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Fast to use, light to carry and featuring a convenient internal database for results storage, portable appliance testers in Megger’s new professional range are available in versions optimised to suit the needs of all types of users who regularly carry out PAT testing. Key benefits of the new instruments include rapid start up, instant restart after temporary disconnection when moving between test locations and optional barcode support to aid rapid asset identification.

• Vast on-board memory to keep you on the job longer
• Continuous operation, no need to stop and wait for the tester to cool down
• Instant re-start as you move from room to room testing
• Soft keys to speed you through the testing process
• Full PAT testing including RCD testing
• Most productive tester in its class

Choice of three models to suit your application

Megger’s new professional PAT tester range comprises three models: the PAT410, which is an ideal choice for use in office and IT environments; the PAT420, which is equally at home in commercial, industrial and construction environments; and the PAT450, which is optimised for use by service organisations and tool hire companies.

The new testers offer both manual and automatic operation and, when they are used in automatic mode, the test structure can readily be configured to suit specific requirements. This means, for example, that a supervisor can pre-define a test structure for a specific application, and then be sure that all tests are performed exactly as required, irrespective of who carries out the actual testing work.

Asset database will hold up to 10,000 records

Efficient handling of test results is another important characteristic of these innovative instruments. They have an integral multiuser database with ten times the capacity of a typical downloading PAT tester, and they use a flat data structure that enhances traceability as well as making it easy to set up assets and to find the data associated with them. Results can also be stored in test groups, and there is no limit to the length of the group names. These can, therefore, be made descriptive and easy to understand, which is an important aid to testing efficiency.

Choice of high bond and soft bond test

Tests offered by the PAT410 include earth continuity (bond testing), 250 V and 500 V insulation tests, VA, alternative leakage tests and RCD trip tests for portable RCDs, anti-surge leads and power cords. The instrument is designed for testing 230 V assets, and bond testing is carried out at 200 mA, which is ideal for IT and office equipment. The PAT420 adds facilities for testing 110 V assets and for carrying out bond tests at 10 A and 25 A as well as at 200 mA, while the PAT450 offers all of the facilities of the PAT420 plus 1.5 kV and 3 kV flash test functions.

The PAT420 is also available in the market leading business in a box format which has helped many electrical contractors successfully move in to PAT testing.

Megger’s new professional PAT testers are supplied as standard with a calibration certificate, printed quick start guide, full user guide on CD, continuity/earth bond lead and probe and a 13A extension lead adapter, all presented in convenient carrying case with an integral lead/document pouch.

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Europe’s leading radiator manufacturer – Stelrad – is at EcoBuild 2012. You’ll find Stelrad on stand number N1725.

Stelrad will be unveiling its latest radiator design at EcoBuild this year – a visit to the stand is a must to see this technologically advanced offering that is initially targeted at the new build marketplace in particular. It’s hush hush, but you’ll not want to miss it!

Although Stelrad offers a full range of radiator designs – including the company’s new, stunningly good looking panel radiators and its designer radiator range, much of the interest of visitors to EcoBuild will inevitably be drawn towards the new radiators it has developed in recent months.

In particular, the new vertical range of radiators will be appeal – aesthetically pleasing but also highly practical, offering larger heat emitting surfaces that perfectly match the requirements of renewable heating systems that operate at a lower temperature than traditional ‘boiler driven’ heating systems. Radiators, particularly the latest technology radiators from Stelrad, are not only adequate, they offer a cost effective and highly efficient response to the need for heat from renewables – in either a domestic or commercial environment.

Stelrad’s vertical radiators partner renewable heating systems perfectly as they offer the larger surface area required by the low heating system temperatures generated by ground source and air source heat pumps, contributing significantly to a reduction in energy usage and lower heating bills for the householder. And of course, vertical radiators free up valuable horizontal space.

