INDUSTRY NEWS BeMS KEY TO MANAGING BUILDINGS T
he Building Controls industry Association (BCIA) believes that it is more important than ever that building energy management systems (BeMS) are correctly installed and maintained. The BCIA also says correct utilisation of BeMS will be vital, with many buildings finding themselves
under-occupied since the beginning of lockdown in March. Terry Sharp, BCIA president, (pictured) said: “Many companies and their employees have demonstrated
that they can remain engaged with their work through online meetings and document sharing. The technology that enables this has of course been available to us for years, but it has taken a global pandemic
to make us fully appreciate its benefits.“We can apply a similar logic to smart buildings and the BeMS systems that have proved beneficial during lockdown and will continue to do so after, as we will undoubtedly need to adapt to new work practices in the future. A BeMS can keep unoccupied or partially occupied buildings ticking over, saving energy and maintenance costs. Office staff may be working remotely but in instances where factory or warehouse workers have to go into work then the BeMS will be scheduling main plant to only serve the occupied areas and zones – avoiding energy wastage in unoccupied spaces.” With regard to the safety of staff, the BCIA also predicts an increase in the use of tools like occupancy analytics. Mr Sharp added: “Organisations may have to re-evaluate how they use their spaces and this could cause problems in buildings with a smaller floor area. Occupancy analytics could play a key role with space optimisation as companies bring employees back to work whilst simultaneously ensuring their health, comfort, and productivity is not affected.”
GREEN HOMES GRANT SKILLS COMPETITION A
new army of experts will be trained up to deliver the government’s Green Homes Grant scheme to make 600,000 households in England energy efficient for
the winter. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial
Strategy has launched a £6.9million grant, the Green Homes Grant Skills Competition, for training organisations to help get tradespeople equipped and professionally trained to deliver the initiative which launches on September 30. The Green Homes Grant scheme allows homeowners and landlords to apply for vouchers to contribute to the cost of energy-saving home improvements – up to £5,000 for most homeowners, or £10,000 for low income households. With an expected
increase in the amount of home energy retrofitting and low carbon heat installation because of the scheme, more skilled tradespeople will be needed. The competition will be open to UK-based training
providers who can show previous relevant experience in delivering training in the field, with training programmes to be delivered in England. Applications should provide training in some or all of the following: • Skills training in the installation of individual energy efficiency and/or low carbon heating measures supported by the voucher scheme – including training to individuals with existing skills, and training to those new to the sector. • Support and training for installation companies to gain required PAS 2030 or MCS certification, (including possible contribution to certification costs).
• Training in wider whole house retrofit knowledge and awareness (covering wider issues such as building physics, moisture, ventilation, cold-bridging etc). A maximum of £1m will be made available for each
applicant or project subject to state aid restrictions. It is hoped the funding could result in up to 5,000 training opportunities. Simon Ayers, chief executive of Trustmark, said about
the skills competition: “This is an opportunity for training providers to take advantage of the scheme and play a key role in ensuring the tradespeople carrying out the works are supported and equipped as they prepare to rise to the challenge to develop their skills and services to the required standards. “The Green Homes
Grant Voucher Scheme is the kickstart the industry needs to help the UK reach the target of net
zero by 2050 and through collaboration we can increase the number of skilled tradespeople and technicians, move past the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and support the scheme that will allow property owners to pay for energy efficiency improvements, that will not only cut energy bills but will also create and support thousands of jobs whilst addressing the climate emergency the world is facing.” For more information on the Green Homes Grant Skills Competition visit
www.gov.uk/government/publications/ green-homes-grant-skills-training-competition. The application process for the competition will be run though the Midlands Energy Hub with support from BEIS. Applications must be received by 11pm on 14 October 2020.
Inbrief
As Scotland continues to battle a surge in the global pandemic, the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum has repeated its urgent call for industry workers to be COVID-19 smart in their social lives.
cicvforum.co.uk
Mitsubishi Electric is supplying its Ecodan air source heat pumps to OVO Energy for two Government schemes. These aim to develop and showcase technologies that reduce the carbon emissions associated with providing heat and hot water to UK homes and buildings.
ultraquietecodan.co.uk
The Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC) has announced that UK heat pump manufacturers have joined together to refresh the Heat Pump Benchmark commissioning checklist in line with the latest legislation, which forms part of the warranty of the appliance.
www.hhic.org.uk
Ideal Heating has launched a new training platform to help installers provide the highest standards of service to customers that use a wide range of heating technologies.
expert-academy.co.uk
Seventeen young engineers and six companies have been shortlisted for CIBSE’s Young Engineers Awards 2020, comprising: Graduate of the Year, Employer of the Year and Apprentice of the Year.
www.cibse.org/yea
Flying high on the news of its promotion to the English Football League, Harrogate Town AFC has announced EnviroVent as its major sponsor for the 2020/2021 season, and has unveiled The EnviroVent stadium.
www.envirovent.com
Lord Martin O’Neill, long-term President of the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group has died aged 75 after a long battle with cancer.
secgroup.org.uk
SPX Cooling Technologies, UK has appointed an industry expert to look after its customers in the south of the UK.
www.spxcooling.com
www.heatingandventilating.net October 2020 !
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
