News Archive - July 2013
Government unveils Part L changes with mixed reaction from industry
31 July 2013
Long-awaited changes to Part L of the Building Regulations focusing on the energy efficiency of new homes and non-domestic buildings were unveiled by the Government yesterday (30 July).
Sainsbury's celebrates solar achievement
31 July 2013
Sainsbury's has reached another milestone in its sustainability initiative and has now installed 100,000 photovoltaic solar panels (22mWp) across 210 stores - enough to cover 35 football pitches.
DECC launches £20m Green Deal communities scheme
29 July 2013
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has unveiled a new £20m Green Deal Communities scheme to help local authorities drive street-by-street delivery of the Green Deal.
FMB calls on Government to back SMEs on Help to Buy
29 July 2013
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) is urging the Government to incentivise smaller housing developers to build more homes in order to meet the rising demand generated by the Help to Buy scheme.
ebm-papst engineer achieves CEng status
29 July 2013
Paul Clarke, an electronic design engineer from ebm-papst, has achieved Chartered Engineer (CEng) status with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
Segen to stock Panasonic heat pumps
29 July 2013
Renewable energy products distributor, Segen, has agreed a deal with Panasonic Heat Pumps to stock the Aquarea High Temperature 9kW and the 12kW air source heat pumps.
Social landlords get funding boost for renewable heat projects
25 July 2013
The Government has awarded £7m to 46 social landlords across the UK to put renewable heating in their tenants' homes.
Innasol launches training academy
25 July 2013
Renewable heating company Innasol has launched the Innasol Academy, which it describes as a "groundbreaking" education and training initiative.
HSE fines maintenance man for unsafe gas work
25 July 2013
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a 70 year-old self-employed maintenance worker, who was found to be carrying out illegal gas work at a café and restaurant in St Austell, risking the safety of customers and workers.
Armstrong Fluid Technology makes sales appointment
25 July 2013
Armstrong Fluid Technology has expanded its southern sales team and appointed Shane Leather as regional sales manager for the London area.
Mike Nankivell is new FETA chairman
25 July 2013
Mike Nankivell, president of the HEVAC Association, is the new chairman of the board of the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA).
BPMA announces awards date
24 July 2013
The British Pump Manufacturers Association (BPMA) has announced that the 2014 Pump Industry Awards will take place on Thursday 27 March at the Chesford Grange Hotel, Kenilworth.
Construction market showing signs of recovery
23 July 2013
Activity in the construction market has started to pick up since the start of 2013, with new projects beginning to increase, according to the latest RICS construction market survey.
New appointment strengthens sales force
22 July 2013
Siamp UK has boosted its sales force in the North & Scotland by appointing plumbing industry expert Steve Thomas.
Mass walkouts over excessive temperatures not feasible, says Andrews Sykes
22 July 2013
Specialist air conditioning hire firm, Andrews Sykes, has responded to MPs' Early Day Motion to introduce a new law for maximum temperatures in the workplace.
CORGI Technical Services recruits contract manager
22 July 2013
Mark Baker has been appointed contract manager at CORGI Technical Services.
Carrier celebrates 111 years of modern air conditioning
18 July 2013
It is 111 years since the American engineer Dr Willis H Carrier invented modern air conditioning.
Calling consultants and contractors!
17 July 2013
There are just two weeks left in which to place your entries for the HVR Awards.
Advanced Smoke Group names MD
16 July 2013
Smoke control specialist, Advanced Smoke Group, has appointed Paul White as managing director.
Awards for Excellence deadline approaches
16 July 2013
SummitSkills, the sector skills council for building services engineering, says that time is running out to nominate people for the 2013 Awards for Excellence.
Dimplex outlines benefits of RHI scheme for installers
15 July 2013
Dimplex Renewables has welcomed last week's domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) announcement from DECC (12 July).
National Skills Academy agrees partnership with ABBE
15 July 2013
The National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies has linked up with awarding body, ABBE, to promote energy efficiency and low carbon skills.
HPA welcomes announcement of Domestic RHI in April 2014
12 July 2013
The Heat Pump Association warmly welcomes the announcement today (12th July 2013), by DECC, that the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will be introduced into the Domestic sector in April 2014. Domestic RHI includes a number of significant improvements over its Non-Domestic RHI cousin.
Domestic RHI Tariff finally set
12 July 2013
The Government has today announced the tariff levels for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) for householders.
Pettigrew steps up as B&ES chief executive
12 July 2013
Roderick Pettigrew has been appointed chief executive of the Building & Engineering Services Association with immediate effect.
Carbon Trust introduces Green Business Directory
11 July 2013
The Carbon Trust has launched the Green Business Directory, which aims to be a valuable resource for organisations looking to invest in energy efficiency equipment and low carbon technologies.
SkillPLUMB finds best young plumber in the south
11 July 2013
A 20-year old apprentice has been named as the best young plumber in the south in the regional heat of this year's SkillPLUMB competition.
