Latest Features

Swiftclean advocates adoption of TR19 guidelines

Managing director of Swiftclean Building Services, Gary Nicholls, has urged the industry to consider adopting TR/19, a leading guidance document, TR/19: Internal Cleanliness of Ventilation Systems (Second Edition 2013), which was issued by B&ES in July 2014, as a standard for the construction of ventilation systems; rather than DW144, the B&ES standard for ventilation system design and construction.

1 Sep 2015

Ideal Boilers encourages installers to help customers be energy efficient

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) estimates that eight million UK homes don’t have heating controls, yet according to the Energy Saving Trust, even just fitting a room thermostat can provide an annual saving of £70.

27 Aug 2015

Firms face potential legal action due to poor F-Gas documentation

According to Cool-Therm, F-Gas compliance standards on many commercial refrigeration and air conditioning sites fall short of mandatory requirements, exposing end users to the risk of possible legal action.

17 Aug 2015

Reduced RHI rates highlight opportunities for bigger boilers, says biomass chief

The latest install figures (http://goo.gl/dQuInt) show that the strong uptake of commercial biomass – particularly for farmers and landowners – has triggered a drop in some Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) rates, but the chief of the UK’s biggest wood fuel supplier says that this only highlights the strong opportunities that larger boilers offer.

11 Aug 2015

Rinnai’s renewable water heaters boost efficiency

Chris Goggin of Rinnai UK, manufacturer of the Infinity HE gas fired continuous flow water heaters, believes there is a responsibility for the industry to monitor and control energy usage but warns that prevaricating until the perfect solution is developed is not helping to push things forward.

11 Aug 2015

Trent & Dove Housing urges housing associations to act now to tackle winter deaths

Housing Associations were given the cold, hard facts about excess winter deaths at a recent event hosted by Trent & Dove Housing and Kensa Heat Pumps, where it was announced that every winter around 30,000 deaths occur in the UK due to tenants being too poor to heat their homes.

18 Jun 2015

Industry urgently needs centralised body

Tony Gittings, of water heating product manufacturer Rinnai, argues that the industry is in dire need of a central body or council to co-ordinate the burgeoning weight of new and pending standards, legislation and codes of practice.

18 May 2015

ASERCOM outlines its position on the proliferation of refrigerants

The heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration industry faces multiple challenges with the latest EU regulations coming into force.

6 May 2015

BIM: work required by manufacturers often forgotten

While BIM (Building Information Modelling) is largely underpinned by the availability of building product models, according to climate control and separation specialist Biddle, the work required by manufacturers often gets forgotten.

30 Apr 2015

Legal & General achieves BREEAM first

Legal & General Property’s building at 740 Waterside Drive in Bristol is the first ever building to be certificated under the BREEAM UK Refurbishment and Fit-Out scheme, the newest of the internationally recognised BREEAM standards for rating the sustainability of building projects.

28 Apr 2015

FETA Lunch 2015 - Chairman's Speech

It has been a busy 12 months for FETA as chairman, Mike Lawrence, explained at the recent annual lunch.

22 Apr 2015

Cold homes need more than warm words, says Knauf Insulation

As each party broadcasts their manifesto in the run up to the General Election, Knauf Insulation has released its own comments on the announcements.

20 Apr 2015

Climate scientist on a mission to cut CO2 at his own home

Met Office scientist and global-warming specialist Jeff Ridley (pictured) has been taking measures to reduce his own home’s CO2 emissions.

30 Mar 2015

Architect calls for a halt to demolitions and hails refurbishment

VAT rules are undermining sustainable development by rewarding developers who demolish buildings and penalising those who refurbish.

11 Mar 2015

Ecodesign and HVACR

Ecodesign and HVACR Mike Lawrence, chairman of the FETA Board, explains why the Ecodesign Directive is an important piece of legislation across the EU member states.

10 Mar 2015

China high-rise office building achieves first BREEAM Outstanding rating

No. 1 Shanghai, a 180m tall, 34 storey commercial tower created by state developer the Shanghai International Shipping Service Centre (SISSC) has achieved an Outstanding design rating under BREEAM, the world's foremost sustainability standard for buildings.

15 Jan 2015

Europe’s energy transition: Secure power for a sustainable economy

Technological and commercial innovation is accelerating as the European power market reaches the vital nexus between renewable and traditional power.

14 Jan 2015

Energy bills rise as the mercury falls

Most commercial buildings experience a spike in running costs at this time of year as temperatures fall and the dark nights close in, despite the fact that nearly all organisations can take steps to reduce their energy consumption and improve their green credentials.

7 Jan 2015

Space Air addresses R22 concerns

Mike Nankivell, marketing director for the Daikin distributor, Space Air, comments on a dilemma facing suppliers of air conditioning and parts now it is illegal to use the refrigerant R22 for service and maintenance purposes.