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Fakro GB specification clauses are now available via NBS Plus. This enables concise, technically accurate and up-to-date information in relation to the company’s extensive and growing range of roof windows and roofing accessories to be copied and pasted including its newly launched solar system. MD Noel Shanahan commented, “We believe that the growing interest in our roof windows will continue and the amount of specification detail advice our technical sales staff already provides meant that it was the right time to enable our products to be specified in this way”.

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Mitsubishi Electric has used its annual sales conference to congratulate its major business partners for outperforming the market during the current recession but also highlighted the need to cross traditional boundaries and enter new markets using the energy saving potential of heat pumps.

Commercial director Donald Daw, told delegates to the BSP (Business Solution Provider) Annual Conference in Daventry, that whilst the air conditioning market had dropped 12% over the previous year, Mitsubishi Electric and its major customers had increased market share.

“This has happened during the toughest economic times we’ve ever seen and our success is due to a combination of the quality of your installations, the developments in energy efficiency of our products and the strength of the relationship we have,” he told the audience of over 150 attendees.

The construction industry has been hit especially hard by the recession but the reasons behind the drop in sales of air conditioning is not entirely linked to the current economic turmoil Daw explained: “Our research shows that market growth in single and small splits systems is very dependant on weather patterns – for the past 2 years we have experienced cool summers in the UK and small businesses have no memory of substantial discomfort caused by warm weather – a normal summer in 2009 should see a return to growth in the small spits market ”

In the larger system and VRF markets, Daw warned that the dramatic impact of the recession on the construction industry will have much longer term implications: “As an industry we have seen double-digit growth in the VRF market for many years and we had started to see this as the norm,” he explained.

“We shouldn’t be surprised that in these tougher economic times businesses are cutting back on capital intensive building refurbishments,” he commented. “The market will bounce back strongly as soon as the investment cycle begins again – the suitability of VRF products for heating and cooling modern buildings has not changed.”

Daw warned that the tougher trading conditions will mean changes in the supply chain and weaker companies leaving the market. He also highlighted how the traditional boundaries between ‘heating,’ ‘ventilation’ and ‘air conditioning’ were now overlapping, with manufacturers from other sectors looking to enter the air conditioning market. He saw this as both a challenge and an opportunity.

“As an industry, we must look to expand our reach and highlight how beneficial heat pump technology can be in addressing the need for lower energy bills and carbon emission reduction,” he explained. “We can do this by moving into the mainstream heating industry and away from being classed as a cooling-only industry. There is already a general blurring of the boundaries and we all need to be ready to step over those boundaries.”

Daw also explained that as a company, Mitsubishi Electric is developing the technology to put heat pumps into as many heating applications as possible, as heat pumps will be one of the key technologies in helping the country achieve the CO2 emission reduction targets that are required, while still allowing users the convenience and comfort they demand. The company is also moving further into the micro generation sector with the launch of Photovoltaic systems and has already established a strong brand in the residential ‘renewables’ sector with its low carbon, Ecodan® air source heat pump.

“We need to find new markets for our technology and skills and heat pumps used in the wider heating industry are an important part of that opportunity,” he ended.

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Hydropath Holdings will be displaying their range of patented water conditioning products on stand 19 at this year’s Plumbing and Heating Exhibition in Chelsea. Taking centre stage will be the HS38, Hydropath’s domestic unit, which provides a simple and cost effective solution to preventing limescale problems without the use of chemicals. The HS38 unit is sold across 5 continents, and has particular success in America replacing water softeners, as the US has become more eco-friendly due to governmental directives.

The HS38 patented water conditioning system by Hydropath is unique as it removes limescale by transmitting randomly varying electric fields into the water and the entire plumbing system. The result is the production of nuclei everywhere in the water system. This causes limescale to form in suspension, which is then washed away with the flow. The treated water is normally able to dissolve existing scale in a few weeks.

