The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) is now inviting entries for the CIBSE ASHRAE Young Engineers’ Awards 2013. Building services engineers, who have recently graduated, and employers of graduates both have categories to enter in the awards and entries need to be received by 31 July 2013.

The UK government's zero waste economy objective is highly desirable but unrealistic.  We need to push responsibility for waste up the supply chain and put a brake on waste by design. In its latest report, CIWEM challenges government to ensure that everyone takes responsibility for waste – not just the waste management sector.

Following February’s publication of the coroner’s recommendations into the deaths of two fire fighters in Southampton in 2010, Richard Shaw of Ellis has called on the electrical industry to ban the use of plastic products as the sole means of cable support in areas where fallen cables may put the lives of fire fighters at risk.

Amtech Group is presenting a two day conference on 17-18 June at the Crystal Building, London which will focus on the practical aspects of implementing and engaging with BIM.

The Spectrum building, one of Glasgow’s most recognisable office properties, has won a prestigious award for its innovative lighting.

The University of Westminster has published a landmark report about the future direction of eco-cities. The Bellagio Statement outlines the recommendations to improve sustainable development and practice concerning the use of eco-city indicators, standards and frameworks in a variety of organisational, national and cultural contexts.

The Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) has announced that the Young Lighter of the Year 2013 competition is now open for entries. Finalists will get the chance to present at the LUX Live exhibition and the winner will receive the prestigious award at the Lux Awards in London on 21 November 2013.

Fläkt Woods is assisting building services engineers, consultants, specifiers, M&E contractors, distributors and installers by highlighting a potential misinterpretation of the ErP Regulation (EU) 327/2011 for fans.

Training charity JTL has been awarded its second ‘Good’ rating by Ofsted following a recent inspection. This result is even more significant than the ‘Good’ rating JTL received from Ofsted in 2008 due to the recent change in Ofsted inspection arrangements which has seen the introduction of short notice inspections and a more stringent standard.

In support of Climate Week, Britain’s largest climate campaign which took place in March, CIWEM joined the collective call for government to maintain its commitment to the Climate Change Act and to meet its legal obligations on emissions targets.

Business standards company, BSI has published a new standard to encourage best practice implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM).

As the UK edges ever nearer to potential blackouts, Darren Farrar, Energy Customer Marketing Manager, at Schneider Electric, highlights how we got here and questions where next for UK government?

Sabien Technology, the manufacturer of M2G energy efficiency technology, has welcomed David Cameron’s recent pledge to make the UK the most energy efficient economy in Europe.

Distech Controls has been awarded LONMARK’s Certified Device of the Year for its RCL-PFC LONWORKS configurable controller Series (SCC). Through this award programme, LonMark International honours products, companies, projects and individuals that have demonstrated superior levels of expertise with open control networking technology based upon the ISO/IEC 14908 suite of standards.

The Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) is pleased to announce that its 11th annual competition will be taking place at Rose Bruford College, Sidcup, on Tuesday 19 March. The event, Ready Steady Light, will host 17 teams who will compete against each other by designing and setting up temporary exterior installations with a range of equipment in only 180 minutes.

The tireless campaigning of three prominent figures in the design and engineering fields has helped to bring about a landmark deal to give countless companies some much-deserved recognition for the part they played in the success of the 2012 London Games.

Christopher Longhurst, Building Services Engineer of NPS Group was the lucky winner in the 2012 annual BSEE circulation prize draw. His prize of the latest Apple iPad was presented by BSEE’s Advertisement Manager Robert Gouge.

The first Industry Apprentice Council (IAC) has been launched for apprentices to have their say on national policy and strategy, take action on apprenticeship promotion and feedback directly to government ministers.

There is a growing recognition that not all aspects of the commissioning of a building and its engineering services systems can be carried out during the normal contract period.

Ellis has called on the IET to eradicate a longstanding installation issue that causes serious health, safety and system integrity problems by reclassifying cable cleats as protective equipment.

