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The Yorkshire integral solder ring fitting remains the leading fittings brand within the plumbing and heating industry after more than 70 years. Ever-popular with installers and contractors alike, the benefits of a genuine Yorkshire fitting installation are substantial and extensive.

The principle of the Yorkshire integral solder ring fitting has remained the same since its launch by Yorkshire Fittings Limited in 1934. Manufactured from copper and copper alloy, fittings contain a ring of solder that is released in to the gap between copper tube and fitting when heat is applied, resulting in a totally sound joint without the need to end feed additional solder.

The Yorkshire fitting provides an extensive range of products for use on applications including hot and cold water, central heating, closed circuit heating systems and gas services. General range fittings in sizes from 6mm to 67mm, wedge ring fittings in sizes 76mm and 108mm, heating components, waste fittings, General High Duty fittings, pipe clips and brackets, valves, accessories and chrome plated fittings make up the range.

Such is the strength of the brand that “Yorkshire” has become the generic name for all integral solder ring fittings. However, only users of the genuine of Yorkshire fittings can be confident in their longevity and quality – indeed, they are often capable of outliving the buildings they are installed in. To demonstrate this faith in their proven reliability, genuine Yorkshire fittings come with a 25-year guarantee against manufacturing defects. In addition, fittings are WRAS approved, and are imprinted with a YP (Yorkshire Potable) logo which guarantees that the integral solder ring is lead-free.

Yorkshire fittings can be found in homes across the country, and have been used on prestigious large-scale developments such as The Sage Gateshead. It is this versatility and reliability that has seen the genuine Yorkshire fitting remain a market leader for more than 70 years, and which is likely to see it’s success continue for decades to come.

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The new unit returns significant savings in energy and costs in heating and cooling operations and represents an energy efficient alternative for many traditional applications

The new EWYD-AJYNN heat pump inverter chiller from Daikin Europe NV heralds a new generation of air-to-water heat pumps. Its innovative design, which incorporates an inverter driven single screw compressor, enables it to replace a conventional gas boiler, offering considerable potential savings in annual energy costs in both heating and cooling operations.

During the heating season when the outside temperature decreases, the thermal load requirement of a building increases, although a conventional heat pump’s heating capacity actually decreases as the outside temperature falls. Therefore, a conventional boiler (fossil-fuel fired or electrical) might need to be integrated with the heat pump if the temperature is likely to fall below -1 oC.

The innovative EWYD-AJYNN heat pump chiller however, can fully match the building’s thermal load, even if the ambient temperature falls as low as -12 oC. This is because the inverter boosts the compressor with a frequency increase that exactly follows the required thermal load, resulting in significant energy and cost savings during the heating mode.

Furthermore, the unit also offers benefits during the cooling phase. In summer as the outside ambient temperature increases, so too does a building’s cooling load, creating conditions in which a traditional chiller loses capacity. The inverter in the EWYD-AJYNN however, boosts the compressor frequency rate to match the required cooling load, leading once again, to significant cost savings.

A Daikin Europe product spokesman explains: “the EWYD-AJYNN heat pump inverter unit can vary its compressor speed in response to load conditions by means of its in house programmed PID microprocessor controller. “The unit is extremely energy efficient, both in cooling and heating, with good EER and COP values and is designed and optimised for easy and fast network connection with building automation and management systems.”

The unit uses R-134 — considered the most efficient refrigerant for screw compressors on the market and even at the lowest outside ambient temperature its evaporating pressure remains higher than atmospheric pressure.

Other benefits of the EWYD-AJYNN heat pump Inverter unit include:

• optimum unit power factor
• absence of current surge on unit start up
• lower noise levels during most of the year
• optimized defrosting cycles

This innovative product line is available in a variety of sizes for large, industrial and/or commercial buildings with capacities from 255 to 385 kW in cooling and 274 to 412 kW in heating mode.

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Two technical manuals just published by Hanson Building Products are definitive appraisals of aircrete and aggregate blocks for both specifiers and users.

Produced in loose leaf, ringbinder form to enable regular updates to be included, each manual is designed for quick and easy reference.

The Aircrete Blocks Technical Manual is prefaced with key detail on Hanson Thermalite's considerable sustainability and environmental benefits and follows with colour-coded sections on product data, design detailing, performance and sitework.

Individual products within the Thermalite range are afforded separate detailed attention, but perhaps one of the greatest merits for building designers is the degree of information provided on essential elements such as thermal insulation, air permeability, fire protection, sound insulation, moisture penetration and frost resistance. The design detailing section includes full colour sectional drawings showing the use of aircrete blocks in foundations, floors, external and partition walls.

