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Heatrae Sadia’s market leading Megaflo HE unvented water heating cylinders are providing powerful energy efficient hot water for hundreds of homes at Poundbury, the new mixed use development on Duchy of Cornwall land in Dorchester, Dorset.

Bringing together a community of shops, businesses and housing, Poundbury is a pioneering and well known example of sustainable urban development. Quality of design and workmanship across Poundbury is carefully controlled by the Duchy of Cornwall and follows principles originally laid down by Prince Charles. All new residential properties, whether in the private or social housing categories, are built to exemplary standards and are required to incorporate energy-conservation features

Poole based Morrish Builders is one of three housebuilders developing at Poundbury. The company has been installing Heatrae Sadia’s Megaflo HE unvented cylinders in a large proportion of properties across the development, ranging from one and two bedroom apartments to five bedroom family homes.

A spokesperson for Heatrae Sadia, said: “Unvented systems are now regarded as the preferred water heating solution for new build homes – MODUS (The Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Unvented Systems) has reported increased sales of around 15 per cent every year since 2000 and Megaflo HE is currently our most popular product.

“An unvented hot water storage cylinder is fed directly from the cold water mains, and provides fast filling baths and powerful showers without a loss of performance if more than one tap is used simultaneously. Unvented systems are ideal for modern homeowners who use several bathrooms at the same time and who want frequent showers and constant, but cost effective, hot water on demand.”

Morrish Homes’ marketing manager David Tharby said: “As one of three house builders at Poundbury we have a responsibility to ensure any appliances we install not only match our customers’ expectations but are also energy efficient, in keeping with the principles laid down by the Duchy of Cornwall.

“Megaflo HE incorporates several energy saving features, such as a high performance ‘coil in coil’ heat exchanger, which is placed low in the cylinder to give the maximum amount of stored hot water and fast recovery. It also has foam injected insulation to ensure very low standing heat losses from the cylinder.

“Hot water delivery is something that is important to every homeowner. It can be very disappointing to purchase a new home only to find the hot water supply doesn’t meet expectations. This is even more of an issue in larger family properties, where there is likely to be greater demand for hot water and several taps may need to be used at the same time.” Martin Northeast of Becks Heating & Plumbing of Bournemouth specifies and installs the heating and hot water systems for all Morrish Homes’ properties at Poundbury. He said: “Showers, baths and washing machines all place huge demands on a home’s hot water system, and in our opinion Megaflo HE is the best way to deliver the steady and uninterrupted supply that householders expect.

“Megaflo HE is also our preferred choice from an installation point of view. All connections are colour coded and accessible from the front of the cylinder, so it’s quite simple to achieve a tidy installation.”

Long term reliability is another important issue for Martin. He explained: “I need to know that all the appliances we install are going to be reliable, to ensure homeowners are completely satisfied with their hot water systems and any service calls are reduced. The materials Heatrae Sadia uses are extremely strong and durable, and the 25-year transferable guarantee on the Megaflo HE gives even more peace of mind, as does the level of technical and service support offered.”

Materials are an important concern to Heatrae Sadia. Being manufactured from Duplex stainless steel, Megaflo HE has high resistance to stress corrosion cracking, fatigue and erosion, and has no requirement for a protective coating or sacrificial anode. Other characteristics of Duplex stainless steel include high tensile and yield strengths and low thermal expansion. Heatrae Sadia further reinforces the quality of Megaflo HE by ensuring each cylinder undergoes comprehensive post-weld treatments, helping retain a high corrosion resistance in the welded areas.

In addition to these benefits, Megaflo HE is unique in the marketplace as it features an internal air gap and floating baffle system to accommodate expanded water. This means the cylinder is compact and self contained and the need for an external expansion vessel is eliminated.

The cylinder is designed to be straightforward to install, but Heatrae Sadia also offers a SystemFit option, designed to significantly reduce on-site installation time. Megaflo HE SystemFit models are pre-plumbed and pre-wired to offer simplified installation and consistent electrical and plumbing layout, thus eliminating on-site defects and costly call backs. With demand for unvented hot water systems continuing to grow, Heatrae Sadia has responded by expanding its range by launching solar thermal versions of its Megaflo HE – the unvented Megatech and vented Megalife Solar, designed to be used in conjunction with the solar collector panels and evacuated tube systems available for the UK market.

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Mira Showers – the UK’s leading manufacturer of showering products and accessories – has improved its Verve Bath Shower Mixer (BSM), which has now been certified to BuildCert TMV2. This ensures that it complies with BS EN 1111 and/ or 1287 and so meets the amendments of Part G of the Building Regulations that set maximum temperature limits for water delivered to baths.

