INDUSTRY NEWS
GUIDANCE UPDATE TARGETS FIRE DAMPER INSTALLATIONS
T
he Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) is updating its industry guidance
for the ‘Installation of Fire Dampers and Smoke Dampers’ (DW145). This follows its warning earlier
this year that annual maintenance inspections were uncovering a signifi cant number of incorrectly installed dampers that did not comply with manufacturers’ instructions. It called for remedial action “without delay.
The guidance covers statutory requirements for the
installation, testing and maintenance of fi re dampers and smoke control dampers including clients’ legal obligations to ensure their fi re safety systems comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 for England and Wales and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006. It also explains the crucial role played by the
penetration seal in ensuring the overall fi re stopping integrity of an installation, the importance of maintenance teams being able to fi nd and access dampers for testing
and repair, and the need for designers and installers to seek expert advice from damper manufacturers. “While this is clearly a very worrying
situation, we can take some reassurance from the fact that this problem is being brought to our attention by the increasing frequency of fi re damper inspections and tests as awareness grows of this extremely important issue,” said BESA’s technical director Graeme Fox. “It reinforces the need for a suitably trained and qualifi ed workforce, which
is why work being carried out by BSE Skills to develop occupational standards is welcome and timely. BSE Skills, which represents 43,000 businesses and almost 342,000 operatives across the UK sector, has produced a provisional suite of technical NOS to help employers deliver fi re damper and smoke control damper installation, commissioning, testing and repair. A public consultation was held in November to gather
feedback on the suitability of the new standards from anyone involved in this important area of building engineering.
ENERGY REGULATOR CHALLENGED TO EXAMINE HEAT PUMP ROLLOUT
Pic iStock NAPA74
replicate what will happen all across the UK if the government decides that hydrogen will not replace natural gas. Such a trial, conducted now, will help inform the regulator and government of the consequences for the consumer.” “Electricity networks will need massive upgrades to
T
the wires, the substations and even the pylons. Homes need assessing for their suitability for a heat pump. That means looking at the fabric of the building itself, its outside space, its internal pipework or even where to put a hot water tank. A Heat Pump Village trial does just this.”
he energy regulator, Ofgem, has been challenged by a leading energy trade body to examine the real-world consequence of shifting homes from
gas onto heat pumps. The chief executive of Energy and Utilities Alliance
(EUA), Mike Foster, has written to the regulator Jonathan Brearley, calling for a village-sized trial of decarbonising homes using heat pumps. The trial will mirror that currently being considered
for homes to be converted to hydrogen, another option being considered to decarbonise the UK. Mr Foster said: “A Heat Pump Village trial will
“Ofgem should have the consumer at the very heart of its thinking. Reinforcement of the power network will come at a massive cost; the consumer will foot the bill so they have a right to know what this is likely to be. They should also be told what is required from them in their homes.” “Alongside Hydrogen Village trials, a Heat Pump
Village trial will provide the much-needed evidence for policymakers as they tackle the challenge of decarbonising UK homes. The cost of a trial will be miniscule compared to getting this wrong. I urge Ofgem to step up to the plate and take a lead.”
Inbrief
Fratelli Pettinaroli Group, the Italian brass manufacturing company, has chosen Pettinaroli UK to be its international training centre. The Academy was opened on 15 November in Hamstead by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham Maureen Cornish JP along with Pettinaroli Group chief executive Ugo Pettinaroli.
www.pettinaroli.com
Stuart Turner, the manufacturer of pumps and water-boosting products for residential and commercial uses, has acquired Aquatronic Group Management (AGM), a key provider of cold- water boosting installation and maintenance equipment and services in the UK.
www.stuart-turner.co.uk
Star Refrigeration’s Group sustainable development director, Dave Pearson, has accepted a visiting professorship at Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Computing, Engineering and The Built Environment commencing.
www.star-ref.co.uk
Stelrad Radiators has donated more than a dozen Compact radiators as part of a project to transform a derelict hall into a centre for the homeless and a food bank in Nottinghamshire.
www.stelrad.com
John Felgate head of technical at Steibel Eltron UK, has been presented with the Richard St. Clair Award at a BEAMA 2022 event for his role in developing the world of heat pumps, electric heating and hot water.
www.stiebel-eltron.co.uk
Bosch Commercial & Industrial have announced that anyone installing their boiler systems using cascade fl ues, where there is more than one appliance, will be required to include a carbon monoxide (CO) detector.
bosch-thermotechnology.com
Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning has won the Red Dot Brands and Communication Design Award for Hitachi airCloud Select and the Hitachi Cooling and Heating Icon Library.
www.jci-hitachi.com
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