Don Spearman, managing director at Xpelair Ventilation Solutions, looks at what's in store for 2010.
Last year was a turbulent year for everyone involved in our industry and I am sure that I'm in the majority when I say I'm glad to see the back of it.

Unfortunately, there's no getting away from the impact the recession has had. First, the financial crisis in the banking system has led banks to be much more cautious and cut back their lending. This, coupled with the uncertainty over interest rates, which only a year ago stood at 5.5 per cent, has put increasing pressure on business investment and consumer spending.

We have also experienced a downward drift in Sterling, which is effecting the cost of imported materials, particularly as the European economy is picking up better than that of the UK and US. To compound this, only 70,000 new homes are predicted to be built this year, the biggest decline in this sector since World War II.

The good news is, while official figures show the economy is continuing to contract, business surveys, employment figures and consumer spending indicators paint a more encouraging picture of recovery. This has been aided by interest rates being kept at a record low of 0.5 per cent, along with the Bank of England's £125 billion quantative easing programme.

There have been other glimmers of hope as well, particularly in the social housing sector and the government's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. However, the consensus is that after the general election, government funding cuts will be inevitable, impacting the public sector just when the private sector is starting to get its head above water.

Looking forward, there's no doubt it's going to be another challenging year. However, what is important now is that we are prepared for growth when the economy expands.

The key focus for this once again will be on energy efficiency. Later this year we will once again need to get to grips with further revisions to Part L and Part F as government steps up its drive to reduce carbon emissions.

The main focus of Part L is to cut carbon emission levels in both new homes and non-domestic dwellings by another 25 per cent compared with 2006 levels. This will be done by ensuring the design and construction processes are subject to more rigorous control, like improving detailed design by submitting commissioning plans at the beginning of projects to ensure they perform as they are intended to satisfy building control.

In line with buildings becoming more airtight, changes to Part F are also being implemented to ensure adequate ventilation is provided. The key change in 2010 is going to be greater ventilation provisions for buildings with design air permeability tighter than or equal to 5m³/(h.m²) at 50Pa.

Legislation requirements

Another legislation that sometimes slips under the radar is the Eco-Design of Energy Using Products (EuP) Directive. Established by the European Commission in 2005, the directive creates a framework for legislation to provide guidance on improving the efficiency and environmental impact of a wide range of energy-using products, including ventilation equipment.

In essence, EuP is designed to push the boundaries of energy efficiency based on the need to continually update products. The good news is the HVAC industry has responded well, with a range of energy saving solutions developed that meet and exceed legislation requirements.

The move towards low energy solutions not only mean the days of the AC motor are limited, but it has also resulted in the rise of the systems market, a focus on heat recovery ventilation and the introduction of a range of sophisticated control options.
The growth of DC, EC and variable drive motors means that in the future, systems will use less energy, last longer and will be able to respond to changes to a building's environment much better.

Xpelair has introduced a new generation of Appendix Q Eligible mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) units. The Xcell 150 and Xcell 300 ranges offer building service engineers one of the most energy efficient MVHR units on the market, designed to raise the bar in the industry even higher.

This move from the more traditional intermittent ventilation to a solutions approach obviously has its own learning curve and highlights the importance of training to ensure new ventilation systems are fit for purpose and installed correctly, and make sure installers are competent and confident fitting them.

To help building service engineers achieve the highest standards, Xpelair offers a range of training courses that cover different ventilation strategies, how different systems work, planning and design and installation and commissioning guidance.
To complement this, Xpelair has a specialist division within the company that designs bespoke systems for individual site applications.

The Xpelair CustomVent team of technical engineers work in conjunction with customers from the pre-planning design stages right through to installation and commissioning to ensure our solutions provides the highest performance levels, help reduce carbon emissions and comply with industry regulations.

So, while the past 12 months have seen turbulence in the economy, the changes in store for 2010 through new legislations, should help stimulate the market and help us beat a path to recovery.

Xpelair
08709 000420