News Archive - April 2020
SEC Wales calls for help for SMEs
29 April 2020
The Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group Wales/Cymru – representing the largest sector (by value) in Welsh construction – has written to the First Minister, Mark Drakeford, urging him to consider more measures to help SMEs....
New marketing appointment at Samsung
29 April 2020
Samsung, a specialist in climate solutions, has expanded its growing climate solutions team, appointing a new marketing manager....
Heating engineers are eligible for COVID 19 testing
28 April 2020
Following regular questioning and pressure from the heating industry, government have confirmed that ‘workers delivering essential services in the utilities sector, which encompasses heat, are now eligible for testing....
BESA appoints new membership director
28 April 2020
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has appointed Jason Hemingway as its new membership director....
Switch2 Energy awarded 25-year heat network contract
28 April 2020
Rental housing giant Greystar has awarded a 25-year operations and maintenance contract to Switch2 Energy for its new Greenford Quay heat network in West London....
F-Gas renewals and checks must go on
28 April 2020
Mandatory checks of equipment under the F-Gas regulations must continue despite the lockdown restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 crisis, according to the UK’s main F-Gas register Refcom....
Small Business Minister to join BESA webinar
27 April 2020
Small Business Minister, Paul Scully MP, will be the guest on the daily COVID-19 webinar hosted by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) on Thursday, 30 April to discuss the government’s support for SMEs in the current pandemic crisis....
Double honour for Zehnder at the Red Dot Awards
27 April 2020
After being recently awarded the 2020 iF Design Award, the Zehnder ComfoValve Luna E has now received the international Red Dot Award 2020 in the Product Design category. The Red Dot Award is described as one of the world’s largest design ...
Frese buys DE Valves
27 April 2020
Danish valve manufacturer Frese A/S is going ”underground” in the district heating sector by acquiring 70% of DE Valves Glamsbjerg A/S....
Construction firms facing insurance cover changes
27 April 2020
Mactavish, the independent specialist on commercial insurance placement and dispute resolution, estimates around one in five VAT and/or PAYE registered construction firms in the UK – some 68,800 in total – will have renewed their insurance at the ...
Safety concerns employers more than penalties
23 April 2020
Building services employers are more worried about keeping their workers safe than being sued over project delays, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)....
BCIA launches online training
23 April 2020
The Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) has launched online training for its full suite of training courses....
BESA calls for help with site safety guidance
22 April 2020
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) and the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) are spearheading work to produce site safety guidance for the mechanical and electrical (M&E) sector and is calling for industry feedback....
Asite launches research report
22 April 2020
Asite has launched a new research report into the trends set to impact the construction industry globally in 2020, including the UK....
Switch2 Energy appoints new director
22 April 2020
Heat network specialist Switch2 Energy has appointed Simon Eddleston as director of construction – to lead the design and build of sustainable district heating projects across the UK....
Gas Goes Green programme welcomed
22 April 2020
The Institution of Gas Engineers & Managers (IGEM) has welcomed the launch of a major new programme to support the gas industry’s transition to net zero....
Viessmann joins fight against COVID-19 by producing medical equipment
21 April 2020
Responding to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Viessmann has converted part of its production facilities in Germany to manufacture its own ventilators, mobile intensive care units, respiratory protective face masks and hand sanitiser....
Baxi supports customers and installers through coronavirus crisis
21 April 2020
Boiler manufacturer, Baxi has revealed the steps it has taken to protect its workforce and continue to provide support for customers and installers throughout the Covid-19 crisis....
Military blueprint points way for industry reform
21 April 2020
The military-style planning used to deliver emergency NHS projects during the COVID-19 crisis should be used to inspire long-term industry reform, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)....
OFTEC supports food bank charity with PPE donation
20 April 2020
OFTEC has donated 1,000 items of personal protective equipment (PPE) to help support a food bank charity during the coronavirus outbreak....
Veolia manufactures hand sanitiser to protect its key workers
20 April 2020
The unprecedented demand for biocidal hand sanitiser products during the pandemic means suppliers are now facing significant challenges. To beat this shortage and ensure the supply of sanitiser for their own key workers, resource management company, ...
CIBSE launches webinar series to share knowledge
20 April 2020
With the Coronavirus outbreak compelling businesses to embrace remote working it is more important than ever that building services engineers continue with their professional development (CPD)....
Kensa secures landmark investment
20 April 2020
The Kensa Group has announced a partnership with Legal & General to strengthen its market position and accelerate deployment of its ground source heat pumps across the UK....
Smart approach to testing benefits datacentre
20 April 2020
Following Aermec’s successful roll out of factory acceptance testing (FAT) of equipment by video link, more companies are taking advantage to beat the constraints of the UK’s lockdown as a result of the Coronavirus (Covid-19)....
Air cleaning should become standard practice after pandemic
17 April 2020
Clean air technologies and strategies should be adopted by every healthcare facility in the UK in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)....
Worcester Bosch repurposes factory floor to help support fight against coronavirus
17 April 2020
Boiler manufacturer Worcester Bosch has adapted its Clay Cross manufacturing facility in Derbyshire to start producing metal ventilator casings, in a bid to support the Government’s call for rapid development and manufacturing of the much-needed ...
Restrictions ease for Aermec’s manufacturing plant
15 April 2020
Aermec has been granted new authorisation from the Italian authorities to supply goods for a wide range of projects and continue manufacturing chillers for critical applications....