Importantly Stelrad vertical radiators have been designed to be used vertically, offering highly effective heat dispersion from the specially designed free flowing waterways, which leave absolutely no cold spots on the radiators.

The Stelrad vertical radiator options offer a variety of design solutions, from standard panel radiators, to flat fronted Planar and Compact with Style models.

Despite some sections of the industry attempting to ‘segment’ renewable heating as the obvious ‘bedfellow’ of underfloor heating systems in recent months, the reality is that radiators will remain the ‘heat emitter of choice’ for the foreseeable future for most people and the advances made by Stelrad in the development of radiators that can complement renewable systems so effectively makes this virtually a ‘cert’.

Another major development that Stelrad will be exhibiting at EcoBuild is the ‘Stelrad Compact K3’ – a triple panel radiator that again offers a much larger total area for heat emitting.

Single (K1) and double panel (K2) radiators are common within the UK, but triple panel radiators – offering three panels and three convector fins – are a new introduction in the UK marketplace although they are popular in mainland Europe due to the lower system temperatures often employed in homes on the continent.

Commonsense tells us that it’s the heat output requirement that determines the size of a radiator. By doubling up or tripling up on the number of panels, it’s possible to achieve higher heat levels from smaller length radiators. For example, a shorter length Stelrad Compact K3 would benefit from a space point of view when compared to a longer K2. Installing a triple panel radiator reduces the length of radiator required, offering an adequate steel surface area but taking up significantly less wall space.

The benefits of radiators being installed on renewable systems are many. Firstly, once installed, assuming the heating system has been properly installed – including being flushed and inhibited as required by Part L of Building Regulations – no maintenance is required. And secondly of course being on the wall, the heat they emit is not affected by coverings of any type, compared to underfloor heating where the heat emitted can vary widely depending on the floorcoverings utilised. In addition, many installers feel uncomfortable with using underfloor heating on upper floors.

Stelrad’s impressive range of low surface temperature radiators – designed for applications where young, elderly or vulnerable people will be in close proximity, or for public buildings where safety is paramount – have caught the imagination and these will be on display at EcoBuild. Sales of the range have built steadily and the arrival of the vertical LST range has boosted interest still further. Pop along to the stand to take a closer look.

Full details of the exciting Stelrad Radiator range can be seen on its stand at EcoBuild – on stand N1725 – or found on their web site at www.stelrad.com where you can download pdfs of a wide range of brochures, or of course by calling on 0870 849 8058.

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A £3.5M scheme in Bournemouth which is the first to provide dedicated specialist housing for people with dementia has seen Klober’s Wallint 50 Air Barrier and Solar-Line airtightness accessories used throughout. The residential wing has been built to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 while the non-residential area has achieved a BREEAM 'Very Good' rating. Phil Goffin of architects Brown Smith Baker explained, “We wanted an air barrier/VCL to meet the British Standard minimum vapour resistance of 250 MN/sg and Wallint 50 met this requirement perfectly”. It was installed on the warm side of rafters behind plaster stops in conjunction with Klober’s Pasto Sealant and Permo TR Tape. Pipe work penetrations through the roof were sealed using the Solar-Line Sealing Collar.

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Urbis’ new Piano LED luminaire provides the highest levels of photometric performance and offers an excellent solution for street lighting, public spaces and parks. Its slender, attractive lines also make it ideally suited to urban settings.

Uniquely, the Piano is fitted with Urbis’ new Lensoflex® system. This system is based upon the addition principle of photometric distribution. Each LED associated with a specific lens generates the complete photometric distribution of the luminaire. It is the number of LEDs that determines the intensity level of the light distribution. Urbis has developed a range of such lenses. The Lensoflex® concept enables LEDs to be placed horizontally. This combination allows the user to create the perfect photometric distribution and ambiance for their scheme.

The Piano is also a low maintenance solution as Urbis’ new Thermix® and LEDSafe® systems keep the luminaire cool and tightly sealed respectively. Extra clear glass increases the photometric efficiency. The Piano can also be upgraded so the user can take advantage of new lighting technologies.

