Heating and Ventilation

For any residential building project, it would be fair to say that time saved on site is hugely beneficial for developers, contractors and housing associations alike, helping to reduce project costs and enabling residents to occupy properties as quickly as possible. With this in mind, Evinox Energy has introduced remote commissioning and warranty validation for their ModuSat heat interface units (HIUs), which can significantly reduce the cost of commissioning and time spent on site by engineers manually checking and adjusting settings.

Many other heat interface units for communal and district heating developments require an engineer to physically attend site to set-up every individual unit manually, adding time and cost to the project. Evinox’s electronically controlled ModuSat HIU’s feature SmartTalk communication technology and can be connected over the internet to remote servers, enabling Evinox to check the operation of each unit remotely and adjust settings where required.

The boiler performs many operations during its normal working day, but access to its brain would provide social landlords with useful, sometimes vital information; when you can act on that information remotely and instantly, then you have control on an unprecedented level. Terri Taylor, Marketing Executive, Intergas Boilers, discusses why insider information will improve efficiency and deliver the evidence for more accurate long term planning.

The 18th century proverb ‘look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves’ is as relevant today as it was then. The idea that very small savings will eventually make a big difference is understood by the many, but over time is possibly practised by the few. While some of us could spend weeks, months or years looking for the big idea, the Eureka moment that will make massive savings, it’s the small actions that can be made today which relieve long term financial and environmental pressures.

A brand new residential development in Manchester is meeting its environmental planning requirements thanks to an Ecodan system providing community heating to 105 new homes.

The Aaben is a modern development of 105 homes, all available for market rent, on Leaf Street in Hulme. Located just south of Manchester’s city centre, Hulme boasts a creative art scene, independent restaurants and cafes and a thriving local community.

The development itself is named after an old building dating back  to the 1920s which was situated close by until it was knocked down in 1993. For decades before it had served as a community cinema and, for a short time, a bingo hall.

The rigours of modern life mean we may spend around 90% of our time indoors. Sadly however, the air in our homes can be up to 5 times more polluted than the air outside. 

As UK homes become more airtight due to energy efficiency requirements, accumulated pollutants are being prevented from escaping. The concern for indoor air quality is increasing, not least because poor indoor air quality is linked to a host of serious health conditions and loss of life.

Airtech Environmental Systems, the ventilation specialists, is delighted to support UK Radon Awareness Week (5-11 November 2018.) Run by the UK Radon Association the theme for the 2018 campaign is Healthy Living with the focus being on raising awareness of how radon can affect all aspects of life, from home to workplaces.

Airtech, offers social housing providers a complete solution to help protect residents from the risks caused by Radon gas in the home. Domestic exposure to radon increases the risk of lung cancer, with 1,000 to 2,000 deaths each year estimated to be caused by exposure to the gas. Since Landlords have a responsibility to their tenants under Duty of Care and the Housing Act to provide a safe home, radon is a major consideration for social housing providers.

With the care system in a state of flux, and the number of people suffering from dementia continuing to grow, a boiler’s ability to provide warning signs that trigger a visit will become invaluable, says Terri Taylor, Marketing Coordinator, Intergas Boilers.

September is World Alzheimer’s Month and, on 21st September, we celebrated World Alzheimer’s Day. The campaign was launched in 2012 to raise awareness and challenge the stigma that surrounds dementia, (there are a number of different types of dementia, but the most common is Alzheimer's disease, which accounts for about two-thirds of cases). We’re all aware that this is a global issue - it’s estimated that the number of people living with dementia will increase by over 200%, from 50m in 2018 to 152m in 2050 - but closer to home there are currently 850,000 people with dementia in the UK and, as much as knowledge and research is growing every day, there is no cure. 

Ventilation experts are now offering a condensation and mould service to landlords to help them eradicate this costly problem. Tom Wodcke, Product Marketing Manager at Vent-Axia explains there is now a raft of tools available to help landlords simply and effectively deal with condensation and mould.

Condensation and mould can be hard to treat... Since condensation and mould is such a widespread issue it is not surprising it is to be addressed by the government with the proposed Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill. Landlords may soon be obliged to ensure fire safety, adequate heating and sufficient ventilation plus, under the proposed Bill, residents would have the right to sue landlords who let properties that aren’t “fit for human habitation”.