Contractors will value the sitework section, which considers health and safety factors, workability, fixings, internal and external finishes.

Finally, to underline its firm commitment to modern methods of construction, Hanson has devoted a complete chapter to thin joint masonry, showing how it can improve build quality, and offer time and cost savings: data on its use with Thermalite blocks is supported by independent speed trial tests conducted by chartered surveyor Percy Howes.

Following much the same pattern, Hanson's Aggregate Blocks Technical Manual takes an equally close look at the extensive range of facing, paint grade and background blocks, and their role in a wide range of building applications.

To apply for your copy of either the Aggregate Block Technical Manual, or the Thermalite Technical Manual, please contact 08705 258258 or email blocks@hanson.biz.

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The recently completed £8 million Wildwood Triangle office development, Worcester, is thought to be the area’s largest speculative office development to date. Billed by developer, Maximus, as “the best office address in Worcester”, the visually attractive complex comprises 5 self contained, 2 storey blocks offering between 1,800 and 7,800 ft2 per suite of lettable space. Overall, the development provides 40,000 ft2 of much needed high grade office accommodation in this area of the West Midlands.

Each building is supplied with Daikin VRV heat recovery air conditioning, specified by consultants, Hoare Lea, Five ways, Birmingham and designed in association with Direct Cooling Systems Ltd, Notts, who were also the installers.

Five complete VRV systems linked to 99 Daikin FXSQ concealed ceiling ducted indoor fan coil units with capacities between 2.2kW and 7.1kW (cooling) and 2.5kW to 8.0kW (heating), are mounted in false ceilings throughout the open plan and mixed layout offices. Indoor temperatures are maintained at 220 C +/- 2 deg C throughout the year. All VRV outdoor units are mounted in external compounds. Two independent split FTKS/RKS systems supply cooling only to the communications room in building no 5.

Associated heat reclaim ventilation is provided by 17 Daikin VAM units, which deliver between 5.88 and 25.02 m3/min of tempered fresh air and modulate the temperature and humidity of incoming fresh air in order to match indoor conditions, thereby reducing the cooling and heating loads on the air conditioning system. Each VRV system is controlled by a Daikin Intelligent Controller, housed in the maintenance staff areas and linked to remote room temperature controllers within the office areas.

Commenting on the project, a Hoare Lea spokesman stated “Daikin VRV equipment was selected for this high class office development because it offers considerable energy efficiency and ease of installation combined with a huge product range and control options plus cost competitiveness. Daikin were also selected as a result of their class leading reliability, outstanding support and ability to react to queries and design changes quickly and competently.

“REYQ heat recovery systems were chosen to ensure maximum energy efficiency and customer support levels and their high static pressure availability allowed them to be sited in purpose designed compounds to reduce plant visibility. Similarly, FXSQ concealed ceiling indoor units were ideally suited to this type of project because of their compactness, low operating noise and excellent external static pressure characteristics.”

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As the oldest and one of the world's largest independent manufacturers of diesel and gas engines, DEUTZ will be featuring a representative selection from their extensive product range on Stand 563, Avenue P in the Site Equipment Zone, at SED 2007 (The National Event For Construction, Rockingham Motor Speedway, Corby, Northants, NN17 5AF, 22/23/24 May 2007).

With more than 140 years' experience in the provision of high quality engines and an overall product range extending from 4kW to 4,000kW, DEUTZ is well established in the construction, quarrying, materials handling and recycling sectors for equipment such as excavators, wheel loaders, access platforms, off highway mobile plant, crushers, screeners, compressors generating sets and lift trucks.

DEUTZ will be showing examples from their world-leading engines range, including the new 2010 Series with power outputs up to 75kW.

With two turbo-charged diesel options, the TD 2010 is an in-line water cooled model and the TCD 2010 is an in-line charge cooled and water cooled engine – both of which are available in two different configurations – with an industrial version suitable for construction equipment and an agricultural machinery version with higher torque outputs.

These new engines will be featured alongside established models such as the TCD 2013 L6 2V, TCD 2015 V8, and a BF4M 1012C Service Exchange engine.

DEUTZ offers compact, space-saving engine platforms to minimise any potential equipment redesign costs and their impressive power to weight ratio and extremely high levels of reliability, combined with long maintenance intervals, provide cost-effective operation even in the most demanding conditions.

Whether mechanically or electronically controlled – air, oil or water cooled – DEUTZ diesel engines are amongst the world leaders from an environmental standpoint. Their low noise and exhaust emissions, together with suitability for bio diesel, alongside their extremely economical fuel consumption, enable users to fully optimise operating costs.

