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Eaton’s industry-leading Smart split-metered distribution boards will provide energy metering to the latest requirements of the UK Building Regulations, Part L2, in a new energy-efficient college building in North London. MITIE Engineering selected the Smartboards to provide low voltage distribution throughout Barnet College’s new Wood Street campus. Meanwhile, Eaton’s 400A Mempower busbar risers were selected to carry power to riser cupboards on each floor.

A total of 26 Smartboards are used in the building which will provide state-of the-art teaching facilities for 4,000 students and 255 staff. The innovative boards incorporate dual metering facilities so that lighting and small power loads can be metered separately in accordance with Building Regulations Part L2.

A major reason for selecting the Eaton boards was the fact that the unique Smart meter provides a separate reading for each of the grouped loads, explains Mark Cordell, MITIE’s Project Manager. Alternative designs generally provide one measurement for the total board load and a separate measurement for one of the grouped loads; this means that values for the second grouped load have to be calculated. Eaton’s Smart meter provides visual readout and remote indication of a range of parameters (including kWh, voltage, current, power factor and maximum demand) for the grouped loads and total board load.

The four-storey Barnet College building has risers at either end. 400A Mempower MP busbar trunking brings power to the riser cupboards at each floor. The five-bar system provides a separate clean earth facility for the computer installations in the building.

A variety of board sizes has been used in Barnet College from 6+4 TPN ways to 14+10 TPN ways. Each riser cubicle includes two Smart boards which provide power for lighting and other services on the adjacent floor areas. Cable feeders supply power to further distribution boards in the core of the building. These will all be linked into a BMS system.

Building Regulations Part L2 call for energy sub-metering so that 90% of the estimated annual consumption can be assigned to specific end-use categories, such as lighting, in new and refurbished buildings. This means that final distribution boards which supply lighting and small power must have separate measurement of both load groups. Eaton has responded with a range of solutions including distribution boards with integral metering and separate meterpacks for use with conventional distribution boards.

Eaton’s split metered distribution boards are available in Type A (single-phase) and Type B (three-phase) form with up to 14+12 outgoing TPN ways. The unique dual-channel Smart summing meter is used in conjunction with a high-integrity 15kA busbar with embedded voltage transducers. This offers a more compact solution than designs which use current transformers, and higher integrity than soft-wired split-busbar designs. The Smartboards incorporate high-integrity clean earth facilities as standard.

Barnet College is one of the largest Further Education colleges in the country with campuses in High Barnet, Colindale and New Southgate offering a wide range of courses for 25,000 learners. The old Wood Street premises were becoming costly to maintain but the new building will offer a modern sustainable, energy-efficient environment. The site is being landscaped in sympathy with the historic Tudor Hall in the centre of Barnet. Main contractor for the project is Vinci Construction UK Limited.

In another educational building project in Barnet, MITIE is installing another 16 of Eaton’s Smart split-metered distribution boards in the new East Barnet Secondary School.

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Hydrex eTrend is the latest addition to the Hydrex family. The new service offered by ELGA Process Water, a Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies company, uses latest technology to track and trend plant performance online.

Hydrex eTrend electronically records parameters from cooling and boiler water treatment monitoring programs, allowing for easy data storage and instant access to the latest critical trends. Trend data is stored centrally and securely online and is reviewed by our chemical specialists. This provides an early opportunity to optimise system performance and to make adjustments in dosing before the system goes out of specification. Additional information such as technical data sheets, site survey reports and certificates, confirming compliance with L8 guidelines and BS 2486, are also stored on the new and secure website.

An advanced Hydrex eTrend⁺ version includes the trending equipment to allow customers to take more frequent readings in addition to the site visits from service engineers.

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Brochure introduces a new approach to insulating the loft area of old and new houses.

Rockwool (www.rockwool.co.uk), the world’s leading manufacturer of non-combustible stone wool insulation solutions, has produced a brochure for its new RockPrime loft insulation which is a super fast and highly effective way of insulating the loft area within old and new houses. 

The brochure, available through Rockwool’s website, has been written to help construction and maintenance professionals such as architects, specifiers and builders to understand the characteristics and benefits of blown loft insulation.  

The traditional means of insulating a loft is to use some form of rolled insulation which takes time and can be cumbersome working around the hard to treat lofts such as those with low pitched roofs, intricate nooks and crannies or the complex nature of modern trussed rafter roof constructions. 