It is ideal for those looking for a straightforward, easy solution to adding a shower facility to an existing bath, with the added benefit of providing thermostatic bath fill too. The Verve BSM will also help the new build and social housing sectors obtain building control approval for bathroom installations.

There are two version of the Verve BSM, one designed for wall mount installations, and the second includes deck mount connectors so the BSM can also be mounted on the bath. Highly durable – as a result of a full brass body and metal handles – Verve will work at all pressures from 0.5 to a whopping 5 bar; and is available in a perennially popular chrome finish. It comes with a 5 year guarantee too for added piece of mind.

Controls are also very simple: with one knob controlling flow and another temperature; while a diverter switches water from bath fill to shower. TMV2 approval is the icing on the cake, ensuring that Verve meets new Part G amendments requiring thermostatic temperature control for bath-fill in all new houses.

The Verve BSM valve is sold excluding fittings; which allows for a wider choice of fittings combinations depending on style, function and price requirements.

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A new double deck scissor lift modular dock pod designed, manufactured and installed by Easilift Loading Systems Ltd – the UK’s leading supplier of total loading bay solutions – has significantly increased loading/unloading efficiency for the TIC Retail Accessories Group.

The TIC Group is a major international business providing retailers and vendors with a range of innovative and world class services to manage the movement of merchandise backwards through the supply chain.

Often referred to as ‘reverse logistics’, the types of goods that are brought back include high-volume, re-usable retail accessories such as coat hangers and security tags.

TIC Retail Accessories pioneered the concept of hanger re-use, which is now becoming increasingly accepted internationally, particularly by more enlightened retailers, because of the financial and environmental considerations.

In addition to the supply of new ‘virgin’ hangers to the UK market, in early 2009 TIC Group Europe Ltd began to handle returns of used hangers that are then sorted, reprocessed and fed back into the supply chain – thus reducing the need for new hanger manufacturing.

In order to solve the loading/unloading problem with a new used hanger processing contract, on behalf of a major retail customer whose vehicle fleet was moving over to double deck trailers, the TIC Group approached two loading bay equipment suppliers, including Easilift, to advise on the most suitable double deck solution.

Now increasingly being used for goods transportation, double deck trailers provide significant cost saving and environmental benefits – optimising operational flexibility, increasing load volumes, cutting unnecessary journeys and mileage and reducing fleet sizes.

It is claimed that, typically, a fixed double deck trailer operating in a retail environment can carry around 70 per cent more goods than a conventional single deck version, achieving up to 40 per cent transport cost savings.

The subsequent decision by TIC to choose Easilift Loading System’s purpose-designed double deck scissor lift modular dock solution was clear cut.

TIC Group Operations Manager, Mark O’Sullivan, said: “Selecting Easilift for this project was made even easier for us by the very positive approach of their people – they were highly professional, demonstrating integrity, enthusiasm and a real interest in what we were trying to achieve; as well as portraying an in-depth industry knowledge, together with an extremely strong belief in their product.

“During meetings with Easilift Sales Director, David Whyatt, and his team we felt that they made a real effort to determine exactly the right solution that would benefit us most. Cost for us was not the only factor to be taken into account,” Mark O’Sullivan continued.

“Like Easilift, we wanted to develop a long-term relationship built on trust and mutual respect. We quickly discovered that they have a similar up-front ethos to ourselves and knew that we could work together,” added Mark O’Sullivan.

The third party processor selected by TIC to undertake the refurbished coat hanger contract had to be in a position to make the earliest possible start at their premises in Sheffield and therefore needed a very quick project completion from Easilift.

Due to its modular construction, the double deck scissor lift dock pod solution developed by Easilift took less than two days to install – far exceeding customer expectations and ensuring that the hanger contract was able to start on time.

Quick and easy to erect, without disruption to the company’s on-going business operations, it did not require any major civil engineering work or building modifications (visit: www.easilift.co.uk to view the installation process).

Easilift was one of the pioneers in the design and installation of dock pod systems and is therefore highly experienced with an established track record in this specialist area, having supplied dock pods in all shapes, sizes and finishes to many discerning “blue chip” customers over a number of years.

A dock pod is a complete stand-alone loading bay enclosure which can be installed directly onto the external face of a building. Typically fitted with a dock seal, dock leveller or scissor lift and a sectional insulated overhead door, they are suitable for new buildings, extensions and refurbishments.

They can also be quickly and easily repositioned, if required, and are a highly cost-effective retrofit option for an existing building.

