Bureau Veritas urges commercial buildings to adopt smart grid technology

Bureau Veritas is urging local authorities, commercial property owners and facilities managers to adopt smart grid technology, to ensure control of electricity during peak demand. Smart grid systems utilise photovoltaic panels (solar power) and battery energy storage (BESS) to provide bi-directional electricity, to enable a building to both produce and consume energy. This reduces reliance on the grid and avoids costly time-of-use tariffs during peak demand. When using power from the grid, utility companies charge greater tariffs during times of the day where more energy is used; the cost is then lower at ‘off-peak’ times, such as overnight. The advice from Bureau Veritas follows the recent Government announcement of a new Energy Security Bill, to deliver on its commitment to create a sustainable and homegrown energy system in the UK by utilising wind and solar capabilities to reduce the country’s dependency on and exposure to volatile global gas prices. Alisdair McDonald, Principal Consultant, Bureau Veritas, says: “At Bureau Veritas, we welcome the idea of a sustainable and homegrown energy system, which focuses on secure and clean renewable energy use, to reduce the country’s reliance on international oil and gas. Smart grids will form a significant part of this as they enable both buildings and homes to produce their own energy, store it and then use it when solar power is running low. “By storing renewable energy, commercial property owners can use surplus energy during peak demand on its own power system – powering lighting, sockets and EV charging points. This becomes even more vital considering the long-term boom in electric vehicle sales, as the country aims to remove petrol and diesel cars from UK sale by 2030.” In 2021, the Government also announced that all new homes and buildings in England must have electric vehicle charging points installed as standard. The regulations, which come into force this year, include supermarkets, workplaces and buildings undergoing major renovations, which could result in up to 145,000 additional charge points each year over the next decade. Alisdair continues: “With EV charging points soon to be mandatory in all new commercial premises, this results in a much higher reliance on electricity throughout all times of the day. In addition, without smart grid systems in place this increased dependency required to power EV charge points may put significant pressure on the grid. “Therefore, with more and more buildings being designed with future sustainability in mind and meeting the needs of a net zero future, a move to smart grid systems must be an intrinsic part of a business’ sustainability strategy. Despite the clear opportunity here, there remains a knowledge gap and building, facility, and energy managers could benefit from the support of an independent, third-party compliance specialist. Bureau Veritas can support firms with pre-feasibility and feasibility studies to assess the solar capabilities of your premises, as well as assessing how much energy each cycle will produce.”

Improving home safety, Aico launches AudioLINK+

AudioLINK+ is now faster, quieter, and more reliable than ever before. The second iteration of Aico’s award-winning AudioLINK technology makes it easy to access real-time data from alarms via the free AudioLINK+ app. AudioLINK+ extracts the same data as AudioLINK, but does this quicker and quieter than before to reduce disturbance and does not affect any other functionality of alarms. With the average time to take a report taking between four and seven seconds, AudioLINK+ technology makes getting real-time data from smoke and carbon monoxide alarms more efficient – saving time, money and lives. The AudioLINK+ app is backwards compatible, meaning AudioLINK alarms currently installed do not need to be replaced to utilise the new technology and will work with the new version of the app. However, users will need to update to the latest version of the app to download reports from any AudioLINK+ alarms installed within their properties. The app generates a simple to read colour-coded report giving information on a range of alarm data including; alarm activations, sensor status, alarm testing information, battery and back up cell status, recorded carbon monoxide levels within CO alarms, and advice on dust contamination levels within the 3000 series alarms. All of this information can be emailed directly from the phone or tablet to one or multiple addresses, being sent as a PDF report for the property for simple integration with housing management and maintenance systems. Additional information can be added to the report to help link it to a specific alarm and to communicate important and helpful information. There is no change in the pricing of alarms sold by Aico, just an improvement in the technology offered within the alarms. AudioLINK+ data extraction technology is built-in to all Aico’s carbon monoxide alarms such as the Ei208, and the entire 3000 series alarm range.