In the brochure Rockwool shows how RockPrime blown loft insulation can help to achieve a good coverage between and over obstacles such, as joists and pipework, even into difficult to reach eaves, thus minimising thermal bridges. RockPrime can be installed to any specific thickness to suit required U-values. It is compatible with other insulation types and can also be used in top-up situations. 

The brochure describes how RockPrime blown loft insulation can improve the sound insulation of the building. It also highlights the fact that RockPrime blown loft insulation is Non-Combustible, as defined in UK and Ireland Building Regulations. 

The RockPrime installation process, detailed in the brochure, is done by specially trained contractors in almost half of the time of traditional roll product and causes minimum disturbance to the building occupiers. It requires no heavy lifting, cutting or manual fitting. And although RockPrime blown loft is a skilled installation it is no more expensive than traditional roll insulation yet can still provide the same cost savings. 

RockPrime blown loft insulation is a safe durable material that will remain an effective insulant for the life of the building.  

Andrew Champ, Business Development Director from Rockwool said: ”Insulating the loft is one of the most effective means of reducing energy costs and carbon dioxide emissions from the building. RockPrime blown loft insulation can provide simple solutions to today’s and future demands of the energy regulations”. 

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Laidlaw Solutions Ltd has again been shortlisted for two prime projects in the 2011 Architectural Ironmongery Specification Awards organised by the GAI and RIBA. The highly acclaimed Bermondsey Square Hotel, described as the epitome of designer chic, is one of four projects being considered for the 'Best Hospitality or Residential Building' while Rose Lodge in Hebburn, a £6.1m specialist centre for adults with learning disabilities, is one of just two shortlisted for 'Best Public Building'. The bi-annual awards, which are being held at the Ironmongers' Hall in Barbican on 30th March, recognise design excellence in the specification of architectural ironmongery.

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AMTECH 2010 is the latest generation of Electrical Design and Test & Inspection software, optimised to deliver a variety of time saving and productivity benefits that will help users work smarter and increase their profitability. In turn, this reinforces the company’s commitment to ensuring its customers have access to advanced technologies that evolve with their needs.

AMTECH 2010 incorporates upgraded versions of FastTest, FastTest Domestic and FastTest Mobile, ProDesign and ProDesign Domestic and SingleCable software. Each of these programs feature significant enhancements to both functionality and ease of use.

In FastTest 2010, for example, navigation through on-screen certificates is now much easier, while the new ‘Last Page Bookmark’ highlights the last focal point viewed on a certificate. Other new features include ‘Customisable Tabs in Certificate Browser’, ‘traffic light’ indication of certificate status plus the ‘New User Login Feature & User Image Association’ which enhances usability making the logging in process a breeze.

In parallel, FastTest Mobile brings all of the productivity advantages of mobile working with an extensive range of time saving features, such as enhanced ‘Email On The Move’.

ProDesign 2010, has also enjoyed a major upgrade with a host of new features to accelerate key design processes and increase efficiency. Sure to prove particularly popular is the New Powerful Data Entry Module, along with faster selection of Protective Devices, Busbar Diversity, Detailed Discrimination Reports and a New Calculation Engine for fault level calculations. A selection of these new features can also be found in SingleCable 2010.

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The University of Manchester's Energy Management and Building Services team have installed 15 Micronics Heat Meters, utilising Micronics UL2000 Clamp-On, Ultrasonic flow meters as part of their ongoing energy management programme.

The university's heating requirement including LTHW and MTHW is supplied from shared Energy Centres and distributed via a steel pipe network, ranging in size from 200 to 300mm. To comply with current legislation and implement the university's best practice energy management program, the campus is monitored and managed by Energy Cost Centres with Display Energy Certificates required for all areas >1000m² and the University has to account for 90% of the energy flow from the Energy Centres.

Implementing the installation of Heat Meters in an existing distribution network of 200 to 300mm pipe-work would be a major task using in-line meters, which led Chris Cunningham, Assistant Mechanical and Energy Engineer and the team to specify Clamp-On, Ultrasonic flow measurement. Chris says “After considering the various options Clamp-On, ultrasonic flow measurement was clearly the most cost-effective and least disruptive solution for measuring flow in our distribution network. In-line meters would have been more expensive and very disruptive requiring system drain-down and cutting pipe work”.