Find out more by calling our sales team on 01256 354446.

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Visitors to Ecobuild will have the opportunity to see a range of Wilo high efficiency pumps up front and personal! This will include the first opportunity to see some newcomers that will offer new opportunities for installers and specifiers to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. Wilo offers the widest range of pumps and pumping systems from small circulating pumps for domestic central heating and air conditioning up to large commercial pumps for heating, air conditioning, pressure boosting, sewage and grey water pumping – the range is massive.

It’s inevitable that many visitors will be keen to see the Wilo small circulating pump range that includes the popular Wilo Stratos-PICO –which offers up to 90% energy savings over a standard uncontrolled pump.

The new EU rules on the use of high efficiency pumps has not come into force yet, but it’s been encouraging that specifiers and installers have recommended the use of a PICO to significantly reduce their customers electricity bills. All members of the Wilo-Stratos Eco pump family, of which PICO is the latest and the most efficient, are equipped with EC (electronic commutated) motor technology and this is the key to the very low power consumption which distinguishes the high-efficiency pumps from standard and other electronic pumps. The highly efficient EC motor combines the advantages of wet-running technology with unbeatable efficiency. In addition, the hydraulics of the PICO pump have also been optimised. The electronics – an extension of a completely new development for the Stratos family of pumps – provide integrated power regulation for variable differential pressures and can be regulated.

The new Wilo Stratos PICO uses just 6W of input – amazingly that’s less than a TV or DVD standby mechanism, that uses around 8W.

PICO is the latest evolution of Wilo’s energy saving small circulator pump family, but can lay claim to being the most energy efficient option available as we head into a pumping revolution, under the auspices of the EU ErP Directive that will transform the requirements of pumps of all shapes and sizes over the next ten years. It meets the requirements of the Directive already, which few others can claim.

Also on the stand, you can be one of the first people in the UK to meet the new Wilo-Stratos GIGA. This exceptional new pump offers building designers, specifiers and architects the chance to easily optimize the energy costs and environmental balance of a building or industrial complex. With its hydraulic output and specification, the new Wilo-Stratos GIGA is ideal for commercial, industrial and residential buildings.

These include universities and colleges, schools, office blocks, hotels, conference centres, factories, prisons, hospitals, primary care centres – in essence, any new building where energy consumption and emissions need to be reduced and any existing building where the current pumps are elderly, uncontrolled pumps, consuming far more electricity than they should in the current energy climate.

It’s the first pump from Wilo’s new high-efficiency series for heating, cold-water and cooling applications, and it’s targeted at projects where energy saving pumps will pay significant dividends over a typically fifteen year lifecycle.

The figures associated with the new Wilo-Stratos GIGA are quite staggering. Due to the combination of new hydraulics with a new highly efficient drive concept (HED – High Efficiency Drive) the Wilo-Stratos GIGA offers major energy saving benefits. Specifying the GIGA for your projects will result in a saving of emissions amounting to approximately 8,000 kg CO2 per year as well as saving up to £70,000 in electricity costs per pump installed over a 15 year lifecycle, compared to conventional uncontrolled pumps (based on the Blue Angel load profile). The new GIGA has a typical payback period of less than two years, which highlights the benefits and value of installing high efficiency Wilo pumps.

The new pump series that the GIGA leads is a completely new development. For the first time glanded pumps are driven by highly efficient energy-saving EC motors and the pumps' hydraulics are optimally adjusted to the motor technology. According to Wilo, GIGA pumps can claim particularly high total efficiency based on a motor efficiency of up to 94 per cent at a nominal motor power of 4.5 kW. The motor's energy efficiency is based on a new high-efficiency drive concept, the High Efficiency Drive (HED) from Wilo and even outclasses the limit of efficiency class IE4 (acc. to IEC TS 60034-31 Ed.1) outlined under the new and far reaching ErP Directive for energy related products. That’s impressive by any measure.

