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April 2002 |
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What price on health?
Do you have the skills to analyse and reduce health and safety costs? explains the problems of reading data.
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Working the angles
An ingenious system that lets sockets rotate through 360° is about to hit the market after its inventors agreed a deal with Electrak.
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Get smart
Smart houses have yet to break through to the mass market. Looks at an affordable home automation system that is set to shake up the status quo.
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First word
Andrew Olson, md of Olson Electronics says watch out for high earth leakage currents.
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Keep holding on
The latest research from BSRIA shows exactly why m&e contractors should support the campaign by the Constructors Liaison Group to abolish retentions.
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Have your say on strategy
The Constructors Liaison Group wants your opinion on how the industry is run.
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BRE competence scheme
BRE Certification, with the ECA's support, has achieved UKAS accreditation to assess and certify electrical contracting enterprises that undertake electrical installation work.
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Cresta run
Following sustained growth, Basingstoke-based m&e contractor Crestahead has moved its operations into new purpose built offices on Wella Road. ECA president Ian Crosby officially opened the offices on 8 March. Other guests included the Mayor of Basingstoke, Andrew Hunter MP and local business representatives. Carol Sullivan, Crestahead md, says: "Our aim has always been to deliver the best quality to our clients and employees alike and these premises go part-way to achieving it."
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Presidential view
My year as ECA president is now drawing to a close.
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New GCSEs welcomed
The ECA has welcomed proposals to reform secondary school education with a stronger emphasis on skill-based training.
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Today's kids not ready for new Techno-house
With their mobile phones, MP3 players, GameBoys and DVD players, today's teenagers are 'teched up' to the eyeballs.
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All change for Wiring Regulations
The latest version of the Wiring Regulations, BS 7671: 2001, which took effect in January this year, have been almost immediately amended
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The need for change
Why are NTOs being abolished? With the introduction of Sector Skills Councils now imminent, we explain the Government's reasoning behind the change.
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Safety at work
Occupational health and safety needs careful attention to reduce the risks. We explain a standard that may help.
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Join campaign to abolish retentions
Contractors are being urged by the Constructors Liaison Group to make a stand and join the fight to abolish the practice of holding retentions as the current amount held reaches £3 billion.
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Hard times for Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric has announced a net loss of 986 million euros for 2001.
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Stars in the pipeline
The second National Training Awards for the hvacr industry were presented in London on 6 March.
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Premier project
Elequip Projects has won the contract to design and install the m&e services for Leicester City's new £27 million stadium. The £5 million contract will include all electrical works – from the provision of pitch floodlighting, general power and lighting, intruder alarms, pa and voice evacuation, to standby generation and fire alarms. Mechanical services will encompass gas installation, hot and cold water, ventilation, heating and sanitaryware.Construction work has begun and the project is due for completion by mid-summer 2002.
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Quality Mark prepares for roll out
The Government is preparing to formally announce the national roll out of the Quality Mark scheme following pilot studies in Birmingham and Somerset.
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Lords of the Ring
Hills Electrical & Mechanical has secured a £7 million contract for the design and installation of the electrical services at Birmingham's new Bullring shopping centre. The £500 million project will include over 130 retail units over three levels, including a flagship Selfridges store. The electrical installation includes landlord's lighting, small power, access control and security systems, exterior lighting of the central street and the illumination of St Martin's church, a focal point of the development.
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Time is running out...
Now is your last chance to enter the 2002 Building Services Awards.
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Forecasts sound positive
News from construction sector analysts paints a rosy picture for the year.
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Jobs to go at MK parent group Novar
Novar, the diversified building materials group that includes electrical brands such as MK, Ackermann, ADE, Bardic and Friedland, reported a pre-tax loss of £5.9 million in the year to 31 December 2001.
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T Clarke hits record performance
Preliminary results for the year ending 31 December 2001 show that T Clarke has had a fantastic last 12 months.
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Mayoral seat
Staff in the new headquarters of the Greater London Authority should be able to work in comfort thanks to two Viessmann Vitoplex gas boilers. The 750 kW boilers form the centre of the Arup-designed heating system for the nine-storey glazed building. The system, installed by Axima Building Services, includes a mix of underfloor and perimeter heating. Hot water passes through the horizontal steel structural elements of the north-facing wall making them act as a giant radiator.
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Cross-connect to save space
Use of a cross-connect system achieved 75% space savings in a London architectural practice.
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Buy online deliveries
BIW Technologies' web-based supply chain management system is being used in a four-storey state-of the-art warehouse at Hatfield for online grocer Ocado.
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Honeywell lightens energy bills
Manufacturer Honeywell is promoting energy efficiency to clients from within its own factory.
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Chilled affair
The principal building in the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' new development at Temple Quay, Bristol features mixed mode ventilation to minimise comfort cooling. Consultant WSP Group chose a DeLonghi FE-ERAT 3403SL air-cooled water chiller to serve the underfloor air distribution system that supplements the natural ventilation in summer; reliability and lack of space were key factors in the choice. NG Bailey was the m&e contractor on the project.
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Fancy a top up?
Stuart Maddock continues his series on the packaged air conditioning market with a look at refrigerant options.
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Patchy intelligence
How can the management of complex data cabling infrastructures be simplified? We outline a new patching solution.
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Primary cooling
A Somerset school has become the first in the UK to trial a new mechanical ventilation system in its classrooms. We look at its imminent launch and hears why clear heads need fresh air.
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Win £50 with EMC
EMC is giving readers the chance to win £50 of drinks vouchers. All you have to do is correctly answer three simple questions about articles in the April 2002 issue:
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Light fantastic
Big name Millennium projects have grabbed the gongs at the 2002 Lighting Design Awards.
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Under starter's orders
The biggest multi-sport event to be held in the UK since the 1948 Olympics demanded a venue worthy of the competition. We visited Manchester to see the result.
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Holding companies
The use of retentions is an ongoing problem for specialist contractors, but what alternatives, if any, exist? BSRIA research aims to find new ways of working.
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Service industry
Two former N G Bailey apprentices are busy making a name for themselves as directors of electrical contractor Breese & Earle.
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BBC exposes the cowboys...
The BBC Rogue Traders programme has exposed the use of illegal and dangerous practices by some electricians that conspire to fuel the public's low opinion of the industry.
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