The meters provide ½ hour consumption data, which is supplied for analysis via the University's data-concentrators and campus Ethernet network, providing energy consumption data for 24hr Laboratories, Conference and Teaching blocks.

Micronics were selected as the supplier due to the University's previous experience using the Micronics Portaflo, portable ultrasonic, Clamp-on flow meter. And a combination of Micronics profile in the market, long-term experience with Ultrasonic Clamp-On technology plus competitive pricing and product performance i.e. best value! Chris has been pleased with the performance of the Micronics products and says the pre and post order service support has also been good, however, he feels the requirement for annual calibration and the associated costs is an area, which requires further consideration. The project has been a success and there are future plans to use the same technology on the University's Chilled Water circuits.

The project has demonstrated how Clamp-On – Ultrasonic technology can be successfully implemented as a cost-effective, minimal disruption solution to provide heat energy measurement and the potential for replication on similar campus sites is significant.

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AMTECH Group has launched LUCKINSlive.com, the first ever free online information service for the entire building services industry, comprising mechanical, electrical and plumbing sectors.

LUCKINSlive is set to become the largest single source of information on up to 750,000 building services products; including brochures, specification sheets, images, videos and more. This information is free to access and is available 24 hours a day -with no login required.

Advanced search functions make it easy to find information and links are provided directly from all AMTECH, Estimation and nes Specification Expert software, so that sourcing information becomes a seamless part of the workflow.

Users can also subscribe to the free ‘Price Watch’ newsletter that provides information on all the latest price movements in the industry, together with industry news, while an upgrade to the full LUCKINSlive service gives access to up-to-date pricing data.

Current Luckins data subscribers will automatically be entitled to enhanced product and pricing information available online through LUCKINSlive. The site is also mobile-enabled, allowing information to be accessed on the move, at any time of day.

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Formed in 1979 Taplanes Showing Solutions were once a subsidiary of Kelan Engineering and are now the oldest British manufacturer of shower cubicles, minipods and ensuite pods. Using their own patented manufacturing techniques and materials, Taplanes are the only British company that can genuinely prove that they can meet a minimum 30 year life expectancy if not in excess of 50 years.

Taplanes have produced specialized equipment for private, military and government contracts for various applications which have involved highly specialized chemicals, plastics, electronics and robotic knowledge.

Most of these contracts were completed under “Letters of Confidentiality” and “Secrecy” documentation.

Taplanes manufacture all their products using a specially formulated polypropylene material with a minimum thickness of 10/12mm. This sustainable material allows Taplanes to take their products back at the end of its life cycle, regrind it, re-thermoform it and then re-use it.

Each bespoke construction does not use any substitute material for strength, under-carriage support or component fixing, nor does the system carry any exposed sealant, grout or tiling which can be a costly, an on-going maintenance issue, and can also attract bacteria. The Taplanes material is tested and approved by an NHS test Laboratory as bacteria free and also totally inert.

Their patented horizontal joint system is designed to prevent any capillary action allowing for the whole ensuite system to be taken in and out of the allotted room as many times as needed without invalidating the guarantee.

During their 31 years of manufacture Taplanes can refer to clients selling buildings, taking the ensuite or showers out, and reusing them in other buildings which saves considerable sums of money.

The Taplanes unique design is a cost saving environmentally friendly solution, perfect for today's economic climate.
www.taplanes.co.uk

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After two years of extensive product development and testing, John Newton & Company are proud to launch their new range of structural waterproofing products. Having historically focused on cavity drain waterproofing, Newtons can now supply a full range of additional products to complement the range.

A summary of the new product range is as follows:

Newton System 100 – Cementitious Products
A portfolio of cementitious products to complement Newton System 500, including a high quality flexible waterproofing membrane, an SBR additive, a rapid setting waterstop and fast setting mortar for creating angle fillets. These products enable the specifier to use Newton products for other areas of the overall inclusive waterproofing scheme such as lift shafts, flat soffits and externally to difficult details such as retained slabs and ring-beams.

Newton System 200 – Deck and Roofing
A complete range of externally applied elastomeric polyurethane membranes for balconies, terraces, flat and inverted roofs, podium decks, swimming pools etc. The range allows for specifiers to use Newton products for the flat surfaces above the basement as well as the waterproofing below.

