Training the next generation

Stuart Smith, Commercial Director at indoor climate solutions provider, Zehnder Group UK, discusses the urgent need for specialised training in M&E contracting.

Rachel Davidson of BESA

A newly-formed BESA advisory group says new legislation will transform all aspects of project delivery and business management.

Claire Curran, President of BESA

2023 was a big year for the building services sector, with an unprecedented surge in legislation and commercial business challenges, but BESA President Claire Curran believes there are reasons to be optimistic about 2024.

Anastasia Mylona

Anastasia Mylona, Technical Director at the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), explains why embodied carbon is increasingly important in building services design and outlines CIBSE’s calculation methodology which is rapidly being adopted internationally.

Alex Minnett of CHAS

From 1st October 2023 a number of new regulations came into force under the Building Safety Act 2022, and they don’t only affect high-risk buildings. Alex Minett, Head of Global New Markets at CHAS highlights some of the key changes.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

On the 20th of September, 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a slowdown to the pace of Net Zero initiatives in hte UK.

Rab Fletcher, BESA President

The UK should look to its engineering community for solutions to many of the serious social and economic challenges it is facing, according to the President of the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).

Graeme Fox of BESA

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has urged the UK government to keep “a sense of perspective” in the face of a growing row over the European Commission’s decision to speed up the phase down of global warming gases used in refrigeration and air conditioning equipment.

BESA Logo

The government’s strategy for spending up to £2.5bn on improving the energy efficiency of homes and public sector buildings has been given a cautious welcome by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) says support from the UK’s Chief Medical Officer for more investment in indoor air quality (IAQ) could unleash a wave of ventilation improvements in buildings. 

Despite growing concern about energy costs, thousands of commercial and residential building owners are missing out on straightforward, low-cost ways to improve energy efficiency, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt

The Government released its Autumn Statement last week. With an economic slowdown on the cards and high inflation, what does this mean for the road to net zero and the Building-Services Industry? We’ve rounded up how figures from across the industry reacted and what they had to say.

Project Starts

The central finding of the latest Glenigan Review is that project-starts returned to decline as sharp rises in construction costs and a weak economic outlook continue to suppress industry activity.  

Warehouse IMage

Ian Davis, Technical Manager at Soler and Palau UK, casts his expert eye over incoming changes to Building Regulations Part F and L and unpicks three important areas for HVAC professionals before they come into force in Summer 2022.

Rishi Sunak

Chancellor Rishi Sunak might be getting a real pounding in the press over his family’s tax affairs, but his judgement could not be faulted over some of the changes he announced in his Spring Statement, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).

Covid changes things.

It’s been two years since the pandemic changed life for everyone, and we’ve seen some big developments to the role of Facilities Managers (FM). In this article, Derek Parker of Artic Building Services reviews the impact of the pandemic on facilities management, including new responsibilities within the role and the increased focus on health and safety.

Sustainability

Despite the multiple challenges of Covid-19, importing difficulties and material shortages, the engineering and construction industry is anticipated to further advance this year. However, the recovery will not be evenly spread, with some regions and sectors performing better than others, mirroring a fluctuating UK economic and social landscape.

The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) has published a digital Embodied Carbon Calculator tool to enable engineers to estimate the embodied carbon associated with mechanical, electrical and public health systems in buildings.

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Only an ambitious renovation plan for commercial buildings will get us on the path to net zero and improve the health and well-being conditions for occupants, according to BESA’s head of technical Graeme Fox.

When an inspector calls.

30 March, 2022

Controls around construction plant and machinery are getting stricter but implementing the right plant management processes can help construction sites be prepared, Ian McKinnon, MD of CHAS

Supply chains

CHAS, the supply chain risk management expert, highlights ten issues that will affect construction supply chains in 2022.

UNiversity design

More sustainable heating and cooling solutions in educational buildings following the publication of analysis suggesting most UK universities are not on track to hit emissions targets.

Alex Rohweder

With 2021 still being dominated by the effects of Covid-19, many of the trends that emerged this year, such as changing the way we work and the switch to remote management, are still evolving and here to stay. However, there have been key events and drivers, such as the COP26 conference, that will significantly influence the technology trends over the coming year.

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Investing in building ventilation will play a key role in helping the country recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future health emergencies, according to the government's chief medical adviser Professor Chris Whitty.

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COP26 - Industry roundup

17 November, 2021

As COP26 ends, we've pulled together comment and thoughts about the event and issues raised from across the industry. 

ACE Logo

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has today shared new figures revealing that while consultancies are making good progress towards unlocking a Net Zero future, client demand remains patchy, with only around a fifth (19%) of large consultancy and around a quarter (24%) of SME clients, asking for net zero compatible designs.

The industry responds!

