VENTILATION/HEAT RECOVERY
Sweden (RISE), which was previously the only organisation able to test to the new UK standard. Tom Garrigan, business manager,
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BSRIA Test House, said: “Further extending the scope of our UKAS accreditation ensures we are fully compliant with the latest requirements to carry out testing in accordance with the October 2018 version of the BESA UK HIU Test Regime. This testing activity dovetails neatly with our other product testing, consultancy and market intelligence services, whilst also meeting the growing demand for increased laboratory based performance data and market data for this technology type. “We are delighted to be able to offer
this extended service and look forward to working with new and existing clients.” HIUs extract heat from district heating networks to feed individual buildings and dwellings. How they perform is central to the overall efficiency of a district scheme. The standard was developed, therefore, to help developers of UK heat networks procure HIUs based on comparative performance data. The availability of a UK standard has
prompted considerable response from manufacturers with a significant number of HIUs already tested at RISE with several more already going through the process at BSRIA and Enertek. Testing to the standard is a two- stage process: The HIU has to achieve a UKAS or equivalent national accreditation through one of the three test houses and this result must then be verified by the standard’s steering group before being published on the BESA website (
www.theBESA.com/ukhiu).
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apartments and small to medium sized houses. The CMX-MULTI has been engineered to extract indoor pollution and draw
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moisture-laden air out of wet zones, such as kitchens and bathrooms, depositing it outside for greatly improved indoor air quality and environmental comfort. Where the CMX-MULTI differs from other MEVs is its small size, ease of
installation and energy efficiency. There is also a second unit, the CMX-MULTI-H which hosts an integral humidistat that identifies changes in humidity and automatically adjusts the air flow of the unit accordingly.
June 2019 Comprehensive VENTILATION INNOVATION
he two UK test houses are BSRIA and Enertek International, joining the Research Institutes of
HIUs against their design parameters. The test calculates the annual
volume weighted return temperature (VWART) from the HIU and provides evidence of compliance with other performance and reliability metrics, such as domestic hot water response time.
As part of the revision process, the steering group overseeing the standard has been expanded and a technical sub-committee – comprising industry experts and the three test houses – has been set up. It will make recommendations to the steering group on developing the standard, including a planned expansion of the regime. An HIU Manufacturers’ forum has already had its first meeting at BESA’s headquarters in London and provided feedback to the steering group. “One of the standard’s great
strengths is that it has been developed by users, for users,” said UK HIU Steering Group chair, Gareth Jones. “It provides users with a clear basis on which to evaluate HIU performance and is rapidly becoming the default point of reference for those making procurement decisions within the industry. “As a result, HIU manufacturers must
now ensure that their HIUs perform well and we are seeing a significant increase in R&D. Ultimately this raising of standards will help improve the health of the heat network industry as a whole.”
hottopic A
USING APPRENTICESHIP LEVY TO FULL POTENTIAL
PHC CEO, John Thompson, looks at how smaller employers could potentially benefit from the unused
apprenticeship levy funds of larger employers. Since April 2017, employers with an annual pay bill of over £3 million have had to pay the apprenticeship levy, and as of April this year, levy-paying employers are able to transfer up to 25% of the funds in their apprenticeship service account to as many employers as they choose. There are hundreds if not thousands of
large employers in our industry who are paying the apprenticeship levy. What’s interesting is that there is a 24-month time limit on spending apprenticeship levy funds, so consequently if a company doesn’t spend
it, the government will claim it back to fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying businesses. So if a company didn’t spend the levy and therefore lost the remaining funds in April 2019, I urge them not to lose the funds next year and take control now by choosing who they want the funds to go to. A Freedom of Information request has shown that the Government
ent-Axia has launched a quiet bathroom fan that can smell air pollution. The PureAir Sense bathroom fan is equipped with odour sense technology and offers quiet running, operating as low as 19dBA. Designed to improve the air households breathe, the fan’s odour sensor
The BESA standard originally emerged from a heat network efficiency research project supported by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. Testing to the standard is helping to create a comprehensive product database and improve performance of UK heat networks. It is modelled on a well-established
Swedish methodology, which was adapted to suit typical UK operating conditions, and makes it possible to compare products and equipment types so that network designers can evaluate the performance of individual
increases airflow when the air is poor, helping ensure a comfortable living environment. When the sensor detects a strong odour, the fan speed increases and quickly extracts the odour to help ensure the air always feels fresh. Vent-Axia also says that improving a bathroom’s air quality doesn’t have to be noisy. The new fan is said to have whisper quiet operation meaning households can relax knowing that they are breathing in healthy air, undisturbed. Stephen Totman, product marketing manager at Vent-Axia said: “The PureAir Sense helps ensure a peaceful, healthy environment for households combining quiet operation with odour sense technology, smart controls and an attractive design. It ticks all the right boxes.”
omus Ventilation – formerly known as Polypipe Ventilation – has expanded its CMX range of mechanical extract ventilation (MEV) units with the launch of the CMX-MULTI, a compact and energy-efficient centralised MEV for use in
received £4.2 billion in levies since April 2017, but only £601 million has been paid out to employers so there is a real opportunity for large employers to invest in the plumbing and heating industry for the direct benefit of the many smaller companies in their supply chain and of course the thousands of plumbing and heating businesses which use and install their products on a daily basis. This could help drive our sector’s growth, assist with meeting our sector’s longer term skills requirements and of course more immediately provide much needed apprenticeships. The levy is paid by large employers with a pay bill of over £3 million.
They pay 0.5% of their total annual pay bill. The levy is there to fund apprenticeship training for all employers, so smaller employers (those with a total annual pay bill of less than £3 million) pay 5% of the cost of their apprenticeship training and the Government pays the remaining 95%. As of April this year, the rate available to transfer increased from 10% to 25% of the annual value of funds entering the apprenticeship service account. These funds can be transferred to any smaller employer and apprenticeship training agency to support new opportunities and widen participation in apprenticeships. Larger employers interested in transferring unused apprenticeship funds to other employers can access further information at
www.gov.uk/guidance/transferring-apprenticeship-service-funds.
www.heatingandventilating.net
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