Alight here for Elizabeth Line on 24th May

FUTURE Designs has created three bespoke lighting solutions: the IKON uplighter, IKON EMERGENCY luminaire and the PLINTH luminaire for Crossrail, officially known as the Elizabeth Line, which is due to open on 24th May. The £14.8 billion Crossrail venture is a new railway for London and the South East with 42km of new tunnels, connecting the East of the city to the West. The new service will speed up journey times, increase central London’s capacity by 10% and bring an extra 1.5 million people to within 45 minutes of central London. David Clements, Chief Executive of FUTURE Designs says: “It has been an absolute honour for FUTURE Designs to be involved in illuminating areas of this outstanding and complex project, which is an undeniable feat of modern engineering. Such a multifaceted project comes with inevitable challenges to overcome, but there is no doubt that the exceptional result is worth the wait.” FUTURE Designs has designed and manufactured these key elements harnessing the power of LED technology to deliver quality light within this subterranean infrastructure. The decision to use LEDs exclusively will reduce energy consumption and maintenance requirements, that will ultimately lead to a reduction in whole-life cost for the project. That said, the choice of LEDs wasn’t without its challenges as very few existing suitable LED fittings met Crossrail’s specific requirements. FUTURE Designs came up with a solution, in keeping with Crossrail’s design brief, creating IKON, IKON EMERGENCY and PLINTH specifically for this project. The lighting concepts from FUTURE Designs can be found in the station concourse areas, escalator tunnels and platforms, emphasising the spatial envelope rather than drawing attention to the luminaires themselves. As a result, the concept works in complete harmony with the interior, using the light-grey, matt-textured, glass-reinforced concrete lining of the station and escalator tunnels to reflect light onto the passenger areas, creating a sense of spaciousness within the underground environment. The lighting also cleverly suppresses other more functional elements like cameras and speakers. The lighting significantly contributes to the Elizabeth Line design concept of fast spaces and slow spaces. On the escalator the idea is to get people moving as quickly as possible whereas in the ticket halls and on the platforms, lighting is warmer and more indirect to encourage passengers to make more considered wayfinding decisions. The IKON uplighter luminaire has been created to sit on top of wayfinding totems. This phenomenally powerful luminaire is designed to shine light to the ceiling, which then reflects to the floor. The space between each uplighter is between seven to 11m It was also critical that the design of IKON allowed it to act as a reliable and effective heatsink, drawing heat away from the mechanics and regulating the device’s temperature. IKON is installed in Elizabeth Line stations at Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Bond Street and Whitechapel. IKON EMERGENCY luminaires are designed to automatically illuminate in the event of a power failure, helping to guide passengers to safety. The design features high and low-level lights mounted on the sides of wayfinding totems and vertical luminaires mounted on the front faces of the totems to spread light in all directions and throw the light across a large distance on the floors. IKON EMERGENCY is located in stations at Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Bond Street and Whitechapel. The PLINTH luminaire is a recessed escalator light fitting, located within the deck area between individual escalators. The uplighters are specially designed to diminish visual glare to passengers travelling on the escalators, preventing direct view of the LED source, and providing well balanced lighting. PLINTH is installed in stations at Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Bond Street and Whitechapel.

Google and UK Power Networks develop world-first map software

Google’s artificial intelligence division is revolutionising hand-drawn maps of electricity cables in a move that could benefit the global utility industry. Google’s DeepMind engineers have partnered with UK Power Networks to create digital versions of maps covering more than 180,000km of electricity cables. The work involves new image recognition software scanning thousands of maps (some of which date back decades) and automatically remastering them into a digital format for future use. Until now, no artificial intelligence software has been able to recognise hand-drawn straight lines and classify objects like electricity cables, then recreate them as fully-interactive digital files. The thousands of miles of cables owned by UK Power Networks is proving to be the perfect test bed for Google. Once the trial is complete, other utilities around the world could use the process to ‘digitise’ their own networks. Utility firms currently have to manually scan maps of underground equipment to get electronic versions, and each has an extensive library of maps to update. Experts estimate that collaborating with DeepMind means large chunks of the task can be finished three years faster than was previously thought possible - and up to 10 times cheaper. For UK Power Networks, the AI is already cutting 20,000 hours’ scanning work down to 15 minutes. Digital maps also mean UK Power Networks will be able to provide better, faster services to the 15,000-plus customers a year who apply for upgraded electricity connections when, for example, they need to connect renewable energy sites or electric vehicle charging hubs. The company is also making the digital maps freely available to the industry, meaning energy battery operators, local authorities or energy aggregators can see where to plan new equipment, and bid for flexible energy market contracts. Each electricity substation, cable or overhead line will be visible, helping people stay safe when carrying out excavation work. Alex Mahon, Head of Analytics at UK Power Networks, says: “We’ve been collaborating with Google throughout the past year to trial this, and we’ve been getting increasingly excited throughout. Not only will it help keep people safe and help more low carbon technologies connect, but it has huge implications for utility sectors across the world who may wish to do the same. This innovation could save millions of pounds for customers and help enable net zero: that’s the power of digital innovation.” Money saved through the innovative project will be re-invested in the electricity network, so UK Power Networks can further improve its strong performance on safety, reliability and to enable the UK’s transition to a low carbon economy.