The Government released its long-delayed Net Zero Review and Heating and Hot Water Strategy last week. As the UK’s building stock is responsible for such a high proportion of the country’s Carbon Emissions, the Building Services sector in both domestic and commercial arenas will both be hugely impacted by the strategies and front and centre in the response. 

To Mask or not?

To mask or not to mask?

The government has been warned that it faces a major public backlash if it attempts to use an increase in domestic gas prices as a way of forcing homeowners to buy expensive low carbon heating appliances in own homes.

Response to UK Government Plan

19 November, 2020

Ian Rippin, CEO of MCS – the national standards organisation for renewables – responds to the government’s 10-point plan for a “Green Industrial Revolution”, which aims to make the UK carbon neutral by 2050 

Clara Bagenal George

CIBSE has released guidance on the use of environmental product declarations (EPDs) for building services equipment. This guidance also provides a method for estimating the embodied carbon of building services equipment where EPDs are not yet available.

Brexit

Help is on hand for businesses in key sectors to prepare for the end of the Brexit transition period. The UK is leaving the EU single market and customs union on Dec 31 and businesses need to get ready for the changes it will bring.

Helen Yeulet

The ambitious approach is welcome, but the industry needs a more 'blended approach' to training, says BESA in response to chancellor. 

BCIA logo

Terry Sharp of the BCIA thinks the annoucements are positive

Alex Hill

Alex Hill, Managing Director, Whitecode Design Associates says “building performance and efficiency are increasingly under the spotlight as a result of the move to carbon neutrality.”

What have building services engineers ever done for us?

Like Monty Python said - apart from the sanitation, warmth, cooling, fresh water, electrical services, controls, lighting, and ventilation, what have Building Services engineers ever done for us? David Frise of BESA asks the question. 

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Heat pumps alone will not solve the question of UK domestic heat decarbonisation, and must be supported by a mosaic of heating solutions, including a hydrogen gas network, if the UK is to deliver on its net zero ambition, a new report reveals today.

Tim Holman

As we see a pathway out of the pandemic, TEAM Energy’s Head of Consultancy, Timothy Holman examines what the Government’s net zero ambition really means to UK businesses and, in a countdown to the climate change summit, COP26, considers how they can be part of the journey to decarbonisation.  

Are you covered

Huge increase in insurance premiums adds to growing pressure on construction firms

Fidic

The International Federation of Consulting Engineers are saying climate challenge is estimated to require at least $7 trillion a year to meet global infrastructure needs

Newcastle University

With the growth in the engineering sector in the last few years, the requirement of additional workers has led to an increasingly diverse workforce especially with the inclusion of women  

An outbreak of Legionnaires disease in the West Midlands has prompted Stuart Gizzi, Managing Director at plumbing equipment manufacturer Intatec to remind Facilities Managers that Legionella precautions can be automated 

Josh Emerson, Head of Marketing for Swegon shares the importance of re-opening with safe systems

Engineering UK

Females are rare

16 October, 2020

The real reason female engineers are still a rarity, a look at why engineering is not appealing in the UK

Rubber Bellows

Eddy Warren of Supaflex Agencies stresses the importance of how to prevent sudden burst failures.

Chartered Association of Building Engineers, CABE, Engineering Council, Dr Gavin Dunn

The issue of professional competency across the construction industry in the post-Grenfell era has never been more important than it is now.

March 2020 Budget, decarbonised heat policy, grants, Green Heat Network Fund, RHI

Karen Fletcher looks at what was in the recent Budget and considers what it might mean for the building services sector.

Hartnell Taylor Cook, Stuart Howell, Stuart Funiciello, sustainability, energy efficiency, landlords, MEES, BREEAM, WELL Building Standards, property developers

Both landlords and policy makers are having to respond to a growing public consciousness of the property sector’s environmental impact, resulting in a slew of regulation.

CHAS, prequalification, Build UK, PQ, Common Assessment Stanard, PAS 91, Ian McKinnon

A simpler route to PQ

01 March, 2020

The next phase of a new pre-qualification (PQ) system designed to reduce inefficiencies in the construction industry will be implemented shortly. CHAS, which certifies companies against the new standard, explains what this means for the construction sector.

 Europump, EU, legislation, energy efficiency, pumps, Eco Design, system, extended product approach, Eco-Design

Light bulb moment

01 February, 2020

The European Association of Pump Manufacturers explains why pumps should not be viewed in isolation, but as part of a system that includes a motor and controller. 




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Manufacturer helps equip skills centre

Ideal Heating has helped to equip a new £500,000 green energy centre in Merseyside which is seeking to attract fresh talent into the heating industry.

Acoustic solutions suite with easy access to services at University of Birmingham

A suite of ceiling and wall acoustic solutions have been specified for The University of Birmingham’s new landmark Molecular Sciences building, which will provide a hub for research and academic work.