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The BBA is delighted to announce that it has been accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to offer installer approval under the Green Deal.

The BBA has been involved in much of the Green Deal developing framework including the Installer Accreditation Forum and the development of the installation standard PAS 2030: 2012. Therefore, we have an excellent understanding of the requirements that installers will need to meet to become approved under the Green Deal together with our long experience of running successful approved installer schemes in the construction industry.

We have also produced a green deal installer guide, accessed via our website www.bbacerts.co.uk/green-deal/installer-requirements, which explains the necessary steps that installers need to take to meet the requirements of the PAS.

Installers requiring an application form can e-mail greendeal@bba.star.co.uk or telephone 01923 665 300.

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Klober Mini Uni-Line Slate Vents have been used to provide high level ventilation in the newly built Preston House in Glenrothes. The prestigious care home is part of the Kingdom Homes group and is a 60 bedroom nursing facility considered to be at the forefront of care in Fife. The building has a 40° pitch and long-span, slate roof with hips and dormers. The Mini Uni-Line vent is suitable for use with most small natural slates and provides an unobtrusive finish which neatly follows the profile of the roof.

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Stelrad Radiators, the leading UK radiator manufacturer, has released the latest updated version of its popular ‘STARS Heatloss calculator’. It contains much more than you would expect and more than previous versions that have been used for years by dedicated heating system designers and heating engineers. The latest version offers an even simpler way to get sizing of radiators right, first time. And what’s even better, it’s free! Simply click on to the Stelrad web site at www.stelrad.com, click on ‘STARS’, register – and you’re away.

It’s essential that radiators used in a home are the right size for the room and for the building construction. This ensures that homeowners are not paying over the odds for a radiator that’s too big for the job and it means they won’t be paying higher energy bills than they should be, either.

To ensure that the maximum energy efficiency level is obtained from a heating system – and by definition, that emissions are lowered and energy costs are reduced for the householder – it’s vital that the radiators on that system are correctly sized, to reflect the size and shape of the room they’re in and to take into account the materials used in that room’s construction, in particular taking into consideration the levels of insulation that have been incorporated.

Too many homes are still suffering from oversized or in fewer cases, undersized radiators, meaning the rooms are too hot or too cold, or more likely, the radiators selected are never working to their true capacity. It’s far easier to pop your head around a door in a room and say ‘it’s about an ‘x’ sized radiator’, than it is to do the calculation. But to do a professional job, it clearly makes sense to use the right components and to make a few relatively quick calculations to ensure that what you recommend, delivers exactly what the customer needs in his or her home.

Stelrad Radiators – the UKs leading radiator manufacturer – has for a long time provided a special tool for installers and specifiers called STARS –the Stelrad Technical Advanced Radiator System. STARS has been used on PCs around the UK for several years to help people to work out just this – the right sized radiators to heat a home.

To update and improve the information available, Stelrad has released a new and improved version of STARS as a free download from www.stelrad.com.It will shortly be launching a new App version for installers and system designers to use on their smart phones.

Stelrad Product Manager Chris Harvey is the man behind the new version of STARS: “STARS is an online application built by Stelrad for anyone who needs to calculate heat loss for a room so they can choose the correct heating requirements and select the right components for a system.

“It enables instantaneous heat loss calculations using the unique room planner, where you can literally drag the walls of the room using your computer mouse, and the output figure is calculated in real time."

“With the STARS application being online, you can log in from anywhere if you have web access, and use your account immediately. As a major bonus, your account will remember all your previous projects, so you can easily duplicate similar projects to save time and hassle.”

STARS emphasis is on energy efficiency, increasing insulation levels and strict Building Regulations, all of which create additional difficulties when striving to achieve accurate Heatloss and U value calculations. The advanced domestic heatloss design service and BTU calculator incorporated in STARS are designed to help specify a room’s heatloss by incorporating all the CIBSE standard U values.

The new HeatLoss Calculator has been devised to improve the sizing of radiators with far greater accuracy, and this is where STARS provides the perfect solution. STARS now allows the user to draw a much wider range of room shapes and a visual check on room shape is achievable through an on screen floor plan.

