NEWS | DIGEST Industry urged to switch to reclaimed refrigerants The international refrigerant supplier A-Gas has called for the air conditioning and refrigeration sectors to step up their use of reclaimed refrigerants in the face of tightening restrictions on virgin gases. Since the start of the year, virgin refrigerants with a global warming potential (GWP) of 2,500 or greater can no longer be used in new installations, or to service systems with a charge size of 40 tonnes CO2 equivalent or greater around 10kgs of the widely used gas R404A. Virgin R404A is still available for smaller systems, but A-Gas has warned that supplies are limited because of demand pressures caused by the new restrictions. Major refrigerant suppliers removing virgin R404A and R507A from sale in the European market reinforces that the switch to reclaimed gases must gain pace if the industry is to manage this change, said an A-Gas spokesperson. It is also key that installers and end users understand the difference between reclaimed and recycled refrigerants. Recycled refrigerant is a handy quick-fix, which is cleaned up and can only be used on site. Reclaimed refrigerant has been reprocessed by a licensed facility to the industry standard AHRI 700. It is purified, certificated and guaranteed to be returned to the same standard as virgin material. Low-GWP alternatives are the best solution in the long term, added A-Gas, but reclaimed gases are part of the future because they use material that has already been produced, prolonging the life of equipment and reducing the burden on producing new, quota-restricted material. Builders demand VAT cut The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) wants the Chancellor to cut the rate of VAT on homeimprovement works in the forthcoming Budget. While last year was marked by political and economic uncertainty, there seems to be some small signs of hope for the construction industry, said FMB chief executive Brian Berry. It is too soon to tell whether this will be a longerterm trend, as some sectors such as private housebuilding, and repair and maintenance continue to see sluggish growth. Berry said the Budget was the perfect opportunity for the government to ensure the positive trend at the end of 2019 continues into the new decade. The FMB also advised the government to invest in construction skills and in improving planning departments, to ensure they do not act as a blockage that undermines their ambitious plans for new housebuilding. Positive end to 2019 Construction output grew strongly towards the end of 2019, according to government data. The Office for National Statistics said output rose by 1.1% in the three months to November, compared with the previous three months, driven by a 1.6% increase in new work. Repair and maintenance work grew by just 0.2%. The largest growth was in infrastructure and private commercial (3% and 1.8% respectively), but new housing work was down slightly. Record hot year results in more overheating deaths CCC warns that building designs must adapt to rising temperatures Two summer heatwaves in the UK last year caused 892 extra deaths, with most victims dying inside their own homes or care homes, according to Public Health England (PHE). The country recorded its highest temperature on record between 21 and 28 July 38.7C in Cambridge while the second heatwave took place between 23 and 29 August. Overall, 2019 was the UKs hottest on record. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has warned that the UK is woefully unprepared to deal with rising temperatures. There is no coherent plan for dealing with overheating in buildings, it said, and its recommendations for changing Building Regulations have been ignored. Unless building designs are changed, the number of premature heatrelated deaths will rise to 7,000 a year by 2040, the CCC predicts. According to PHE, most of the deaths last year were among people aged 65 or over with the elderly and those with heart and kidney problems most at risk although 41 in London were among those aged under 65. Air-quality advocate launches BESAs safe haven campaign The UKs first World Health Organization (WHO) advocate for air quality and health has joined the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) group for health and wellbeing in buildings. Rosamund Adoo Kissi-Debrahs daughter Ella died in 2013 after a series of asthma attacks linked to air pollution near her home and school in Lewisham, London. Her death is the subject of a second coroners inquest, which may lead to Ella becoming the first person in the world to have air pollution officially recorded as cause of death. Having founded the Ella Roberta Foundation (ellaroberta.org) in her memory, Adoo Kissi-Debrah has become a high-profile figure Rosamund Adoo Kissi-Debrah in the battle against air pollution. She launched BESAs Building Safe Havens (#buildingsafehavens) campaign, promoting indoor clean air zones. The building engineering industry has a particularly important role to play because of the nature of your work, she said. It is so crucial that you dont cut corners, and dont look for loopholes in standards and regulations. Peer launches late payment bill Exactly two years after the collapse of construction giant Carillion, Lord Mendelsohn has introduced a new payment bill to the House of Lords, in a bid to improve payment security for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). It includes a statutory payment limit of 30 days and gives power to small firms to refer payment disputes to the Small Business Commissioner, who will be able to impose penalties on serial late payers. The bill would also amend the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, to mandate the use of project bank accounts for public sector works of more than 0.5m. According to SEC Group research, 90% of business owners/senior employees in construction are reporting mental health problems and disruption to family relationships because of payment abuse. Since October 2017, SMEs in construction have lost almost 580m worth of retention monies as a result of upstream insolvencies. 12 February 2020 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Feb20 pp12 News.indd 12 24/01/2020 14:46