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Clarehill Plastics Limited, manufacturers of Harlequin Oil Tanks has called for all new and replacement domestic oil storage installations in the United Kingdom, to be afforded the same degree of environmental protection as installations in many mainland EU countries.

At present, Building Regulations throughout the UK require that prior to the installation of a new or replacement domestic oil storage tank, a Risk Assessment is undertaken to determine whether or not a spill from the installation would pose a risk to nearby groundwater sources. In the event, that such a risk exists then secondary containment should be afforded to the installation, either by the installation of a Bunded Tank or the construction of a masonry bund.

However, according to Harlequin's John Switzer, all too often the risk based approach is simply not working.

“Theoretically, the risk based approach has much to commend it, but in the real world it is cumbersome, clumsy, unfit for purpose and cannot be relied upon to provide the level of environmental protection that any reasonable person would expect. Firstly, it fails to provide any protection whatsoever to unknown and unsighted water sources; and secondly it is impractical, requiring that a detailed visual inspection be undertaken of an area not less than 50 x 50 metres. At many domestic properties, it simply is not possible to have access to such a vast area, with the result that even Building Control Officers are reportedly falling foul of the very Regulations they are responsible for implementing.

“It is our opinion that in the real world, the whole premise of the risk assessment is fundamentally flawed. Fuel storage requirements at commercial, industrial and institutional installations require that externally positioned, fuel storage installations with an installed capacity of 200 litres or more are afforded secondary containment. Ironically, such sites will often incorporate pollution prevention features such as interceptors, spill kits and spill control procedures which are rarely found at domestic installations. Therefore, the implications of a comparatively small spillage at a domestic storage installation can be more severe than a larger spill at a commercial installation. However, current fuel storage requirements at domestic installations fail to recognise this reality and therefore fail to provide domestic oil storage installations, with the same level of environmental protection that commercial installations enjoy.”

In England and Wales, there is a longstanding requirement that all new and replacement domestic oil storage installations must either be installed by a member of a recognised competent persons scheme, or receive approval from Building Control. However, a small yet significant number of oil storage installations continue to be undertaken 'beyond' the regulations and with scant regard for the environmental consequences of such installations.

A review by Clarehill Plastics Limited of 200 domestic single skin oil tank installations in England and Wales, installed in the past 7 years revealed that in 85% of instances, a single skin oil tank had been installed where a Bunded Tank was required.

In light of the understandable concerns over domestic oil storage installation requirements, proposals have now been put forward for the introduction of compulsory secondary containment at new and replacement domestic oil storage installations, as part of a review of The Building Regulations in England and Wales being undertaken by The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Ahead of its submission to the review, Clarehill consulted with a number of leading oil storage tank resellers and installers to get their feedback on the current risk based approach to domestic installations.

“The feedback from resellers and installers alike was pretty consistent. There is an acknowledgement that in the real world, the risk based approach to domestic oil storage installations is not working and cannot work.

“Many installers and resellers with whom we spoke have already began to adopt a 'Bunded Tank Only' approach to all new and replacement oil storage installations. Quite simply, they see Single Skin Oil Tanks as being typified by unknown risk and the potential for almost limitless liability, in the event they unwittingly install the wrong type of tank at the wrong installation. It's not going too far to say that an increasing number of installers are actually ahead of the Regulations in many instances. Only this week, a major national oil tank reseller formally discontinued the supply of Single Skin Oil Tanks. “

“Of special concern, are reports of a small but significant element of rogue installers who bypass the current risk based approach and use the continued availability of single skin oil tanks to install an uncontained single skin tank, where a Bunded Tank is required. It should be stressed that few if any of these installers are accredited oil storage technicians. More often than not, they are simply 'handymen' who turn will turn their hand to fitting just about anything from gas boilers to oil tanks, so long as the money's right! The attitude amongst such people is essentially that regulations are somebody else's concern and if, or more likely when, something goes wrong – they are unlikely to be hanging around for too long. Understandably, responsible installers are increasingly frustrated that by doing the right thing and ensuring compliance with prevailing Regulations, they render themselves uncompetitive against a small number of cowboy installers.”, explains John.

