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The recently opened £6 million, 8-lane, international short course competition pool at Llandudno Swimming Centre saw 54 different door and handrail products supplied by Laidlaw Solutions.

Its Stainless Steel Handrail and Balustrade system in brushed stainless steel was used extensively with raised tactile elements, to a 3.0kN standard on the main staircase and 1.5kN elsewhere.

On the staff balcony and the main viewing area, balustrade infills using 10mm clear float glass with flat polished edges and radiussed corners was used, providing a striking focal point along the full length of the pool. Bespoke 25mm Orbis Commercial stainless steel, back-to-back and bolt-through pull handles were also supplied with standard lever handles, door closers and bi-lingual signage.

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1″ align=”right”>–>New legislation taking effect from the start of next year could be bad news for anyone with air conditioning that is older than five years – yet most companies remain ignorant of the major impact this could have on their business.

Now, air conditioning manufacturer, Mitsubishi Electric is looking to raise awareness of the issue and highlight all available options for companies in a series of dedicated seminars focusing on the options around R22.

From the start of 2010, it will be illegal for air conditioning installers and service engineers to use virgin R22 refrigerant gas for air conditioning and refrigeration units, which will therefore become increasingly difficult to maintain and in a lot of cases will need immediate replacement if they break down.

“R22 gas is potentially harmful to the ozone so it is being phased out in stages which is good news for the environment but bad news for anyone whose older system decides to break down or fail after the end of this year,” explained Richard Cooper, National Marketing Manager for Mitsubishi Electric, which is one of the country’s largest suppliers of advanced air conditioning and environmental control systems.

“People will still be able to get recycled gas for a while, but this needs quite a bit of cleaning before it can be reused and it is likely to become more and more expensive as supplies run short.”

In addition to recycled gas, the refrigerant industry has developed a number of ‘drop-in’ alternatives which will also be examined during the free events, which will be held at Mitsubishi Electric’s Hatfield office on 28th May, 4th and 16th June and 1st and 14th July. Anyone wishing to attend is encouraged to sign up quickly as the limited spaces do get booked up quickly.

“We ran low carbon seminars over last year and were delighted at how popular they were,” explained Cooper. “We expect a similar high demand for these R22 ones, once people understand how urgent an issue it now is.”

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If tile vents are adapted to pass pipes and cables to roof mounted solar systems they remain unsealed and provide no protection against abrasion. Klober’s new Solar Outlet provides a neat, raintight and easy to install solution for flexible pipes and photovoltaic cables. It utilises an injection moulded, UV resistant, fire retardant EPDM collar which can be cut to provide apertures between 10-70mm. The solar services are then simply pushed through to the panel. To overcome problems in relation to well sealed / airtight construction, Klober is also offering an underlay seal. The product can be used at any pitch with most profiled concrete and clay tiles as well as slates and metal roofs. It is available in terracotta red, dark brown, anthracite, light brown, black and slate grey.

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To mark our 25th anniversary we were pleased to receive a visit from His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex on Tuesday 15th of January.

The Earl was entertained over lunch by ASD Lighting’s MD Tony Stewart along with company directors and members of staff who are celebrating their own 25th anniversary of working for ASD.

During the visit the Earl toured the factory and offices to view the recent multi million pound investments made by ASD in new plant and facilities. The Earl also visited the Lighting Projects and Product Design departments and received a demonstration on the latest developments in rapid prototyping at The Product Workshop.

Before he left the Earl unveiled a plaque to mark his visit and to celebrate the 25th anniversary.

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Welcome to EnergyBusinessNet.com, the latest addition to the BusinessNet Explorer site many of you will already be familiar with. With the energy sector constantly in the news, forever tasked to keeping the lights on and always in need of investment this is a sector that can’t be ignored and must, as Britain faces a looming energy generation gap, strict carbon targets and energy price and efficiency challenges, demand our full attention.

We might need a new generation of nuclear power stations, acres more wind farms, new carbon capture technology, reinforced and smarter energy grids, microgeneration, a step change in energy saving and insulation, fuel cells, heat pumps and smart meters – but can all this be achieved in the current economic climate?

We think that, with intelligent procurement decision making and the right information platforms, it can. That’s where EnergyBusinessNet.com can help you. This is a sales and marketing platform where you can also view up to date news and opinion which brings you the context in which your decisions have to be made.

That context is a fast moving one. March has brought us news that after withdrawels by BP and Shell, ScottishPower’s Spanish owners Iberdrola has now decided to defer 40 per cent of its investment in UK offshore wind generation.

That decision has been a huge blow to the Government’s 2020 renewable energy targets and won’t have been good news for the wind turbine industry and those who work with them either.

But renewable energy in its many forms and energy efficiency should not be seen as a luxury in a recession, but an opportunity to produce more efficient, sustainable energy and consume it in a more cost effective way.

EnergyBusinessNet.com will help to showcase the best in sustainable energy solutions, while bringing in the news and policy context in which the energy sector operates – as well as providing the platform for the industry and its suppliers themselves to show what they have to offer.