Full sales, service and product support is available through the new centrally located DEUTZ UK head office facility in Cannock, Staffordshire, supported by a dedicated nationwide team of factory trained Service Engineers, equipped with a fleet of mobile workshops, and a network of specialist appointed Parts Distributors.

DEUTZ UK will also be exhibiting on Stand N13 at Hillhead 2007 (The International Quarrying & Recycling Show, Hillhead Quarry, Buxton, Derbyshire, 26-28 June 2007).

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Mitsubishi Electric Living Environmental Systems UK has announced that it will no longer be promoting cooling-only air conditioning products in the UK and is now phasing out all existing models from its stock.

The move is part of Mitsubishi Electric’s ‘Green Gateway Initiative™’ and comes on the back of rapid advances in air conditioning and heat pump technology over the last five years, which now means that it can be the most energy efficient and cost-effective way of heating and cooling a building.

Modern air conditioning systems can transfer energy around a building ‘borrowing’ excess heat from an area that is being cooled to use elsewhere in a zone that requires heating.

The obvious example is a building with predominantly north and south sides, where the sunny southern side will mainly need cooling and the darker north side will need more heating. Theoretically, it is possible to get a system in absolute equilibrium where the air conditioning uses hardly any power at all.

“Air conditioning is now ideal as the primary source of heating and cooling for the majority of commercial applications,” explained Commercial Director Donald Daw. “Heat pumps are one of the lowest carbon ways to heat a building and we are ensuring that we encourage as many heating installations as possible.”

Year-long tests at Mitsubishi Electric’s Hatfield headquarters have also demonstrated that air conditioning is over 300 per cent more efficient than the traditional method of heating and cooling a building – a boiler in the basement and a chiller unit on the roof.

Modern air conditioning also uses ‘inverter-control’. This means that instead of being either ‘off’ or ‘on at full power’, the system only consumes the amount of energy needed to reach set temperatures and it is therefore much more efficient.

Mitsubishi Electric’s UK Living Environmental Systems Division has produced a 10-point action plan for the country which will contribute to the reduction of over three million tonnes of CO2 emissions a year by 2016.

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The latest English-language version of 'DEUTZ LIVE', the quarterly magazine from DEUTZ AG, the world's oldest and one of the largest independent manufacturers of diesel and gas engines, contains articles showing how its products are used around the globe.

There are features on Austrian customer Kramer Allrad, manufacturers of excavators & telescopic loaders, and New Zealand's Bayline Group coach fleet, plus details of Peter Ocker who has chosen a DEUTZ engine to power his service truck in the Dakar Rally.

A lengthy article describes how DEUTZ has adapted its legendary 914 Series to meet the latest European emission laws that came into force in January.

There are stories on the importance of China's power generation industry, the start of DEUTZ diesel engine production under licence in China, and the company's involvement in the maintenance and operation of a power station in Sri Lanka.

Also featured is an article on the growing number of radio stations and internet service providers who are choosing emergency power units from DEUTZ for use in the event of the loss of mains electricity.

Established in 1864, DEUTZ now provides in excess of 195,000 units annually, with a turnover of 1.3 billion Euros (2005). Its product range extends from 4kW to 4,000kW, with engines suitable for a wide variety of markets and applications, including construction, materials handling, agricultural, groundcare, power generation & airport ground handling equipment, together with off highway mobile plant.

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One of the country’s largest suppliers of heating and cooling equipment is calling for a radical change to the way we heat and cool our commercial and residential buildings.

The UK Living Environmental Systems Division (LES) of Mitsubishi Electric has produced a 10-point action plan which will contribute to the reduction of over three million tonnes of CO2 emissions a year by 2016. Much of the Company’s plans centre around the utilisation of untapped heat energy that exists in the air all around us, and the wider use of cool outside air to reduce the need for air conditioning.

At the House of Commons today (6 June 2007), Commercial Director Donald Daw met with Politicians to launch the Company’s ‘Green Gateway Initiative’. The plan includes technological developments and new thinking combined with simple behavioural changes such as better maintenance regimes or not using the thermostat as an on/off button. All of the initiatives are focused on creating a significant impact on CO2 reduction in the UK’s buildings by reducing energy consumption and the energy bills of both consumers and businesses.

“One of the easiest ways of achieving a significant reduction in CO2 emissions would be through the greater use of heat pump technology which extracts free energy from the surrounding air,” explained Donald Daw. “The energy in the air that surrounds us is a key sustainable resource that doesn’t currently factor into people’s thinking.

“We need to focus on promoting heat pumps as they are a big solution to the global warming issues we all face today. This technology is already well known in the air conditioning market and is used for heating in countries such as France and Sweden.”

