YOUR BESA - Issue 4

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Issue 4

YOUR

BUILDING ENGINEERING SERVICES ASSOCIATION

BESA to plug F gas certification gap UK’s first test standard for HIUs

Also in this issue A new age for the BESA Awards P5 Improving staff diversity P15

Ventilation hygiene takes centre stage P19 Introducing BESA Consult P21

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BESA chief executive Paul McLaughlin

Welcome

YOUR BESA - ISSUE 04 In this issue:

Paul McLaughlin

A year of thinking differently So that was 2016 – most memorably described as the year that “took no prisoners”.

Unprecedented political upheaval in the shape of the Brexit vote and the Trump presidential triumph; a seemingly endless stream of celebrity deaths; turbulence in the financial markets; terrorism and war of shocking extremes; and yet more rapid progress in the world of digital technology.

Will we ever see another year like it?

It is not surprising that many would like to consign 2016 to history and try to move on, but life isn’t like that and the political and financial legacies of last year, at least, will be with us for some time.

We also have many positives on which to focus – not least the opportunities for BESA members created by digital expansion in the built environment.

The growth of data capturing devices and the increasing connectivity in buildings is opening up a whole new world for our sector. Building managers have access to unprecedented amounts of performance data – and so do building occupants.

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PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

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P8

LEGAL & COMMERCIAL

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REPRESENTATION

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TECHNICAL NEWS

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WORKFORCE

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

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They can now analyse exactly what is going on in their immediate surroundings thanks to apps installed on their phones and other mobile devices that monitor temperature; air quality; humidity, lighting levels etc.

Trillion This information is particularly powerful where it relates to health and well-being – identified by the global management consultancy McKinsey as the next “trillion dollar industry”.

Building engineering services sit right at the heart of this booming market. We have been heavily focussed on building performance for years, but we are now being challenged to look at how our work contributes to human health and productivity – a subtle, but vital change of emphasis, which was highlighted at our Building Services Summit in late 2016 (see page 23).

The World Green Building Council estimates that, on average, improving energy efficiency delivers annual savings of around £6 per m2 to commercial building owners. Yet, if a building contributes to staff retention – because they find it a healthy, invigorating and rewarding place to work – that can

deliver savings to a business in the order of £18 per m2 with sickness reduction totting up to £26 per m2.

People exposed to more natural light in their working environment also sleep better. The big one, though, is productivity. If improving the indoor environment results in even a modest 5% improvement in productivity, that could be worth a really impressive annual saving of £307 per m2.

The Chancellor Phillip Hammond put improving the UK’s productivity at the top of his wish list in his Autumn Statement in late 2016 and, similarly, 2017 is the year for BESA members to think big. Your work sits at the heart of this agenda and presents an opportunity to capture the attention of clients, who are now directly measuring how the working environment contributes to – or inhibits – their business success.

Providing healthy, safe, comfortable and productive environments should not be an adversarial, low margin industry, but a valued and prestigious profession commanding commensurate levels of financial reward.

Here’s to a productive, prosperous and profitable 2017.

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well-being; and the need to continually improve the financial performance of building systems – so specifiers need support in singling out contractors with excellent track records and independent verification of competence.

BESA steps up focus on specifiers Promoting the expertise of building engineering contractors to local authorities; consulting engineers; architects and key end user groups will be a central part of the strategy pursued by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) this year.

Former Travis Perkins senior executive Kevin Kingaby has been appointed to the new position of Key Accounts Manager – Specifiers, to spearhead a programme aimed at creating stronger links between specifiers and BESA members to help ensure projects meet clients’ expectations and commercial objectives.

Building on BESA’s 113 years of industry leadership, Kevin will promote membership of the Association as a ‘badge of quality’ for specifiers looking to appoint top quality contractors. He will remind them that BESA is one of few trade associations in the UK to insist prospective and existing members are subjected to an independent; third party accredited Competence Assessment Scheme (CAS) to verify both their technical expertise and financial stability.

Members are invited to tell Mr Kingaby where tenders do not include BESA membership as part of the pre-qualification criteria so he can

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approach the specifiers and remind them of the value and benefit of using suitably accredited contractors.

Mr Kingaby has more than 35 years’ experience in plumbing and engineering products; having risen to become managing director at Saint-Gobain owned Walker & Staff before spending 13 years in senior management positions, including as regional manager for London and the South East, at the plumbing merchant BSS, which was acquired by Travis Perkins.

He now brings that considerable experience to bear on a major market development role for BESA with a focus on promoting the high professional standards and technical expertise of its members.

“Qualifying for BESA membership means a contractor meets the technical and commercial standards needed to deliver projects to a suitably high standard. It will be Kevin’s job to ensure more and more specifiers are aware of that fact.”

Mr Kingaby added that the Competence Assessment Scheme process helped BESA companies “stand out from the crowd”.

“Some parts of the construction industry have a damaging habit of breaking specifications – either to save money or because of technical shortcomings in the project team – and it is the end client who suffers,” said Mr Kingaby. “An important part of my role will be to promote the technical expertise and financial rigour of BESA members so clients can enjoy the peace of mind of knowing they are using contractors who deliver what they promise.”

The Association also manages a series of recognised registration schemes like Refcom – for safe refrigerant handling – and the SKILLcard site safety programme.

It has also developed tools like SFG20 – the definitive standard for planned maintenance – which saves thousands of businesses money by optimising maintenance, avoiding over-spend, ensuring efficient running of plant and helping clients comply with legislation.

“My early conversations with major players in the marketplace have revealed that many are surprised at how much we do and how much ground we cover,” said Mr Kingaby. “There is also a general misunderstanding about what the sector is capable of. It has quickly become obvious to me that BESA members have a key role to play in raising the profile of the building engineering profession as a whole.”

“This is a key appointment for us,” said BESA’s Chief Executive, Paul McLaughlin.

“Specifications increasingly reflect the growing expectations of building users – linked For more information visit to sophisticated ‘smart’ www.theBESA.com/tenders solutions; the focus on occupant health and

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A new age for the BESA Awards BESA is proud to celebrate the achievements of upcoming talent within the building services industry.

The BESA Awards recognise apprentices and employers within the building services industry who have had outstanding achievements over the past year. A number of regional awards will take place throughout the UK and winners from each region will then automatically be entered into our brand new national awards launching in 2017.

North West Region The North West region awards are taking place at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester on 25 February – although the nominations are now closed, tickets for the gala dinner are still available from www.theBESA.com/besa-awards.

Each of the category winners at the North West Awards will be presented with a Milwaukee 18v Fuel Twinpack (M18FPP2A-502X).

