ICS Cool Energy grows its fleet with new solutions

ICS Cool Energy has announced that it is increasing investment in its hire fleet and ads close to 150 new 'Ready-to-Hire' solutions, including i-Chillers and Air Handling Units (AHU). The new units benefit from the close collaboration between the engineering teams of ICS Cool Energy and the original equipment manufacturers, MTA and AL-KO Air Technology. “MTA and AL-KO were recently acquired by Trane Technologies, and are a part of the organisation’s commercial HVAC portfolio,” says Dave Palmer, General Manager for UK at ICS Cool Energy. “As members of the same family, our engineering teams could work closer together to customise the proven equipment and tailor it to the specific requirements of hire projects. These new 'Ready-to-Hire' units are now available in ICS Cool Energy rental fleet.” Ready-to-Hire AHU Collaboration with AL-KO Air Technology has resulted with new AHU solutions in the company’s hire offering. Quality and reliability are the decisive factors for ventilation technology in the industrial sector and the new 150kW air handling units offer tight temperature control, which directly translates into energy saving potential from the chiller or heaters within the system. Compared with the older constant speed systems, the new AHUs feature new controls managing the fan speed and a three-way valve system for more precise supply of hot or cold water, adapting the operations of the AHU to the desired room temperature. The new AHUs were designed by the ICS Cool Energy and AL-KO teams as a plug-and-play solution to fit any customer application. The units can also be connected to heat pumps, switching it into cooling or heating mode depending on the ambient temperature or the temperature set point for maximised energy savings and with no interaction requirement from the customer. Ready-to-Hire i-Chillers The hire fleet will grow this year with close to 150 new i-Chillers, heat pumps and low-temperature units reaching -25°C, all designed to cope with the rigours of manufacturing and critical processes. These units are suitable for all types of process applications, including food and beverage, plastics, chemical and pharmaceutical, metal works and other demands. Unlike other units on the market, the i-Chiller range has been designed with process applications in mind from the ground up. As such, they can operate faultlessly and maintain accurate temperature control 24/7 under highly differing and abruptly fluctuating operating conditions. Now, together with MTA air conditioning and air treatment, ICS Cool Energy customised the 'Ready-to-Hire' units to be even more robust and flexible in transport and customer installation. “We worked closely with the MTA team, exploring the pain points of hire destined units and have come up with installation features and solutions, so our customers can benefit from the technology quicker and with improved efficiency,” says Jason Lamley, Technical Manager at ICS Cool Energy. “These 150 new hire chillers are manufactured specifically for ICS Cool Energy, are specified and finalised directly in the factory and can be shipped straight to the customer for installation, significantly speeding up the entire process.” Click here for other latest products in the electrical industry.

Schneider Electric ranked #1 by Guidehouse Insights

Schneider Electric has announced its number one ranking in the inaugural Guidehouse Insights 2023 Microgrid Integrator Leaderboard, acknowledging its unique strategy and execution, demonstrated through its microgrid services, technologies and innovative scope of delivery through joint ventures. At a time where extreme weather events increasingly impact network resilience and there is emphasised need to decarbonise, microgrids provide the flexibility to source clean, self-generated power from local distributed energy resources (DER), such as solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and battery storage. Businesses looking to protect their operations from the risk of outages and fluctuating energy prices, turn to microgrid integrators to facilitate the installation of microgrid assets and provide the technologies to control and optimise their operation. Microgrid investments from the business and government sectors alike are necessary to meet the sustainable energy and DER needs of buildings, especially on the heels of the recent near one billion dollars fund for clean federal buildings from the Biden Administration. Schneider Electric tops the rankings in this year’s report because of its experience developing both highly customised solutions and its EcoStruxure Microgrid Flex, offering for midsized commercial sites. Its third-party financial partnerships and joint ventures, AlphaStruxure and GreenStruxure also contributed to the high ranking. As end-to-end Energy as a Service providers across the design, finance, build, operate, own, maintain lifecycle, the parties drive innovative market differentiation. Together, Schneider and these partners can reliably deliver customised or modular solutions, leveraging the company’s rich experience in microgrid and DER projects along with the automation technologies and tested architectures to scale solutions. In North America alone, it has successfully designed, built and currently maintains over 350 advanced microgrid control projects. “Schneider has always put sustainability, the customer, clients and our partners first in every endeavor, and this has been shown in our leadership globally,” says Manish Kumar, Executive Vice President of Global Digital Energy Division at Schneider Electric. “It is an honor to receive recognition from Guidehouse Insights for our leadership, expertise and in delivering high quality, strategic solutions in the microgrid value chain, enabling customers to achieve new heights in decarbonising their energy operations." "The development of microgrid technologies has enabled the data centers of the future to play an essential role in both the generation and adoption of renewables, and to help build a more sustainable and resilient grid," says Marc Garner SVP, Secure Power Division, Schneider Electric, Europe. "Distributed energy resources are vital to today's decarbonisation efforts, and I'm delighted see Schneider Electric ranked first in 1 in Guidehouse Insights' Microgrid Integrator Leaderboard report through our strategic investments and ecosystem partnerships." Click here for more on Schneider Electric.