The CBCA (Chilled Beams and Ceilings Association) has launched the first free Technical Document covering Thermal Comfort.

With the Green Deal officially launched on 28 January 2013, CIBSE Certification is pleased to announce that it has certified its first organisation to become a Non-Domestic Green Deal Advice Organisation.

The recently introduced Energy Bill touches on so many different aspects of the energy market, aiming to boost confidence and encourage future investment.

According to the Environment Agency, Lumicom was responsible for 100% of Category 5 luminaire WEEE collections within two consecutive quarters of 2012.    It was calculated that within Q2 2012 Lumicom recycled 80.599 tonnes of identified Cat 5 WEEE and by the close of Q3 the figure had increased to 99.764 tonnes.

For secure and affordable energy, the government should take a more long term view and invest in a genuine low carbon economy, says the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM).  Investment in gas should not come at the expense of renewable investment nor sideline the nation’s climate commitments.

Ross Anderson has been appointed as the Director of ICOM Energy Association, succeeding Robert Burke who has left to pursue other interests.

After supporting the Education Funding Agency (EFA) in the development of the new Priority School Output Specification, natural ventilation specialist Breathing Buildings has created a guidance paper to help contractors and engineers comply with the new criteria and cost targets.

Peter van der Kolk, Helvar’s Business Development Director, who has represented Helvar on the board for DALI for five years, has been elected and appointed as Chairman of the DALI Board.

Dimplex has welcomed the government’s latest Energy Bill, which sets out the UK’s plan for a low carbon economy and includes decarbonising the electricity grid.

There are millions of pounds of funding available for training in the construction sector, whether it is for up-skilling or training for a new job. But employers, especially SMEs, and individual workers are failing to take advantage of this money and need to act urgently if they are to reap the benefit of the new infrastructure projects.  

National Skills Academies, such as the National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies, have been described as a ‘key instrument in the Government’s agenda to make the UK economy competitive on a global scale on the basis of world-class skills.’

The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) welcomes recommendations made by the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee urging the government to reconsider dropping the ‘environmental equality’ Sustainable Development Indicator (SDI). 

ICOM Energy Association held its inaugural Winter Conference focusing on regulations and initiatives relating to energy efficiency in building services, and featuring speakers from the CBI, CIBSE, DCLG, DECC and Defra.

The Government’s Energy Efficiency Strategy looks at implementing measures to reduce energy consumption by 11% by the end of the decade. While the Chartered Institution for Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) readily acknowledges that energy efficiency should be at the heart of policy, demand side reduction is vital and the deteriorating energy picture would suggest that we need to act right now to make a difference.

A new register of trained installers has been launched by the National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies in order to give local authorities and householder’s confidence when selecting a renewables tradesperson in their area.

All those who train with the Skills Academy are eligible to join the register, allowing installers to promote their accredited skills and qualifications to gain new customers and subcontract work.

ESTA’s (Energy Service and Technology Association) lighting control group has elected Helen Holman, Market Manager for Hager, as its new chairperson.

The group aims to raise the profile of lighting control and awareness about some of the grants available for installation. It is also conducting market research to assess the current knowledge about the subject with a view to setting up and running workshops and other training.

BRE has published an overview of its SMARTWaste Plan site waste management tool in a new report called Saving money, resources and carbon through SMARTWaste. The report has been published to coincide with the relaunch of the SMARTWaste website, and includes information on the smartER feature for improved environmental performance.

The Prime Minister has announced the importance of establishing a definitive technology centre in London.

David Cameron emphasised the value in developing a space in which British aspiring tech companies can expand and flourish. This comes at a time in which the nation is looking to emulate the advancements made by the US with its world-renowned Silicon Valley, in order to compete in the global race for economic power.

MITIE has been awarded the prestigious Gold standard at the Green Apple Environmental Best Practice Awards which celebrated their unique waste outsourcing partnership with three major organisations: IKEA, Network Rail and Santander.