Thanks to the proven “red-button technology” and an easy to monitor display, the pump guarantees user-friendly operation. On the basis of optionally available IF-Modules that can be integrated, different interfaces for Bus communication can be utilized – including PLR, LON, Modbus, BACNet and CAN – making external devices redundant.

Drop by the Wilo stand to meet the knowledgeable Wilo team and discuss your pumping requirements or visit www.wilo.co.uk to get a feel for the range and to quest information.

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Laidlaw Solutions has supplied Orbis Timber doorsets, predominantly with crown-cut American White Oak veneer, Oak lippings and softwood frames to the £26.3 million Southern Justice Centre in Leamington Spa. The five-storey, 6,500 sq m facility, designed by HLM Architects for the Warwickshire Police Authority, is set to be the model for all new build justice centres in the UK. In addition to housing Police, Crown Prosecution, Probation, Youth Offending, Victim and Witness Support services, it has custodial facilities as well as four crown courts, three magistrates' courts and two county courts.

Orbis Commercial 850mm x 32mm pull handles on pillars with back-to-back fixings in Silk Anodised Aluminium were also chosen, while 1250 x 200mm Vision Panels were supplied as part of a package designed to meet FD60 fire and 35db acoustic performance.

Built by Galliford Try with Hurd Rolland Partnership as Architectural Consultants, the facility was formally opened by HM The Queen.

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Another new and unobtrusively styled lantern from Thorn, the Oracle S adopts eco-friendly technologies to meet the sustainable needs of today’s minor road and urban street lighting projects.

Beneath its compact aluminium exterior, the Oracle S conceals a double IP66 protected optic/gear enclosure, complete with superior ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM) gasket. The reflector, when combined with a choice of enclosures (flat or shallow) and lampholder adjustments (15 sets), optimizes light output and control for both E27/E40 and PGZ12 lamps up to 150W. The benefits are a LOR of 81%, an ULOR of 0% and little maintenance.

Three lighting control options are available: basic Nema / Minicell sockets, Step-Dim switching ballasts and “intelligent” remote monitoring (RMS).

Eco-design credentials are documented in a Product Environmental Profile (PEP), which lets customers check the environmental impact of the product through life.

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The installation of Ability Projects fan coil units has now been completed for phase 1B of the Masdar Institute complex in Abu Dhabi. The contract, involving more than 700 Matrix II EC horizontal and vertical fan coil units represents the second large order that Ability projects has fulfilled for this innovative six square kilometre development designed by Foster and Partners, which seeks to use 100% renewable energy, be carbon neutral and generate zero waste.

Phase 1B of the development involved the installation of 2-pipe, cooling only units (with capacities between 1.3 and 3kW) in mixed residential, laboratory, offices and classrooms for the Masdar University applications. Control of the units’ fresh air inlets and outlets was provided by Ability via damper actuators, which regulate supply and extract based on enthalpy, Vin card entry and occupancy levels within the rooms. This system acts in the manner of a room controller and also takes into account the effects of equipment such as cooker hood etc. In addition, each room is fitted with its own dedicated LCD touch display unit to interface with the complex BACnet building regulation system.

Seventeen further Ability Matrix II EC fan coil units are installed in a local field station, situated adjacent to bore holes, which bring hot water to the system and utilise it for cooling purposes via absorption chillers.

The unique feature of Matrix EC fan coil units is their capability to independently adjust the air volume delivered by each duct on the same unit. This gives Masdar designers the option of using a single unit to condition two spaces, where in the past two units might have been required. This feature, combined with the energy savings afforded by EC motors, makes Matrix fan coil units the natural choice for such an energy conscious project.