The new U Value Calculator incorporates all THE CURRENT BUILDING REGULATION REQUIREMENTS ALONG WITH THE CIBSE standard U values. Unknown U values can be calculated accurately as STARS is able to cope with different materials, whilst other construction materials can be added when required.

It is an excellent tool for anyone needing to accurately size radiators for a heating system. It’s aimed at all Stelrad users, from one off self-builders and home renovators, to architects and specifiers, and housing developers.

It’s available as a download only – simply click on www.stelrad.com – click on STARS, and follow the instructions. For those who have used STARS before, it’s a very similar tool, just updated for the modern world in which we live. Details of the wide range of Stelrad products can be found at www.stelrad.com and copies of the recently launched ‘Radiator Book’ – an essential guide for all specifiers and installers -can be requested by calling on 0870 849 8058.

…..AND STELRAD GETS RIBA CPD ACCREDITATION

And further great news – Stelrad – has received accreditation by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as a CPD seminar provider.

The initial CPD seminar on offer to architects is based on explaining the technical differences between serial and parallel feed radiators and highlights how new serial feed technology helps reduce fuel costs and a property’s carbon footprint. The seminar takes attendees through the basics of radiator technology, explaining the mix of radiant and convection heat generated by them and highlighting the basis on which current radiators operate, using parallel feed technology which sees both front and back panels of a radiator heating up at the same time.

The seminar progresses into the concept of serial feed technology that is used in the new Stelrad Radical radiator range, launched at Ecobuild in 2012. This highlights how the Radical radiator sees the front panel heat up first and quickest and through the inclusion of factory fitted thermostatic valve controls, the heated water is allowed into the back panel only when a pre-determined temperature has been reached.

The seminar explains how vitally, the serial feed radiator has a measurably positive effect on the boiler as well. Because the water leaving the radiator is cooler than from a traditional parallel feed radiator, a condensing boiler will actually condense more efficiently, ensuring the maximum energy efficiency from the boiler as well.

The overall measureable effects of using a serial feed radiator has been independently assessed by KIWA as a 10.5% energy saving which is impressive by any standards.

Stelrad’s Product Manager is Chris Harvey: “We’re delighted to have received accreditation from RIBA to become a provider of regular CPD seminars for its members. It’s an important step forward for us and we’re looking forward to meeting RIBA members around the country in the months ahead and to adding additional seminars to this first accredited one, to raise levels of understanding in the heating sector amongst architects up and down the country.”

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The forthcoming amendments to the 17th Edition Wiring Regulations, due to be published in July this year, contain several changes that affect both cable calculations and periodic inspections.

New installation methods, cable de-rating factors and minimum cable sizes come into force for various situations and the much heralded Electrical Installation Condition Report is a completely new certificate that will replace the Periodic Inspection Report in due course.

In response, AMTECH are already working on these changes with the help of major trade associations and industry bodies. This has led them to launch a comprehensive package of software, training and support at a heavily discounted price.

During March 2011, AMTECH’s unique Office Pro package, covering calculations and certification, is packaged with technical support to the end of the year and an invitation to a training seminar addressing the amendments to the 17th Edition, at no extra charge. Additional software upgrades to address 17th Edition amendments are also included in the package and will be supplied later in the year.

AMTECH Group Managing Director Mark Tindall explained: “This package is designed to provide all contractors and engineers working on small to medium sized projects with the software tools they need to help them comply with the regulations in their day-to-day work, whilst accommodating these significant changes as they become available later in the year. Getting to grips with the 17th Edition amendments as quickly as possible will be important for all electrical contractors and getting a head start will be a great advantage”.

AMTECH Office Pro is a complete electrical software solution. It includes the industry standard ProDesign and Protect for complete system cable calculations and coordination, SingleCablePro for quick single circuit calculations and FastTest for all electrical inspection and certification.