Band of Builders appoints first CEO

Band of Builders has appointed its first Chief Executive Officer as part of ambitious plans to significantly increase the registered charity’s ability to help members of the UK construction industry who are battling illness or injury. The charity has appointed its former Chair of the Board of Trustees, Gavin Crane, into the newly created role as it looks to build on its solid foundations to expand its scope, reach and influence within the construction industry. Gavin explained that his first challenge is to map out the strategy and direction of the charity for the next five to 10 years as it looks to build on its three cornerstones of providing practical support by completing projects, offering financial help to tradespeople facing hardship and making wellbeing services readily accessible to anyone in the construction industry who is in crisis. “In its simplest form, the new CEO role will mean ensuring that more people support Band of Builders, so we can help more people,” says Gavin. “It’s a very exciting time to be part of Band of Builders because the charity is gaining huge momentum, which is all down to the commitment of so many of our base of volunteers, who give their time generously to support the charity and its activities. It’s also down to the benefactors and sponsors who have given us significant financial support – in many cases making us their official charity partner. “The board of trustees has ambitious plans for the growth of the charity, and the creation of this role is a huge statement of intent. I’m looking forward to being at the heart of taking Band of Builders to the next level.” As well as being tasked with building more strategic partnerships and developing more fundraising opportunities, Gavin also has a wider-reaching ambition to be a positive voice on issues affecting the construction industry, such as apprenticeships, the skills gap, inclusion and gender discrimination. His appointment comes at a time when the charity is working to complete a record-breaking 12 projects this year, is well underway with plans for its second annual Big Brew event this October (to highlight mental health within the construction industry and raise funds to expand on its recently launched wellbeing support service) and is bracing itself for a predicted rise in cases of requests for financial assistance if the cost of living crisis continues to bite. He adds: “I want to publicly thank everyone who helped Band of Builders get to this point, including all our volunteers and wider membership base, which is approaching 50,000 people. I’d also like to thank our sponsors and partners, including DeWALT, Jewson, Gibbs & Dandy, V12 Footwear, Talasey, Resideo and Haemmerlin. I’m very excited about what comes next, and I’m looking forward to more people becoming part of our charity and activities.” The 38-year-old from Cambridgeshire has 20 years’ experience as a commercial  landscaping contractor and first became involved with the charity in 2017, when he was the Project Lead on Band of Builders’ second project, from which he says: “I got the bug.” He joined the admin team in 2017, continuing to be involved closely with the charity, from taking part in projects to building relationships with corporate partners and joining in fundraising activities. Gavin became a trustee of the fledgling board in 2018 and its Chair of Trustees in 2020, before stepping down from the role earlier this year and winding down his own contracting business to take up the position as CEO.

Mer gives EV drivers the choice to recharge at Blue Diamond

Mer has entered into an agreement with Blue Diamond to provide over 300 electric vehicle charge points at its 39 garden centres across the UK. The installation of Mer EV chargers gives Blue Diamond customers the option to charge their electric vehicles with 100% renewable energy. The roll out is due to start from September 2022. Choosing Mer as its exclusive EV charging partner reinforces Blue Diamond’s commitment to sustainability and provides fast, rapid (and in some locations) ultra-rapid charging. This ranges from 7kW for hybrid drivers up to a maximum of 250kW. Most Blue Diamond locations will have four to six bays of flexed rapid charging from a minimum of 50kW up to 150kW depending on the number of bays in use. Unlike some retail destinations, customers charging their electric vehicles will not incur costs for overstaying. To date, Mer charge points have saved 145,335 KG of CO2 across Europe. Anthony Hinde, Mer UK's Public Charging Managing Director says, “Having Mer charge points at Blue Diamond’s garden centres is great news for its EV driving customers and the environment. EV drivers can choose a renewable source of energy to charge their vehicles as they shop. So, they are making the planet greener at the same time as their gardens.” Alan Roper, Managing Director of Blue Diamond Group says, "We are delighted to be working with Mer to provide sustainable EV charging on all of our sites across the Blue Diamond group over the next year. We are continuously searching for new ways to enhance the experience of our customers and Mer was an excellent fit for our ethos on the installation of charging stations in our car parks – thanks to the supply of 100% green energy to all chargers and a flexible charging option for our customers to use whilst visiting our centres.”

