News
News from institutions
UHMA joins BEAMA UHMA, the trade association for surface heating and cooling, is to become part of BEAMA, the trade body representing manufacturers in the electro-technical industry. The move brings the UK’s only trade association speaking for the underfloor heating industry under the umbrella of a professional representative body.
RICS house price survey House prices edged up in May despite the boost in houses on the market caused by the abolition of HIPs (home information packs), according to the RICS May UK Housing Market survey. Rises in new instructions moved from 11% in April to 21% in May. The actual increase in supply is anticipated to be around 15%.
www.rics.org
Civils rate capital’s infrastructure The Institute of Civil Engineers has published a report on the state of London’s infrastructure. The report looked at the state of the capital’s waste, water, energy and transport and rated it overall as ‘C’, meaning that infrastructure across all sectors requires attention. To read the full report visit
www.ice.org.uk
Illuminating debate The Lighting Industry Federation has held its ‘EuroLEDS 2010’ seminar. Presentation topics included LEDs in Emergency Lighting and LEDs and Legislation, and involved speakers such as David Wright and Bernard Pratley. The presentation slides are available to view at
www.lif.co.uk
RIBA reveals research awards shortlist The shortlist for the President’s Awards for Research 2010 have been announced by the Royal Institute of British Architects. The awards reward and encourage outstanding research in architecture. Eleven pieces were selected for the final stage of judging in three categories.
www.architecture.com
UK lags behind Asia
on energy efficiency n
Energy efficiency is becoming more important when
refitting old buildings – but the UK is lagging behind Asian countries. That is the conclusion of the
annual Energy Efficiency Indicator, an international survey of 2,800 executives and managers, carried out by the sustainable building products supplier Johnson Controls. Globally, 71% of respondents said
they are paying more attention to energy efficiency than they did a year ago. In the UK the figure was 68%, whereas it was 87% in India and 90% in China. However, the UK fared well
against other western countries. In the USA and Canada the figure was 52%, and in Europe as a whole
it was 62%. Respondents expect energy prices to climb by 9% during 2010 – the main reason behind companies’ quest for efficiency gains. However, the availability of capital
is the greatest barrier to capturing the potential energy savings. Some 29% of those surveyed indicated that their capital budgets are insufficient to fund all projects meeting their return on investment criteria. The 2010 Energy Efficiency
Indicator (EEI) survey covered 2,882 respondents in 36 countries, with organisations ranging from small businesses to global corporations across a variety of industry sectors. Respondents included chief
Firms’ top 10 reasons for saving energy:
1. Energy cost savings; 2. Greenhouse gas reduction; 3. Enhanced public image; 4. Government/utility incentives; 5. Attracting and retaining customers;
6. Existing legislation; 7. Anticipated regulation; 8. Attracting and retaining employees;
9. Investor reporting demands; and 10. Attracting tenants
executives (30%), vice presidents and general managers (36%), and facility managers (22%).
www.johnsoncontrols.com/ publish/us/en/
news.html
Report lifts the lid on elevators
in emergencies A new ISO technical report reveals that lifts may be a viable escape route in buildings during emergencies. Project leader Derek Smith
believes its findings may save the lives of those with restricted mobility during a crisis. He said: ‘Over the past few years
there has been considerable debate regarding the risks and hazards associated with using lifts during evacuations. ‘As buildings get taller and larger,
determining the extent of these risks and what can be done to minimize them is even more pressing. And in some special cases, depending on the building’s size and design, lifts may also significantly reduce general evacuation time.’ The main objective of the
New heights for low-carbon technology The world’s first water-and-solar powered wheelchair lift was launched at the London Festival of Architecture. Wheelchair users tried out the prototype on the steps of the Duke of York Monument in central London. Water weights are used to counterbalance the lift cart, powered by solar panels, and it has been designed with all the mechanical innards on show. The lift was created by Matthew Lloyd Architects in collaboration with the Royal Engineers, Architecture Inside Out and RIBA London. It is hoped the lift will be fully developed in time for the 2012 London Olympics.
report, ISO/TR 25743:2010, Lifts (elevators) – Study of the use of lifts for evacuation during an emergency, is to provide building designers with a decision-making process to determine whether a given design can enable the safe use of lifts in the event of an emergency for a particular building. The report can be applied to lifts and buildings of any size, whether new or existing.
www.iso.org
12 CIBSE Journal July 2010
www.cibsejournal.com
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