In light of the feedback from resellers and installers, Clarehill's submission to the DCLG commissioned review, calls for the current risk based approach to domestic oil storage to be replaced with a requirement for the compulsory provision of secondary containment at new and replacement domestic oil storage installations. As well as bringing domestic installations in England into line with existing requirements at most non-domestic installations, the proposals also begin to align fuel storage regulations in the UK with the higher standards that have for some time prevailed in many mainland EU countries. And of course, if secondary containment were to become the norm, then life is made harder for cowboy installers. The proposals contained within Clarehill's submission have been endorsed by the training, standards and registration agency for the oil heating industry in the British Isles, OFTEC – The Oil Firing Technical Association.

Another benefit of a move to secondary containment at all new and replacement installations, is an overall cost saving to the economy in England and Wales of c.£12.5m per annum and a potentially even greater saving to the total UK economy.

“Consisting of a 'tank within a tank', Bunded Tanks by default will cost more than a comparable Single Skin Oil Tank. Bunded Oil Tanks already comprising over 70% of domestic oil tank sales in England and Wales. The incremental cost of switching the remaining 30% of tanks to Bunded models would be c.£88.2m over the next decade. However, according to figures prepared by the world renowned London School of Economics, the gross benefit of the introduction of compulsory bunding at domestic oil storage installations over the next 10 years would be £213.8m. By subtracting the Gross Cost from the Gross Benefit, it is apparent there is a potential saving to the oil heating industry of £125.6m over 10 years, or c.£12.5m per annum. If the same analysis were to be undertaken for Scotland and Northern Ireland, then the total saving to the UK economy could be over £20m per annum.

“So, whilst oil pollution costs the environment, pollution prevention needn't cost the earth and is economically beneficial.”, concludes John.

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Ability to work with the electrical contractor in developing solutions to the energy metering and lighting control needs of a new multi-purpose conference and function centre helped Eaton win the order for electrical distribution equipment and lighting controls for the new Orsett Hall Hotel Pavilion near Grays in Essex.

A gross floor area of just over 500 sq m, dictated the need for metering of principal loads to account for energy use. This would have added considerably to the cost if the boards had been specially built to incorporate separate metering of lighting and small power loads.

However, Eaton offered the contractor, Essex Electrical Services, a split load meter pack which sits below two of its Memshield 2 distribution boards to provide separate metering of supplies to each board. At Orsett Hall there are two 200A 24-way TPN boards, one serving lighting loads and the other serving single-phase and three-phase loads including ring circuits, air-handling plant, kitchen equipment etc. In addition to the price advantage of using a ready-made meter pack, there was an installation advantage in that the two Memshield 2 boards are fed by a single incoming cable via a rotary disconnect switch.

Eaton was also able to provide a cost-effective solution to lighting control needs in the Pavilion using its Studio 2 and Studio 3 dimming systems. The lighting installation includes a mixture of high-frequency compact fluorescent lighting and low voltage tungsten halogen downlighters. The main function area, the 300-seat Grahame Thomas Pavilion is used for a variety of purposes including wedding receptions, christenings, dinner dances and school proms. This called for a flexible lighting control scheme. The Pavilion is also designed so that it can be sub-divided into two separate areas.

Eaton drew up a scheme that offers four different pre-determined lighting “scenes” in each area. A simple key-operated switch allows these to be operated as a single integrated system or as two systems. Special care had to be taken to avoid problems with colour mis match between the CFL and LV lighting when dimmed. In addition a control, linked to the fire alarm system, brings all lighting up to maximum power in the event of a fire alarm.

Elsewhere in the installation, Eaton supplied a 400A changeover switch at the main supply position to allow for the later addition of an emergency generator. There are a number of Glasgow fuse-switch-disconnectors and Exel switch-disconnector-fuse units and two smaller Memshield 2 distribution boards in the complex. Eaton wiring accessories were also specified for use throughout the building.