SkillELECTRIC 2023 UK finalists announced 

The eight SkillELECTRIC competitors who scored most highly across the recent national qualifying heats have been named as this year’s UK finalists. They are: Ben Gillin - Lloyd Morris Electrical/JTL Training Conor McDonnell - Nesbitt Electrical/Southern Regional College Danny McBean - Grants of Dufftown/SECTT Demi Mae Whitehead - William Davis Homes/JTL Training Jason Robinson - Neil Whicker Electrical Services/College of West Anglia Kevin Boone - Darke & Taylor/Training in Electrical Thomas Magee - Belfast Met College/SM Electrical Thomas Turner - Parker Technical Services/JTL Training All will now take part in the UK Grand Final being held at Oldham College across the week of 13 November. SkillELECTRIC is part of the WorldSkills UK competition framework. The event is organised by National Electrotechnical Training (NET), in conjunction with sponsors and delivery partners Electric Center, the NICEIC and Scolmore Group. Moreover, around 50 other WorldSkills national competition finals will be taking place that week across nine venues around Greater Manchester. To be crowned champion, competitors will have to excel in a complicated two-day practical installation task set to a strict timescale and against a rigorous marking criteria. In a first for this year, the event will also include a solar PV-related task to reflect that the core competence of a qualified electrician is the foundation from which to upskill and train in solar installation. “We are very proud to continue to play a key role in the SkillELECTRIC competition,” adds Jake Green, Head of Technical Engagement at Scolmore Group. “It takes a lot of confidence from the contestants to put themselves forward for the competition, so I commend them. It is this confidence and determination that we need to see in the electricians of the future. The skillset we have amongst this year’s finalists is brilliant, I am looking forward to seeing what they can all demonstrate at the final in November.” Click here for the latest ECN competition.

Advanced supports Building Safety Regulator’s campaign

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) was established to protect residents in high-rise buildings from unsafe building practices in England, in response to the Grenfell Tower fire. Aimed at owners and managers of high-rise residential buildings, the ‘Be Ready’ campaign highlights their new legal duties. It also calls on those responsible for the safety management of higher-risk buildings to prepare for a new wave of regulatory change to ensure they are ready to step up and comply. Under the Building Safety Act, high-rise residential buildings which are 18m or taller are defined as ‘higher risk’. Those responsible for these buildings in the UK, must take note that registering buildings with the new Building Safety Regulator is a legal requirement, and owners and managers who have not complied by October 2023 will be investigated and may be prosecuted. Currently, the part B requirement for an evacuation alert system only covers new-build, high-rise residential buildings. However, since the Grenfell Tower Inquiry also recommends evacuation alert systems for high-rise residential buildings already in existence, further regulation may follow, so building owners and managers should familiarise themselves with evacuation alert systems in preparation. An evacuation alert system is vital to help fire and rescue services inform residents of a change in evacuation strategy during an incident. These systems give firefighters an additional tool to use on the ground, alongside existing methods of evacuation and improving safety for residents. To comply with the amended part B, an evacuation alert system should be provided in accordance with the recently revised BS 8629 code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of evacuation alert systems for use by fire and rescue services in England. Advanced has designed EvacGo evacuation alert system specifically to meet these recommendations. EvacGo has been developed by Advanced to support any evacuation strategy chosen by the fire and rescue service, and operates completely independently of fire detection systems. The panel combines EN54-2 and 4 approved MxPro 5 technology with clear, easy-to-use manual controls to ensure firefighters can quickly and effectively identify and operate alert sounders to support the safe evacuation of tall residential buildings. It provides a simple overview of a building’s evacuation alert zones, along with LED indication and manual toggle-switch controls for operating evacuation alert devices in each zone. The evacuation alert panel works equally well within hardwired, radio and/or hybrid systems, and commissioning and servicing are quick and easy using Advanced virtual PC tool. EvacGo also features built-in battery back-up options of up to 17Ah, to meet the BS 8629 code of practice recommendations. Click here for more on fire safety regulations.