The premium prize contains a percussion drill and impact driver and usually retails for £500.

The awards not only showcase talent in our sector but also allow our members to celebrate their skills while receiving free promotion from the Association.

Why nominate?

By entering these awards you will: • Inspire your employees and gain recognition for your apprentices or team • Showcase talent in the region to progress on to a National Award • Demonstrate your continued support for apprentices • Strengthen your public profile within the sector • Receive free promotion on our website, e-news and magazine All our awards are free to enter and you can submit more than one entry for as many categories as you like.

The Yorkshire Awards are taking place on Saturday 22 April at The Majestic Hotel, Harrogate.

For more information, to nominate or to book tickets visit: www.theBESA.com/yorkshire-awards

Yorkshire Region Nominations for the Yorkshire Region Awards are now open could your company be the next winner?

We want to recognise the dedication and skill of the next generation who are coming into building services, and also the employers who nurture them. There are a range of award categories for both apprentices and employers along with the Judges’ Choice, which are chosen by the region and judging panel.

Look out for more regional awards on our website www.theBESA.com/besa-awards

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PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Back to nature At the end of the recent BBC series Planet Earth II the legendary broadcaster David Attenborough made a poignant appearance at the age of 90.

The final episode had focussed on how the natural world seeks to adapt to the ever-expanding urbanisation of our planet and provided a fascinating insight into how wild animals live alongside humans in some of our largest cities.

The world’s most famous natural historian made an impassioned plea for builders and engineers to consider the role of nature. He signposted some startlingly successful examples of where natural features have been integrated into cityscapes and individual buildings.

Singapore was celebrated for the huge strides it has taken in this regard including a huge programme of urban greening; the integration of trees into buildings; and the creation of massive ‘super trees’ that support plant and animal life in the heart of the city.

At a time when the world might seem like an increasingly fractured place, this provides an optimistic vision of an alternative future. In the UK, we have always championed our green spaces, but David Attenborough is asking us to take things a step further by encouraging the full integration of the natural and built environments.

Health His motivation is to promote the survival of endangered species threatened by the spread of urban sprawl. However, solving that problem can also have major benefits for humans.

2016 saw an explosion of ideas about how building engineering services can – and does – support the health and wellbeing of people in buildings. Historically, we have looked at this largely in terms

of technical detail and have, therefore, specified temperature, humidity and lighting levels that we consider to be ‘ideal’.

Our framework has been the regulations imposed on us by legislators and, as a result, we have tended to veer towards a ‘tick box’ mentality that suggests the indoor environment should be suitable for the occupants because the “computer says so”.

However, experience shows that theoretical conditions only rarely match the expectations of building users.

The ‘tick box’ mentality encouraged by the need to comply with Building Regulations Part L, for example, has led to a widespread lack of imagination in the approach to building design that condemns occupants to work and live in uninspiring spaces.

A lot of this can be traced back to the low cost culture that drives our supply chains with many projects simply aiming for the cheapest way to achieve planning consent leaving no room for new ideas and technologies. Put simply, engineers are not given the leeway to engineer.

The government is currently consulting on the Future of Heat and the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) that is used to determine how homes achieve low energy standards. This is a chance to start tearing up the rule book and to

BESA President Malcolm Thomson impose some new ideas. After the year we have just had, isn’t it time to take a fresh look at things?

Our industry has a great opportunity to contribute to a whole new approach to the built environment. We have new ideas; new technologies and must attract new people from diverse backgrounds with new skills. Nature – even on a modest scale – has been proven to improve comfort conditions and productivity inside buildings. For example, people exposed to higher levels of natural light in their workplaces sleep longer at night and greening urban spaces reduces crime.

That is our challenge for 2017: To position our industry as part of a wider movement to build nature into our urban environments for the benefit of all living things. Let’s make our greatest natural historian proud of the British built environment.

“Our industry has a great opportunity to contribute to a whole new approach to the built environment.“ Malcolm Thomson, BESA President

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BESA moves to plug F gas certification gap Last year’s Kigali Accord, which committed almost 200 countries to phasing down HFC refrigerants, highlighted the important role of F gas certification and training, according to Tony Howard, Director of BESA Training.

HFCs will start to be removed from use by developed economies in 2019 with other countries following suit over the next decade. The agreement – hailed by former President Obama and many other world leaders – will avoid more than 70 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions by 2050 helping the planet to dodge half a degree of global warming.

As the use of air conditioning has increased worldwide, so consumption of HFC gases has soared – particularly in developing economies like India, Pakistan and China. Their use could overwhelm the goals set out in the 2015 Paris climate change agreement because the global warming potential of HFCs is potentially thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide.

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In the UK, as a result of our adoption of the European F gas Regulations, we are already phasing down HFCs and increasing the amount of alternatives we use such as Hydro Fluoro Olefins (HFO), hydrocarbons (HCs), ammonia and CO2.

The use of these alternatives does throw up new challenges and this will become increasingly apparent to other nations as the Kigali timetable is enacted. Many of the replacement gases for HFCs are toxic and/or flammable – and some operate at higher pressures. For example, HFOs are mildly flammable, but HCs are easier to ignite; so safety procedures for use, transportation and storage need to be considered in each case and become increasingly demanding and expensive.

Flammable A new classification – A2L – has been created to designate ‘mildly flammable’ gases such as R1234yf, which has been deployed in many new cars since 2012 and becomes mandatory for all new cars from January 2017. Training in safe refrigerant handling will have to be sufficiently rigorous – worldwide – to reflect this rapidly changing picture and the focus on this issue is intensifying in the wake of Kigali.

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ramp up; creating a great opportunity to export UK refrigerant expertise around the world.

Against this backdrop it was not surprising, therefore, that the CITB’s decision to close its Utilities Engineering Division, which provided training and certification for the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors, caused considerable alarm. This news was swiftly followed by the results of a YouGov survey of 500 construction employers, which revealed that only 9% of the industry’s SMEs had received funding from the CITB.

Value It is important that there continues to be a number of providers in the F gas training market, offering choice and ensuring value for money. BESA, which has provided specialist training and certification for more than 25 years, had already been working with DEFRA for some time to set up a new regime to support employers before the CITB’s bombshell announcement.

So there will be no gap in provision and, in any case, employers do not need to seek immediate re-certification. Their existing CITB certificates will remain valid until their printed expiry dates and the new BESA scheme will be in place in good time to provide replacements when they do fall due.

Small companies are the lifeblood of the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors and any technicians working with refrigerant gases are legally required to carry F gas certification.

This means SMEs – as well as larger employers – rely on being able to access appropriate training and funding support.