Trig Hales, Project Manager with Essex Electrical Services, says “We normally use Eaton MEM equipment if we can because it is reliable and we get excellent service from their Area Sales Engineer, David Rayner. In this case he helped us satisfy the requirements for energy metering and provided a suitable lighting control scheme.” EES is at Unit 3 Thurrock Commercial Centre, Juliet Way, Aveley, South Ockendon, RM15 4YD (Tel: 01708 869252).

The new Orsett Hall Pavilion was originally planned to open in May 2008 alongside the 17th Century Grade 2 listed Orsett Hall Hotel. But after fire destroyed the Hotel in May 2007 the construction programme was bought forward. The Pavilion was opened in November 2007. A new 40-bed four-star hotel, in the style of the old Orsett Hall Hotel, is now being built.

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Addagrip’s Addastone epoxy resin has been used to provide an aesthetically pleasing external surface for the Exemplar Building, Highfields Automotive and Engineering Centre and surrounding pathways at the Highfields Science Park development in Nottingham. Nottingham Industrial Flooring Ltd (NIFL) installed 850m2 of 1-3mm Autumn Gold Addastone to the site as an attractive surfacing to complement the strong, modern design of the surrounding buildings. The project also used 250m2 of 20mm Autumn Gold Addaset to protect the tarmacadam substrate in areas of high vehicular traffic and to provide a slip-resistant surface for pedestrians along graded walkways.

The installations were carried out for Blueprint, a joint venture between the East Midlands Development Agency, The Homes and Communities Agency and Aviva Investors’ Igloo Regeneration Fund, a public and private sector partnership that specialises in regeneration projects in the East Midlands.

Commenting on the project Paul Scott from NIFL said, “The surfacing for this project needed to be a more attractive alternative to tarmacadam to complement the unusual aesthetics of the buildings. NIFL is extremely pleased with the finished result”. He continued, “After seeing the results of the Addagrip products on this private development, Nottingham City Council also specified Addaset for the University Boulevard and all pathways situated in the Nottingham Science and Technology Park situated opposite the private regeneration site.”

A total of 2,500m2 of Autumn Gold aggregate bonded using Addagrip epoxy resin was used to provide a durable, hard wearing and low maintenance surface that is also highly aesthetically pleasing.

The Addastone resin bonded system and Addaset resin bound system combine a choice of natural and recycled aggregates with resin to provide a low maintenance and hard wearing surface with the soft appearance of natural stone. Both Addastone and Addaset can be used for a range of applications from gardens, domestic drives and pathways to parks, monuments and heritage sites.

Further information is available from Addagrip on 01825 761333, by emailing sales@addagrip.co.uk or by visiting the company website www.addagrip.co.uk

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West Dean College was formed in 1971 and is part of the Edward James Foundation. Edward James was a great supporter of the arts especially Surrealism and Poetry. The college now offers a wide range of artistic courses including sculpture, wood working and creative writing.

Many of the students live in and around the college and require on site catering. The visitor centre also provides refreshments including hot meals. Both locations have kitchen extract systems which require periodic cleaning to prevent a build up of grease thereby posing a potential fire risk.

The stone, wood working and carpenters workshops also have dedicated extract systems to move particulate away from operators breathing zones. The maintenance of performance levels is important from a Health & Safety perspective.

Mr. Alan Chapman is the Buildings Manager at the college and asked Ductbusters for their advice on how cleaning of all these different styles of extract system could help with insurance and health & safety compliance.

Ductbusters responded by conducting an initial site survey which led to a proposal being submitted. Upon receipt of an official order a programme of works was prepared to take into account a small window of opportunity in the course programme within the stone and wood working workshops.

Mr. Chapman commented on the project as follows; “We were concerned that it would be difficult to get all of the extract systems cleaned in one visit. This was no problem to Ductbusters who resourced the necessary labour to fit in with our requirements. Please pass on our thanks to your operatives who worked extremely efficiently and impressed us by the way they conducted themselves whilst on our premises.”

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Addagrip’s Addaset resin bound surfacing has been specified by The Vigo Group to provide an attractive and functional car park for a listed office building in Doncaster town centre.