Hilson Moran secures London docks deal
11 July 2013
Engineering consultancy Hilson Moran has been appointed as the MEP and energy consultant on the Royal Albert Docks masterplan, located in the heart of the Royal Docks Enterprise Zone, east of the City of London.
BSS Industrial names new key account director
11 July 2013
BSS Industrial has appointed Lee Burgin as key account director.
CIBSE issues guidance on overheating in commercial buildings
10 July 2013
CIBSE (the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) has published a new guide which aims to provide a greater understanding and better prediction of overheating in commercial buildings.
Conference tackles the real BIM issues
10 July 2013
More than 260 people from across the built environment sector gathered at the Crystal Clear BIM conference held on 17 and 18 June.
HEVAC launches white paper on evaporative cooling
10 July 2013
A new white paper on evaporative cooling and cold water humidifiers has been launched by HEVAC's Humidity Group and presents evaporative cooling as an alternative or supplement to mechanical cooling.
New scheme offers £100m funding for green retrofit projects
09 July 2013
A new scheme to provide capital investment for non-domestic energy efficiency retrofit projects in the UK has been unveiled by BRE and its partner Sustainable Development Capital.
Law firm calls on councils to help release commercial funding
09 July 2013
Development funding sources could be released by moving rather than closing popular local authority-run or supported facilities such as libraries or theatres, allowing businesses to access the money that banks say is there but which appears to be unavailable, according to the law firm Berg.
Swiftclean and London Fire Brigade urge restaurants to clean ductwork
09 July 2013
Managing director of Swiftclean, Gary Nicholls, has joined calls from the London Fire Brigade for restaurant owners and managers to ensure that kitchen extract ductwork and ventilation systems are regularly and thoroughly cleaned.
ebm-papst invests in UK manufacturing facility
09 July 2013
ebm-papst has invested heavily in an on-site metal working facility at its UK headquarters in Chelmsford.
FMB survey shows increase in builders' workloads
08 July 2013
Builders' workloads across the UK have started to increase for the first time since the economic downturn began, according to the Federation of Master Builders' (FMB) State of Trade Survey.
FMB and DWP join forces to boost construction sector jobs
08 July 2013
A partnership agreement has been signed by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with the aim of boosting employment and training in the construction sector.
BSRIA Cert to certify heat pumps under MCS scheme
08 July 2013
BSRIA Cert is currently undergoing accreditation to allow it to certify heat pumps under the MCS scheme.
Alpha Heating launches new registration scheme
08 July 2013
Alpha Heating Innovation has introduced a new registration scheme that allows heating engineers to notify Gas Safe of all their Alpha boiler installations free of charge.
Gastite recruits director of sales UK
03 July 2013
Gastite, the manufacturer of flexible gas piping for residential and commercial applications, has appointed Andy Carpenter as director of sales UK to lead the company's strategic UK expansion.
IET launches document on intelligent building standards
03 July 2013
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has introduced what it describes as "pioneering work" to develop standards of good practice for protecting intellectual property and the design and operation of building systems.
Minister responds to UK-GBC Green Deal letter
03 July 2013
Following the publication of an open letter to the Government by the UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) on behalf of the construction industry last week (27 June), Climate Minister Greg Barker has responded positively.
OFTEC says Green Deal statistics highlight need for greater simplicity
03 July 2013
According to OFTEC (Oil Firing Technical Association), the first quarterly Green Deal figures released on 27 June emphasise the need for a simpler energy efficiency package from the Government with a boiler scrappage scheme at its heart.
Gastite launches in the UK
02 July 2013
US company Gastite, part of the Smiths Group and a leading manufacturer of flexible gas piping for residential and commercial applications, has launched in the UK.
Positive reaction to Government's industrial strategy for construction
02 July 2013
Today (2 July), the Government launched its industrial strategy for construction: Construction 2025.
A1 Flue Systems achieves CE Marking
01 July 2013
A1 Flue Systems has achieved CE Marking for its complete flue system.
Kitsons and GRM become SIG Technical Insulation
01 July 2013
Kitsons Thermal Supplies (owned by SIG plc) and GRM Distribution, two leading thermal insulation, industrial H&V and high temperature materials suppliers, have been officially re-launched as SIG Technical Insulation.
Grundfos is BSS supplier of the year
01 July 2013
Grundfos has been named as BSS Industrial Supplier of the Year 2013 at the BSS annual Industrial Supplier Day, held at the Forest of Arden Marriot Hotel on 6 June.
BSRIA responds to Government's Spending Round
01 July 2013
BSRIA (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) ceo, Andrew Eastwell, has responded to the Treasury's Spending Round announced last week, saying there were few surprises.
CIBSE set to launch 2014 Building Performance Awards
01 July 2013
CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) will launch its Building Performance Awards 2014 at British Land's London headquarters this Wednesday (3 July) from 5-7pm.
B&ES looking for a new chief executive
01 July 2013
Blane Judd, chief executive of the Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES), has stepped down from the role.