Fortunately, DEFRA – the government department responsible – has already moved to enact legislation that will pave the way for the creation of new schemes to replace the CITB this year and it has already approved BESA as an F gas certification body.

Businesses must have a choice of routes to certification to satisfy their own business models. F gas is our first scheme to hit the market, but it will certainly not be the last.

Historically, the Association has delivered training and certification via third parties, but this new DEFRA legislation allows it to disrupt the traditional approach. It will grow and develop training, assessment and certification so employers can access what they need at a local level through licensed providers audited against BESA’s long-established and respected standards.

This is a logical step because the Association also operates the sector’s refrigerant handling register Refcom.

It has been a legal requirement since July 2009 for all businesses that install, maintain or service stationary equipment containing or designed to contain F gas refrigerants to obtain an F gas Company Certificate. Refcom, which was set up by BESA in 1994, was appointed by the government to provide this mandatory service on behalf of the industry.

This starts with F gas, but BESA certification programmes will be extended to the ventilation; health & safety; unvented hot water; energy efficiency and renewables; and ventilation hygiene sectors over time.

Refcom works with the Environment Agency to ensure the regulations are properly enforced and refrigerant reclamation carried out. It now accounts for more than 80% of company certificates covering the UK refrigerant handling market making it a key component of the UK’s efforts to control emissions of greenhouse gases and tackle global warming.

The Association’s intervention in this key business area has already been welcomed by employers. The Association’s own President Malcolm Thomson, who founded and continues to run an air conditioning business, said he was “encouraged by the actions that BESA is taking to ensure the continued smooth provision of F gas Personnel Certification”.

As a result of all that experience, BESA has been able to advise and support the programme to create a worldwide scheme for certifying refrigerant handling competence – an international ‘driving licence’ for refrigerant handlers – on behalf of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). This will come into its own as more developing nations become subject to the Kigali agreement.

“Businesses must have a choice of routes to certification to satisfy their own business models. F gas is our first scheme to hit the market, but it will certainly not be the last,” he added.

Safety was one of the motives behind the creation of the scheme because UNEP is increasingly concerned about the alternative and flammable gases ‘knowledge gap’ in many parts of the world. As the HFC phase down gathers momentum, this work will have to

The F gas certification course is available now. For more information on how to join the Refcom F gas company certification scheme visit www.refcom.org.uk.

If you would like to book a place on any of the F gas courses, email training@theBESA.com. For more information visit: www.theBESA.com/training

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Government confirms apprentice funding The government has confirmed that the taxpayer will fund 90% of the cost of apprentice training for 98% of employers from May 2017.

Employers with fewer than 50 employees will receive 100% of the cost of training apprentices aged between 16 and 18. This will also apply if they take on 19 to 24-year-olds who were in care or 19 to 24-year-olds with an education and health care plan.

It has also agreed a range of new measures including a £60m fund to help get young people from deprived backgrounds into work.

Just 2% of employers will pay into the Apprenticeship Levy – those with payrolls above £3m– and government spending on apprenticeships in England will be double the level they were in 2010, according to the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

“This is the news we have been waiting for,” said BESA director of training Tony Howard. “Employers need certainty about future funding provision so they can plan their recruitment strategies and this provides welcome reassurance.”

Generation He said the Association had lobbied for the start date to be brought forward to give greater impetus to the industry’s recruitment plans, but accepted that it was now important to “get on with the job of creating the next generation of skilled workers”.

Mr Howard also welcomed the fact that particular focus had been placed on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) apprenticeship frameworks.

The funding available for these subjects has been increased to reflect their greater complexity and the need to improve quality.

The government has also simplified the funding model and built in greater flexibility so employers will now have two years to access the funds in their digital training accounts. Employers will also be able to transfer training funds to companies in their supply chains.

The new scheme also provides greater flexibility to train those with prior qualifications in a bid to help existing workers develop new skills.

The government has introduced a new register of apprenticeship training providers that requires them to pass quality and financial tests. Those with an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted rating for apprenticeship provision will not be eligible to join.

It has also created a guide for employers on how they will pay the levy, access the digital system and pay for apprenticeships in future. This also outlines the 15 bands in the funding system covering different levels and types of apprenticeship with upper limits ranging from £1,500 to £27,000.

Changes to Scottish funding Skills Development Scotland have released a new Funding and Information Processing System (FIPS) to replace the old Corporate Training System (CTS). A new validation process has been included in the system which requires a response from the apprentice and employer.

As part of their induction, an apprentice will now have the option to be contacted either by email or SMS, which will be recorded on the FIPS system, the employer will only ever be contacted via email. The validation process takes place at key points throughout the apprenticeship programme and a response will be required by either the apprentice or employer to confirm the apprentice is still training otherwise their funding will be stopped.

For more information regarding apprenticeship funding, please visit www.theBESA.com/training

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For further detail regarding the changes to the constitution view our video at www.theBESA.com/constitution One element of the changes to the constitution involve revisions to the BESA Governance structure. These changes give BESA members more opportunities to actively influence the Association’s strategy and direction through a number of positions.

The new structure means that nominations are being sought to elect multiple individuals into three new positions - Trustee, Elected Member of Council and Board Member.

Changes to the BESA Constitution On 1 December 2016, the Building Engineering Services Association Constitution 16th edition (2016) and its supporting documents, were adopted as the fundamental principles and established precedents by which the BESA shall be governed.

This was following the prescribed voting procedure at a Special General Meeting of the Association on this date.

There are eight positions in total, and together the successful candidates will ensure the BESA strategy, vision and mission is upheld, implemented and managed. This is a unique opportunity for BESA members to define their own Association and to make a difference in the building engineering services sector.

To find out more and nominate online visit: www.theBESA.com/elections

Commercial Contracting Awareness within the MEP sector During November and December 2016, BESA’s Legal and Commercial team held a series of sell out Commercial Contracting Awareness courses along with the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA).

The courses were delivered by a joint team comprised of solicitors and surveyors.

points within the contractual framework along with trends across the sector in issues which need negotiation.

Highlights of the one day course included an overview of:

What is commercially acceptable from an industry perspective as risk within the M&E sector?

• Tendering • Contractual risk assessment • Tactical contracting –

when and how to negotiate Feedback from attendees was extremely positive, in particular information provided on the following was perceived as useful:

What to look out for when getting into contract.

The value of identifying who in business takes responsibility for the role of contractual/risk reviews, their contractual strength at various points within the pre-commencement and construction process and the crisis

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Members also felt that the pragmatic and tactical advice including suggested compromise drafting, negotiating styles and strategies, together with a traffic light prioritisation system on contractual risk, made the legal advice much easier to digest, understand and support members’ own informed commercial decisions moving forward.