Working in collaboration with the local conservation officer, the surface needed to have the appearance of a traditional gravel drive to suit the period setting whilst also being able to withstand car traffic.

Resin Bonded Surfacing laid 680m2 of 6mm chocolate Addaset during the renovation of the 120,000m2 site at Cavendish Court business park to create a durable and attractive, natural looking surface.

On specifying Addaset, Dave Tweedie, Managing Director of Resin Bonded Surfacing said, “Addaset was chosen for the project as the parking area required a porous, free draining surface that used natural aggregates. Addaset is a strong and durable product to work with that is quick to install and has been tried and tested on similar projects in the past.”

Nadeem Shah, Chairman of Vigo Group commented, “The main requirement for the surfacing was that it was sympathetic to the surroundings. Addagrip and Resin Bonded Surfacing have done an excellent job. Addaset is an ideal solution to work with and in my opinion this is the best conservation site project done in the area.”

Addaset is a trowelled system that is mixed with the resin and laid to a smooth, level surface with no loose stone providing a wearing course. The finished surface is a seamless bound paving system that is flexible and resistant to cracking.

Addagrip’s Addaset provides an attractive, hardwearing, low maintenance surface using a range of natural and recycled aggregates. Addaset resin is clear to ensure bound aggregates retain their natural appearance, making Addaset effective in heritage projects that require a natural finish.

Further information is available from Addagrip on 01825 761333, by emailing sales@addagrip.co.uk or by visiting the company website www.addagrip.co.uk

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For over 30 years, the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham, Surrey, has been providing Specialist Palliative Care to adults facing the end of their life and to those who love and care for them.

Serving a population of 600,000 across West Surrey and North East Hampshire, the Hospice offers a much-valued package of care that reflects both clinical requirement and patient choice.

As an independent charity, the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice relies heavily on the support and generosity of the local community. Guildford based air conditioning and heat pump specialists, Space Air gladly offered assistance when approached regarding a need for improved environmental conditions in the Hospice’s main Therapy Suite and Conference Rooms.

Space Air selected and supplied a range of top quality, high efficiency, Daikin Heat Pump and heat recovery ventilation equipment, designed to ensure that optimum year round comfort conditions could be maintained, regardless of occupancy levels.

In addition to agreeing a specially discounted price for the equipment supplied, Space Air, on behalf of the Hospice, recruited support from local air conditioning installation contractors – Green Tech Environmental, who generously offered to carry out all the work at a greatly reduced rate.

The project was completed in April and Paul Batten, Facilities Manager for the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, pictured here (right) with Garry Stratford of Green Tech Environmental, said, “We are very pleased with the new Daikin air conditioning systems and were impressed by the efficiency in which they were selected and installed. The Hospice needs to raise over £10,000 every day to maintain and develop its full range of patient and family services, so working with local companies on the procurement and installation of quality equipment at significantly reduced costs is a perfect example of how corporate support can really make a difference”.

Speaking on behalf of Space Air and Green Tech Environmental, Mike Nankivell, Marketing Director of Space Air commented, “We were delighted to be able to come to the aid of the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in this way. It was clear that they urgently needed to address their environmental problems but with limited budgets might have been forced to consider a cheaper, less reliable and less energy efficient solution. Working together we have been able to provide top of the range Daikin systems that maximise both operating and energy efficiency at a fraction of the normal cost for this high standard of equipment.”

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The new £28m flagship Joseph Rowntree Secondary School in York will be a showcase for many of REHAU’s building solution products, including a ground-air heat exchanger, underfloor heating and cable management system.

A One School Pathfinder project built as part of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, its construction and specification will inform the overall plans for York secondary schools in the future.

The REHAU AWADUKT Thermo ground-air heat exchanger system serves the Demonstration Theatre, a focal point of the school’s science and technology based curriculum. The system will provide a low energy source of ventilation which is increasingly recognised as being essential to maintain pupils’ attention and comfort levels in schools.