The Fully Charged Show and FairCharge fight the 'FUD'

With misinformation about electric vehicles and clean energy at an all time high, the Fully Charged Show and FairCharge have come together to #StopBS and to combat this FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt). Vested interests have almost limitless funs with which to pollute public discourse, making it easy to feel powerless to prevent that.  Today, the two ask to help change this, and they plan to do it through fast turnaround infographic rebuttals to published pieces, proactively placing spokespeople on mainstream media and engaging with political influencers.  A newly launched Patreon profile has been set up to encourage financial support to make a material difference as they commit to persuading people to #StopBurningStuff.  They hope to harness support to turn the tide of negativity and spread the positive energy that is the lived experience of millions of EV drivers all around the world.  Robert Llewellyn, Founder of the Fully Charged Show, says, "In 13 years of reporting on electric vehicles and clean energy, we cannot recall a time when anti-electric car rhetoric has been so widespread and so severe.  “The reality is that consumers around the world are voting with their feet and buying more and more battery electric vehicles in spite of this needless negativity. In the UK, the opportunity still remains for us to play a part in the new energy and transport paradigm, but misinformation will only leave us stranded in the past."  Quentin Willson, Founder of FairCharge, adds, “FairCharge is joining Fully Charged to campaign for a more affordable, efficient and faster switch to electrification. We want to help support this historic energy transition for the next generation and the generation after that. We want cleaner air, energy independence and cheaper sustainable energy for all. But we can’t do this in a howling blizzard of misinformation. “FairCharge and Fully Charged are asking for balance, honesty, light and shade, and fairness in all energy transition reporting. Because we believe honest accuracy is everything.”

Airzone announces integration with Lutron

Airzone has announced a new integration with Lutron. This integration enables precise temperature control and HVAC energy efficiency via Lutron’s HomeWorks home automation system. Innovation in energy and elegance Airzone specialises in smart HVAC system control. Over the past 25 years, it has built an exclusive library of certified protocols for inverter, ductless, mini-split, multi-split and VRF manufacturers. Its products enable two way control of modern HVAC systems, enabling temperature set point precision that is otherwise impossible, as well as system energy savings of up to 60%. Lutron luxury integrators can now offer its HomeWorks customers these features via an integration using QSX processors. Historically, integration between the HVAC sector and automation systems has lagged due to widespread compatibility issues. With this integration, strides are being made to alter that narrative. Lutron customers can now seamlessly control the HVAC of its inverter / VRF and ductless units with as much precision and ease as they control lighting and shading. Streamlined environmental control Lighting control and HVAC are two of the most important environmental systems in any building with respect to energy consumption and homeowner experience. Sales of inverter / VRF systems are forecast to grow by over 13% per year over the next seven years according to research from Infineon. This new integration will allow Lutron customers to precisely control an inverter / VRF HVAC system from any available trigger in the Lutron system including keypad buttons, schedules, palladiom thermostats and the Lutron app. ”Lutron strives to deliver an elevated experience for our homeowners through elegant, precise control of the most critical environmental aspects of a residence, including lighting and temperature,” says Ben Bard, Vice President at Lutron. “Integrating with Airzone unifies control of lighting and temperature - the two most important systems for comfort in any environment - offers the potential for substantial energy savings.” Single zone units or zoned control To control a single zone unit, Airzone integrates with the Lutron Palladiom Thermostat via the Aidoo Pro. This easy-to-install device enables two way communication between the inverter / VRF unit and the Lutron thermostat, controlling: Temperature set point Operation mode Fan speed Unit on/off For multi-zone applications, the integration takes place between the Airzone webserver HUB and the HomeWorks QSX processor, enabling features such as: Centralised configuration and control of zone parameters. Control of up to 32 separate Airzone HVAC control systems. Seamless control of combined radiant and air heating / cooling stages. Remote error and warning detection of the HVAC unit.

