The industry has broadly welcomed The Prime Minister's Green Plan which includes intentions to develop the first town heated entirely by hydrogen by the end of the decade and to install 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028.

The announcements were made earlier this week by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as part of a 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution which will create and support up to 250,000 British jobs. The plans also include a welcome extension to the Green Homes Grant aimed at making energy efficient improvements in the home. 

Heat suppliers to properties connected to heat networks will be required to retrofit heat metering devices, where it is cost-effective and technically feasible to do so, by September 2022. They must also bill individual consumers based on their ... 

Emerging technologies have prompted a reorganisation of the Heating and Hot Water Industry Council (HHIC) industry working groups, in order to provide a diverse platform for discussion on the future of UK heat.... 

World Climate Forum Europe, which is being held today as part of the virtual London Climate Action Week, will tackle the subject of Renewable Heating and Cooling for a Decarbonised Economy.... 

Switch2 Energy has been appointed to the ProcurePublic framework to supply heat network metering, billing and interface equipment to the public sector across the UK.... 

Trade body the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC) has established a definition of what is a 'hydrogen-ready' boiler, ahead of a potential nation-wide roll-out of hydrogen for heating.... 

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has welcomed the latest government measure to tackle persistent late payment in construction supply chains.... 

Companies will be compelled to use digital tools to register and record details of their work under new building legislation, according to safety reformer Dame Judith Hackitt.... 

A-Gas, the specialist in the supply and lifecycle management of refrigerants and associated products and services, has reached an agreement to acquire the reclamation business of Safety Hi-Tech in Italy. The transaction is ultimately subject to ... 

Housing Minister Kevin Stewart has joined the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum in reminding the sector’s workers to stay COVID smart in their social lives and when travelling to and from jobs.... 

The Heat Pump Association (HPA) has released a report outlining the steps the UK Government should take to shape future policy and decarbonise the heating industry.

The report aims to substantially shake up the existing frameworks and introduce regulatory, impactful, and meaningful changes in the heating sector, paving the way for mass deployment of low carbon heating.

 

The 12-month extension of the non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will be vital to ensuring all future building projects meet sustainability targets, says polymer pipework specialist Rehau.... 

Indoor air solutions specialist, Halton, is set to open its 10th product development centre on the grounds of its Lahti plant in Finland.... 

The Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum has created a digital learning toolkit to promote best practice as part of its latest initiative to help Scotland’s building sector get safely back to work.... 

The work of building services specialists is increasingly being measured in terms of human health, according to a range of experts speaking at last week’s BESA National Conference.

Building professionals were urged to recognise their role as “physicians of the future” by an international authority on virus transmission and a range of speakers highlighted the importance of mechanical ventilation systems in dealing with the UK’s multiple health and wellbeing problems. 

Geraint Davies MP, the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Air Pollution (APPG), has been warned that workers in manufacturing environments are still being exposed to dangerous levels of air pollutants.... 

As England heads into a winter lockdown, Baxi Heating’s technical director Andy Green offers pointers on protecting unoccupied buildings and their heating systems in the colder months...

As England begins its second national lockdown, building operators will once again need to put into place measures to protect the heating and hot water systems in any unoccupied premises.

Déjà vu? Well, yes and no. While this second lockdown is anticipated to be shorter than the first, lasting one month rather than three, it takes place at the onset of winter. Heating engineers and facility management providers will therefore need to adapt the maintenance schedule accordingly to ensure that the heating and hot water system operates efficiently and – crucially – safely once the premises is reactivated. 

Building safety champion Dame Judith Hackitt has announced plans to recognise companies who reform their working practices before they are forced to by new regulations.... 

A member of the European FluoroCarbons Technical Committee (EFCTC) has shed some light on the aims of EFCTC's #SayNoToIllegalHFCs pledge campaign.... 

Guardian Water Treatment has urged facilities managers and building maintenance teams to prioritise legionella prevention and water system maintenance to stop the ongoing trend of sample failure rates caused by underused buildings....