BESA opens support page for furloughed workers
15 April 2020
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has set up a Facebook support page for furloughed workers in the building services sector....
Darren Baxter becomes Albion’s sales and marketing director
15 April 2020
Albion Valves (UK) has promoted Darren Baxter to the role of sales and marketing director, following the retirement of Les Littlewood....
Bosch Commercial & Industrial HIUs BESA registered
15 April 2020
Bosch Commercial & Industrial has announced its Greenstar HIU range is now BESA registered. Developed by a group of industry experts, the BESA HIU test regime is the UK test standard for HIUs, originally developed to assess UK heat network ...
Boiler donated to heating professional training centre
15 April 2020
Hounsfield Boilers has donated a 12/19 Kitchen Model boiler to a leading electrical, oil and water training centre in East Anglia....
BPIE Action Plan to support economic recovery and launch a renovation wave
15 April 2020
The Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE), has released its latest publication, "An Action Plan for the Renovation Wave: Collectively achieving sustainable buildings in Europe." The publication sets forth a strategy to deliver climate-...
MENTalk and Baxi team up to put installer well-being first
14 April 2020
Baxi has announced a new partnership with MENTalk, an online community that encourages men to open up and support each other with mental health issues, to help raise awareness of personal well-being and provide support for plumbing and heating ...
Mates in Mind COVID-19 Relief Fund Appeal
14 April 2020
Mates in Mind has called for donations to its COVID-19 Relief Fund which will allow it to continue to respond with vital support programmes. It is now expected that workplace mental health issues will be heavily impacted by the economic fallout of ...
Coronavirus face masks created on a 3D printer
14 April 2020
German fan manufacturer Ziehl-Abegg has created face masks on 3D printers for use by health and care workers in the Hohenlohe district in Germany....
Baxi Heating makes masks to help fight coronavirus
09 April 2020
Design engineers at Baxi Heating have stepped in to help the NHS during the coronavirus crisis by swapping the use of 3D printers from making prototype boiler components to frames for protective face masks....
HVR Awards 2020 – entries close June 26
07 April 2020
It's more important than ever now to celebrate innovation, excellence, achievement and hard work from across the heating and ventilating industry so why not get your entries in by the June 26 deadline....
Webinar shows how to get more from heat network metering and billing
07 April 2020
Switch2 Energy is hosting a free webinar to show local authorities and housing associations how to get the most out of compliant heat network metering and billing....
OFTEC supports heating technicians during COVID-19 crisis
07 April 2020
OFTEC is extending all current business and technician registrations for two months, free of charge, as part of the trade association’s support for its 9,000 registrants during the coronavirus pandemic. Businesses paying monthly by direct debit will ...
Don’t forget mental health during crisis – BESA
07 April 2020
Employers should prepare for a likely surge in mental health problems during the current lockdown, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)....
Carrier is now an independent, publicly traded company
07 April 2020
Carrier Global Corporation has become an independent, publicly traded company after successfully completing its separation from United Technologies....
A-Gas urges Government to recognise industry in support of critical services
07 April 2020
A-Gas is calling on the Government to recognise the role of the HVACR industry in providing critical support during the coronavirus pandemic. Cooling engineers are helping to maintain the running of hospitals, care facilities, supermarkets, food ...
Air conditioning specialist keeps its cool during pandemic
07 April 2020
UK air conditioning manufacturer, Airedale International, is sustaining its operations to help keep technology functioning during the current coronavirus pandemic....
Mitsubishi Electric Europe acquires Swedish air conditioning distributor
07 April 2020
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation's European subsidiary Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. has acquired all shares of AQS Produckter – a comfort, process and IT cooling and heat pump distributor in Sweden, a market though to have promising prospects....
Camfil acquires air filtration specialists
07 April 2020
Camfil Svenska has acquired the family owned air filtration specialist Resema. Resema was established in 1969 by Rune Sellö and has two production facilities in Sweden, in Tranås and Aneby, with sales offices in Stockholm and Malmö along with a ...
UK Innovation slumps
07 April 2020
Innovation in the construction sector has fallen 14 percentage points in two years as R&D by UK industries fell to the lowest levels since the credit crunch, analysis of the latest ONS data by R&D tax relief specialist Catax has found....
FETA confirms new date for Annual Luncheon
03 April 2020
Due to the spread of coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA) has postponed its Annual Luncheon originally scheduled for Thursday April 23, 2020. The lunch has now been re-arranged for ...
New appointment at Conex Bänninger
03 April 2020
Mark Burgess, who has more than 35 years sales experience in the heating industry, has joined fittings manufacturer Conex Bänninger as a regional technical sales manager....
BESA Training pauses apprentice end point assessments
03 April 2020
The training arm of the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has announced, following discussions with the Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), that it is suspending the delivery of End Point Assessments (EPA) for apprentices during ...
Guide to complying with updated heat network regulations
01 April 2020
Switch2 Energy has published a free guide to help district and community heating scheme operators comply with the updated Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations....
BESA and Unite reach agreement on the Job Retention Scheme
01 April 2020
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) and Unite the Union have agreed a temporary solution to cover wages paid to operatives in the building engineering sector during the Covid-19 lockdown....
Albion creates another new role due to high demand
01 April 2020
Valve supplier Albion Valves has appointed Dan Crosswaite as regional contracts manager, to work alongside Peter McGrath....