The partnerships succeeded in reducing their waste environmental impact and mitigated the costs of the process by taking them on a zero waste journey.

KNX UK is delighted to announce that Philips has joined the Association. The Philips name is synonymous with high quality, user friendly and energy efficient lighting control solutions for a wide range of markets and the company's new LightMaster KNX range will bring recognised lighting know-how to the world of KNX, providing energy savings, comfort and flexibility.

David Dunn, Commercial Director of Toshiba Air Conditioning believes that when we are considering the proposals to ban sales of equipment pre-charged with refrigerant, we need to address the issue of improved standards of training for installers.

He says: “Banning the sale of air conditioning equipment pre-charged with refrigerant has been suggested as a possible means of reducing the risk of leakage and making refrigerant sales more transparent.

The Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES) has announced new customisation and prioritisation components for its industry standard maintenance schedules, to help users simplify the tendering process; reduce building maintenance costs and ensure compliance with relevant legislation.

Economic challenges faced by the building maintenance industry have powered the launch of a new SFG20: the most comprehensive and budget-friendly product update to impact building maintenance standards since the SFG20 launch over 22 years ago.

SummitSkills has welcomed the conclusions of a BIS report that suggests quality, and not just quantity, should be the UK’s focus for apprenticeships.

Produced by the House of Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, the Apprenticeships – Fifth Report is the result of an inquiry that was announced in December 2011. Among the issues it set out to investigate were the impact of the National Apprenticeship Service, current funding arrangements, whether there is a need for extra funding, the quality of apprenticeships, and apprenticeship bonuses.

CITB-ConstructionSkills has welcomed the launch of the Green Deal, and urges small and medium sized (SME) contractors to act now so that they are ready to take advantage of the opportunities the scheme has to offer when work begins in January 2013.

Since BREEAM was first introduced in 1990 there has been much debate about its value.  However, a new report, commissioned by Schneider Electric and conducted by BSRIA, has offered new insight into the discussions around its cost to businesses and whether this is a major factor in the choice to opt into having a BREEAM accredited building.

Mitsubishi Electric and leading thermal simulation software developer Environmental Design Solutions Limited (EDSL) have been working together to deliver an advanced software package that will help designers, developers, installers and building operators see the direct energy implications of the type of heating, cooling and ventilation equipment they choose to install.

CIBSE and ASHRAE have named Lee Tabis, a 22 year-old trainee design engineer with engineering, IT and facilities services business NG Bailey, Graduate of the Year 2012. He received his award from the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) President David Fisk during the CIBSE Young Engineers’ Awards.

The latest Government announcement making apprenticeship grants available to more employers will give a welcome boost to SMEs in the building services engineering sector, says SummitSkills, the sector skills council for the building services engineering sector.

Announced by Skills Minister John Hayes in response to the Holt Review, the Government is relaxing the restrictions on its Apprenticeship Grants for Employers (AGE) scheme, enabling SMEs who have previously taken on apprentices to benefit from the £1500 financial support, as well as those who have never taken on an apprentice before.

Almost one in three firms have seen a fall in their workload during the first six months of 2012, although there are some signs that the rate of decline is slowing down, according to a state of trade survey carried out among members of B&ES (the Building & Engineering Services Association).

The downturn has been most evident in the North East of England, Yorkshire and Scotland, and in the residential heating sector, the research indicates.

Energos says the government's decision to reverse proposed changes to the Renewables Obligation Certificate (ROC) support for Advanced Conversion Technologies (ACT) under its recent review will unlock much needed new generation infrastructure, including its own £450 million investment pipeline, and has praised the Coalition for listening to industry.

With legislation and regulations surrounding fan motors becoming ever more stringent, and adding cost to the end product, Biddle Air Systems is concerned that manufacturers, end users and ironically, the environment could be affected.

With the non-domestic sector contributing to 38% of the UK’s carbon emissions, energy using products installed in commercial, industrial and public sector premises have recently come under close scrutiny, particularly through the ErP (Energy-related Products) Directive, which aims to make energy consuming products more environmentally sound.

