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Joining Reznor’s well proven V3 gas fired heaters is the new, third generation UESA range of high performance condensing room-sealed unit heaters, designed to further increase fuel efficiency. The new UESA range incorporates advanced burner technology together with a patented aluminium MacroChannel heat exchanger to increase thermal efficiency.

• Achieves 104% efficiency
• Unlike condensing boilers and other condensing heaters the high efficiency is achieved even at full heat output
• Available in 4 sizes with outputs ranging from 35kW to 102kW
• Vibration and noise isolated fan motor
• Sealed control department isolating all electrical components
• 25% lighter than previous condensing models
• Simple installation
• ECA approved
• 2 to 4 year payback (depending on usage)

Payback periods may be further reduced when Enhanced Capital Allowances are taken into account in new installations. This allows qualifying end-users to offset 100% of the capital cost of the units plus associated installation costs against Corporation Tax in the first 12 months of operation.

Specifiers and end-users looking to reduce carbon emissions and combat escalating fuel costs will find that Reznor’s new UESA condensing unit heater is the perfect solution.

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On 31 October 2008 AMTECH Group, the market leading Building Services Software and solutions group of companies, acquired TSI Luckins – market leaders in Data Services and pricing information. TSI Luckins will join the AMTECH Power software, Estimation and NES brands already within the Group

“TSI Luckins is a well known and highly respected company and I am delighted that we have now added their strengths to our portfolio,” commented AMTECH Group Managing Director Mark Tindall. “AMTECH Group is committed to delivering world class software and solutions to our customers. The addition of TSI Luckins will ensure that we continue to provide leading-edge data solutions that give users real competitive advantage,” he continued.”

The acquisition of TSI Luckins also opens the door for further integration of pioneering technologies across the software products within the Group, bringing even greater functionality and productivity enhancements.

“We are all very excited about the future” said TSI Luckins Managing Director Donna Ward. “AMTECH have a history of innovative product development and leveraging the power of new technologies to deliver real, practical solutions. We are all looking forward to being part of the AMTECH success story,” she added.

About TSI Luckins

TSI Luckins, based in Stamford, Lincolnshire, is the UK's leading specialist in product and pricing data for the Electrical, HVAC & Tools sectors. Customers include national, regional and local suppliers, distributors and contractors throughout the UK including most of the top names in the industry. 45 out of the top 50 UK M&E contractors are users of Luckins data.

About AMTECH Group

AMTECH Group, based in Milton Keynes, are the market leading providers of software and solutions for Building Services engineers. With over 15,000 customers, AMTECH Group brands include AMTECH Power Software (Electrical Design and Certification) Estimation (Estimating, Costing, Contract Management, Accounts and Service & Maintenance), NES (Building Services Specification) and TSI Luckins.

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ATG Access is pleased to announce the acquisition of the US vehicle barrier division of the Dutch group Boon Edam.

ATG Access sister company ATG Access Inc will oversee the transition and become the brand of the existing product range in the US and its influenced markets.

ATG Access Inc will build on the already strong brand name of ATG Access to continue being recognised in the US with a broader range of products and an established network of installation & aftermarket support engineers.

ATG Access’s Managing Director Glenn Cooper said “This acquisition forms part of the strategic development of ATG Access’s business, and in particular, international presence. The transaction went through smoothly and efficiently. Our products and services are in great demand in the UK and overseas markets and this acquisition will increase our growth in North America.”

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Salamander Engineering has launched its new Flush-wiser™ unit – a unique way of reducing water usage by pre-2001 toilets without any loss of efficiency. The unit has just won the Innovation Award in the British Institute of Facilities Management FM Excellence Awards 2008.

All pre-2001 toilets hold between 7-9 litres of water depending upon age. To effectively flush, you only need to use 6 litres of water, so it’s easy to see that each flush is wasting between 1 and 3 litres of water.

Flush-wiser™ pays for itself in less than 5 months, based on average water savings by reducing the amount of water per flush from around 9 litres per flush to just 6 litres per flush. When you consider that on average, every person in the UK uses 150 litres of water a day and 60 litres of this are used on toilet flushing, investment in a Flush-wiser™ – which lasts for the whole lifetime of your cistern – begins to look like a steal!

Flush-wiser™ works by allowing your cistern to fill with air rather than water, ‘conning’ the system into ‘thinking’ it’s full with water. Because the Flush-wiser™ is fixed to the siphon, it doesn’t interfere at all with the toilet’s flushing mechanism and it’s totally adjustable – with five different settings – the higher the setting, the more water you save.

To fix a Flush-wiser™ you simply need to drill a 7mm hole in the top of the siphon after ensuring the water supply to the toilet is turned off and the cistern is empty. Insert the Flush-wiser™ in the hole and line up the number on the unit to select the water saving you want.

