CHP manufacturer Baxi-SenerTec UK has won this year’s prestigious Combined Heat and Power Association Public Sector Award. The award was given in recognition of the work carried out by the company in partnership with the London Fire Brigade (LFB) to supply Dachs mini-CHP units to fire stations throughout the capital.

Yan Evans, Technical Director of Baxi Commercial Division discusses whether or not there is a valid argument for a commercial sector heating equipment scrappage scheme along the lines of the proposed domestic boiler scrappage scheme that has recently been tabled as an early day motion by MPs.

The Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRCEES) is a carbon cap and trade scheme that is designed for non-intensive energy users in the public and private sectors. It is a complex piece of legislation that exposes a number of potential conflicts. Making it work will depend on input from facilities management specialists, such as the collection of data and energy efficiency advice and implementation.

A novel connection solution by C & J Supplies Chesterfield Limited, using Wieland Electric’s RST pluggable connectors has proved successful in preventing damage to dado trunking in wards at Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Lighting Technology is experiencing a period of rapid change. Not since Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in the 1870s have there been such radical developments as we see in lighting today, which is driven by the need to reduce CO2 emissions and protect the environment.

Tackling climate change is a key challenge for all. The move to a virtually zero carbon electricity system will be essential if the UK is to achieve an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. Renewable energy, in particular, will play a vital role and the Energy Act of November 2008 sets out a series of provisions in order to help the government meet its targets.

I think it’s fair to say that if the building services industry let out a collective sigh of relief now we have seen the back of 2009 it would be fully deserved.

It was only two years ago when the house building boom of the early 90’s was showing its first signs of slowing down, giving us an indication that something was on the horizon. However, at this point the new build market remained stable, with 100%, even 120% mortgages still easily obtainable, meaning consumer confidence remained high.

While it may be the players’ salaries that grab all the headlines, the wages bill is not the only major expense that sports clubs have to deal with. Also high on the list of significant costs is the amount of money spent in running the stadium: usually a huge building that is difficult to heat and uses large amounts of energy to light. On match days, when the paying public pour into the building with their cash, running the stadium may not seem such an unjustified expense, but on non-match days and out of hours the cost of running these venues continues to mount while most of the building is lying idle.

The recent growth in the use of biomass boilers means that particulate emissions from biomass are beginning to come under closer scrutiny. And while biomass still accounts for a tiny proportion of the UK’s particulate emissions, this contribution clearly has the potential to increase with the growing use of biomass.