ARE YOU PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR PEST CONTROL?

Cleankill Pest Control's managing director, Paul Bates, explains how to choose or evaluate your current pest control provider and ensure you have a team you can rely on to keep your premises pest free – without unexpected costs

With budgets stretched and businesses reducing overheads, it’s a good time to evaluate whether your pest control provider is offering value for money.

Don’t assume the big brands offer the best value or service – it can be the opposite. With shareholders wanting better returns, larger companies can put pressure on their salespeople who then become focused on their targets rather than the problem they are trying to solve for the customer. Some will take any opportunity to sell you items or services you might not need.

Consider using smaller regional companies that are large enough to invest in good training, accreditations and the latest products and services, but don’t have the huge overheads and marketing costs associated with national brands. They are normally privately owned. With any pest control contract, look for any hidden costs and extras that may be charged over and above regular site visits. Compare the original contract with what you are actually being charged.

Pricing should be transparent and there should be communication after every visit so you know what has been done and why. There should be justification for any extra costs on top of the regular pest prevention contract. All our technicians use iPads so instant reports can be sent to customers and there are no surprises. We always check with the customer if there’s something we need to do that’s outside the scope of the original agreement.

Accreditations and standards are also something that should be checked. The European Standard for Pest Control is EN 16636 Certification (CEPA Certified®). This is independently assessed by qualified and experienced auditors with an in-depth working knowledge of the industry.

Also critical is British Pest Control Association membership and accreditations including: Achilles, Alcumus SafeContractor, Altius Assured Award & CDM, Avetta; BS EN 16636:2015, CHAS - Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme, CHAS Premium Plus, Constructionline, EXOR, ISO 9001 Quality Management, ISO 14001 Environmental Management, Safe4Site and SafePQQ.

Accreditations also mean that a pest control contractor will help you to comply with regulations such as:

● Prevention of Damage by Pests Act;

● Health and Safety at Work Act;

● Control of Pesticides Regulations;

● Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations;

● Food Safety Act;

● Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations; and

● Animal Welfare Act.

Evidence that staff are well trained is important. Look for proof such as Investors in People. Also has the company won any awards? It’s a sign that the business has received external scrutiny and is proud of its service.

Insurance should include public liability insurance and employers’ liability – both up to at least £10 million for a regional company.

Bundling contracts with services such as landscaping and cleaning to save money is not a good idea as poor cleaning and landscaping can sometimes lead to pest problems.

It’s far better to let pest controllers be your ‘critical friends’. They will sometimes become unpopular with other contractors but it’s their job to solve pest infestations and these can sometimes require changes in, for instance, the working practices of cleaning staff such as emptying bins at night rather than in the morning.

Meeting the needs of patients and hospitals, air conditioning solutions need to be technologically advanced but easy to operate.

Characteristics and needs

In hospitals, the health of patients and the wellbeing of the staff who care for them are paramount. This application requires:

● Cooling and heating according to area;

● Large quantities of domestic hot water; and

● Constant renewal and purification of air with the elimination of viruses, germs and bacteria.

Clivet’s solutions

Clivet offers the combination of chillers and heat pumps with the Zephir system for common areas, surgeries and rooms. For operating theatres, it offers dedicated AHUs with a high level of sanitisation.

Advantages include:

● Energy savings throughout the annual operating cycle;

● Minimal environmental impact with low-GWP refrigerants;

● Compact size of the systems; and

● Healthy environments thanks to electronic filters, photocatalytic oxidation and UVC lamps.

The Enhanced Hydronic System

The Enhanced Hydronic System is the evolution of the traditional hydronic conditioning system.

The cooling or heating energy necessary for conditioning is produced at condominial level and distributed in the served areas, using cooled or heated water as a vector fluid. The necessary air renewal is made by the full fresh air unit with active thermodynamic recovery.

As autonomous unit, ZEPHIR3 eliminates the plant necessary for the transfer of the vector fluids used in a traditional system with air handling units to satisfy the air primary load and, at the same time, to reduce the dimensions and costs of the heatingcooling stations – chillers, boilers and auxiliary components – that will be dimensioned only to satisfy the building’s load.

VRF system

The VRF system is the direct expansion solution for year-round air conditioning, particularly suitable for commercial buildings, hotels and offices.

Both on the source side and on the use side, it is based on the direct heat exchange between refrigerant and environment.

The system terminals – namely, the indoor units – are an integral part of the cooling circuit, acting as an evaporator in summer operation and as a condenser in winter operation.

Compared to the SPLIT system, the VRF is characterised by the presence of the electronic expansion valve on the individual indoor units, ensuring greater extension of the system, in addition to a high number and total operation independence of the terminals.

The offer is completed by units for air renewal: HRV recuperators, AQX VRF direct expansion air handling units, ZEPHIR3 units with active thermodynamic recovery.