For installers and householders looking to save energy, save water and save money a Flush-wiser™ is an easy choice to make. As well as saving huge quantities of water – and the costs associated with that – the costs of disposing of a cubic metre of waste water include the usage of 0.905 Kwh of electricity which produces 0.404 kg of carbon dioxide – so using a Flush-wiser™ actually helps reduce your carbon footprint too.

Flush-wiser™ is targeted predominantly at home use, but can be used in offices, public toilets, schools, hospitals and any buildings where public toilets see the use of huge quantities of water every year for flushing, saving on water bills for those responsible for maintaining the public toilet facilities. A Flush-wiser™ unit is only 44mm by 38mm in size and weighs just 8 grams.

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With the focus of the Department for Education & Skills on the development and procurement of sustainable schools, every product and process in your school is under scrutiny. So when Heckmondwike FB was awarded with a Green Guide ‘A' by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), that was great news for schools they have or are planning to work with.

When the BRE was appointed by DfES to develop environmental assessment method for schools, it signified their commitment to reducing the environmental impact of building materials when specifying components of major buildings.

Schools are being given a standard rating (good, v.good, excellent) depending on how they score in various categories.

“The Environment profiles are created by identifying and assessing the environmental effects of building materials over their entire life cycle” said Heckmondwike FB Marketing Manager Abby Chandler, “This standardised method of collecting and analysing data ensures a ‘level playing field' for comparing the environmental profiles of different flooring ranges and types”

Heckmondwike FB has been supplying fibre bonded carpet and carpet tiles to the education and public sectors for over 30 years. The ‘A' rating for fibre bonded carpet and carpet tiles submitted for environmental profiling, along with the full accreditation to the Environment Management System ISO 14001 shows our commitment to the education sector and the environment. So being a Heckmondwike FB customer, helps your school make the grade.

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To help specifiers and installers meet the latest requirements of the UK Building Regulations Part L2 for conservation of fuel and power in non-domestic premises, Eaton has introduced a range of new energy metering solutions. These will simplify the provision of metering for lighting, small power and other loads at the final distribution board and reduce the need to wait for factory-built specials.

The Building Regulations effectively call for separate energy metering at all final distribution boards above 50kW in new non-domestic premises with a floor area greater than 500m2. Eaton is offering two approaches to this ? Type A distribution boards with integral metering, and separate meter packs that can be installed with its popular Type A (single-phase) and Type B (three-phase) Memshield 2 distribution boards. In both cases it is offering a ?split metering? option to enable small power and lighting loads to be metered separately.

The Type A boards with integral meters are 65A SPN units with a single meter or 100A boards fitted with a two channel meter feeding two separate busbars at 65A each, providing separate metering of small power and lighting loads within one board. The single meter boards are available as 9-way or 12-way SPN units while the split boards are available as 6+6 way or 8+4 way SPN units. The meters provide a visual readout and a pulsed output for measurement of kWh. They can also provide visual indication of other parameters such as line voltage, current, kVAr and power factor. A modbus RS 485RTU option is also available.

A separate meter pack is also available which fits alongside Type A Memshield distribution boards. Dimensions and finish are designed to blend aesthetically with the adjacent board. The meter offers similar options and capabilities to those in the boards with integral meters.

For Type B (three-phase) applications, Eaton has introduced new 125A and 160A split-load meter packs in addition to two existing meter packs. The new packs are designed to sit below two standard Memshield 2 Type B boards serving lighting and small power circuits, fed by a single cable supply. It houses a 125A/160A rotary disconnect switch incomer, two sets of current transformers and two multifunction meters, together with all the internal connections. The distribution boards can be standard Memshield 2 units with the normal choice of connection options.

The existing meter packs, introduced a little over a year ago, are single-channel units. One uses a 100A direct connection OFGEM approved and certified meter providing visual readout and pulsed output of kWh only. The other uses a 200A Class 1 multi-function meter, complete with current transformers and wiring terminals. It provides visual and pulsed output kWh measurement and visual display of other parameters. In addition, a MID approved Meter version has been added to the range, as the market starts to move away from OFGEM certified meters and migrates to MID (Measurement and Instrumentation Directive) certified products for billing applications.

?There is a huge market for MCB distribution boards but in future many of these will need metering of the incoming supply. Eaton?s new Memshield 2 meter packs and Type A boards with integral metering offer contractors a cost-effective way to meet these requirements without having to resort to special factory-built solutions? says Mike Lawrence, Eaton?s Product Manager for commercial assemblies.

Picture shows three of the new Eaton meter packs (foreground) and three Memshield 2 distribtuion boards.

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Sabien is pleased to announce it has been awarded an initial contract by Virgin Media, the UK’s leading entertainment and communications company, worth £89,000 to install its M2G technology in a number of its offices in the UK. Further orders are expected over the current financial year.

Alan O’Brien, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Over the last year we’ve worked closely with Virgin Media and its consultants assisting them in preparing an investment proposal for the installation of our M2G and M3G technologies across the Virgin Media estate. In 2007 Virgin Media began work with the Carbon Trust on their 'Cut the Carbon' programme to define the company’s carbon footprint accurately and to investigate ways to reduce it.