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Eaton’s new integrated PV Switch & Surge Unit, developed in conjunction with Solarcentury, the UK’s most experienced solar company, is specifically for use in residential photovoltaic (PV) installations and will be in the spotlight at the Solar Hub at Ecobuild 2011. The Solar Hub is the central focus for solar energy at this year’s exhibition and Eaton will also be showing consumer units configured for the easy connection of a solar array. Eaton and Solarcentury will also give a presentation in the Solar Hub’s on-stand seminar theatre on the theme of electrical components for PV systems.

For safety reasons and to aid maintenance, solar PV installations must always include a DC isolator for power coming from the solar panels and an AC isolator for power flowing from the inverter. Surge protection devices are also recommended for both the DC and AC circuits. In the past, these requirements have usually been met using devices mounted in separate enclosures; a cumbersome approach that unnecessarily extends the time taken to install and wire a system and adds additional cost.

Eaton’s new combined PV Switch & Surge Unit, developed in conjunction with Solarcentury, solves this problem by providing DC and AC isolators and surge protection devices pre-wired in a single compact enclosure. As a result, there is only one unit to install and the amount of wiring needed on site is minimised. Installation and wiring time is further reduced by the provision of ready-fitted terminals and glands for other connections, while safety is enhanced by the use of industry standard solar connectors for the wiring from the solar panels.

At the Solar Hub, Eaton is showing its new PV Switch & Surge Unit alongside a consumer unit from its popular Memera range, which incorporates a dedicated protection way for connection to the PV system. The PV Switch & Surge Unit has been designed with the same form factor as a consumer unit, allowing a neat and attractive installation to be readily achieved.

To complement the products on show, experts from Eaton and Solarcentury are making a series of informative presentations in the Solar Hub. These explain the importance of using appropriate switching and protection devices in solar PV installations to ensure both safety and convenience. In addition, the presentations include valuable guidance on the selection of suitable components.

Eaton’s experts will also be available at the Solar Hub throughout the exhibition to provide visitors with advice and guidance on devising solutions for specific applications, with the emphasis on combining safety, performance and convenience with value for money.

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The FAKRO FGH-V P2 Balcony Window is the low cost contemporary alternative to a dormer. In addition to its contemporary design, the window presents none of the attendant planning issues of a dormer while its light weight places far less stress on the roof structure. The upper sash opens in the same way as a top hung window while the lower one tilts forward to reveal built-in balustrades. Importantly, when closed these remain neatly hidden and are visible neither from the interior nor exterior.

The FGH-V has a supporting hinge mechanism which enables the upper sash to be left open at any point up to 45°. The operating handle is in the base of the sash for added user convenience.

Usable in roofs with a pitch between 35° – 55°, both the upper and lower sash are fitted with a laminated P2 safety glazing unit. The FGH-V P2 is also fitted with the V40P automatic air vent and the topSafe® system of hinge and lock reinforcement for added burglary protection.

Overall dimensions are 94cm x 255cm

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The use of sensitive presence sensors delivers optimum lighting conditions as well as massive energy savings – over 40% compared with conventional light controls in German classrooms.

Because they are so sensitive and allow for zoned control, presence detectors, unlike the first-generation, more-basic PIR detectors, they are far more sensitive to light levels and movement and so allow for precise control.

Theben HTS presence detectors were chosen for the newly-renovated areas of the Schule fur Haushalt und Lebensgestaltung (SHL) in Aachen, Germany (pictured), where the client required lighting for nine classrooms, two preparation rooms, administration areas and corridors. This range is now available in the UK form sister company Timeguard Ltd.

The model chosen provides two separately controlled switched outputs making it ideal for use in large spaces like classrooms. There are two sets of lights in each SHL classroom, and those nearest the windows switch off before those in the inner parts of the rooms where there is less natural light.

These presence detectors have inputs for conventional 230V sensors or switches for manual control. At SHL a semi-automatic operating mode was chosen so that lighting always has to be switched on manually but will switch off automatically if there is sufficient natural light or at night.

The sensors are barely visible – all that is seen are the pyramid lenses and the discreet Theben-HTS Quick Fix frame.