Toolstation helps fund construction of space at Wembdon Village Hall

Toolstation has announced its latest tie-up with the Volunteer It Yourself (VIY) social enterprise, helping fund a construction project at Wembdon Village Hall, based in Bridgwater. The project oversaw the creation of a dedicated youth space within the hall for local young community members to utilise for social activities and gatherings. Originally built in 2017, Wembdon Village Hall is a community centre that offers a wide choice of sporting facilities and event space capable of seating 180 guests. However, part of the building was never completed upon construction. With a clear need in the area for a dedicated youth space that serves the growing population of local young people, Toolstation partnered with VIY to help complete the project. Over a total of 103 days, VIY created a new youth and community space in the unfinished part of the building, including erecting walls, implementing storage, laying flooring, plastering, and decorating. The project saw 31 participants, aged between 14-24 years, learn hands-on skills, and get involved in the construction planning process, whilst building a communal centre that they can take advantage of over the coming years. These volunteers were sourced from local community groups, including Bridgwater & Taunton Construction College who had strong ties with the village hall and saw the project as the perfect opportunity to offer work experience for their students. Other local communities involved in the project included: The Amber Foundation – Wiltshire The Bridge School Robert Blake Science College 41 Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations were awarded in carpentry, health and safety and painting and decorating. The City & Guilds accreditations, skills training, and mentoring of the volunteers were funded by Toolstation. The initiative is helping more young people learn DIY and trade skills and to consider a career in the construction and building industry. The VIY programme combines DIY and volunteering and challenges young people to help repair and refurbish community facilities while learning vocational trade skills on the job, helping them become more employable in the construction sector and beyond. The construction of a new communal space in Wembdon Village Hall is the sixth VIY project which Toolstation has helped to fund, with previous projects including the creation of an outdoor social and exercise space for Coventrians RFC in Coventry, the rejuvenation of a community centre in New Malden and the refurbishment of Southbrook community centre in Daventry. Toolstation plans on helping to fund further VIY projects throughout the year and aims to help a further 100 young people gain qualifications and consider a career in the trade, on top of the qualifications already achieved from previous projects. Greg Richardson, Head of Marketing at Toolstation, one of the 37 colleagues who volunteered, says: “It was great to see everybody getting involved and doing something so constructive…literally! The whole team really enjoyed the day, and we hope this project has encouraged young people to develop confidence and learn practical trades skills and earn a qualification. We’re delighted to continue our support of the incredible work performed by the VIY team to build a fantastic community space at Wembdon Village Hall and look forward to continuing our partnership in the future.” Tim Reading, CEO and Co-Founder of VIY says: “This project has been a great example of working with our trade partners at greater depth, with Toolstation colleagues volunteering their time down on the ground to support young people and a vital community space in their local area. It's also a great experience for our young people to work alongside and interact with representatives from a local, prospective employer on their doorstep and the opportunities for progression that may be available to them following their time with VIY.”

Travis Perkins welcomes findings into developing the next generation

Travis Perkins welcomes the publication of the All Party Parliamentary Group's (APPG) SME House Builders report on improving skill levels and delivering more apprentices, including those entering the sector for the first time, or joining the industry at any age after career changes or breaks. The report follows a call for evidence from the APPG to ask how the UK can boost its delivery of improved skills and more well trained and motivated apprentices in order to help in the delivery of the Government’s target of 300,000 new homes a year. The APPG’s views have now been captured in a report, supported by Travis Perkins, published this week and launched at the House of Commons. The report findings include the move to Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), the new way of approaching projects and the need to embrace new technologies and innovation, which can have the dual benefits of being both more efficient and carbon zero, such as electric vehicle charging points and air source heat pumps, which extract heat from the air to heat buildings and water. These new technologies identify the need to upskill the workforce to prepare for a constantly evolving industry, as well as sustainability needs. Sustainable building practices are becoming increasingly important as the UK transitions to net zero. Apprenticeships have proven to be a vital route in creating a pipeline of talent for the future. The pandemic has had a significant impact on the overall numbers of apprenticeships in construction, although there are signs that this is starting to recover; the most recent data published in January of this year shows that there were 14,900 new apprenticeship starts in construction in August-October 2021. At the same period in 2020, there were just 8,200 starts, compared with 11,700 in the year before the pandemic. Promoting the benefits of a career in construction and showing how the industry is now safer, cleaner and more modern was also identified as vital for the future health of the sector. An opportunity was identified for builders and local colleges to work more closely together as their ambitions are extremely similar – to produce an industry of skilled tradespeople. Early intervention at schools, especially in careers advice, where apprenticeships are not always a focus and are often seen as secondary to university. There is also a need for the Government to make better use of social media as a way of winning the hearts and minds of potential younger employees. Kieran Griffin, Managing Director of Travis Perkins, says, “We are passionate about helping to build better, more sustainable communities, to enrich lives for generations to come. We are on our own journey to ensure we are developing and modernising our skills with around 1,000 colleagues enrolled on apprenticeships on 40+ programmes across the Travis Perkins Group, helping us attract and retain a more diverse workforce. By also providing these apprenticeships via the Builders Merchants Federation, we also see it as a responsibility to contribute to developing talent for the broader construction sector. We welcome the findings of the APPG to address the current skills deficit, as part of our mission to do what matters for the trade.” Andrew Lewer MBE, MP, Chairman of the APPG comments, “The findings of this report are critical to enabling us to build the type and volume of houses the nation needs. The report is also critical to enhancing the appeal of working in building and construction as a well-paid, fulfilling career for more of the brightest, best and hardest working of our young people.” With thousands of roles and transferable skills, construction is the most expansive career choice for any learner – the challenge is to help inspire the next generation of builders to join the industry.

