News Archive - July 2008
Gas price hike heats up argument for heatpumps
31 July 2008
British Gas may have announced almost £1 billion profits but it has raised the gas price it charges its customers by 35%.
A load of rubbish powers E.ON's CHP plant
31 July 2008
Foster Wheeler, the construction engineering firm, is to supply a rubbish-powered boiler island to generate steam and electricity for E.ON’s combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Sweden.
HVAC students attend Second Life school
31 July 2008
HVAC students at a UK college were stunned when their gas and heating lecturer Martin Biron rented 4,000 m2 of space in the online world Second Life to run 3D virtual classrooms.
Tesco builds Britain's first straw CHP plant
30 July 2008
Supermarket giant Tesco is to build Britain's first straw-powered Combined Heat and Power plant to fuel its business.
Dimplex is game to support Bristol Club
30 July 2008
Heating manufacturer Dimplex has lent its support to social housing maintenance provider Connaught to help refurbish a community centre for young people in Bristol.
RDM acquires Taiwanese manufacturer
29 July 2008
HVACR controls firm Resource Data Management (RDM) has bought Taiwan-based component and electronics manufacturer, FYC Co Ltd.
Ian Livsey appointed SummitSkills' new chairman
29 July 2008
Ian Livsey has been appointed as the new chair of SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for building services engineering (BSE).
Charitable Storey: Plumbing head cycles to Paris
29 July 2008
Simon Storey, who runs SES Plumbing and Heating Services, has done the London Marathon and the Great North Run, and is now cycling from London to Paris for charity.
Firms, contractors, HVAC men, lend us your names!
28 July 2008
The government may have no grip on the grid and no ears for a CHP feed-in tariff, but our CHP petition has won praise in Parliament (from the building services industry.)
Hot debate at London HEVAR 08
26 July 2008
September's London HEVAR 2008 is hosting a CPD accredited seminar programme for building services professionals to debate the industry's hottest issues.
Bosses offered £170 million in training grants
23 July 2008
From August 1, construction bosses can apply for a slice of an £170 million pie for training.
Wolseley UK MD replaced by Europe head to cut costs
22 July 2008
The managing director of Wolseley UK, Nigel Sibley, has been replaced by the chief executive of Wolseley Europe to cut costs in the face of tough UK market conditions.
JS Wright launches maintenance division
22 July 2008
Building services provider JS Wright has created a new maintenance and facilities management division.
More construction firms in corporate distress
22 July 2008
Nearly five times as many construction firms are experiencing "critical problems" in 2008 compared to last year, according to figures from Begbies Traynor, the UK business rescue specialist.
Energy experts fuel WREC 2008
21 July 2008
The 10th World Renewable Energy Congress & Exhibition opened in Scotland on July 21 and runs until July 25.
Smoke control expert joins Bovema
21 July 2008
Fire safety expert Hugh Mahoney has been appointed technical manager of Cardiff-based ventilation manufacturer and smoke control specialist Bovema UK.
Barnados gets Balls rolling with construction school
21 July 2008
Ed Balls has praised Barnados for its new construction school designed to halt the rising number of NEETS (those Not in Education, Employment or Training).
Get more pay when you holiday
18 July 2008
HVAC staff are missing out a larger pay packet because firms are failing to claim National Insurance exemption for holiday pay.
Pepper shakes up ICOM
18 July 2008
Lochinvar's managing director David Pepper is the new president of ICOM Energy association.
Vaughan crowned HVCA president
18 July 2008
Gareth Vaughan, the managing director of ductwork specialist E Poppleton & Son, has been elected president of the HVCA.
Plumbing a popular career in a recession
18 July 2008
Despite the credit crunch more and more people are opting for training for a traditional trade to weather the economic recession in Britain, according to Train 4 Trade Skills.
Daikin Europe celebrates 1.9bn turnover
16 July 2008
Daikin Europe NV announced a turnover of 1.9 billon euro, up from 1.5 billion in 2006 for financial year 2007.
Wolseley's profits fall by 28%
16 July 2008
Profits for Wolseley have slumped by 28% and the group has said hundreds of jobs and more branches will go.
Glock takes hot seat as Bosch Thermotechnik's president
15 July 2008
Uwe Glock has taken up his new post as president of Bosch Thermotechnik, a leading heating and hot water solutions supplier in Europe.
Coppers urge tradesmen to secure copper
15 July 2008
Thieves ripped copper piping from 23 homes at the weekend, leaving behind gas leaks and a ticking time bomb for residents.
More job cuts expected at Wolseley
14 July 2008
Plumbing, heating and building supplier, Wolseley Plc is expected to announce more job losses, due to worsening market conditions.
Shoreheat buys UK Gas spares
14 July 2008
Heating parts supplier Shoreheat, owned by the Grafton Group, has acquired UK Gas Spares based in Brighouse, West Yorkshire.
Underfloor heating course gets UHMA backing
14 July 2008
UHMA has approved the UK's first independent training course in underfloor heating design and installation.
Plumber wins World Superbike tickets
14 July 2008
Trainee plumber Paul Roddam has secured two tickets to the World Superbike Championship having won the Vent-Axia competition run on this website.
Employers must grasp EU changes to agency worker rights
04 July 2008
A leading law firm is warning employers to review their use of and arrangements with agency workers, following an EU deal to give agency workers new rights.
BSRIA launches Soft Landings
04 July 2008
BSRIA launched a manifesto for Soft Landings at the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) luncheon at the House
of Commons on June 30.
LG and Siemens sign global partnership
04 July 2008
LG and Siemens are entering a global partnership to develop commercial air control solutions and systems.
Manufacturers feeling the housebuilders’ pain
03 July 2008
The sharp decline in house building experienced since the start of the year has now translated into a dramatic fall in sales in the second quarter of 2008 for product manufacturers, according to the latest Industry Barometer from Ernst and Young and the Construction Products Association.
New distributor set to give Schüco a higher profile
03 July 2008
The Schüco name will be more visible than ever following the decision by solar thermal specialist installer EC Solar to brand its fleet of 142 vehicles in Schüco livery.
FPB welcomes shadow chancellor’s tax proposals
03 July 2008
A proposal that could ease the tax burden for millions of small businesses across the UK is being welcomed by the Forum of Private Business (FPB).