Don’t be left in the cold this winter. Make sure that your boiler is working and running efficiently now. New Building Regulations and a Code for Sustainable Homes has meant that many of the large range of boilers available are unsuitable for homes in Britain. All boilers are now required to be either Condensing boilers or high efficiency boilers.

Condensing boilers are designed to recover more heat from the gas energy that is input into the heating system. The heat is recovered from the flue gases which are cooled into vapours. These boilers work at their highest efficiency at a low temperature, so they can feature fully modulating operation at all times, ensuring the output matches very closely to the heat demand.

Your home will more than probably feature a Combination, or „Combi“ boiler. They are the most commonly used boilers in the UK as they have a number of advantages. Hybrid versions of the boiler care currently being developed which will have water storage within the casing of the boiler. Though traditional Combi boilers have no heat storage facility they are great for their space saving abilities as they are so compact. To ensure that your boiler is efficient you should choose one with a SEDBUK A or B rating.

System boilers have all the benefits of combis but tend to provide a higher output capacity which is used predominantly for central heating. Open vent boilers can save large amounts of space as they are usually located in the loft, and work by pressurising a high level cold water tank.

You could also benefit the environment by updating your boiler to a solar powered/gas hybrid, which only relies on gas when solar panels cannot generate enough energy.

The Construction Centre can put you in contact with the UKs largest number ofHeating and Plumbing suppliers. So if you are looking for example, supplers of Electric Fires, then the Construction Centre should be top of your list.

Need to dehumidify and extract heat from your home? The solution is to invest in an air conditioning system or full HVAC system. Air-con provides comfort in both hot and cold weather by regulating internal temperatures.

A 240 volt electric supply is needed to power the fan units in each room and an external compressor. Mounted wall units will be discreetly fitted in each room. These will be connected with a series of thin copper pipes to a small external compressor unit to allow the flow and return of refrigerant gas.

The residents of the house will then be able to control temperature and humidity by using a remote control.

The advent of these internal wall mounted units called inverters has transformed the energy efficiency of air conditioning. They can control the capacity and fan speed of the system digitally by matching it precisely to the temperature required. This means that no additional or surplus heat is wasted.

Some air conditioning units on the continent and in holiday destinations give the systems a bad name, as they are often extremely noisy and ineffective. But this shouldn’t prevent you from considering an air-con system for your home. Modern systems are so quiet if sited in the right place that they will not disturb your home or the residential area that you live in.

Air conditioning systems have the ability to effectively be ‚run in reverse‘, thereby also acting as a heat pump. This is an extremely efficient use of electricity in providing domestic heating by provision of warm blow air. As a guideline the cost indication would be that a single wall inverter unit and compressor can be supplied and fitted at under 2000 +vat.

Domestic Air Conditioning Air conditioning is the removal of heat from indoor air for the thermal comfort of inhabitants. Air Conditioning can be used for many types of transportation, including cars, trains, ships, aeroplanes, and other vehicles.

Commercial air conditioning comes in both centrally driven systems and local systems. Traditionally offices tended to have a central cooling and heating fan unit whereby the temperature controlled air is distributed throughout the building by a system of ceiling or floor ducts. A series of ventilation grills and baffles are balanced to ensue an even air distribution throughout the building.

This is possible because a heat pump simply moves heat from one place to another rather than converting it from a fuel, like in combustion heating systems such as a gas boiler. Although air-source heat pumps are an energy efficient option, they do not generally perform well over extended periods of sub-freezing temperatures or in colder climates. In regions with sub-freezing winter temperatures, it may not be cost effective to meet all your heating needs with a standard air-source heat pump, in this case a more complex or traditional method should be employed.

A slightly more complex solution would be to adopt a system with standard gas boiler heating as a backup. This method will help you to overcome are the issue if you are in a low temperature climate.

A heat pump’s refrigeration system consists of a compressor and two coils made of copper tubing. One end of the copper tubing is indoors and the other end is situated outside of the building. Usually the copper pipe is surrounded by aluminium fins to aid in the transfer of heat.

Ideally businesses should consider their cooling requirements during the colder months in order to avoid disappointment and uncomfortable working conditions, due to the volume of demand for air conditioning over the summer. Typically installation firms are quieter during the winter months and can complete projects in plenty of time before the hot weather begins.

The Construction Centre can put you in contact with the UKs largest number ofHeating Systems suppliers. So if you are looking for supplers of Air Management, then the Construction Centre should be top of your list.

Open vent boilers work in a traditional manner, whereby the heating circuit is pressurised using a high level cold water tank usually located in the loft. The open vented boilers, whilst being very traditional in the plumbing arrangement, are however usually wall-hung boilers which help to save large amounts of space.

Typically heat is recovered from the flue gases; the water vapour in the exhausts gases is cooled by the incoming air, thus causing the vapour to form into a liquid state, hence the term condensing. Condensing boilers tend to work at their highest efficiency at lower temperatures so boilers are often designed to feature fully modulating operation at low temperatures, ensuring the output matches very closely to the heat demand.

Most natural gas boilers are suitable for Propane LPG fuel options and require only a change of burner nozzle. Many boilers are now able to run in conjunction with solar panels where gas forms the secondary top up, heat source. Solar smart combi boilers are now being produced by many boiler manufacturers. Other new features available are economisers, or top box gas savers, where even more heat is recovered from flue gases by incorporation of a secondary heat exchanger.

In recent years hybrid versions of combination boilers have evolved whereby a small amount of water storage is provided within the casing of the boiler. These are known as storage combination boilers.

Typical output capacities of combination boilers are 24kw, 28kw and 35kw but this varies with each boiler manufacturer. The efficiency of the boiler is reflected by the SEDBUK rating and ideally one should be seeking a SEDBUK, A or B rated boiler.

System boilers have all the benefits of combis but tend to provide a higher output capacity. They work on a sealed system basis and are predominantly for central heating. If domestic water heating or commercial water heating is required then a storage cylinder is provided in the traditional way.

The Construction Centre can put you in contact with the UKs largest number ofHeating and Plumbing suppliers. So if you are looking for example, supplers of Air Conditioning Units, then the Construction Centre should be top of your list.

Environmental issues are becoming increasingly important and there is an associated increase in public awareness. There is generally less awareness of the contribution that good building design can make to reducing pollution and improving the environment.

The Guide provides information on compliance with and the necessary assessment criteria of all categories within the Code. Information regarding Code related products and professional services are provided for easy sourcing and to enable a route to compliance.

At the same time we need to build much more housing to accommodate an increasing population, and changing lifestyles. If all the necessary housing were to be built by 2050, experts predict that up to one-third of the total housing stock is still yet to be built.

The UK Government is committed to addressing both the causes and consequences of climate change and to that end is bringing forward proposals for a Climate Change Bill1. The Bill will introduce a clear, credible, long-term framework for the UK to achieve its goals of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and ensure steps are taken towards adapting to the impacts of climate change.

Building sustainable homes requires us to minimise all sorts of environmental impacts in addition to carbon dioxide emissions, such as water use, waste generated, and materials for building.

The Code for Sustainable Homes provides a comprehensive measure of the sustainability of new homes, ensuring that sustainable homes deliver real improvements in key areas such as carbon dioxide emissions and water use.

The issues can be assessed against a performance target and awarded one or more credits. Performance targets are more demanding than the minimum standard needed to satisfy Building Regulations or other legislation. They represent good or best practice, are technically feasible, and can be delivered by the building industry.

If you are looking for further news articles, information on the Sustainable Housing. or Sustainable Design. Then the Construction Centre can fulfill your requirements.