FIEC (the European Construction Industry Federation) has warmly welcomed the European Parliament’s adoption of the Energy Efficiency Directive and especially applauds the directive’s provision for long-term national roadmaps for the renovation of Europe’s building stock.

The new President of the British Refrigeration Association is John Austin-Davies, Commercial Director of George Barker & Co (part of the EPTA Group). John takes over from Bob Arthur of Marks & Spencer and will hold the position for a period of two years. Mike Lawrence of JTL Systems Ltd becomes the new Vice-President.

The Chartered Institute of Plumbing & Heating Engineering (CIPHE) is stepping up its fight against the illegal use of its logo. At present, letters are sent to anyone displaying the CIPHE logo that is not entitled to do so. Anyone who fails to respond to the letter within seven days is reported to their local Trading Standards Office.

Once Trading Standards get involved the offender usually tends to cooperate, otherwise they could face prosecution under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

As DECC publishes its response to the Green Deal consultation paper, Garry Worthington, Head of Green Deal at Climate Energy, says: “This response has been greatly anticipated, and we expect it to answer some of the questions surrounding the future of energy efficiency in the UK.

“It will also help us to further progress with our plans to become a Green Deal provider, as well as helping local authorities and regional organisations move ahead in terms of designing and implementing regional and local schemes.

President of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, David Fisk, called for greater recognition of the need to deliver energy efficient buildings at the launch of the new CIBSE Guide F: Energy Efficiency in Buildings.

“At a time of energy prices rising to pay for new infrastructure, when companies are making plans to meet their Carbon Reduction Commitments and when the UK, for the first time in its history, is a net importer of its energy, focusing on energy efficiency is the key for owners of new and existing buildings.

Businesses have welcomed plans by the Government to ensure that London Stock Exchange companies will be required to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions in their annual reports.

This follows a four year campaign from the Aldersgate Group, the business alliance, which drafted the original amendments to the Climate Change Act.

The growing importance of young engineers and their role in helping the UK emerge from economic recession is to be reflected in a new awards scheme developed by the Chartered Institution of Building Service Engineers (CIBSE).

The CIBSE Young Engineers Awards 2012 brings together, for the first time, the CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year Award, now in its 17th year and the Employer of the Year Award in one, high profile event to be held at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) in London.

The National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies is expanding its provision to deliver all skills and competencies required by the government’s Green Deal scheme, scheduled for roll out in October.

New skills

The move will see the inclusion of training in building insulation, consumer awareness, energy efficiency, energy assessment, energy advice, and underpinning business and management skills. These join the Academy’s core qualifications courses already on offer.

B&ES has warned that too many businesses are still ignorant of the fire hazard posed by kitchen extraction ductwork – yet the cost implications are enormous, with more and more insurance companies refusing to pay up if a fire is traced back to grease-laden or incorrectly fitted ductwork.

It’s a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ but in a commercial kitchen, whether pub, fast food outlet, hotel or restaurant, dust and grease can readily build up in a kitchen’s ventilation ductwork, becoming a serious potential fire risk.

Organisers of the SkillELECTRIC competition, SummitSkills, have welcomed the news that past winner Richard Sagar has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list.

Now 25 and running his own electrical installation business, Richard won the skills competition in October 2008 when he worked for Eden Electrics and was completing his studies with SECTT. He went on to compete for the UK against the best electricians from across the globe in the 2009 WorldSkills competition held at Calgary in Canada, where he won the gold medal.

Energys Group and Smart Eco Energy Ltd have announced a partnership with Utility Rentals to help schools significantly reduce their lighting energy costs through the provision of a funding scheme dedicated to schools. This leasing scheme requires no capital investment and allows the school to pay for the equipment from the energy savings achieved.

Utility Rentals will work with both companies to provide a flexible operating lease which enables schools to benefit from energy saving technologies.