Clean energy is being cited the world over, from Barack Obama to the G20 summit, as a way to reignite the world economy and help create green jobs for a sustainable future. Let’s see energy as an opportunity to move the economy – and your business – forward.

Paul Garrett
Editor
30 March 2009

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Clarity – The stunning new collection of exterior luminaires from ASD Lighting – a truly comprehensive range offering a dazzling array of styles, colours, finishes, configurations and lamp options to suit a wide range of applications.

Clarity brings together all the best design and installation features found in ASD products with one clear vision; to deliver a distinctive and precision-engineered range that is stylish, eye-catching and bold.

Features

• Portrait or Landscape mountable
• Louvre, Eyelid, Cage or Ring trims
• Coloured halo options
• Black, White or Titanium finishes
• Range of lamp and control gear options
• Switch start or High Frequency
• Energy saving options include lamp
• Diffuser available in opal and Fresnel prismatic
• Fast fit base and geartray
• Single screw fixing front trims
• Interchangeable trims
• Secure, IP rated diffuser
• Photocell
• Tough polycarbonate construction
• Designed, Engineered and Manufactured in UK

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Building upon its runaway success with Clean Extreme Scrubbable Matt, Crown Trade has launched a similar flat matt emulsion into its Timonox range. Now specifiers can have the best of all worlds… aesthetic appeal, colour choice, exceptional durability and the peace of mind that only flame retardant coatings can offer in areas covered by recent fire safety legislation which need extra time for evacuation in the event of fire breaking out.

Crown Trade Timonox Scrubbable Matt is a VOC 2010-compliant water-based emulsion boasting the chalky flat matt appearance, outstanding durability and scrub-clean finish for which Crown Trade's original Clean Extreme Scrubbable Matt has built an enviable reputation. The big difference is that Crown’s latest new product is also flame retardant which means it can help to deliver a Class 0 fire performance rating in high traffic areas, such as schools, hospitals and social housing, as well as hotels, private residential and leisure facilities.

Suitable for use on both new and previously painted substrates, Crown Trade Timonox Scrubbable Matt is available in Brilliant White and a wide range of tinted colours shown in the new Crown Trade Colour Collection, so specifiers and their clients need not sacrifice colour choice in order to benefit from the fire safety benefits offered.

The new coating is intrinsically dirt resistant. Many marks can be easily wiped away with water alone and scrubbing with a cloth soon gets rid of tougher soiling. For more deep-seated stains, scrubbing with a mild detergent will eliminate all traces without marking the paint finish.

Timonox Scrubbable Matt retains its 'just painted' appearance, even after repeated scrubbing, because the amount of paint film sacrificed each time soiling is removed is minimal. Achieving Class 1 in ISO 11998:2006 scrub rating tests, the painted surface can be scrubbed clean time and time again without any sign of burnishing or loss of flame retardant characteristics.

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Information from Future Energy Strategies
January to July

In italics – event has taken place
Bold – attended by Future Energy Strategies

January

8 January – An Audience with Steve Holliday, CEO National Grid, London
19-21 January – World Future Energy Summit (with Masdar), Abu Dhabi
20 January – Energy Industries Club, Lord Browne of Madingly, London
21 January – British Wind Energy Association Parliamentary reception, London
22-23 January – Claes & Casteels EU Energy Law and Policy Conference, Brussels
27 January – Environmental Industries Commission reception, London
28 January – Energy Security, organised by the Economic Research Council, London
28-29 January – European Gas Conference, Vienna

February

2 February – Platt’s 3rd Central and Eastern European Power Conference, Warsaw
4 February – Strategic Issues in UK and US Nuclear Markets (Westminster Energy Forum), London
9 February – Platt’s 3rd Annual European Gas Storage Summit, Budapest
9-13 February – Sustainable Energy Week (European Commission), Brussels
16 February – Financial Times special report: Working in Energy
16-19 February – International Petroleum Week, London
17-19 February – Energy from Waste, London
19 February Meeting of EU transport and energy ministers, Brussels
23 February – Solar Power Generation, Barcelona
24 February – Utility Street Works: Best Practice, keys to success (SBGI-ENA), London
24 February – Energy Industries Club, Nick Horler CEO Scottish Power, London
25 February – Nuclear Decommissioning 2009, Manchester

