INDUSTRY NEWS
WARM BANKS WELCOMED BUT MUST BE ADEQUATELY VENTILATED
A
s news of warm banks hots up, Elta Fans is urging building owners, managers and facilities staff to ensure places have suffi cient ventilation fi rst to
avoid a health and safety crisis before pushing ahead. =Facilities such as libraries, community centres,
churches and shopping centres are already open, or are in plans to open, to the public this winter as so-called ‘warm banks’. The move comes as 9 in 10 adults report that their cost-of-living has increased, and 51% of those surveyed are cutting their energy spend to cope (ONS, August 2022). Councils from cities and towns such as Cardiff and Southend are already taking the lead on these make-shift services, off ering grants to voluntary organisations and setting up warm bank application processes. However, while the notion is certainly welcomed, Elta
Fans, industry leaders in air movement and ventilation solutions, is warning that warm banks must be adequately risk assessed. This is especially when it comes to the air quality, as the UK enters cold and fl u season and the risk of contracting COVID is still high. David Millward, group product manager at Elta Group,
said: “We urge all those who are applying or setting up warm banks to undertake some due diligence and evaluate whether the building is suitable from an air quality perspective. Cold season is upon us, and germs, bacteria
Inbrief
Hoval is expanding its production capacity with construction of new heat pump manufacturing facilities at its headquarters in Vaduz (Liechtenstein) and in Istebné (Slovakia).
www.hoval.co.uk
and viruses can easily be suspended in the air and spread quickly, especially in places where there is warm, stale air that is not being moved on. With the NHS already predicted to be at breaking point, it’s important that warm banks do not needlessly add to the strain on the health service.” “Warm banks may well be a staple fi xture for every winter from now on, and it is a great move for society in general to come together to help each other,” said Millward. “Not only this, but there may also be carbon savings to be gained from heating one building instead of many, which can only go on to help the environment. “Getting the ventilation strategy right from the off set is
vital. Not only will this help stave off unwanted spread of airborne diseases, but it will also mean that occupants can feel comfortable and breathe cleaner air during their stay. This all starts by measuring air quality fi rst, and at Elta Fans, we’re here to help organisations at every step of the way.”
Following the enactment of updated standards on ventilation this summer, trade association BEAMA has published three new bitesize guides to help installers better understand and implement Part F (ventilation) of the Building Regulations in existing homes.
www.beama.org.uk
The liquid fuel heating industry is calling for more aff ordable and practical low carbon solutions to be recognised to incentivise consumers to switch to greener heating and help the UK reach its 2050 net zero ambitions.
www.oftec.co.uk ukifda.org
WHITE PAPER SHOWS HOW TO AVOID BUILDINGS BECOMING STRANDED ASSETS
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itsubishi Electric has launched a guide designed to help building owners and managers reduce the risk of their buildings becoming stranded assets due to not reaching the government’s environmental standards. The new white paper, ‘Stranded assets:
A roadmap to net zero for new and existing buildings’ is designed to provide building owners and managers with more insight on the importance of setting up their buildings for Net Zero and describes methods on how they can achieve this. “We’ve designed this guide to off er insights into
current thinking on what Net Zero buildings are and where legislation and guidance on this issue is heading,” explains Chris Newman, Net Zero Design manager. It also looks at the heating, ventilation and air
conditioning (HVAC) systems that can help on the journey to Net Zero carbon emissions for both new and refurbished buildings. This includes the essential questions that clients should ask their design teams at the early stages of a project.
Strategies Around 80% of the buildings we will occupy in 2050 have already been built. With owners of older properties facing signifi cant costs associated with meeting higher standards for Energy Performance Certifi cates (EPCs) or disruption in switching from gas boilers to heat pumps, buildings are falling further behind environmental
requirements every year. This white paper therefore aims to help owners
avoid their buildings becoming stranded assets by providing a roadmap to net zero. The guide contains a number of sections assisting in bridging the Net Zero knowledge gap for business owners, outlining the government’s Net Zero plan, and showing what defi nes a Net Zero building. The fi nancial disadvantages to not choosing low-carbon technologies are also outlined, including the fact that 1.4 billionft2 of UK retail space may be unlettable by 2023 if these energy effi ciency issues aren’t addressed.
District heating experts from across the sector are coming together to discuss the latest trends and topics in low carbon heat networks on 17 November at the REHAU Hub, in the Building Centre in central London.
www.rehau.com
The ‘Hello Hydrogen’ Campaign has been launched and will see gas distribution networks, boiler manufacturers and energy suppliers come together to raise households’ awareness on the low-carbon gas’s role in reducing CO2 emissions.
www.hellohydrogen.com
BSRIA and London South Bank University have partnered to publish a comprehensive free guide to defi ne the terminology of Net Zero and its implications for the built environment.
www.bsria.com
Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, visited Vaillant, in Belper, to see production of its low carbon technology in action and gain a clearer view of how government and industry can work in partnership to ensure the UK can successfully transition to low carbon technologies.
www.vaillant.co.uk
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