Further information is available at www.timeguard.com or call Timeguard Limited on 020 8452 1112.

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Water is probably the most precious commodity we have on this planet and there’s plenty of it. Sadly, less than 2% of what we have is fresh water. We need it for the basic necessities of everyday life – we drink it, we need it to maintain good hygiene, its required for the manufacture of most of our food and for pretty much every key product in our everyday lives. There is no alternative.

Here in the UK, as a result of global warming, we are seeing changes to rainfall patterns. We’re getting our rainfall in longer heavier bursts than before and as a result we have seen huge quantities of rainfall causing flooding as the rainwater infrastructure has been unable to cope with it, before those vast quantities of valuable water eventually disappears as run off, into rivers and out to sea.

Polypipe Building Products has a range of solutions in the burgeoning rainwater harvesting marketplace, targeted specifically at the domestic and residential market, in response to the growing acceptance that the time has come to stop using high quality drinking water to flush down the toilet, wash our cars and water the garden.

It simply makes no sense to use drinking quality water at a time when water is becoming a scarcer commodity, with growing demand for potable water – particularly in London and the south east as the population grows, but ironically, whilst we’re seeing heavier rainfall in parts if the UK, equally on the East Coast of the UK, rainfall has in places and at times during the year dropped to an alarming level – in particular across East Anglia. With forecasts suggesting that the south coast could be experiencing a Mediterranean climate by 2050 – some suggesting this could arrive much earlier – water could become a very expensive commodity and any help available from naturally occurring sources of water will be met with open arms. The UK’s position as an island, with prevailing winds for much of the time heading at us from the south west across the Atlantic Ocean – and a warm current into the bargain – does give us a number of benefits and Polypipe is one company that believes that preparing now, by conserving precious rainwater supplies, would not be a moment too soon to take rainwater harvesting seriously.

So it is. Polypipe, the UK’s leading building products company, has launched Rainstream – a new range of rainwater harvesting options designed for everyone – with three straightforward options. Ideal for new build, for retrofit and already seeing major interest from the self build marketplace, Rainstream is a very simple straightforward rainwater harvesting ‘package’. You can even see it on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS0RnXF_5pM .

The Rainstream system is available as a gravity fed or a pressurised system. Within a gravity fed system, water is pumped from the Rainstream Tank to a header tank in the loft. The water is then fed to each appliance by gravity. Pressurised systems uses a pump to feed water directly to the appliance or appliances on demand. The units come pre-assembled ready for installation – you can select from a wide range of tank sizes to meet your specific needs – and the rainwater harvested by the system goes through a three stage filtration process, down to 130 microns. Installation of a Rainstream system from Polypipe will reduce your mains water usage by around 50% and that’s not to be sniffed at – especially if you’re on a metered water supply. The control panel is small and neat and the only evidence you’ll see in the house of having a rainwater harvesting system on the property.

The options for Rainstream run from Rainstream Garden which is a basic unit that has a 1500 litre tank capacity and offers a leaf filter, a calmed inlet, skimmed overflow, silt trap, storage tank, pump and timed delay activation switch. Typically this system will supply rainwater to a garden tap, greenhouse sprinkle system or a garden irrigation system.

Next step up is the Polypipe Rainstream Home, which offers a one piece rotomoulded tank with a single turret, housing the leaf filter, overflow and calmed inlet. Storage capacities for this system range from 2000 to 5000 litres and come with a wall mounted pump pack to complete the system. This system doesn’t need a header tank. Instead, an electronic control system monitors the demand for water and pumps it directly from the main storage tank to the appropriate outlet. The control system also measures the water level in the main storage tank and imports fresh water if required to prevent the system from running dry. Where the optional ground water inlet valves with filters are selected and fitted, there is no requirement for a concrete bed or surround. These valves allow ground water from a rising water table to enter the storage area of the tank, equalising the hydrostatic pressures on internal and external surfaces, preventing tank collapse or flotation. This is not found on any other system and is a unique feature of Polypipe’s Rainstream Home system.