With a conventional gas boiler, one kilowatt of energy consumed by the boiler delivers less than one kilowatt of heat to a building. With a typical heat pump, one kilowatt of energy delivers a heat output in excess of 3 kilowatts – that’s a 300 per cent increase in energy efficiency – and that is set to grow as the technology develops.

As the UK’s gas reserves decline, the economic and political future of importing gas from around the globe comes into sharp focus and our reliance upon fossil fuels continues to be questioned.

“The optimisation of grid electricity is key to the future of any sustainable energy policy whether the primary source is from fossil fuel, nuclear or renewables such as wind or tide,” asserted Daw. “If we can make better use of this electricity, then we reduce CO2 emissions and can be less dependent on imported energy.

“By 2016, we estimate that the country could save over three million tonnes of CO2 per year through the adoption of new ‘air source’ technologies and improved practices – that’s the equivalent of taking more than 830,000 cars off the UK’s roads.”

In our homes, over 80 percent of energy use goes on space and water heating and the company encourages the installation of new heat pump boilers, which produce over 30 per cent less CO2 than gas boilers. In particular it is keen to focus on the new build residential sector – where all new homes will have to be zero-carbon by 2016.

In the commercial sector, the company’s most significant initiative calls for more promotion of the reduction in energy use that businesses can get from replacing older heating and cooling equipment.

“We estimate that businesses will be saving nearly 500,000 tonnes of CO2 a year by 2016 if they are encouraged to quickly phase out old cooling equipment and introduce modern technology,” explained Daw. “That’s not only good for the environment, but it will also make a big impact on the energy bills of individual companies.

“The ‘yoyo’ practices of using gas boilers for heating and air conditioning for cooling, are no longer sustainable and when it comes to cooling, ‘Free Cooling & Heat Recovery’ strategies are of significant importance,” he added.

The use of fresh air and natural ventilation when combined with an air conditioning system reduces commercial energy consumption significantly. In terms of heating, reuse of the warm air being expelled from a building to provide energy back into the building is far better than warming-up the outside.

Under the Green Gateway Initiative, Mitsubishi Electric LES has set targets to reduce CO2 emissions through actively using its market footprint to challenge engrained thinking and to develop new approaches to support customers in achieving their CO2 reduction goals by helping them make the right purchasing decisions.

The company has already been quick to back its words with action and has stunned the air conditioning industry by questioning whether a rapid growth in residential air conditioning in the UK is either necessary or sustainable.

“If the Government is to be supported in meeting its targets for CO2 reduction then we have to radically change the ways in which we heat and cool our homes, schools, factories, shops and offices,” explained Daw. “As a nation, we have to accelerate change in ‘heating’ and address ‘cooling’ in a responsible manner. Managing the internal temperatures of the environments in which we live, work and learn has to keep pace with the new technologies that are available and the incremental savings in CO2 that are eminently achievable.”

Mitsubishi Electric LES’ Green Gateway Initiative is primed for the low carbon generation – asserting that every company’s responsibility is to its stakeholders. Stakeholders include the individuals that purchase goods and services from companies and the fellow citizens that are both directly and indirectly affected by those purchasing choices.

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Addagrip's resin-bonded surface Addastone has just provided a sympathetic hard landscaping solution for yet another significant heritage site, this time at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.

A masterplan of Christopher Wren, the site is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a World Heritage Site and is perceived as one of the finest examples of Baroque architectural ensembles in the UK. When the Greenwich Foundation took over the site from the Navy, and tenants Greenwich University and the Trinity School of Music moved in, a project began to refurbish the site.

Nick Harper, Associate Landscape Architect with Chris Blandford Associates and Project Manager explained, “The project was a landscape heritage scheme to restore this important World Heritage Site and the hard materials had to be carefully selected and approved by English Heritage before they could be implemented.”

A surface was needed that would allow thoughtfulness about the architecture's natural stone, so that the right colour and texture aggregate could be chosen to enhance the setting. It also had to be suitable for pedestrian and light vehicular use.

Addastone uses natural, locally sourced or recycled aggregates bound with natural or coloured resins for a textured finish and the appearance of loose gravel without the associated problems. 6000 square metres of the material was used for pedestrian crossing points and road surfacing, complementing the existing York Stone paving pedestrian areas. Golden Pea Gravel was used in two different grades, the smaller for pedestrian areas and the larger for vehicular to demarcate the areas.

On specifying Addastone, Mr Harper said, ” We have seen Addastone used on other prestigious sites and so we were confident to specify it for this project.”

Addastone has a ten-year proven track record of being extremely durable and easy to maintain. This makes it popular as it retains its original 'just laid' appearance to continue to make the project work as intended without the need to refurbish a few years down the line.

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