March

2 March – EU Environment Ministers debate including emissions legislation and environmental management
4-6 March – New Energy Finance Summit, London
5 March – After RBI-X – What Next? London
5 March –Energy Market Risk, Global Energy Advisory, London
9 March – Nuclear New Build Construction Challenges, London
9-12 March – The Doha Natural Gas Conference, Qatar
9-13 March – Flame, International Gas and LNG Conference Amsterdam
11 March – National Grid meeting at Elexon, London
11 March – British Wind Energy Association’s BWEA Connect with Norton Rose, London
11 March – Energy Prices with the Utility Strategy Group and Simmons & Simmons, London
16-17 March Energypact conference on Energy, Environment & Development, Geneva
16-19 March – European Wind Energy Conference, Marsaille
17 March – Nuclear New Build (Energy Institute), London
17 March – Transmission and Distribution Europe 2009, Barcelona
17-18 March – The Future of Utilities (IEA, Marketforce) , London
18 March – Clean Coal (Energy Institute), London
19 March – The Metering Forum (IEA, Marketforce) , London
24 March – Energy Industries Club, Paul Golby CEO Eon UK, London
24 March – $75 oil – a fair price? CGES Conference, London
25 March – Energy Technologies – Policy, Development & Deployment (Westminster Energy Forum), London
25 March Building the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Future conference, Birmingham NEC
31 March – Adapting Your Energy Strategies for Turbulent Times, with the MEUC, Birmingham NEC
31 March-1 April – Carbon in the Environment, Health and Energy, Manchester

April

2 April – Platt’s European Renewable Energy Conference, Berlin
16 April – How Green is Your CRC, London
22 April – APX Energy Trading Symposium (with Moffatt Associates), Brussels
22-13 April International Small Wind (with the BWEA), Watford
28 April – Peak Gas ? Organised by the Economic Research Council, London
30 April- Energy Industries Club, Steve Holliday CEO National Grid, London
30 April British Wind Energy Association, Bath
30 April – 1 May – SHE 2009 (Safety, Health and the Environment) with Western Power Distribution and ERA, Bath

May

6-7 May Private Equity International (PEI) Global Energy Forum, London
19 May – Delivering UK & EU Renewables Targets (Westminster Energy Forum), London
12 May – The Energy Charter Treaty (Energy Institute), London
13 May Carbon Capture and Storage (Energy Institute), London
19-21 May NEMEX, Birmingham
28 May – Energy Industries Club, Vincent de Rivaz CEO EDF Energy, London

June

9-11 June European Future Energy Summit (Masdar), Bilbao
23-25 June – The Global LNG Congress, Istanbul

July

2 July – Annual Review of UK & EU Energy Policy & Regulation (Westminster Energy Forum), London

August

September

9-11 September – World Nuclear Association 34th Annual Symposium (WNA), London

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News of major energy companies like Shell, BO and now Scottish Power’s Spanish owners Iberdrola pulling out of wind energy don’t bode well for green energy right now. But as government’s everywhere look desperately for green shoots to lead us all out of economic meltdown, there are still signs that the environmental services sector – and low carbon energy – could buck the economic trend and help lead the way to recovery.

The growing number of job vacancy websites featuring opportunities in the green energy sector is evidence of this. Look in places like lowcarbon.com and environmental strategy managers, renewable energy consultants, sustainable development officers and carbon offsetting researchers are being sought by public and private sector alike.

A glimmer of economic life is there in the sustainability and carbon abatement sector – and there are even signs that with targets in Britain of zero carbon new homes by 2016 and ambitious renewable energy and emissions targets for 2020, there may even be a skills shortage in terms of establishing ‘green teams’ to deliver Britain’s low carbon future.

Many of our environmental targets come from the European Commission and were conceived before the recession hit. But additional low carbon impetus has come from the need to drive ourselves out of the current economic plight. In the US, where the recession began, Barack obama was talking about green energy as an economic catalyst even before he was elected President.

He said at the end of 2008: ‘We’ll invest $15 billion a year over the next decade in renewable energy, creating five million new green jobs that pay well, can’t be outsourced, and help our dependence on foreign oil’. He was supported by Senator Barbara Boyer, the chair of the senate Environment and Public Works Committee, who said: ‘We need a tax incentive so people will put solar rooftops on, invest in solar, wind and geothermal’. All the signs are that now in office Obama is delivering on his promise. And others, including the UK government, are trying to follow suit.

The kick-start that green energy jobs can bring is certainly supported by the European Commission. DG Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said recently: ‘The Climate and Energy package is part of the solution and will enhance Europe’s energy security, increase the competitiveness of European industry and create high quality green jobs’. Europe, of course, has a big driver here – targets for the year 2020 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce energy consumption and increase the contribution made by renewable energy.

In Britain, an ‘energy gap’ is looming from 2015 when old coal and nuclear power stations start to shut down. New job opportunities in low carbon energy, be it wind, wave, nuclear or carbon capture, are possible. Green homes, too, offer prospects.

But industry will have to contribute to skilling the new green workforce – providing the needed investment in low carbon energy and housing is able to go ahead.. Paul Davies of UK housing contractor Wates told The Guardian recently: ‘Only if we get a long term, broad investment in green homes will the right personnel be found and trained on the scale needed for a dramatic reduction in carbon emissions’.

So the green jobs of hope await, building and managing wind farms, nuclear power stations and zero emissions housing estates, not to say working across the whole panoply of energy efficient technologies from insulation to smart metering. It all makes economic and environmental sense – providing governments, regulators and industry can work together to create the investment framework to make it happen.