Air quality appears to have been virtually ignored in the latest guidelines from The British Standards Institute which has launched its Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 5748 to provide a framework for the planning, application and measurement of cleanliness in hospitals. Cosmetic cleaning of the outside of ventilation grills may look nice but it does not address the very serious, and in some cases fatal, consequences of contaminated air ducts.

New HVCA Chief Executive, Blane Judd, has been appointed a fellow of the City and Guilds of London Institute, in recognition of his contribution to training and education in building engineering services. A graduate in integrated engineering from Nottingham Trent University, Mr Judd has demonstrated a career-long commitment to the development of qualifications and the raising of standards across building engineering services – as a director of sector skill council SummitSkills and of the Electricity Association, as chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering and as an executive board member of the World Plumbing Council.

One of the big issues hitting the headlines at the moment is the cost of energy and as prices continue to soar it leaves us all wondering exactly how much it is going to cost us over the next few months. Nine million or so British Gas customers have already seen their energy bills jump when price increases took effect in August; Scottish Power's customers are already paying more while Scottish & Southern Energy and E.ON are due to put their energy prices up this month.

Moving huge amounts of soil, re-positioning drainpipes and sewer lines as well as cutting through concrete, are all very expensive activities that make traditional wastewater gravity drainage one of the more challenging aspects for commercial building services professionals. However a simpler solution to this problem can be achieved via the installation of a lifting station as they offer a very flexible solution to the problems that wastewater management can pose either in a refurbished, re-configured or a new building project.

It has been well established that going green is good for business, and the past decade has seen organisations improve energy efficiency and boost on-site sustainability for a number of different reasons. What is often overlooked, however, is the ways in which an eco-friendly working environment can impact upon staff morale and productivity.

The National Audit Office’s judgement that smart meters may not result in a change in energy use by consumers over a sustained period has been challenged by the Energy Services and Technology Association. ESTA represents providers of energy efficiency products and services primarily to the non-domestic sector.

With less than one year to go until the Olympic flame is lit, the environmental improvements in the Olympic Park and surrounding areas have already delivered impressive results, according to Environment Agency Chairman, Lord Smith. He highlighted five projects as key indicators of the green legacy pledge of the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games, and paid tribute to those from the Environment Agency, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and other partners who have worked together to deliver on this promise.

Kelly Butler, Director of the BEAMA Domestic Heat Pump Association welcomed the launch of the Renewable Heat Premium Payment by DECC on 21 July 2011 commenting: “The Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP) scheme will take the industry one step closer to its goal of one million heat pumps installed by 2020. I’m pleased that the scheme is running to the original timescales, with vouchers for payment issued from 1 August, so that installers and their customers have a full heating season to specify and install measures.”

Bob Shelley has been elected president of the HVCA for 2011/12. Mr Shelley served a four year technical engineering apprenticeship with national contractor Lorne Stewart, achieving qualifications in environmental engineering from South Thames College, Wandsworth, and South Bank Polytechnic. He is a chartered director, a member of the Institute of Directors (IoD) and an associate member of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE).

Geoff Lockwood, Technical Director at ebm-papst, has been appointed President of the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA), which represents the interests of manufacturers, suppliers, installers and contractors within the heat pump, controls, ventilating, refrigeration and air conditioning industry.

Following the launch of a new government scheme, business owners across the UK will soon be able to take a leaf out of Lord Sugar’s book and ‘try before they buy’ to find their next apprentice, says training provider ATL. The new Access to Apprenticeships scheme aims to provide help and support for young people aged 16-24 and give them the opportunity to demonstrate to employers their commitment to work and study to a required standard.

More than 50 presentations have now been reviewed and approved for the first ever CIBSE Technical Symposium which will see technical experts from all over the world joining together at Leicester’s De Montfort University from 6-7 September. The event, which is aimed at building services engineers engaged in the day-to-day detail of project design, academics and researchers, will hear from speakers based in the US, the Middle East and Europe.

Companies are failing to gain full certification in compliance with the F-Gas Regulations due to confusion over the 3kg threshold. According to certification body Refcom, employers working with refrigerants mistakenly believe that they do not need to hold a full company certificate if they work only on small systems below the 3kg limit. As a result, they are not applying for full certification in compliance with the F-Gas Regulations, despite the deadline for full certification having passed on 4 July.

November 2011 sees the launch of LuxLive, set to be the most innovative and ambitious lighting event ever staged in the UK. Launched by the Lighting Industry Federation and Lux magazine, and backed by leading lighting organisations, LuxLive takes place from 9 to 10 November at Earls Court, London, and is designed to offer state of the art lighting solutions for offices, retail, industry, warehousing, education, hospitality and the public sector.

More than 1,800 training opportunities will be available to employers in the building services engineering (BSE) sector over the next year, courtesy of SummitSkills and the Joint Investment Programme. These opportunities for employers to invest in the future of their employees through accredited training are being provided between September 2011 and July 2012.

Vertical inline pumps from Armstrong have delivered cost savings and freed-up valuable space in the plant room for the prestigious redevelopment of the King’s Cross Eastern Goods Yard. The £170 million project forms part of one of London’s development projects involving a site with a rich industrial history. It will provide a new campus for the University of Arts, London (UAL) and includes Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, which moves in this September.