Newton System 300 – Horizontal Drainage
The System 300 is a range of dimpled drainage membranes used as a protection and drainage layer above the new System 200 waterproofing membranes. Also included in this range are products and specifications for complete Green Roof specifications.

Newton System 400 – Vertical Drainage
The 400 System is a range of composite geodrain membranes and associated products used for the vertical drainage retaining walls to the soil side.

Newton System 500 – Cavity Drain Waterproofing
Newton System 500 is an internally applied waterproofing system based upon Newton's range of cavity drain membranes, drainage systems and pumping systems. Unlike conventional 'tanking;, Newton System 500 is not attempting the almost impossible and trying to hold water back, but places designed maintainable depressurisation voids at known weaknesses in the structure so that ingressing water is simply captured and diverted out of the property.

Newton System 600 – Flooring Membranes
Newton System 600 is a range of flooring membranes suitable for a large variety of applications. As well as providing protection from dampness within the floor, these membranes 'de-couple' the floor finish from the substrate preventing damage due to substrate movement and cracking.

Newton System 700 – Liquid Applied Floor Coatings
Newtons range of liquid applied protective and decorative flooring products. These products are fast curing and available in a variety of colours. Typically used for internal floors such as retail space, depots and warehouses.

Newton System 800 – Damp Proofing
Newtons damp-proofing membranes ensure that internal wall finishes are protected form dampness within the walls of the structure. The meshed membranes provide a firm key and impermeable barrier on any damp or deteriorating surface ready for plaster, render or dot &a,p; dab plasterboard. The unmeshed Newton 803 membrane is used where insulation requirements dictate the use of a timber or steel frame ready for plasterboard. Quick, clean and proven to work, Newton damp proof membranes truly are the modern, cost effective, damp-proofing solution.

Newton System 900 – Liquid Primers & Sealers
This range of products are predominately for use in conjunction with System 200 and System 700 liquid membranes as priming agents for a variety of substrates prior to the application of the specialist waterproofing and flooring membranes.

Newton Pumps
John Newton's pumping range has been developed to provide a broad range of pumping solutions which together with our extensive list of ancillary products ensure that the Newton waterproofing system sets new standards of performance and reliability.

Our sump and pump combinations for basement waterproofing offer the specifier and end client a full range of pumping products. Whether you need to control clear ground water, grey water, effluent or sewerage, John Newton supply a complete range of the highest specification pumps available for all of your pumping requirements.

“Our new product range is the culmination of two years of testing, development and research to find the best waterproofing products available” – Warren Muschialli, Managing Director

How We Can Help

John Newton & Company's team of waterproofing and damp proofing experts offer unrivalled technical support and would be delighted to help you with any waterproofing enquiries. Our nationwide network of Newton Specialist Basement Contractors are trained and monitor to install Newton waterproofing systems to the highest standards and can offer insured guarantees.

For further information or advice about any of John Newton & Company's products, please visit http://www.newton-membranes.co.uk, 020 7237 1217 or e-mail info@newton-membranes.co.uk.

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Fendor, one of the UK's leading specialist glazing designers and manufacturers has bucked the economic trend to record a healthy 18 % increase in growth during 2010.

Announcing the figures, managing director Chris Duffy said,”Since 2007 Fendor has invested heavily in both R&D and Marketing spend and this increased during 2010. We have aggressively targeted new market sectors specifically Healthcare this being highlighted by the introduction of several new patent applications for that sector. European Design rights have been granted for the CleanVent® system and for the first time International PCT applicationsare in place.

“The results of this strategic initiative resulted in 18% growth in 2010 output over 2009 during a period of particularly difficult market conditions in the U.K.”

“Since the 2006 MBO we have seen consistent annual growth in our balance sheet and 2010 ended with a particularly strong cash position”.

Chris concluded, “Future developments will see a continued emphasis on R&D, with particular emphasis on healthcare and the U.K. custodial sector as well as exploration of International markets.”

“The outlook for Fendor is very positive with increasing growth in sales across fire glazing, specialist healthcare, security and secondary glazing sectors.”

Importantly,Fendor is taking on more staff at its Gateshead factory – and sees this continuing for the foreseeable future.

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