The HS38 is suitable for use in most domestic applications including open vented combination boilers, condensing boilers, mains pressurized unvented and direct fired water heaters. The unit is simple to install, simply clipped onto the exterior of the pipe without the need for plumbing or incision. The HS38 also benefits from low running costs of only 90 pence a year, does not require any ongoing maintenance, has a 1 year ‘fit for purpose’ warranty and 3 year guarantee.

Two power supply options are available for the HS38; including a built-in supply, which needs to be wired in, or a plug-in style transformer that uses a mains power supply. Hydropath technology is recommended by British Gas and installed as an OEM by leading boiler manufacturers.

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There’s a renewed look to the sports pavilion at Cambridge University, where Sikkens Cetol BL Opaque has helped to transform and rejuvenate the external timber elements. The building, which is used extensively by the students and visitors to the pavilion and the running track, was originally constructed in the 1990s and the coating that had been used for the timber had begun to crack and fade badly. The University of Cambridge Estate Management department, who are responsible for the upkeep of the buildings on site, needed a product that offered both durability and colour fastness. Cetol BL Opaque fitted the bill perfectly.

The colour issue was an important factor as the new coatings had to perfectly match the original deep green and white to maintain the required visual impact of the pavilion in its location. “We chose an opaque coating because of the need to offer better UV light resistance,” comments Ian Scrivener at the Estate Management Department. “The proven credentials of Cetol BL Opaque offered the solution. It’s able to provide the desired protective finish and in addition, the product’s extensive colour range meant that we could make a perfect match with the original.”

Cetol BL Opaque is a water borne coating that combines durability with the ability to flex with the natural movement of the timber. The high build coating has a paint like appearance with excellent covering power and adhesion to the timber to ensure that any blemishes are covered up, without hiding the natural grain texture.

Work on the pavilion, which was carried out by the contractor Haywoods, began in May 2009 and is now complete, with Sikkens Cetol BL Opaque coating providing a colour resistant exterior for many years to come.

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Project

To design and manufacture a product to satisfy the heating and cooling requirements for the store, whilst incorporating high grade heat recovery from the food refrigeration plant.

Solution

Weatherite worked closely with the client and consulting engineers, together with the refrigeration engineers, to integrate within the HVAC system the food refrigeration cooling equipment.

This integration provided high grade recovery from the refrigeration packs, energy normally lost to atmosphere.

The design culminated in alternative integrated solutions heat reclamation directly from the refrigeration pack heat rejection or via a secondary fluid loop where energy circulated for use in other areas in the store.

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Laidlaw Solutions’ position as the UK’s leading supplier of doorsets to the healthcare sector has been emphasised by the specification of 4500 Orbis Timber Doorsets to two new PFI hospitals at St Helens and Whiston.

In addition to a 30-year maintenance and replacement contract, specialist requirements included 50 post-formed 'Acroyn' PVC-faced sterile doorsets for level 1 theatres, 80 Radiological performance doorsets for X-Ray departments and 180 Easi-fold doorsets for disabled POD bathrooms. Orbis Commercial ironmongery in Silk Anodised Aluminium was supplied for the ’Bio Oak’ laminated doorsets, with solid nylon Normbau levers and pull handles used for the ’Corfu’ Formica® psm laminate doors.

Laidlaw Managing Director John Jefferies commented, “This is a huge project that Laidlaw has been proud to support. We have worked in partnership with the Taylor Woodrow teams, at both St Helens and Whiston, to deliver a world class hospital for the client and local community. There could be no better illustration of Laidlaw’s ability to meet the specialised needs of healthcare projects in the UK.”

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Project

As part of their partnering approach, Weatherite Group of companies supplied and installed a new state of the art air conditioning system at Marks & Spencer’s Cheshunt store in Hertfordshire.

Solution

Weatherite Manufacturing Ltd won the contract to supply seven replacement rooftop packaged air conditioning units and ancillary equipment.