As a result of this initiative Virgin Media have targeted to reduce their carbon footprint by 15% of their 2007 baseline year (313,522 tonnes of CO2) by 2015. On the back of this analysis an initial order has been placed with Sabien for its M2G technology with further orders expected over the current financial year. The fact that Virgin Media, a major UK brand, has chosen M2G is another tangible indicator that Sabien is fast becoming the supplier of choice for energy efficiency technology

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The launch of Momentum marks the start of an exciting time for floors in education. Launched with a ‘cool to be crossed' theme, this distinctive and striking product can really set the tone for the whole environment and create a vibrant setting for students.

With a distinctive random cross design, Momentum compliments any environment where durable, yet good looking flooring is in high demand. Perfect for refectories, common rooms, classrooms and even hallways & corridors. Available in 12 colourways, from lighter shades of Granite and Jasper to more vibrant Amazonite and Sapphire, Momentum is one of Heckmondwike FB's most innovative product ranges and can add vibrancy and light to your environment.

Part of the ‘Creative Flooring' range from Heckmondwike FB, Momentum joins the recently enhanced Montage, which saw a change in its colourways last year. Both Montage and Momentum have a distinctive, random textured design surface structure and a two layer structure that offers enhanced acoustic properties.

Robert Mortimer, Sales Director at Heckmondwike FB said, “The launch of Momentum has been a great achievement for us. We felt the time was right to develop our Creative Flooring range and allow us to offer our customers' products which are not only durable & hardwearing but also pleasing on the eye. Momentum will compliment our popular Montage range and become part of the Creative Flooring ‘family'.”

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Daikin Europe N.V. has extended its Sky Air series (20 and 25 kW with a new light commercial multi system (CMSQ. Designed for light commercial multi applications such as shops, restaurants and small offices, the R-410A system is inverter controlled ensuring maximum comfort and high efficiency. It allows up to four indoor units of varying types and sizes to be individually controlled and is extremely quiet. Also, its extended piping length supports flexible outdoor unit placement on walls, roof and indoors.

The CMSQ outdoor unit is equipped with an inverter controlled scroll compressor driven by a high efficiency motor. Inverter control ensures constant room temperatures and maximum efficiency, especially in partial load situations – EERs up to 3.71 in cooling mode and COPs to 4.1 in heating mode. A total piping length of 160 metres is supported by a Refnet system for optimum refrigerant flow. The outdoor unit combines a high static pressure of 50 Pa with sound levels as low as 57 dBA in normal operation and down to 45 dBA in night set mode.

Two types of indoor units are offered: a Roundflow cassette (FMCQ) and a concealed ceiling unit (FMDQ), both available in a range of capacities from 5 to 12.5 kW in cooling mode. Up to four indoor units can be installed in any combination of capacity and type, with each unit individually controllable via its own infrared or hard-wired remote control. The indoor units operate at near silent sound levels — FMCQ down to 28dBA and FMDQ down to 30 dBA. CMSQ also optionally supports Daikin’s Intelligent Touch Controller and Intelligent Manager control systems.

The FMCQ Roundflow cassette provides comfortable 3600 air discharge with uniform airflow and even temperature distribution. Horizontal air discharge ensures draught free operation and the unit’s 23 different airflow patterns allow installation in corners or small rooms. Optional fresh air intake up to 20% is available and the unit’s decorative panel comes in 2 colours –: white or white with white louvres for better integration in shop and commercial interiors.

The lightweight and compact FMDQ concealed ceiling unit blends with every style of interior and fits flush against the ceiling, with only the air suction and discharge grilles visible. The air discharge grilles are adjustable, allowing uniform temperature distribution even in irregularly shaped rooms.

CMSQ is designed for applications with multiple rooms/areas that require great flexibility in installation and control. A two floor shop with a back office for example, in which the upper floor can have slightly different temperature settings from the lower floor. Different settings can also be used in the back office. This possibility applies to individually controlled indoor units. Furthermore, the back office system could be switched off when not in use and if the back office is small, the asymmetric combinations enable the exact capacity required to be selected. CMSQ also allows mixing the indoor types (cassettes and ducts) as well as unit capacity classes.

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Wavin is a name synonymous with all that’s good in drainage and now the UK’s leading water management solutions provider is sharing this expertise with groundworkers that have to work with PVC-U drainage systems on a regular basis.

Wavin has collaborated with the NHBC, to develop a series of ‘best practice’ guidelines to help companies achieve the necessary high standards of workmanship required on site.

The guides cover the risks to be avoided and are full of tips and advice, detailing best practice. They also highlight a few of the most common mistakes that should be avoided if a drainage system is to give years of trouble-free service and the need for any costly and disruptive remedial work is to be eliminated.

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