Atmos Consulting is developing a computer model which attempts to makes sense of the complexity of understanding and predicting the cumulative visual impact of wind turbines. The aim is to attempt to model and display the intensity of visual impact arising from wind turbines in a format which can be more readily understood by planning authorities, statutory consultees and the general public.

BSRIA has started testing in its new facility dedicated to comprehensive testing of flues, chimneys and fittings. The facility is designed for testing product safety, fire resistance, reliability, corrosion and performance characteristics to the requirements of the European standards, local markets and regulations.

Businesses of all sizes are taking advantage of the change in planning regulations which means commercial solar PV installations under 50kWp electricity no longer require planning permission.

This paves the way for them to be treated in the same way as domestic properties which have no need to go through a formal planning process. The change in planning regulations not only means that new projects can go ahead without the risk of delay but also projects which might previously have been held back or cancelled due to lack of permissions.

A new not-for-profit organisation, the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Buildings, has been launched to create the largest network of potential Green Deal providers, financiers, product and service suppliers in a hub of expertise to represent industry’s views on the practical implementation of Green Deal, ECO and wider energy efficiency opportunities in the UK.

Climaveneta has signed an agreement to acquire the majority of Powermaster Products, its long established distribution partner for England and Wales, together with the majority of Powermaster Service, the service organisation that is active across UK. The move follows the acquisition of the chiller distribution and service activities of Climate from the Walter Meier Group in 2011.

The National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies has opened its first centres in Wales, servicing clients in both the North and South of the country with hubs located at Llandrillo and Neath Port Talbot Colleges. Each hub is supported by a number of other training providers to ensure businesses in these regions have easy access to Skills Academy courses.

The Building Centre and bimstore.co.uk have joined forces to provide specifiers with a new, free way to access the latest BIM content and to offer building product manufacturers the opportunity to have their components modelled and distributed through specifinder.com, bimstore.co.uk and even their own websites.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the collaborative process of creating a digital, 3D representation of a project containing information on all of its physical and functional characteristics and those of its components, thus forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life cycle from initial concept through to demolition.

The electrical industry’s appetite for sustainable learning and education is on the rise, according to Schneider Electric. Figures from the company’s revolutionary Energy University web-based learning tool show the site is growing at an unprecedented rate with over 1,500 people in the UK registering in the last year alone.

The Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Group of B&ES (Building & Engineering Services Association) has added ‘heat pump’ to its name to reflect the growing popularity of this technology.

Group chairman Scott Gleed said: “The thermodynamic principles associated with heat pump technology are closely aligned with those relating to refrigeration and air conditioning, so that the relevant skills and expertise already exist within the group. This needs to be made clear to end users and clients.

By Frank Moszkal, General Manager of AxFlow Windsor Division

Water is a critical resource within buildings; we need it for drinking, washing, heating and sanitation. Then there’s cleaning and cooking. It is therefore essential that all pump systems associated with water services operate at all times because 100% availability is required. It is a tall order, but one that many facilities and building services managers have to deal with.

Ernest Magog of Lumicom explains the key things to look out for when refurbishing an existing lighting scheme in a commercial building and the elements which need to be considered in order to comply with the WEEE regulations.

Sustainability continues to be an issue for commercial buildings but the continuous cuts to budgets means that more companies are opting for refurbishment rather than new-build.

The incoming CIBSE President, David Fisk (pictured), in his presidential address ‘Reality Check’ has called for more real performance data and less greenwash in building services systems.

Professor Fisk said it was a time to rethink fundamentals and argued that the right response to the industry’s uncertain times was to reassert normal engineering values and challenge spin. Looking at issues from the Shard to sustainability he asked why engineering institutions were reluctant to take on exaggeration and misinformation.

In the wake of an influential group of leading companies (including M&S, National Grid, Philips, and Sky) taking the Government to task for delaying its long-awaited decision on emission reporting rules, Sabien Technology Chief Executive Alan O’Brien said he supported the view that mandatory carbon reporting (MCR) would have a wide range of benefits.