali agreement on climate change, the Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) and the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association (HVCA) are urging the Government to go further with its Draft for Sustainable Construction. This comes as part of a joint approach to sustainability by the associations in terms of industry representation and the provision of practical, expert advice to members and clients.

A leading renewables specialist has welcomed the government's commitment to making all new school buildings zero carbon by 2016.

Because every project is different, Fläkt Woods has created a very different team of specialists, who are committed to providing precise advice and guidance for consultants in the HVAC Industry.

Trox Academy has extended its training options by offering short term work placements (4-6 weeks) for design engineers at their UK Headquarters in Thetford, Norfolk.

The Carrier name is to be introduced to the Longville equipment rental businesses that Carrier acquired at the end of 2006.  The group holding company, Longville Group Ltd, will change its name to Carrier Rental Systems Ltd; and the overseas holding company will be changed to Carrier Rental Systems International Ltd.

Breathegroup has strengthened its sales team with the appointment of Brian Wells.

Rebecca Johnson Bsc MBA has moved to the Baxi Commercial Heating team as Marketing Manager from Rolls-Royce, Civil Aerospace.  Rebecca has over seven years experience in a professional marketing and commercial capacity gained in predominantly scientific, technological and engineering environments.

CIBSE Certification's application to provide an accredited Energy Assessors scheme has been approved by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) making it one of the first organisations to be given the go ahead to accredit Energy Assessors.