Don’t forget as a key element of membership, members can also refer

their documents for review to the BESA Legal team, as they have a view based on the collective experience of the wider sector including what other contractors in the market will or won’t accept.

The importance of records when considering claims and commercial cash-flow management project by project.

By prioritising cash-flow management and profitability, it helps establish a baseline of understanding for all roles within a typical BESA contractor business, e.g. all roles should be carried out with an innate awareness of how it furthers the commercial business plan of the business as a whole.

More courses are planned for early 2017, if you would like to register your interest, please email events@theBESA.com

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REPRESENTATION

Digital payment needs to be part of reforms Mark Farmer’s recent report commissioned

by BEIS for the Government’s Construction Leadership Council – which BESA contributed to – challenges the industry to “modernise or die”– it has strengthened the BESA case for a government- backed digital payment platform and migration of the industry into other digital business processes.

This also supports Chancellor Philip Hammond’s ambition to reinvigorate productivity as set out in his Autumn Statement and the Government’s strategic industrial focus on innovation and productivity in construction.

“Labour and skills shortages, along with low margins, payment delays and budget shortcomings, are severely inhibiting construction’s economic performance – and much of the blame can be laid at the door of late payment and its catastrophic impact on cash flow,” said BESA’s legal and commercial director and Cabinet Office Adviser on SMEs Rob Driscoll.

“Small and micro businesses are the lifeblood of construction.

99% of the industry’s 280,000 businesses are SMEs are responsible for over 60% of total project value. They are simply vital to the UK’s overall economic growth. Yet they are hamstrung by an unfair payment system that often starves them of vital cash flow and stifles their ability to invest in growing and evolving their businesses and employees,” he added. “This has a direct impact on quality and, by extension, our whole society.”

Small businesses involved in construction incur £180m in debt interest every year as a result of late payments and spend an

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average of 130 hours chasing money due to them – at a cost of £1,500 per company, according to a report from Constructing Excellence (CE), which BESA was instrumental in creating.

The average wait for payment is now over 15 weeks and has increased by 22% since the financial crash of 2008. In the same period, bank lending to construction supply chain firms fell by 38% compared with 5% across the rest of the economy.

The ‘Payments Minefield’ report examined the proliferation of initiatives designed to help surmising that late payment was a “primary or major factor” in 20% of corporate insolvencies; adding that the money lost as a result of late and delayed payment had restricted the ability of supply chain members to invest in training, skills, and R&D(such as BIM). As a result, productivity is harmed and business prosperity has been “severely stunted”.

“Integrated digital business (including payment) systems that are totally transparent, more efficient and allows everyone to work in an environment of greater trust and certainty is now essential in an era of industrial revolution on the back of integrated technology,” said Mr Driscoll. “It is a crucial element of Farmer’s conclusion that a ‘digital revolution’ is needed to modernise construction involving the integration of multiple platforms.

“Construction, a new comer to the benefits of digital disruption surely can’t hold back the march of digital forever. This is, after all, the age of Amazon, Google et al and, in almost every other area of business, digital payment is the norm. Let’s embrace it and get cash flowing through the supply chain to everyone’s benefit – most noticeably building users and occupiers,” he added.

For more information regarding key issues the BESA is representing, visit www.theBESA.com/representation

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reputation and helps us attract and retain customers and employees.”

She also said diversity embraced a wide range of factors. “Look at your gender and age mix, but also ask if you are welcoming to people of different sexualities. wDo you employ people from the military, for example, and is there a good mix of educational backgrounds; and previous work experiences?”

Companies are also failing to exploit the deep pool of talent among the blind and partially sighted community, according to Jessica Luke and Dan Mitchell from the Blind in Business network, which has trained over 6,000 visually impaired people to take up careers in most business sectors.

Improving diversity is vital for business success A seminar organised by BESA heard from a range of experts about the business benefits building engineering firms would gain if they improved the diversity of their staff.

Diversity and inclusion drives innovation and creativity, which makes for better and more successful businesses, speakers told the event, which was held at London South Bank University (LSBU) and chaired

by BESA chief executive Paul McLaughlin.

“More diverse companies react more quickly and creatively to big changes in their markets,” said Danna Walker founder of the social enterprise Built

By Us and former chair of Architects for Change. “New people bring a different perspective and spot gaps that can lead to new business,” she added. “More diverse companies are more profitable.”

The industry is falling behind on all the major national demographics and, therefore, does not adequately reflect the society it serves, according to the panel of experts who addressed the seminar. The workforce is ageing and will struggle to replace those who are close to retirement;

just 11% of the total construction industry workforce is female (in engineering specifically that falls to 9%); only 5% are registered disabled; and black/ethnic minorities make up just 5.7% of the sector.

Culture A ‘macho culture’ can also make it hard for members of the LGBT community to feel welcome and people from different religious backgrounds often feel alienated and excluded. Inclusion is as important as diversity, the seminar heard.

“Companies perform better if they represent the world around them because that gives them a good understanding of their customers,” said Simone Hart Sibbald, chair of BESA Scotland. “A diverse workforce brings new ideas and fresh perspectives that help your company win work and broaden the customer base. It is good for corporate

They said employers were often surprised at how much people with poor eyesight could do. New technologies were opening up big opportunities in constructionrelated disciplines, but often employers don’t feel comfortable about dealing with people with disabilities so it was important to create opportunities for them to meet and understand each other.

BESA President Malcolm Thomson said many small contractors, in particular, would welcome this kind of support.

“This is such a large and complex issue – and we are not experts so find it hard to approach the subject and use the appropriate language. We also need to have a better understanding of what is and what is not appropriate for someone with a particular disability,” he said.

Taking a positive approach to diversity is a core issue for BESA, becoming more diverse can help our members overcome skills shortages, gain access to new expertise and meet the diversity requirements in many project tenders.

We have created a dedicated area on our website to further discuss issues, share best practice, provide resources and host details of industry campaigns and upcoming events relating to all aspects of diversity.

For more information visit www.theBESA.com/diversity

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TECHNICAL NEWS

The initial test regime was developed

by FairHeat in partnership with Martin Crane of Carbon Alternatives. It was adapted from a well-established Swedish methodology to suit typical UK operating conditions as part of a research project funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

This initial test regime has now been adopted as a technical standard by BESA and it will be used to compare manufacturers’ products and equipment types to help network designers evaluate the performance of individual HIUs against their design parameters. It will also be used to create a comprehensive database and improve the industry’s knowledge of HIU performance to better inform future network designs.