Weatherite Building Services Ltd won the tender to install and commission the seven fully packaged units and associated M & E works, offering the client a ‘complete solution’. Both companies worked closely with the contractor Ellmer Try Joint Venture (ETJV) Consultants to ensure the work was carried out to the highest standard and caused minimum disruption to the store. The team devised a cost effective engineering solution which took into consideration the client’s tight deadlines and the varying demands of the project.

The challenges with this project included the urgent replacement of an existing unit which had completely failed and the hire of a specialist 300 ton crane which had to be used after midnight to lift the seven air handling units into place on the roof.

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Flag Soprema’s TPO single ply roofing membrane has been used on the second phase of one of 'Grand Designs' more unusual eco projects. Known as the 'Brittany Groundhouse', owner and ecological building consultant Daren Howarth specified TPO in his search for products with minimal environmental impact. The flat roofed, single storey building has walls made from tyres and will provide an open plan kitchen and living room, family bathroom and three bedrooms. TPO offers the added benefits of being non-toxic and having a BRE Green Guide A+ Rating, the only product made using EPR modified polyolefin currently to do so.

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JS Air Curtains is launching the new Zen air curtain with bespoke fascia panels that can carry designs such as corporate logos or slogans and functional elements such as clocks and signage.

The air curtain is available in 1m, 1.5m, 2m and 2.5m lengths, in electrically heated, low pressure hot water or ambient air only models. The heat outputs range from 3-32kW and low noise, double inlet centrifugal fans provide up to 6,475m3/h airflow.

The Zen combines innovative air curtain design with high performance technology to provide an air curtain that is ideal for use in shops, offices, hotels and other public buildings. It is mounted horizontally above doorways up to 3.5m high and provides a seal of air to keep cold air out during the winter and to keep air conditioned air in during the summer.

The Zen’s central structure is made of zinc plated steel finished in black as standard with any other RAL colour available on request. The bespoke fascia panel is available in anodized aluminium, stainless steel or wood. Finishes include matt, gloss or brushed.

The discharge vents on the air outlets have airfoil-shaped vanes to direct the airflow, creating a tighter seal across an entrance.

The control panel has five speed selection and is easy to connect to the air curtain with 20m of plug and play RJ45 lead. The Zen can also be controlled via BMS.

JS Air Curtains supplies an extensive range of air curtains, as well as bespoke solutions, for all commercial and industrial applications. JS’ in-house project management division also provides a smooth, hassle-free installation service that walks the customer through from design specification to post-installed product training.

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Cable management specialist Marshall-Tufflex has launched a new brochure giving full details of its Cat 6 compliant trunking systems.

From completely curved Odyssey trunking through to the Mini 4 Data product, Marshall-Tufflex has a range of systems to suit virtually any application, including schools, offices and health care environments.

The new literature details each of the systems, outlining their application suitability, design features, number of compartments and cable capacity.

Odyssey is the flagship of the range, with its curved profile offering an elegant dado trunking with flush accessories. It has three compartments, a built-in cable tray and is – importantly – tamper resistant. It is highly suited to health care and educational environments, where its curves aid cleanliness and tamper resistance delivers greater peace of mind.

The Sterling range of containment systems is manufactured in six versions, offering different sizes and compartment configurations, adjustable data boxes and dado/skirting solutions and – on Sterling XL – extendible capacity. For designers and consultants wishing to specify a high performance Cat 6 product, Sterling Twin Plus is the perfect solution. Its twin compartments are designed specifically to carry power and Cat 6 cabling in completely segregated compartments that include large bend radius fittings of 50mm and cable control performance that exceeds international category standards.

The Maxi Data system for main feeder runs is produced in clear trunking for high security applications, as well as in PVC-U for more traditional applications. Its 90° to 135° slow bends deliver a generous radius, and fabricated tees and crossovers can accommodate radius greater than 50mm.

Finally, the Mini 4 Data system is a compact feeder trunking for smaller volume distribution. It is the only mini trunking with Cat 6 compliant 50mm radius control fittings.

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