A 12m x 14m array of 15 runs of REHAU’s 250mm optimised polypropylene pipework has been laid at a depth of around 1.5m under what will eventually be part of the school’s main entrance. The system operates by drawing air in through the pipes and using the natural 8-12ºC temperature of the earth at that depth to either pre-cool or pre-warm the air – depending on the season – before it is delivered into the building via an AHU. The pipe size and grid layout has been designed by REHAU to meet an airflow requirement into the school’s Demonstration area of 3.2m3/hr.

Alongside the REHAU AWADUKT Thermo system, REHAU is also supplying underfloor heating for installation by its Authorised Partner B&K Systems across the school’s 12,000m2 floor area and the cable management system required for the Cat 6a/7 data cabling to be installed throughout.

The REHAU AWADUKT Thermo system was specified on the project by consultants Buro Happold on the basis of the quality and proven performance of its ground – air heat exchanger system both in the UK and Europe.

Joseph Rowntree is a design and build project by Carillion working on behalf of City of York Council. Architects are The Bond Bryan Partnership.

Once complete, the state-of-the-art design of the school will include a central high street with learning clusters, flexible spaces and personalised learning areas. A site classroom has been constructed so that pupils at the existing school on the site can gain an insight into the new project and engage with the sustainable elements of the construction

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In a major new initiative, taps, fittings and valves specialist Pegler Yorkshire is launching a new range of Commercial Valves. Known as Pegler Commercial Valves, the range will be marked by a wide selection of products and will incorporate the company’s latest advances in innovative end-connection technology.

Traditionally, the commercial valves market has been dominated by screwed steel and compression connectors and while the new Pegler range will offer these tried and trusted versions of valve technology, the excitement will come from the company offering its Push-Fit and Press-Fit know-how into a sector historically dominated by more staid products.

The introduction of this new range means specifiers will now be able to take advantage of Pegler Yorkshire as a ‘one-stop shop’ for all their commercial valve requirements, which will have the added benefit of ensuring product compatibility, no matter what valves or pipes are selected. This level of product delivery and customer service available all under one roof will be a first for the commercial valves sector and strong interest in the service and products is anticipated.

The range will include a comprehensive selection of valves, from the traditional to the more innovative plus a selection of brand new product launches within the range as the year progresses. The initial launch of products will include commissioning, isolating, venture (FODR), globe, check valves and many more that will be showcased both on-line and in a comprehensive new brochure.

Pegler Yorkshire product market manager Barrie Plant said, “Everyone at Pegler Yorkshire is excited by the launch of Pegler Commercial Valves. It has been some time in the planning, but we wanted to get this right. It would have been easy to jump on the bandwagon, but our approach has been to ensure we can deliver something innovative that the market has not seen before and we are very confident people will like what they see.”

The big story is on the connectors. For the first time, screwed, press-fit, push-fit, threaded, compression, flange and weld ended will all be available and will remain competitive on price.

The launch will be backed up with road shows to highlight just how much the new range has to offer, class leading sizing software will be available for the Ballorex valves and a comprehensive brochure will make it easy to select the products required.

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Burton-on-Wolds, 30th April, 2008 — The cost of generating electrical energy continues to increase, and, as we are learning, generating this energy from fossil fuels is unfriendly to the environment. Thus, alternative means of generating power are being developed, and that requires new methods of circuit protection.

Alternative systems generating power from solar panels was once considered impractical due to initial start-up costs and the cumbersome equipment required to sustain the continued supply of electricity, and to convert the dc generated electricity into ac electricity for optimised use. However, the rapid improvement of solar panels and systems has made this alternative means a more viable solution in the generation of clean power.

One popular design is the use of photovoltaic (PV) strings, which consists of solar panels connected in series, or parallel. Either single strings or a combination of strings, or modules, can be utilised depending on the power generation required. Inverters have been designed to accommodate the use of either single or modular installations.

The development of these sophisticated solar panel systems has accelerated the demand for highperformance fuse-links. An area of concern had been the limited current condition in the event of a solar panel fault. The short-circuit condition associated with solar panels did not allow for sufficient current to open a standard fuse-link in a way that effectively isolated faulted strings.