BESA publishes district heating standard The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has been chosen to publish the UK’s first test standard for Heat Interface Units (HIUs).

This new standard is regarded as an important step towards improving the overall performance of British district heating schemes and has been adopted from a test regime developed by energy consultancy FairHeat.

HIUs are key components of heat networks, used to extract heat from the network to feed individual buildings and dwellings. How they perform is central to occupant satisfaction levels and the overall efficiency of the schemes in terms of return temperatures and network sizing. Up until now many heat networks have failed to achieve their intended efficiency targets.

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Interface “District schemes are a key part of the government’s strategy for achieving low carbon heat targets,” said BESA’s technical director Tim Rook. “HIUs are the crucial interface between a network and its consumers – and, in many cases, they have proved to be an Achilles’ heel.

“This standard is, therefore, a major step forward for UK heat networks and it is a real accolade for BESA to be asked to publish and disseminate it on behalf of the industry,” added Mr Rook.

FairHeat managing director Gareth Jones added: “BESA is very well respected in the sector and we are delighted they have decided to take our regime and publish it as a standard.

“It is amazing to see how far the regime has come; from a research project developed with grant funding, to a recognised standard that will be used across the sector to improve heat network efficiency.”

The development of the initial test regime was overseen by an industry steering group comprising experts from FairHeat, Carbon Alternatives, CIBSE, BESA, BEIS, E.ON and SSE. This steering group will remain in place to govern the standard in the future.

For more information visit www.theBESA.com/ukhiu

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Wiki helps designers reach for the skies BESA launched a ‘wiki’ at November’s CIBSE Building Performance Conference as a first step towards developing the building services industry’s first technical guidance and standards for systems in tall buildings.

There are more than 200 new high rise buildings planned for London alone; so the need for a unified set of technical advice and guidance for architects, engineers, contractors and FMs is clear.

Once complete, the information will be made available to BESA members.

The wiki has been created so that Association members, with particular experience of working in tall structures, can submit their technical know-how directly into a database that will be continually edited to build up a body of knowledge. The eventual guidance produced by this collaborative process will capture good design principles; define industry best practice; and identify all relevant standards, codes and regulations.

A wiki is defined as a website that provides ‘collaborative modification of its content and structure directly from a web browser’. Some are completely open, but the BESA wiki has been created with access permitted only to industry practitioners known to have specialist knowledge in this area.

Prototype event The Association is also supporting the development of the guidance with a one day ‘prototype tall building event’ in March in London. Representatives of different parts of the supply chain will be invited to work as a team on a theoretical exercise to design services for a concept tall building.

This highly practical learning activity will examine the interactions between clients, architects, consultants, contractors and FM providers. It will take the form of a facilitated walk through of the process of designing the services in a tall building with the event recorded for future training and analysis.

For the purposes of this work, the definition of ‘tall’ covers any building where, because of its height, there are specific engineering challenges, changes and additional considerations that go beyond normal practice in order to ensure a safe and efficient system.

The complexity and multi-disciplinary nature of these projects means any guidance must be of relevance to the whole construction industry – not just contractors or building services engineers – and this will also be demonstrated in the prototype event.

It will also include new topics that go beyond current building standards and guidance, which tends to be primarily aimed at lower rise structures.

The wiki and the prototype event will feed into the ongoing work of the BESA Tall Buildings Working Party, which has so far considered technical issues related to: the design and safety of pressure systems; pipework and jointing selection; anchoring and expansion; fire systems (sprinklers, dry risers); large VRF air conditioning systems; and cold water services.

More topics will be raised during the wiki process leading to further research. The guidance will be developed and published on a sub-topic by sub-topic basis via the ‘wiki’. Adopting this approach will enable the working group to readily update its content with strong links between subtopic publications and make access easier for members. Case studies will also be used to illustrate techniques and demonstrate best practice.

Led by BESA technical director Tim Rook, this exercise should deliver more value than a conventional ‘round table’ For further information and to join the wiki discussion as it will be interactive and task group or take part in the Prototype Event create better learning outcomes. The please email: mark.oakes@theBESA.com. benefit to BESA members will be in its ability to capture a wide range of expert views from across the sector and to scope For more information visit the whole process from design www.theBESA.com/focus-areas/ to completion. tall-buildings

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TECHNICAL NEWS

Ventilation hygiene takes centre stage The need to provide a safe working environment for staff; reduce fire risks; and avoid contamination of food preparation areas have rocketed ductwork and kitchen extract cleaning to the top of the agenda for building owners.

Having developed the industry’s primary standard for ventilation hygiene (TR/19) almost 20 years ago, BESA has now launched a suite of training courses to support the standard. This will be backed up by an accreditation scheme due for launch in early 2017.

Around a quarter of the 24,000 accidental fires in UK non-domestic buildings each year are caused by cooking appliances.

Fires are an occupational hazard in commercial kitchens, but their impact is made far worse by the rapid spread of the fire through poorly maintained grease extract systems and ductwork. If grease deposits in uncleaned ductwork are ignited they will spread the fire rapidly to other parts of the building.

Many insurance companies now make it a condition of cover that building managers have a planned maintenance strategy in place and, before paying out following a fire, they will insist on seeing evidence that ductwork cleaning had been carried out.

Growing understanding and awareness of all these issues among building owners and managers is driving market growth for ventilation hygiene companies. These specialists have a crucial dual role to play in tackling the environmental health issue of poor indoor air; while simultaneously reducing fire risk.

Since it was first developed in 1998 by BESA, TR/19 has been widely accepted by the building engineering services

competence needed to ensure ventilation cleaning meets legal requirements.

The training is also designed to give clients the peace of mind that comes from employing a verifiably competent specialist ventilation hygiene contractor so they can keep their staff safe; satisfy the increasing demands of insurers; and protect their corporate reputation.

sector and British insurers as the standard to which ventilation systems should be cleaned. The guiding principle of TR/19 is that a defined, measurable level of cleanliness should be achieved to improve safety and comfort in buildings.

It was updated and expanded two years’ ago to complement the British and European Standard BS EN 15780: ‘Ventilation for Buildings – Ductwork – Cleanliness of Ventilation Systems’, which highlights the important role ventilation hygiene plays in maintaining healthy indoor conditions for building occupants.

TR19 exceeds the requirements of the Standard in most respects and is a more comprehensive vehicle for delivering a total ventilation hygiene solution. It also includes kitchen grease extract systems, which are not yet covered in BS15780.