ETIM advances the product data conversation at Digital Construction Week

ETIM UK continued to highlight its contribution to building safety during a panel discussion at Digital Construction Week 2022. The expert panellists, representing both the building materials and electrotechnical sectors, discussed ‘The Golden Thread: the role of merchants, distributors and wholesalers’ and called for a more joined up approach to product data, possibly mandated by an overseeing commissioner, and its importance not only for building security but also for carbon reduction initiatives. ETIM is the tried and tested data standard for technical product data adopted by the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) since 2019 for building materials, HVAC and plumbing products, and the Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA) since 2017 for electrotechnical products. Chaired by Fergus Harradence, Deputy Director, Infrastructure and Construction at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the panellists were: • Edgar Aponte, CEO, Rexel UK Ltd • David Williams, VP Marketing UK and Ireland, Schneider Electric • Phil Thompson, Procurement Data Manager, NG Bailey • Rob Barbour, Data and Insights Director, Travis Perkins • Margaret Fitzsimons, CEO, EDA John Newcomb, CEO at the BMF says: “Today’s discussion highlights the huge significance that high quality product data has for every step of the supply chain – contractors simply cannot work without it. The Hackitt Report and the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) are creating a step-change for building security in the UK and ETIM has a vital contribution to make to that work because of its focus on a product’s technical performance.” Margaret Fitzsimons, CEO at the EDA adds: “ETIM is the standard of choice for the UK’s construction sector. Manufacturers are responsible for supplying consistent and high quality product data which can be transferred from one construction phase to another, and through the EDA the UK’s electrotechnical sector businesses are making significant progress. There is a need for a more joined-up approach to the UK’s product data challenge, including the adoption of a unique identifier to enable data from multiple sources to be amalgamated.”

J S Wright promotes two members of staff to Directors

J S Wright has promoted two highly experienced members of staff to Directors. Matthew Coy and David Cook have taken on the positions of Contracts Director and Design & Estimating Director at the 132-year-old Birmingham-based company respectively. With 47 years of industry experience between them, they are the latest examples of J S Wright’s investment in staff progression and development as the company moves forward as an employee ownership trust (EOT). Matthew, who joined J S Wright in 2014 as contracts manager before rising to Associate Contracts Director, has worked in building services for 24 years. He has delivered projects valued at up to £26 million across the commercial fit out, industrial, hospitality, hotels and high-end residential sectors. Based at the Aston head office, he now oversees all operational aspects of the company’s mechanical and electrical contracts for multi-million-pound developments carried out from Birmingham and J S Wright’s London office. David Cook joined J S Wright in 1999 as a Technical Apprentice before rising to Design Engineer, Commercial Design Manager and then Associate Design Director. Also head office based, he is now responsible for all pre-construction work while also working closely with Matthew on all projects. He leads a 30-strong team of design, estimating, CAD and document control staff. Matthew and David are both fully qualified heat network consultants. Phil Leech, J S Wright Managing Director, says: “These promotions to directors are part of a natural progression for those that show outstanding team leadership skills and are committed to upholding our values of quality, integrity and collaboration. I have every confidence that our M&E business growth and service delivery will go from strength to strength under Matthew and David’s directorship.”