10 ways tradespeople can reduce business costs

An expert has shared 10 ways that tradespeople can reduce their day-to-day business costs, from fuel expenses to marketing. The last few years have placed a lot of financial strain on tradespeople, with the cost of living crisis adding to the impact of rising material prices and COVID-19. As a result, many have tried to reduce their outgoings, and recent research by ElectricalDirect has found that an increasing number of workers are repairing their own tools (16%), keeping kit for longer (27%) and minimising power tool usage (30%). Having discovered that tradespeople spend an average of £1,110 on tools each year, ElectricalDirect spoke to Thomas Goodman, construction expert at MyJobQuote, to share advice on how to reduce this expense and cut a variety of other day-to-day costs. 1) Opt for quality over quantity “Invest in good quality tools, particularly those you use regularly. While the initial outlay may be higher, quality products are less likely to fail or break. Ensure you take out tool insurance too.” 2) Buy in bulk “Materials are expensive but buying in bulk can help you save money. Getting quantity discounts on regularly used materials will keep costs down.” 3) Know your expenses “Research which expenses you’re allowed to claim back on, so when it comes to filling in your tax return, you can get as many deductions as possible. Keep track of your deductible expenses weekly.” 4) Consider employee fuel cards “Use fuel cards for you and your employees. You can track how much you’re paying in fuel and all invoices go directly to your business for use when you fill in your tax return." 5) Scout for van insurance “Shop around for van insurance instead of using the same company every year and accepting an automatic renewal. Get a better deal through research or by negotiating your premium.” 6) Use your vehicle as an advertisement “Use your van for advertising as an alternative to other potentially expensive marketing options. It’s basically a mobile billboard. Spend some money putting your business name, logo and contact information on your van to attract new customers.” 7) Keep updated with the latest discounts “Monitor your favourite suppliers to check for offers and discounts on materials that you use regularly. Sign up to receive offers automatically and take advantage of them when they’re available.” 8) Find the best phone and internet packages “Make sure you also shop around for the best phone and internet deals, as these can make a real difference to your business expenses. Like your insurance, it pays to change providers occasionally to try and secure a better deal.” 9) Automate your administration “Business management software can greatly increase your efficiency and improve your productivity, by automating parts of your administration, such as invoicing, to save time and money.” 10) Switch to an electric or hybrid vehicle “Consider switching to an electric or hybrid vehicle, not only to reduce your carbon footprint, but also to save money on fuel costs.”

Report reveals heat pump sales in UK and France

A new report has revealed that France is cutting carbon from heating buildings 10 times faster than the UK by deploying more than 10 times the number of heat pumps.   Last year, France sold 621,000 heat pumps, saving 15.6Mt of CO2 emissions, while the UK sold just 55,000 heat pumps, saving 1.5Mt of CO2 emissions, and had the lowest installation rate of 21 European countries.     The UK government has set a target of installing 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028, meaning they must achieve a tenfold increase in deployment within five years to catch up with where France is at right now.    The report by MCS Charitable Foundation assesses why the UK is lagging behind targets and sets out lessons the government must learn from France if it is to meet climate change goals.    It highlights how the French government seized opportunities when there was disruption in global energy markets to refocus attention away from gas and oil onto electrifying heat. In addition, France has had energy efficiency standards for new build homes for more than a decade. They have accelerated heat pump deployment and energy efficiency has been a political priority across different political parties. In 2019, Emmanuel Macron’s government introduced financial incentives that saw a near doubling of air-to-water heat pump installations within a year, building on previous incentive schemes. As a result of sustained support for heat pumps, France had more than 30,000 full time jobs in the heat pump industry in 2019, increased from 100,000 sales in 2010 to over 600,000 sales by 2022.    By contrast, in the UK in 2019, after years of stop-start policies and inadequate funding, delays in regulations for new homes and insufficient consumer information, there were only 2,000 jobs supported by the heat pump industry and only a 10th of the number of heat pump installations seen in France.   The UK is now beginning to scale up heat pump deployment, seeing a 40% increase in the heat pump market in 2022 since the energy crisis began. But rather than a gradual rise in heat pump numbers, as France has achieved over 15 years, the UK government must now initiate an exponential increase in the heat pump market.    The rate of growth the UK must achieve would be unprecedented, but could deliver as many as 50,000 new jobs as well as cutting energy bills and carbon, MCS Charitable Foundation argues.   The charity is calling for the government to immediately commit to making heat pumps mandatory for all new homes, scaling up and extending grants for homeowners to install heat pumps and introducing new loan schemes, and a massive consumer awareness campaign to help people access funding.   