As a third option, Polypipe offers the Rainstream Home XL. The structured wall design of Rainstream Home XL has created a system that is unique in its ability to withstand a high water table. The key benefit of Rainstream Home XL is that it will never need a concrete surround in non-loaded applications, even in cases of a high water table. All that is needed is a concrete base which the tanks are strapped to. It provides a simple solution to the complex problem of rising water tables and changing weather patterns. As most systems are installed during the summer months, when water tables are at their lowest, the resulting winter rising water table is often not taken into account. Some systems are not designed to be installed within the water table and are unable to withstand the hydrostatic pressures, resulting in their collapse. Rainstream Home XL has been designed by Civil Engineers to withstand these hydrostatic pressures. Further testing has taken place proving the tank's capability to withstand water pressure at a burial depth of up to 6 metres or 0.6 bar, far beyond the pressures the tank is likely to face. The range of tank sizes offered by Polypipe has been researched and designed to meet the exact requirements of the UK market, based on research into the national average household water use and the most up-to-date MET office data. The Rainstream Home XL tanks allow the homeowner to meet their exact requirements and provide the most cost-effective and efficient solution in the market, without the need to over-specify and incur disproportionate purchasing and installation costs. If increased capacity is needed, Rainstream Home XL offers a wide range of tank sizes to ensure rainwater collection is maximised effectively.

For more information click on to www.polypipe.com or call 01709 770 000 and request a copy of the new Rainwater Harvesting products leaflet and price list.

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Timeguard’s new Programastat electronic room thermostats deliver advanced control technology to new installations and existing central heating systems alike, and can be used as straightforward replacements for inefficient old-style devices.
Electronic control, with familiar, easy-to-use dial controls, provides feedback that enables the controls to react immediately to changes in temperature, avoiding the over- and under-shoots (saw-toothing) of traditional thermostats.

When thermostats provide efficient control and better comfort levels, householders are not tempted to turn thermostats up – which does not make a room heat up any quicker.

For public areas or around children, there is tamperproof version of the Programastat wall thermostat. For more complex installations, multi-channel heating controllers are available in this new electronic range.

Programastats are available now. More information is available at www.timeguard.com. Alternatively call customer services 020 8452 1112 or email them at csc@Timeguard.com

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Ability Projects Ltd. has launched an innovative ‘Mini BMS Package’ that allows individually owned and franchised operations such as shops, bars and restaurants within large multi-retail complexes to fully control their own air conditioning independently of the main shopping centre system.

The self-contained package comprises a full colour 7in touch screen display unit, which is in fact both the user interface and the ‘Mini Head End’. Networking aside, nothing else is required other than the fan coils themselves incorporating their own terminal control device. The display/control unit can be wall or panel mounted and therefore occupies little room, which can often be at a premium in such installations.

After purchase, the display screen/controller is usually tailored to present the customer’s corporate theme. Sub screens show the fan coils themselves, the setting options and ‘real time’ operational conditions. These features, common to most BMS systems can be complemented by occupancy monitoring and time scheduling. All features are simple in operation allowing the outlet manager to control and adjust the timing of, and the conditions within, their own outlet. This is important since stores often have variable opening hours depending on the season, sales, stock taking etc, and also in situations where room usage is variable such as in stock rooms or staff rooms.

The new system comprises the touch screen ‘Head End and fan coils connected by ‘CAT 5’ cabling and an Ethernet switch, which can generally be purchased at most high street electrical stores. Configuration on a native BACnet IP network ensures the system is simple to install whilst the network itself is robust and very fast in operation.

The first such stand-alone package has already been supplied by Ability in a retail clothing outlet in a Stratford multi-store complex in which chilled water is supplied from the store’s central plant to around 15 Ability Matrix II 4-pipe fan coil units located throughout the shop and its ‘back of house’ areas. The use of Matrix II fan coils removed any need for conventional balancing for both water and air flow speeding, considerably simplifying the installation. Other projects in the pipeline include ‘Airside ‘outlets at Heathrow and Gatwick.

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