The units at Masdar employ both demand and occupancy dependent fan speed control — developments first marketed by Ability in 2005. Demand dependent fan speed allows the fan speed and therefore the air volume, to vary commensurate with thermal demand. The upper limit would (in the past) have been the design fan speed and the lower limit is a percentage reduction determined by the designer.

Occupancy dependent control is a feature whereby the fan coil set points are allowed to move apart and adopt a holding strategy while the space remains unoccupied. With both features operating in tandem, the fan coil is activated only when personnel enter the room, at which point the fan speed imperceptibly modulates to deal with the current cooling load and no more. On Phase 1B of the Masdar project many units also receive control signals from window switches, enthalpy sensors, time clocks and key cards.

Whist Masdar City exploits the best of modern technologies, surpassing the highest standards currently demanded by internationally recognised organisations, its design also incorporates many traditional design techniques to help reduce energy consumption still further. Shaded walkways and narrow streets reduce glare and solar gain while the diagonal orientation of the urban layout makes the best use of cooling night breezes and lessens the effects of hot daytime winds. Other traditional features such as wind towers and solar shades help further improve comfort levels.

The Masdar Institute offers Master’s and Doctoral level degree programs focusing on the science and engineering of advanced energy and sustainable technologies. It has set its sights on being the centre of high calibre renewable energy and sustainability research, capable of attracting researchers and scientists from around the world.

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Chaido Doulala-Rigby (Yuli), Chief Engineer Tensar International, and Mike Dobie, Tensar Regional Manager Asia Pacific, have both recently been admitted as Fellows of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the world’s oldest professional engineering society, and the pre-eminent international organisation for civil engineers of all disciplines.

“Recognition by one’s peers is extremely valuable and self-rewarding,” comments Yuli. “Since becoming Chief Engineer at Tensar, I am fortunate to have been responsible for the design of some of the largest reinforced soil structures ever built. Pushing the boundaries has helped me to make a mark in the industry.”

“My invitation to become a Fellow recognises the contribution that ICE has made to civil engineering here in Indonesia,” adds Mike. “In Tensar our professional standards in ground stabilisation and soil reinforcement systems are as high as, if not higher than, any in our industry.”

Chaido Doulala-Rigby (Yuli) FICE and Mike Dobie FICE are supported by a number of professionally qualified engineers at Tensar International, including eight Members of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Chaido Doulala-Rigby FICE; profile: B Eng. Technical Institution of Thessalonika, Greece; MSc Geotechnical Engineering, U of Newcastle-o-T; UK site and project experience incl. AMEC-Balfour Beatty (Jubilee Line extension); Hong Kong experience Geotechnical Engineer and Team Leader, Mouchel; Tensar International 2006 Senior Design Engineer, 2009 Chief Engineer; 2011 FICE.

Mike Dobie FICE; profile: BSc Civil eng. Univ. Bristol, MSc & DIC Soil Mech. Imp. College; Geotechnical engineering for CEng MICE; UK experience, Graduate engineer WS Atkins, Dames & Moore, Freeman Fox & Ptnrs. International experience: Delft Soil Mech. Lab. Netherlands and Singapore; Tensar, Area and Regional Manager Asia Pacific, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta; ICE Country Rep. for Indonesia and Jakarta Local Association ICE committee official; 2011, FICE and invited to Editorial Advisory Board of the ICE Proceedings, Geotechnical Engineering Journal.

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Detectomat will be exhibiting its unique wire-free Wireless detect – Fire Detection and Alarm system at the show, the SRC3000 wireless detect including the designer range of smoke detector/sounders.

The SRC 3000 is a unique wireless detect solution from detectomat –fast, easy to use and no wires, mess or disruption. Just quick, simple to use and stylish, from designer range detectors to control panel!

This unique Wire-Free, Radio Fire System is an ideal solution for retrofit and refurbishment applications in small to medium sized enterprises including office buildings, listed buildings, guest houses, restaurants, nursery schools, garages / workshops, large houses and houses in multiple, occupation.

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