TR/19 also helps building owners satisfy their obligations under the Regulatory Reform (fire safety) Order 2005 and stay on the right side of fire officers who have the power to close down their building; impose fines of up to £10,000 and/or a twoyear prison sentence for the designated responsible person.

Expert members of the BESA Ventilation Hygiene Group devised the course content and, as Your BESA went to press, they were in the final stages of a pilot training programme designed to help members provide a service to the highest of standards and give customers peace of mind.

There are four BESA accredited courses covering all aspects of ductwork cleaning and hygiene, based on the technical knowledge contained in TR/19. They are:

• Ventilation Hygiene Operative (VHO) • Ventilation Hygiene Technician (VHT) • Grease Hygiene Operative (GHO) • Grease Hygiene Technician (GHT) “Ventilation hygiene is an area of real strategic importance for BESA and the industry at large,” said the Association’s technical director Tim Rook. “We are extremely fortunate to be able to draw on the expertise of the dedicated volunteers in our enthusiastic Ventilation Hygiene group, who were responsible for the creation of TR/19 in the first place.

Legal

“The training courses and subsequent accreditation provided by BESA will allow properly professional ventilation hygiene firms to prove their competence and impress on clients the importance of having this work done to the highest standards,” added Mr Rook.

The training scheme developed by BESA supports TR/19 and seeks to ensure high standards throughout the sector by promoting the high level of technical

Full details of the courses and how to book places can be found at: www.thebesa.com/training/training-andassessments/ventilation-courses

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TECHNICAL NEWS

Time for air quality to get smart

A global authority in ventilation and indoor air quality (IAQ) has said that, after almost 200 years of commercial ventilation, it is time for the industry to get ‘smarter’ about the way it works and, eventually, phase out conventional ventilation systems entirely.

Speaking to an international audience via a webinar hosted by BESA, Max Sherman, who is senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, explained how occupancy-based control strategies could achieve better indoor conditions and reduce energy use.

A’ dumb’ approach that simply has ventilation working continuously in the background does not directly address the prevailing conditions and fails to meet new standards for energy efficiency, said Professor Sherman.

He explained that a more harmonious relationship between IAQ and energy consumption can be achieved by being smarter about how and when ventilation occurs, which stems from an understanding of why we ventilate in the first place. He also said this would allow building users to make better use of natural or alternative sources of air changes.

For example, numerous smart ventilation strategies are possible in high

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performance homes, such as increasing ventilation when the outdoor temperature is less extreme; scheduling ventilation during off-peak hours; avoiding ventilation during periods of poor outdoor air quality, and reducing whole house ventilation operation in response to incidental ventilation (e.g., bathroom or kitchen fan operation) and occupancy.

The session was chaired by BESA technical director Tim Rook who pointed out that this whole area was increasingly important to the UK because of rising pollution levels and the fact that our government has been sued twice – “and lost both times” – for failing to put adequate air quality measures in place.

The webinar was attended by more than 50 online delegates dialing in from over 30 countries as well as the BESA Indoor Air Quality Group in London.

The BESA Indoor Air Quality group is continuing its work promoting the role of members in helping building owners improve and maintain healthy conditions for occupants.

This year the group will be focusing on producing technical guidance – in particular ways of auditing buildings for air quality and a step-by-step approach to measuring and monitoring pollutants.

To view the presentation and subsequent Q&A session visit www.theBESA.com/focus-areas/indoor-air-quality

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As registered CIBSE Heat Networks Consultants, BESA Consult offers certified consultancy on district heating and cooling schemes. This is complemented by the BESA’s experience working with a wide range of stakeholders to promote and improve District Heating, and as publishers of the UK’s first test standard for Heat Interface Units (HIU’s).

Introducing BESA Consult BESA Consult is a unique consultancy offering from the BESA group, delivering first class consultancy services within the built environment sector.

Building on 112 years of knowledge and experience and unique insight provided by our market position, the services have been designed to offer insured and accountable advice that can be relied upon for business use.

Headed up by Tim Rook a chartered engineer and technical director at the BESA, he is joined by Rob Driscoll, a qualified solicitor and director of legal and commercial, and Michael Murdoch, a member of the ACAS Arbitration Panel and director of employment affairs. The services are provided by in house consultants and BESA Consult nominated partners who have passed rigorous competency standards, all bringing extensive experience to offer a wide range of specialist services.

Health and Safety can be a minefield to navigate. Ensuring you’re compliant and remaining up to date with the latest legislation can be challenging, especially for companies who don’t have a dedicated Health & Safety officer or department.

BESA Consult’s nominated partners Evolution Health & Safety Consultants can offer discounted Health & Safety solutions to BESA members who require support.

The management of people at work in regard to their welfare, well-being, terms and conditions of employment and dayto-day management is critical to business performance. BESA Consult can assist in the development of an engaged and motivated workforce, providing guidance on HR policies and procedures, conflict management and deliver bespoke training and coaching.

BESA Consult can also provide an in-house mediation service, an effective form of dispute resolution that members can utilise to help resolve disputes quickly and cost effectively without the need to go to court. The mediation service is led by Rob Driscoll, who was granted accredited mediator status by CEDR in 2006.

Since then, he has built up a superb record of resolving disputes through mediation.

BESA Consult services are available to members and nonmembers. BESA Members are eligible to receive discounted rates on all BESA Consult services, to reflect their loyalty and high standards. For further information visit www.BESAconsult.com.

In addition to the range of technical services that are available under BESA membership, BESA Consult can provide in-depth technical advice and guidance tailored to a specific issue or project including design reviews, site visits and investigations, design and engineering management consulting and providing detailed reports written by our technical experts.

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TECHNICAL NEWS

Industry urged to focus on health and well-being The building engineering sector would enjoy greater profitability if it focussed more on the health, well-being and productivity of building occupants, according to speakers at the latest Building Services Summit.

Held at the British Library in Central London, the 2016 Summit challenged the sector to re-focus on all aspects of building performance and make better use of the huge amounts of data now accessible to address operational problems.

Organised by BESA in partnership with the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA); and the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA), the Summit heard from representatives of all parts of the supply chain.

They agreed that the industry needed to prioritise gathering and analysing data to inform decisions about building performance with particular emphasis on occupant health, comfort and productivity.

The ability to measure temperature, air quality, humidity and many other comfort factors using low cost portable technologies linked to the Internet of Things (IoT) gives more power to the individual building user and makes it increasingly difficult to hide poor building performance, delegates heard.

Engage This data can now be correlated with information from HR departments to make direct comparisons between how people feel about their environment; engage with the

occupied space; and perform as a result of the influence of building services.

