NEWS & APPOINTMENTS
Time to get ahead on ventilation and IAQ strategies
A recent report conducted by Imperial College London shows the real, long-term impacts of air pollution, and is a reminder to building owners that good ventilation is vital to protect people from harmful consequences. According to the university, after looking at evidence from over 35,000 studies over 10 years, it uncovered that exposure to certain particles could lead to miscarriages, cause low sperm count and stunt children’s lung growth. Later in adulthood, it could also cause chronic illnesses, cancer and strokes. Particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – both of which come from vehicle exhausts – were found to be particularly harmful. In response to the study, which was commissioned by the Greater London Authority, the government said it fully understood the importance of improving air quality and it has recently closed the consultation on its draft Air Quality Strategy. David Millward, Group Product Manager at Elta Group (UK), now wants building owners and those responsible for building services to move on these latest findings, and not wait for a directive before acting. He also warns that delaying on action is causing untold damage to peoples’ health and wellbeing.
David said: “Air pollution has long been one of the biggest contributors to poor health, and now with the research from Imperial College London, we can see that it causes all sorts of effects on people.
“It’s imperative that we heed the warnings and building owners and managers start taking decisive action now to look after occupants that reside or work in their buildings. Doing so can safeguard people first and foremost. In addition, it can lead to less absenteeism and better productivity down the line too.” Last autumn, Elta Group launched its partnership with Airthings, bringing a range of air quality monitoring solutions to the UK to help building owners assess the indoor air quality of their buildings. The monitors include sensors for CO2, Radon, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter PM1 and PM2.5, and data from the monitors can then feed into a ventilation strategy for the building. Alongside this, Elta Fans, part of the Elta Group portfolio, manufactures a wide range of bespoke commercial and industrial fans, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems from its UK-based factories to ensure that there is ample supply for building projects.
“As a specialist in ventilation solutions, we know we have an important role to play in helping those responsible for buildings get the right products and systems for their properties. That’s why we decided to partner with Airthings. By having air quality monitoring sensors in our portfolio, we can help understand how the building is used, what the indoor air quality is like in a given space, and how to improve it.
Battery technology saves over 200 tonnes of carbon in a year
New analysis of site data from 12 Keltbray construction projects has revealed significant savings since the business introduced battery technologies to decarbonise its power usage and reduce running costs.
Keltbray is a construction engineering specialist delivering integrated solutions for complex building and infrastructure sectors across the UK. Recognised by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) for its efforts to quantifiably reduce the carbon emissions on its projects, the business is continually looking at new processes, technologies, and forward-thinking suppliers to partner with to continue such work. Kiro Tamer, head of environmental sustainability, and ICE Carbon Champion said: “We wanted to look at batteries for some time, but
it also needed to make commercial sense and market conditions just hadn’t made it viable until that point. When fuel prices started to rise around April, that’s when things started to change. Since then, the adoption of the technology has come along so quickly.” Aggreko sector engineer Kath Argent and her team introduced battery energy storage system (BESS) technology as part of a Greener Upgrades portfolio. While the sustainable benefits of batteries have long been undisputed, until recently there had been low uptake across the construction industry due to the perceptions the technology was in its infancy. Kiro adds: “The versatility of this technology is demonstrated via the wide variety of
projects and sites we have been able to introduce it into, making it a fundamental part of our decarbonisation strategy. In just 12 months, we went from using no batteries, to them accounting for at least 25% of our temporary power procurement.” As part of its commitment to work in partnership with Keltbray to help achieve its Net Zero goals, Aggreko’s insights team used its specialist telemetry system to analyse data from the 12 projects spanning 2022.
By looking at load information and comparing traditional generator-only running costs against the new hybrid running costs, they were able to evaluate a reduction of over 200 tonnes of carbon. This was the result of saving over 75,000 litres of fuel, which equated to over £100,000 in fuel costs.
4 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JUNE 2023 Appointments Secon appoints new managing director
Renewables distributor Secon has appointed Chris Caldwell as managing director. He succeeds Kevin Carling, who takes on a new role as group chief executive. Chris assumes day-to-day responsibility for all aspects of the Sunderland-based business, which is now in its 25th year. Kevin’s group role includes sister company AUK Heating and Cooling Distribution. Kevin said: “We have seen double-digit growth in the past
three years, while turnover has more than doubled. We moved into our new 30,000ft2 premises in late 2022 and have taken on more key staff. We are now preparing the business to more than double in size in the next five years. Chris joined Secon in 2010 in a technical support role and was later promoted to technical sales manager, before being appointed sales director in 2017. He said: “On the back of our recent expansion, I am excited to be taking Secon forward and growing the business in existing and new renewable markets.”
ICW Group makes senior appointment
Building warranty and building control specialist ICW Group has appointed Andrew Spratt as managing director for ICW Insurance Services. Andrew will play a key role in meeting the company’s
growth plans to become the leading provider of building warranties and tailored insurance products for the construction industry. He said: “We have a talented team of people who are all absolutely committed to the business and our clients, and we are primed to build on the strong foundations which we have already built. At ICW we are proud of the excellent levels of service that we provide to our clients, and we hope to consolidate our position as we introduce new products and services to meet their needs even better than we do now.” Group Chief Operating Officer Aaron McCarten said of the appointment: “I wish him well on his promotion to managing director and I look forward to seeing what Andrew and the rest of our team can achieve together.”
ELCO Heating Solutions appoints new area sales manager
Andy Madden has joined ELCO Heating Solutions as the area sales manager for the East Anglia region. He brings a wealth of experience to the role, which will see him strengthening key relationships with consultants and contractors in the commercial heating sector.
Reporting to Andreea Manoiu, Andy is based in the Norwich
area and will be responsible for presenting CPDs to ELCO’s core customer base, as well as encouraging them to use the company’s Hybrid Systems Wizard. This is in addition to driving specifications of ELCO’s commercial heat pumps, high efficiency boilers, network heating units and hot water products. Commenting on his new role, Andy said: “I’m looking to
forward to selling ELCO’s excellent range of heating products in the East Anglia area, not to mention raising the company’s profile while maximising the huge potential of ELCO commercial boilers and commercial heat pumps among new and existing customers.”
HITACHI appoints new area sales manager
Hitachi Cooling & Heating has expanded its UK sales team with the appointment of John Hill as area sales manager for the north of England region. Previous experience includes three years with Aggreko power generation in a sales engineering role and most recently, regional sales with Cross Rental Services, a provider of bespoke interim and portable cooling, heating and hot water solutions to the public sector and MoD. John commented: “For me, it’s all about building
relationships; my customers know me and have faith in me to deliver their projects. That’s a lot of responsibility, but I thrive on it and I’ve proven that I can deliver. “I’ve worked on projects from end-to-end and I know where I can add value to my customers. For me, after-sales is just as important as the initial sale. There’s always some room for improvement and that informs and builds our joint knowledge and expertise for the future.”
Read the latest at:
www.bsee.co.uk
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