Cooper Bussmann, leader in developing innovative circuit protection solutions, has designed a range of fuse-links specifically for protecting PV strings. Due to the sensitive nature of components incorporated into the inverter and the introduction of legislation permitting the inclusion of the inverter into semiarduous positions, a redesign of the fuse-link to protect the solar panel system components was required.

Fuse-links with full range low-fault current operation have been recognized by design engineers as the tried and tested means of protecting PV arrays. With ratings from 8A to 15A at 1000Vdc, the new Cooper Bussmann® PV fuse-links are ‘gR’ category and are manufactured to meet global standards of 4″, 5″ and 6″ solar cell panels. The fuse-links are tested and approved to IEC 60 269 and provide full range protection including over-loads down to 1.3 x IR and short circuits.

The specific performance of the Cooper Bussmann PV fuse-link is designed around the operational, environmental and potential fault conditions of PV strings. The fuse-links are manufactured in the popular 10x38mm cylindrical package allowing the use of off-the-shelf modular fuse-holders, PCB clips and open style fuse blocks, and packaged in material which is 100% recyclable.

These unique Cooper Bussmann PV fuse-links will assist design engineers in ensuring worker safety and equipment protection without sacrificing performance in alternative energy applications. Cooper Bussmann is continually investing in the design of fuse-links for the protection of emerging technologies utilising power electronics. Close global cooperation among the product and engineering teams ensures continuous component improvements including fuse-links to protect the next generation of “clean energy” equipment.

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When you are developing a new brand of upmarket sandwich shops for the heavily fought London lunchtime market, you need a unique approach that will bring customer loyalty and attract business from traditional High Street outlets. And, when you have set up your business based on ethics and sustainability, you need building services that can help support these values.

That was the challenge for Mark and Lindsay Lilley when they started Abokado in 2005 and they have carried through their ethical philosophy into all aspects of the business, including the heating and cooling, with the installation of Mitsubishi Electric Mr Slim air conditioning at their City Road branch by Maidenhead-based Degrees of Comfort Air Conditioning.

Abokado was set up by the Lilley’s who were inspired to develop this unique eatery on their honeymoon in Australia, after realising that the fresh smoothies and take away sushi they dined on was like nothing else they could get in London.

They opened their first shop in Covent Garden in 2005 and now have five shops across the capital. The brand is now one of the fastest growing chains offering a unique choice of sushi, noodle soups, salads, wrap and fresh juices.

Ethics and sustainability are very important to Abokado, with the company removing both yellow fin and blue fin tuna from its menu in 2007 over concern about depleting stocks of these fish.

The same goes for energy use and in the City Road store, Degrees of Comfort Air Conditioning installed three Mr Slim PCA-RP-HA 12.5kW stainless steel air conditioning units to deliver stylish comfort combined with complete energy efficiency.

“The brief for this project was to fit a cost-effective, energy efficient, contemporary design,” says Kevin Rowe, Director of Degrees of Comfort Air Conditioning, who service and maintain heating and cooling equipment in all of the restaurants.

The internal air conditioning units are ceiling suspended with casing made of durable stainless steel that is resistant to oil and smoke, ensuring that the unit can be easily cleaned at all times. They offer heating capacity of 13.80 kW and cooling of 12.50 and deliver average COPs of 3.41, which is very important as Rowe explains: “The advanced inverter technology in these air conditioners means the units provide energy savings of up to 70% annually when compared to previous models and this was an important selling point.”

Degrees of Comfort are accredited Mitsubishi Electric installers and are able to offer clients full design and installation of new equipment and also service maintenance contracts for existing installations.

Operating noise has also been reduced thanks to improvements in fan design, while for retro-fit projects, existing pipe work is reusable for easier maintenance and installation. “In the case of the City Road shop, all the interconnecting pipe work and services have been installed on open baskets and is exposed on display to complement the contemporary installation,” adds Rowe. The condensers are located in the basement car park.

This year, Abokado received the Gold Award for Independent Sandwich bar of the Year and the company is continuing to open more shops, slowly and steadily. With the support of Degrees of Comfort and the advanced energy efficiency of Mr Slim units, the Lilley’s can be confident that their building services will help enhance the central ethics of both the company and the brand.

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