Trox fan coil units have been selected for a striking new mixed-use development in central London. Incorporating energy efficient motors and featuring customised jet nozzle and grille designs, the fan coil units meet the extremely high performance requirements of the consultant at the same time as achieving the architect’s intentions for the visual impact of the space.

The prestigious new City of Westminster College Paddington Green Campus in central London has been fitted with a sustainable building control system from CentraLine by Honeywell. Specified and installed by system integrators Ashdown Controls, the CentraLine BMS features a suite of energy efficient products to control the College’s HVAC systems.

The indoor tennis centre at The Warwick University is the first leisure centre in the UK to receive an ‘excellent’ BREEAM rating. Constructed to minimise impact on the environment, but also to meet the exacting standards of the Lawn Tennis Association, the centre features natural ventilation for environmental efficiency and the ABR-SPORT luminaire from Ridi for high performance, robust lighting.

Guests who visit the sumptuous Kallima Spa at the hotel are also in for a treat following the installation of Raychem T2 Isolecta insulation board, combined with T2Quicknet 160 to offer an energy efficient, smart solution. Jonathan Jones of Tyco Thermal Controls says: “The London Syon Park hotel is a very prestigious development and understandably the developers were looking for a smart heating solution which would provide the high levels of comfort which the guests would expect.

Regupol 4515 Eco, a rubber and cork acoustic underlayment, has been installed in Pacific Court the second phase of apartments to be released at Berkeley Homes development, Caspian Wharf in Bow to provide cost effective impact sound insulation. Compatible with a range of floor finishes and underfloor heating systems, Regupol 4515 Eco delivered Part E compliant acoustic dampening beneath carpet and vinyl flooring.

Engineers from building services firm EIC have been appointed to a £2.1m contract for a state-of-the-art research and development facility for aerospace contractor Moog. EIC will install mechanical services at the purpose-built, two-storey office, and single-storey production and warehouse building, at the i54 Business Park in Wolverhampton.

MHS Boilers has supplied ten Ultramax 65kW wall-mounted condensing boilers and ten Xpressflo 300 litre condensing hot water generators to the University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd. As part of a £20 million redevelopment of the Treforest campus Halls of Residence, the boilers will be installed in five plant rooms and provide heating and hot water to over 450 new en-suite rooms.

Fläkt Woods has won an order to provide the ventilation requirements as part of a supply and installation package for the inspiring new National Indoor Sports Arena & Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome building, currently under construction which will be used for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

It has been said before in this column that one of the benefits and disadvantages of building controls and building energy management systems (BEMS) is that they are hidden energy savers. Operating largely unnoticed by building occupants, controls may be overlooked and as a result building managers may not see the full energy saving benefits these technologies are capable of delivering.

Downside Primary School in Bedfordshire has installed a unique, service-free solar powered ventilation system utilising carbon dioxide (CO²) and temperature controllers enabled by batteryless radio technology from EnOcean. As part of the UK Government’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) investment programme, Downside Primary School in Luton has been granted a low energy, natural ventilation system to reduce the building’s energy consumption and provide a continuous fresh air supply throughout all the classrooms, assembly hall and gymnasium.

Jason Preston, Director of 2bm, outlines the opportunities for transforming data centre energy consumption, from the adoption of Direct Free Cooling, to more effective air management techniques and the use of aisle containment.

Taking on the responsibility for a new development can be a complex procedure as you strive to bring together a team of consultants and contractors who you trust to carry out the job in the professional manner which you would expect. Co-ordinating the activities of the surveyors, architects and numerous contractors is a difficult task alone, but if your development also requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) you need to ensure that you identify a consultancy that can not only lead and co-ordinate that work, but one that can also carry it out properly.

The magazines may be packed full of exotic products, fabulous buildings and luxury houses where everything happens intelligently at the touch of a button. The world, it seems, is the oyster of the installer that can make it all happen. So why is it that British homes and small commercial building are still peppered with wall-mounted room-by-room controllers which give bill-payers little control over energy consumption?

As a nation we have committed to stringent, and legally binding, carbon emission reduction targets through the Climate Change Act 2008. These require an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (against a 1990 benchmark figure) with intermediate targets addressed through regular Carbon Budgets.

As the tough economic times continue, it might be tempting for specifiers to opt for relatively unknown, cheaper brands to keep costs down and to make a higher margin. Here Jon Cockburn, Head of Marketing at Heatrae Sadia, explains that where large and small unvented water heating is concerned, this is false economy.

For those involved in the growing solar panel sector‚ awareness of installation and safety standards is crucial for system performance‚ says Jim Wallace of Seaward Solar.

For most of us the job of answering the door is something that doesn’t even register – we react to a knock, ring or buzz and respond either in person or using whatever technology is installed in our home or office.

But door entry is a multi-billion dollar world-wide industry that has technology to suit every scenario, as Richard Hayward, the Legrand Marketing Manager who is responsible for the UK activities of its Group company, Bticino explains.

You know something is not quite right with the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) energy efficiency scheme when the Environment Agency has to produce a guidance note on its guidance notes.

Stephen Andrews, Technical Manager at Danfoss Heat Pumps, looks at how an increasing number of businesses are upgrading their buildings with microgeneration technologies, such as heat pumps, to provide a more sustainable and affordable energy source for the future.

Renewables are key to meeting our future energy needs, but as with all emerging technologies, the way forward isn’t always clear. Ideal Commercial Heating’s James Parkinson charts a path through the financial and legislative minefield for building owners and operators.