In today’s challenging economic climate dock pods are experiencing ever increasing popularity. They do not take up valuable internal warehousing space and maintain the loading/unloading function within a separate and distinctly confined area. With no cross traffic to worry about, this is a significant health and safety benefit.

Their lightweight but exceptionally strong structure provides an insulated, weatherproof enclosure – with resulting energy-saving potential and enhanced working conditions for the internal environment, making them ideal for ambient and temperature controlled buildings such as cold stores.

The TIC dock pod is equipped with an Easilift Double Deck PowerLift 12 cage 6,000kg capacity scissor lift loading platform – suitable for use with double deck trailers, smaller vehicles with low body height or conventional single deck trailers. The solid steel scissor lift is manufactured to the highest quality and safety standards to achieve maximum rigidity and provide superior platform support and guidance.

Also fitted with an Easilift PowerShelter 403016 collapsible curtain type dock shelter forming a seal between the loading bay and the docked trailer, the pod features LED low energy dock lights incorporating movement sensors.

The new concept double deck scissor lift dock pod developed specifically for TIC was based on well-proven, tried and tested Easilift technology, with design, installation and subsequent on-site training carried out by the company’s highly experienced in-house team.

Mark O’Sullivan said: “We would not have been able to meet the specialised loading/unloading requirements of this particular new contract without the double deck lift and it should now provide us with a very strong competitive advantage for any similar future business opportunities.

“The Easilift team just got on with the job, whilst always keeping us fully in the picture at all stages – but, importantly, without demanding too much of our valuable time,” added Mark O’Sullivan. “Our processing partner was also extremely pleased with the speed and efficiency of the short two day installation process, which did not impact in any way on their business operations and they were able to continue completely as normal whilst the work was being carried out.

“The new double deck scissor lift dock pod is the perfect solution to our needs and the staff are now confident and very happy using it following an extensive day's on-site training from Easilift. It means we can now service any vehicles and trailers in our customer’s fleet. I would therefore have no hesitation in recommending Easilift and using them for any future projects,” concluded Mark O’Sullivan.

As one of the UK’s foremost loading bay equipment specialists, Easilift was one of the first in its sector to achieve the prestigious SAFEcontractor accreditation.

SAFEcontractor is a scheme which independently assesses the health and safety record and competency of contractors and, as such, confirms to prospective customers that effective policies and systems are in place.

Easilift Loading Systems is a member of the Loading Systems International Group, one of Europe’s leading specialist manufacturers of loading bay equipment. The Group has over 450 employees across Europe and a total turnover in excess of 60 million Euros.

With more than 30 years’ experience in the provision of total loading bay solutions, Easilift offers a complete design, installation and maintenance service through its highly experienced in-house team and now has an extensive customer list that is a roll call of some of the biggest names in UK retailing, manufacturing, logistics, distribution, warehousing and the service sector.

The company is a leading member of the Association of Loading & Elevating Equipment Manufacturers (ALEM) and the Confederation of Construction Specialists. Operating to the international ISO 9001:2008 quality management standard, it has Investors in People accreditation and is also an active participant in the Construction Skills Certification Scheme, with all its engineers fully qualified under the CITB Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS).

As well as dock pod systems, such as the one for the TIC Group, Easilift provides everything necessary for the safe, efficient and profitable operation of loading bays. This includes dock levellers, dock shelters, dock seals, industrial doors, high speed doors, vehicle restraints, lifting platforms and a range of safety aids and accessories such as dock plates, dock bumpers, wheel guides, traffic lights and integrated control systems.

Easilift Sales Director, David Whyatt, said: “Our continued successful development is due in no small part to our extensive experience and industry knowledge, together with the positive commitment of our staff and extensive resources available, including an in-house design team, working alongside experienced engineers, able to advise on the most productive and cost-efficient installation – whether for a new build or refurbishment project.

“These facilities are complemented by a full installation and after-sales support service, which incorporates the provision of preventive maintenance programmes designed to ensure compliance with statutory obligations under UK and European legislation, as well as avoiding costly loading bay down-time,” he added.

“We work in close collaboration with all our customers, enabling us to develop an in-depth appreciation of their business, its processes and procedures, so that we are then in an ideal position to develop individually tailored total loading bay solutions,” David Whyatt concluded. “This approach is reflected in the extremely high levels of customer satisfaction achieved, resulting in a significant extent of repeat business, with more than 60 per cent of new orders coming from existing customers.”

