THE Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association (HVCA) and the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) have signed a green deal to educate their members on sustainability.

The agreement, made at the ECA industry conference on May 20, is designed to equip members with the knowledge to advise clients on greener building design and carry out installations of sustainable equipment.

The ECA and the HVCA have agreed to: fund and resource sustainability-related activities. provide the secretariat for an M&E Sustainability Interest Group. issue sustainability advice and support to members. develop sustainability training and competence standards. manage sustainability-related events. produce specifications and best practice guides.

Two consultants have been brought onboard to help deliver on this criteria, as set out in the associations' joint agreement.

'The first thing we've got to do is educate our members to install renewable heating and ventilation equipment', said HVAC spokesman Bob Towse. 'Some of our members are engaged in this already but many aren't and when a client asks about thermal solar equipment we need to know members can advise and install,' he added.

Members need to train up on the the top sustainable technologies. These include combined heat and power technology, photo voltaics (use of light to generate electricity) and solar thermal (use of sun heat to generate heating).


ESCA House, the HQ shared by HVCA and ECA

Having worked in the same building for many years, the two associations have been brought closer not only physically but mentally for the benefit of the mechanical and electrical industries. With many companies such as Balfour Beatty, a member of both associations, the benefits of their close alliance become clear.

“ECA and the HVCA should co-operate fully in helping their members to develop the necessary skills and expertise and to take advantage of the commercial opportunities that will undoubtedly ensue', said HVCA chief executive Robert Higgs who co-signed the deal with ECA director David Pollack last month.

Factors such as Part L building regulations brought in April 2006, demand that 20% of the energy required by each new building in London must come from renewable resources.

“The key role of the building services engineer in meeting the sustainability challenge lies in providing high-efficiency, low-carbon systems using material and technologies that preserve the planet’s natural resources and safeguard the environment”, he added.

Although climate change is on ECA's and HVCA's agenda both will tackle other sustainability issues including waste management, better management of resources and recycling.



HVCA and ECA staff as well as members are being educated to fly the green flag and will attend a screening of Al Gore's Oscar-winning documentary 'An inconvenient truth'. Details of which cinema will be hired by association bosses are yet to be revealed. Free energy-saving light bulbs are among the freebies being given to staff.

ECA Director David Pollock said “Our fully collaborative approach to sustainability will help us to answer some very important questions about how to achieve major reductions in UK carbon emissions. We will also be pressing government to take much bolder measures to reduce our dependence on fossil energy'.