This is bringing about a revolution in the way buildings are controlled and could eventually make Building Management Systems (BMS) redundant. The availability of so much data can be used to build a more persuasive business case for upgrading buildings and makes it possible for building owners to procure FM services on a performance basis.

“Health and well-being has shot up the agenda in the last five years,” said Stephen Hill, an associate engineer at Arup; who explained that bringing energy and wellbeing issues together was “very powerful from a client’s perspective”.

“Until now energy data has been used as a proxy for overall performance, but that is not a good way to determine whether a building is fit for the purpose intended by its owner or tenant,” said Mr Hill.

Kerry Mashford, chief executive of the National Energy Foundation (NEF), said the agenda was shifting with end clients now determined to measure performance in economic terms. She said that scientific research had shown that productivity levels fall by almost 10% in overheated

buildings and that ‘green’ buildings command better rents and sale value in the property markets as well as improving their owners’ corporate reputation.

The controls strategy for many buildings is far too complex and, as a result, users are left unable to understand or operate them properly because of lack of training, the conference heard.

The government is prepared to play its part in addressing the building performance issue, according to Matt Webb from the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

He told the Summit that the recent Building Energy Efficiency Survey showed the public sector could save £1.4bn annually with measures that would pay back in less than three years – and that the government’s Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme would inject £295m of capital funding into local authority projects.

“That money goes to schemes with fiveyear paybacks so the money gets recycled into more and more projects. As a result, we expect to have up to £5bn of investment going back into more and more local authority schemes in the next five years.”

BESA and the other organisations, who worked together on the Summit, have subsequently agreed to continue cooperating on issues of mutual interest with a particular focus on the topic of building occupant health and well-being.

The industry bodies have, since the Summit, agreed to work together to promote to the general public and politicians the influence building engineering services can have on improving productivity and safeguarding health in a broad range of buildings.

www.buildingservicessummit.co.uk

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ADVERTISER’S CONTENT

DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT’S IN YOUR BUILDING?

WHILST ALL TUBES MAY LOOK THE SAME, THEY ARE NOT • Incorrect specifications, lack of awareness or poor control within the supply chain can expose facility managers to the risk of poor quality pipework being installed within their building services.

• Therefore, it is vital that the correct tube requirements are specified throughout the building life.

• However, if parts of your project have been sub-contracted out, there is a risk that others • Historically, carbon steel tubes were specified will not adhere to the requested specifications. to BS1387, but whilst this was withdrawn in • To reduce such risk and guarantee a superior 2004 and replaced by BS EN10255, not pipework installation employing hot-finished everyone has updated their specifications. tube, always ask for and check that a • BS EN10255 tubes can be supplied BS EN10225/10217-2 ‘GH’ (Get Hot) tube hot-finished or cold-formed, making a big grade is being supplied. difference on how the pipework performs.

• Tata Steel’s Install® Plus 235 is a UK • Hot-finished tubes are always superior in manufactured premium, hot-finished respect of properties and capability to multi-certified tube. With its CE marking commodity cold-formed ones. Such and full traceability it is a technically cold-formed tubes are typically non-European, superior product that will demonstrate and their use may increase the risk of improved performance over commodity installation and service life issues, leading to cold-formed alternatives, thereby delivering costly maintenance or repairs. true peace of mind.

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Non-destructive testing Non-destructiveSizing andreduction and Non-destructive Coating Non-destructiveNon-destructiv Furnace Non-destructivePrimary Stretch Furnace Stretch reduction Sizing secondary finishing Quenching added value Non-destructive Non-destructive Primary and Coating and WLA Non-destructive Non-destruct testing Furnace testing Quenching WLA Sizing Stretch reduction Sizing testing testing Furnace Stretch reduction More Stretch reduction secondary finishing Quenching added valueWLA Quenching testing testingWLA testing More testing

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Coating and added valuegalvanising, Coating and added value experts are happy tomini-guide. Our tube grooving, additional NDT coating s better than cold-formed alternatives. experts are happy to assist.

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HOW TO TELL IF IT’S HOT-FINISHED You can tell a hot-finished tube by either the product description or marking, order acknowledgement, test certificate or any statements of conformity issued by the Tube manufacturer.

Tata Steel’s conveyance tubes have all the information you need marked on the actual product confirming it’s hot-finished (GH=Get Hot) product.

Our CE mark confirms full product suitability for Fuel/Gas (CAT3) and Water (CAT4) use. Some cold imports are not fully CE marked.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT For more information on Tata Steel’s hot-finished tube range and the differences between hot-finished vs. cold-formed tubes, please visit: www.tatasteelconstruction.com/hotvscold Or call the Tubes Technical Hotline: +44 (0) 1536 402121

Use this icon to help remember the Tata Steel hot-finished brands, key standards and grades to specify to ensure that you get a hot-finished tube.

Or contact the Building and Industrial Services Pipework Academy, established to improve the awareness of BIM and pipework innovations, please visit: www.bispa.org

Always specify Tata Steel Install® Plus 235 brand or a GH (Get Hot) grade when ordering your EN10255/EN10217-2 pipework products

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WORKFORCE

The thinking behind employee engagement was outlined in the Macleod Report of 2009 and Michael believes the ways in which an organisation “listens to, builds trust and improves relationships with its staff” are all crucial.

Engaged workforce is vital for business says new BESA director

BESA’s new director of employment affairs has called on companies to put more emphasis on employee engagement as part of their business strategies.

Michael Murdoch was previously a senior lecturer at the University of South Wales, where he was director of the MSc programme in Human Resource Management, Mr Murdoch said employee engagement had been the focus of the “highest attention in the field of workplace people management in the last 10 years”.

A member of the ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) Arbitration Panel, Mr Murdoch spent 22 years as a trade union officer with AEEU-Amicus before it merged with the Transport and General Workers’ union to form Unite the Union. BESA negotiates with Unite over the building engineering sector’s Operative National Agreement and Environment Engineering Industry staff salary agreement.

He brings extensive experience of collective bargaining, both at national and company level, to the role along with good knowledge of the sector.

“The basic principle is that an engaged workforce is more committed, more responsive, has higher morale and motivation and is, therefore, good for

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business,” said Michael. “There are certain key features of an engaged workforce and the Association wants to help members cultivate this characteristic in their employees. We want to demonstrate and offer coaching as to how it is done.”

He added that the BESA Employment Affairs department would also be offering professional mediation services; either through in-house training for members, who want to have staff skilled enough to carry out their own mediation, or directly via a qualified BESA representative.

The Association is also working with Swansea University to recruit a PhD student who will carry out a detailed study of the subject using BESA staff and drawing on case studies from members who are willing to participate.