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Two developments supplied with Ability Projects Matrix fan coil units – Horizon House and Salisbury Law Courts – were honoured at the 2010 BREEAM Awards ceremony at the recent Ecobuild show. Energy efficient Matrix fan coil units, unique in the UK, enable each air duct / grille to be balanced for air volume through fan speed alone, removing the need for costly, noisy volume control dampers and their time consuming installation.

Buildings short listed for the awards were drawn from those achieving BREEAM ‘excellent’ ratings under various BREEAM schemes during 2009. To gain an ‘excellent’ rating, developments must earn most of the performance credits available in energy, materials, waste, water, ecology, pollution, transport, management, health and wellbeing categories.

Salisbury Law Courts is the second Ability Projects Matrix project within 3 months to receive a high level BREEAM rating (72.5%) and follows the highest ever 85.06% rated Horizon House HQ. The law courts installation comprises more than 70 Matrix 270 chassis type horizontal 4 pipe fan coil units supplied with Alerton BACnet open protocol intelligent controllers supplied by Ability, factory pre wired to the fan coil and complete with dedicated software and Sontay sensors. Developed specifically for use on Matrix fan coil units, the controller incorporates modulating valve control and on coil temperature sensing etc and also offers system users wire less, lap top access to all fan coil features and settings without needing access to the ceiling void.

Commenting on the awards, Andrew Brooks, Matrix product manager stated “We were pleased to learn of the offices award but to win the courts category as well was a real bonus. Although our contribution is a relatively small part of the overall projects, our controllers are highly energy efficient and consequently achieved very high credit scores. The outcome is testament to the specifying consultants who demanded the most efficient fan coil units on the market. Tenants in the two award winning buildings will benefit from the resultant economic running costs for many years to come.”

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WITHAM, UK – August xx2008 – Tyco Electronics has launched a higher rated version of its Crompton Instruments three phase module direct-connected kilowatt hour energy meter. The DRK-3P-400-D90 now has a maximum input of 100A, matching the current ratings of distribution boards.

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Hambleside Danelaw is hitting the road to extol the benefits of GRP roofing products to the building industry.

The Group is participating in the CPD RoadSeminar Tour throughout the UK with dates scheduled for the remainder of 2010. Architects, specifiers and contractors will be able to choose from four different Hambleside Danelaw presentations covering:

• the advantages of specifying GRP roofing systems
• the environmental benefits of choosing GRP
• how green roofs can suit larger as well as smaller projects
• GRP rooflights as the energy saving and low carbon choice.

The first set of seminars provides an overview of what can be achieved with GRP roofing systems and how they differ from alternative systems. They will include information on material safety; installation; new build and re-roofing; features and benefits of different roofing materials; requirements for heritage projects; case studies and considerations for the environment including water run-off.

Maximising recycling opportunities and minimising waste by choosing GRP will also heavily feature as elements of the Hambleside Danelaw presentations. The contents of the presentations have been given a RIBA seal of approval.

The CPD tour follows Hambleside’s recent enhancement of its range of Dryseal GRP component based roofing systems for flat and low pitched roofs that come with the easy ‘Fit and Finish’ installation.

Promoted in partnership with RIBA, the seminars are being organised by the CPD Certification Service, meaning that the content of training courses, papers delivered at seminars and other educationally beneficial material conform to universally accepted Continuous Professional Development guidelines.

Robin Jeffery, Hambleside Danelaw’s vice chairman, said: “Hambleside Danelaw is pleased to have the opportunity to explain the advantages of specifying GRP roofing products with their strong environmental credentials as a cost-effective solution in a period of economic uncertainty. Seminar attendees will learn how GRP is durable, safe and easy to install, environmentally efficient and sustainable at the same time as making a building look good.”

The Hambleside seminars will be presented by Paul Jubb and the Group’s appointed agent for Dryseal, Mike Billett, will be on hand to deal with inquiries immediately afterwards. The venues and dates for the CPD RoadSeminar Tour 2010 are:

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To provide flicker free and near silent operation Hamilton Litestat has developed an Intelligent Trailing Edge Push On/Off Dimmer which has been included within its new slimline Linea range which has been developed to address the higher specification demands required for the top end of the market.

Featuring split finishes, along with the company’s Patented CFX concealed fixing system, Linea affords seamless styling and sophistication. Available in a choice of five different styles including the Linea Rondo in the exciting new ‘Piano Black’, its exclusive design has minimized the plate depth to create a modern appearance that adds lustre to an interior design scheme.