Travis Perkins colleagues fundraise for Macmillan

Twelve Travis Perkins supply chain colleagues have participated in the London Royal Parks walk last week to raise money for its charity partner, Macmillan Cancer Support. Raising a total £2,500, the walk spread over 13.1 miles, the same distance as a half marathon, and covered four out of eight royal parks including Hyde Park, Green Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens. Starting the walk at 9:45am, the team made it over the finish line just over six hours later.  Costing £33 to fund a Macmillan nurse, the colleagues raised enough money to fund 75 nursing hours, helping the charity’s mission to provide physical, financial and emotional support to those living with cancer in the UK.   Taking part in the walk, Supply Chain Director, Brian McCarthy, says, “I’m really proud to be working with a team of people so willing to walk a half marathon to raise money for Macmillan. It was a seriously hot day, however, we all completed the walk with not too many blisters or injuries. Cancer is a close cause to many of our hearts, so we’re really proud of our fundraising efforts and hope to continue to do our bit to support Macmillan where we can.”   Sharon Cottam, Partnership Manager for Travis Perkins at Macmillan Cancer Support, says, “We would like to extend our huge thanks to Travis Perkins and its colleagues for their incredible efforts to raise money for Macmillan. Right now, there are more than three million people living with cancer and that number is set to rise to four million by 2030, so these innovative fundraising events are enabling us to provide the resources we need to help people living with cancer. We are so grateful for your ongoing support.”  Since the launch of their partnership back in 2015, Travis Perkins and Benchmarx have raised over £4.2m for Macmillan.

Leaky homes revealed by energy champions

'Lights, camera, action!' took on a new meaning when specially trained ‘energy champions’ helped nearly 200 Surrey residents spot where energy was leaking from their homes and take steps to save money. Thanks to funding from UK Power Networks, the Leaky Homes project, run by Zero Carbon Guildford and Energy Action Redhill & Reigate, was able to buy several infrared cameras and train 36 Surrey residents to carry out home energy surveys during the cost of living crisis. The thermal imaging cameras revealed where residents could make significant energy efficiency improvements. They were then sent a written report with helpful recommendations and vital signposting to the financial support they needed to make their homes more energy efficient. Nearly 200 residents in Guildford, Reigate, Banstead and Mole Valley were able to see where they were losing energy from their homes, and it proved to be a great way of engaging them in taking action. Thanks to the cameras, for the first time, they could see how ‘money’ leaked out of their homes. Residents were provided with remedial measures to stop draughts in their homes, including chimney pillows, draught excluders and sealant guns, all handed out at schools, warm hubs and community events across Surrey. Ben McCallan from Zero Carbon Guildford, says, ”We were thrilled to receive the funding from UK Power Networks that allowed our volunteers to get trained up and start conducting valuable energy audits, especially given the struggle so many of us were facing with bills with winter energy costs after the price cap rise. “Not only were we able to give helpful advice to fellow residents, we helped people gain new skills and built a collaborative project across Surrey with our partners at Energy Action Redhill & Reigate, who delivered half the surveys. Most of all, this funding enabled us to gain the skills needed to be successful in another funding bid, which will significantly escalate energy assessments right across Surrey this winter.” Ben adds that the project was so successful that they now plan to boost it in September by purchasing more cameras and training community groups in all Surrey’s districts and boroughs. The new programme will also include a summer component, so that they can deliver energy advice all year round.