This work is considered to be particularly timely in light of the UK’s decision to leave the EU, which will increase pressure on the building and engineering sectors to improve competitiveness and productivity.

The plan is to use the student’s project to build a comprehensive picture of how employee engagement can bring specific business benefits to BESA members.

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“It’s about sharing a common purpose through a culture of communication and involvement that enables improvements in staff morale, retention and performance,” he said.

“As a trade association, it is important that BESA is in tune with the latest thinking around enhancing business performance, which enables us to add value to members,” said Michael.

“Through our collaboration with the university and the PhD student, we will benefit greatly from the outputs of the research, getting a real life picture of the importance of engagement and its role in driving business performance.”

The employee engagement project is still in its initial stages and more information will be provided on our website. However, one important development has been the winning of an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) grant along with Swansea University to finance a PhD student to undertake study and research on employee engagement among BESA members. This is a significant achievement and a public endorsement from a respected government agency in the field of progress in business and education.

Michael and his team want to make the research as credible as possible, so we will be seeking involvement from all areas of the Association and its members when an appointment is made later this year.

If you would like to know more and potentially take part in the study visit: www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate/ scholarships/research/ business-management-esrc-phds.php or contact the BESA Employment Affairs team.

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The Green Business Fund provides an attractive and accessible support package to help small and medium-sized businesses in England, Wales and Scotland identify energy saving opportunities and install energy efficient equipment in their business. The BESA has partnered with The Carbon Trust to promote the Fund, providing BESA members with the opportunity to become an Accredited Supplier eligible to deliver energy saving projects, which could be part-funded through the Green Business Fund.

BESA members given green light to support SMEs BESA members are eligible to help their customers benefit from the Carbon Trust’s Green Business Fund, with access to materials to effectively communicate the support available.

The Green Business Fund Capital Contribution is a non-repayable contribution of up to £10,000* – or 30% of the total project cost - available to help SMEs finance energy efficiency projects.

BESA members will have access to a Green Business Fund BESA Supplier Pack, to provide customers with further details about the scheme including which projects and companies are eligible for support, and the process for applying for funding.

For more details visit www.carbontrust.com/greenbusinessfund *Terms and Conditions and eligibility criteria around the size of company and type of project that can apply – visit website for full details.

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

£320m to a fund aimed at helping local authorities develop and build heat networks. It is hoped this will help the UK market grow beyond £2bn in value during the 2020s.

The Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) will be rolled out over five years and is backed by the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). However, Richard says there are some major technical hurdles to be overcome.

“There is a serious quality issue with UK networks,” he says.

“Very few schemes are being designed properly – and even where the design is right the installation is usually wrong. In fact, I have still not seen one heat network in the UK where both of those things are right.”

BESA members could be key to heat network growth BESA members can play a major part in the low carbon revolution that is driving expansion of UK district heating networks, according to one of the Association’s newest members.

Richard Johnson, managing director of Northamptonshire-based Eneteq Services, believes the community heating market is poised for rapid expansion and that suitably qualified contractors will be vital to this potentially highly lucrative sector.

Richard, along with his business partner Colin Taylor, left the construction firm Galliford Try in 2012 to set up Eneteq as an Energy Services Company (ESCO) and designer, installer and commissioning specialist for district heating networks.

Joining BESA is a big part of his company’s strategy to raise awareness and drive up technical standards. Richard believes BESA can play a crucial role by setting technical benchmarks and establishing a training and accreditation scheme for the heat network sector.

“We are already well connected with large energy companies like E.ON and Veolia, who invest in the infrastructure and own and operate the networks. It is among specialist contractors that we want to raise our profile and improve collaboration because they are the key to driving expansion of district heating and improving performance,” says Richard.

“Having consulted widely, it was clear that BESA was the best organisation for us to join. It gives us professional credibility [because membership has to be earned through the Competence Assessment Scheme (CAS)], as well as the opportunity to work with companies who make the m&e connections between heat networks and individual buildings/consumers.”

www.eneteq.co.uk

The company started trading in October 2013 and has grown rapidly to £3.5m turnover with a staff of 25. Richard and Colin are the majority shareholders, but have formed a partnership with the Swedish pre-insulated pipework supplier Powerpipe, who have a minority equity stake.

Eneteq staff spend up to six weeks working in Sweden with Powerpipe’s installation teams gaining first-hand experience of the highly mature Swedish district heating market. Most major cities across Scandinavia rely on community schemes – almost 100% of residents in Gothenburg and Stockholm receive their heating from local authority owned systems, for example.

Committed Eneteq believes the UK could emulate the Scandinavian approach and welcomed the government’s decision to commit

BESA recently published the UK’s first technical standard for the Heat Interface Units (HIUs) – that form the link between a heat network and individual users – as part of its strategy for helping the industry improve heat network performance. Visit: www.theBESA.com/ukhiu

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EVENTS CALENDAR 2017

BESA SPECIALIST GROUPS AND COMMITTEES RACHP

18 May / 21 September (Room 1, Lincoln House)

BESA REGIONAL MEETINGS – MARCH 2017 To find out more about your next regional meeting contact your regional manager or visit www.theBESA.com/events.

Ventilation Group

31 May / 5 October (Room 1, Lincoln House)

Service and Facilities Group

9 February / 15 June / 19 October (Room 1, Lincoln House)

Heating and Plumbing Services Group

23 February / 29 June / 2 November (Room 2, Lincoln House)

BESA HEALTH & SAFETY FOCUS FORUMS Wales & SW

4 May - Holiday Inn, Cardiff

Midlands

16 May - Holiday Inn, Rugby/Northampton

Northern

Technical Committee

2 February / 13 July / 9 November (Room 1, Lincoln House)

25 May - Holiday Inn, Leeds Garforth

London & SE

30 May - Holiday Inn, London Stratford City

EXHIBITIONS AND CONFERENCES Hospital Innovations 2017 Stand 312 / 25 & 26 April, Olympia, London

INDUSTRY EVENTS National Apprenticeships Week 2017 6-10 March

Accountex

Mental Health Awareness Week 2017

Stand 1160 / 10 & 11 May, Excel, London

8-14 May

International Women in Engineering

Facilities Show

23 June, UK wide

Stand R860 / 20-22 June, Excel, London

DATES TO LOOK OUT FOR Yorkshire Awards

22 April, Majestic Hotel, Harrogate

Tall Building Prototype

March 2017

Cymru Annual Dinner Dance

6 May, The Vale Resort Hotel, Hensol, near Cardiff

To book, or for more information on, any of our events please visit www.theBESA.com/events

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BESA Group Companies:

PUBLICATIONS

TRAINING

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