This new Push On/Off Dimmer features a 250W/210va dimmer module, from Hamilton’s Grid It Range, which has unidirectional protection and is able to detect a number of fault conditions including over current, no load protection and temperature cut-out. When a fault is detected the dimmer will switch off and either automatically turn back on when the fault is rectified or, in the case of the no load condition, it will need the fault to be resolved before it can be manually switched on. This capability reduces the risk of damage to either the dimmer or any transformers in the lighting circuit.

Suitable for use with tungsten, low voltage and halogen light sources, as well as electronic transformers this new grid dimmer module has incorporated ‘soft start’ technology to prolong lamp life, whilst removing the necessity to de-rate for mains voltage halogen lamps. Multi-positional control can be achieved with the addition of push to make rocker switches which are connected to the master push on /off dimmer unit via a suitable 2 core plus earth cable. Control from these switches allows for on /off function only

This latest product innovation from Hamilton Litestat has been manufactured to comply with the requirements of BSEN 60669-2-1 and designed to fit wall boxes complying with BS4662:2006.

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Connstructing Excellence in the North East (CENE) has recognised Fendor’s innovative approach to fenestration by short listing the company within its annual awards. The nomination is for the Innovation category, and is awarded to companies that combine new product technology to create systems and products that enhance best practice in the workplace and the environment.

Fendor’s dedication to innovation extends throughout its operations, from design & manufacture through to installation. The company has earned an enviable reputation for high security fenestration, installing windows, doors, facades and curtain walling for some of the most prestigious and high profile establishments in the UK. These include Rampton, Broadmoor and Carstairs, high security hospitals. The company also lists Kings Cross, the BALTIC Centre for contemporary art and the Dorchester Group’s ‘45 Park Lane’ within its commercial innovations.

2006 saw the company invest in new aluminium systems, to become the only UK manufacturer to combine steel and aluminium to create a hybrid frame. It is also the only UK Company to manufacture windows to the BRE LPS1175 security rating 3 and 4.

A new range of four products was launched in November 2009 to wide acclaim: comprising of a micro motor for both sliding and hinges windows, an anti ligature trickle ventilator, as well as a handle operated slipper clutch and adjustable clutch which allows a window to be operated remotely to ensure patient comfort and security.

“We are delighted to have been shortlisted for this prestigious award,” says Chris Duffy , managing director of Fendor. “We are committed to ensuring that our products and systems are the best in the marketplace and we are proud that CENE has recognised our continuous research, development and investment.”

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Mitsubishi Electric has released details of a six-month trial which demonstrates that its specialist Melcotel™ controller has delivered a 40 per cent energy reduction for the air conditioning at Premier Inn’s new city centre site in Leicester.

The hotel has been monitored since April, with its 135 bedrooms using an average consumption of 17.20kWh a day throughout the 19 storey building. Now, with the Melcotel controller in place, the system is consuming just 7-8kWh of energy per day, – an average 40% reduction in energy consumption for the whole system.

“We believe we can also increase this further and will continue to monitor the hotel over the coming winter,” explained Mitsubishi Electric’s controls expert, Sebastien Desmottes,

The Melcotel controller works with both key card and non-key card systems to ensure that air conditioning is not working needlessly when rooms are empty or if guests decide to open a window without switching off the heating or cooling.

Specifically designed for the mass-market hotel sector, the controller is an evolution in Mitsubishi Electric’s PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and can be retrofitted as well as being ideal for new builds.

At the start of the trial, the air conditioning was set to turn off automatically at 1am, but this still allowed guests to override the system.

Mitsubishi Electric then introduced a G50 controller which meant that the air conditioning could be programmed to automatically shut off five times a day at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 4pm, and 8pm, when there was a distinct possibility of the rooms being empty and the potential for energy to be wasted.

This lead to some reduction in energy use, but now with Melcotel, the system automatically responds to the requirements of each individual room, resetting the air conditioning to a predetermined setting and constantly monitoring the temperatures of any unoccupied rooms.

The air conditioning in these empty rooms will only come on to keep the temperature within a set range, which has the double advantage of conserving energy whilst ensuring that the room reaches the desired temperature quicker when a guest enters the room.

“We developed Melcotel after working with hotel owners who wanted a more cost effective method of maintaining low energy consumption whilst still allowing hotel guests to control the temperature in their own room,” explained Desmottes.

Temperatures are recorded by a sensor within the controller and windows can also be connected to the system so that when they are opened, the air conditioning switches off to conserve energy.

Melcotel works with Mitsubishi Electric’s advanced City Multi systems and one unit is able to control up to 250 indoor units. Wireless technology allows the Melcotel to be accessed remotely when used in conjunction with a Mini M2M offering further control and monitoring facilities to hoteliers.

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