ISH 2021 will take place from 22 to 26 March 2021 and will be wholly digital. ISH has also announced the show will highlight a host of issues, including ‘Indoor Environment Quality’. This theme covers thermal comfort and indoor air-quality hygiene.

Experts agree that the Covid pandemic, which has persisted since the spring of 2020, and the need to protect people from being infected by the coronavirus in enclosed spaces is going to have a major impact on ventilation and air-conditioning technology.

Ventilation units play an important role here, as constant flushing of indoor spaces with large volumes of clean external air will significantly reduce the concentration of Covid aerosols in room air and thus greatly limit the risk of infection. In effect, the more external air that is used, the better the effect. And if the existing ventilation system is not powerful enough to provide an exchange of air from the outside sufficient to provide a significant reduction in Covid aerosols, two further measures are recommended:

Firstly: windows should be opened at regular intervals to provide ventilation.

Secondly: supplementary air-purifying units should be set up and operated. These plug-in devices continually suck in the room air, filter out any viruses that it may contain using high-efficiency, particulate filters (HEPA) and / or UV-C irradiation and then return the purified air into the room. Efficiency levels of over 99 percent can be achieved. Such devices, which are also recommended by virologists as a sensible additional measure to complement the introduction of external airflow are now available from many manufacturers, with a variety of designs and airflow levels. They are suitable to provide effective supplementary protection from coronavirus infection in, for example, classrooms, open-plan offices and conference rooms, as well as in doctors’ surgeries, fitness rooms and other similar applications.

Be it offices, administration buildings and event locations, restaurants, cinemas, theatres, department stores, shops, supermarkets, leisure facilities or industrial sites: wherever people spend longer amounts of time, the operation of ventilation and air-conditioning installations ensures that constantly pleasant indoor temperatures and humidity levels, adjusted to suit requirements at the time, are maintained and that the air quality is healthy and feels fresh. Technical regulations, standards and guidelines talk of ‘thermal comfort’ and the IEQ (Indoor Environment Quality), which involves several parameters.

Satisfaction with the conditions in a given space, is in large measure, dependent on the temperature of the room, the humidity level and the movement of air. The following values are considered appropriate for good IEQ and are the figures usually applied in the planning of most ventilation and air-conditioning installations in buildings and indoor communal areas: 

• Room temperature: between about 20 °C in winter and 26 °C in summer
• Humidity level: between about 40 % in winter and 60 % in summer
• Air movement: less than about 0.2 m/s in places where people congregate in order to rule out any possible danger of draughts.

We can assume that the coronavirus epidemic and the need for personal protection will, in future, be given greater consideration in the planning and installation of ventilation and air-conditioning systems – with, for example, higher airflow volumes and the use of high-efficiency air filtration systems.

Detailed information about ISH Digital 2021 can be found at: www.ish.messefrankfurt.com

ISH is the leading world trade fair for water, heating and air conditioning and will take place from 22 to 26 March 2021.

ISH 2019

Simon Acres Group (SAGL) has expanded its KBB support offering with the launch of KBB HR, a dedicated support service for KBB retailers and merchants, looking for industry specific HR guidance.

The service provides access to a team of CIPD qualified HR professionals that will review requirements and respond with solutions.  The first informal discussion is free of charge, which is followed by a HR consultation at £299+VAT. Subsequent guidance is purchased on an ‘as needed’ basis as required.  This is available as a one to one personal visit as well as over the phone and via email, and there is no commitment to a regular contract.

New Business Manager at SAGL Jordan Burns says, “We are delighted to be launching this service, which offers a significant difference to others available, as all of our consultants have direct KBB and merchant experience.  This industry knowledge enables them to understand the common pitfalls and requirements of KBB and merchant businesses, offering the most relevant guidance.

“The service is flexible and cost effective, allowing businesses to access the guidance they need, when they need it, without any long term commitments. 

“KBB HR is ideal for those that don’t have access to the resources of a HR team and are looking for practical guidance and best practice policies.”

More information can be found in this film here, or by visiting www.kbbhr.co.uk

Pictured: Jordan Burns, New Business Manager at SAGL

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has this morning reported that the UK economy grew by 15.5% in the third quarter of the year. This growth comes as a small but welcome recovery from the record-breaking 19.8% decline seen in June, especially as this improvement was seen in all sectors of the economy, including services, manufacturing and construction. 

However, with a second lockdown in place, it is important to note that this growth may once again see the economy suffer from the closure of non-essential businesses. Despite this, the continuation of trade in the construction sector will prove to be the backbone of the economy during these concerning times. The construction and trade sectors have seen particular growth following the lift in the spring lockdown according to PMI data, and this upward trajectory is expected to continue.

Powered Now, a mobile-based billing, invoicing and quotation application which specialises in trades, has a client base of over 1500 SMEs, and has seen first hand the impact COVID-19 has had on businesses within trade sectors. 

Ben Dyer, CEO of Powered Now, discusses how British construction and home improvements will fare in the winter and highlights the impact the second lockdown will have on SMEs in the trades.

“The economic recovery we have seen in this morning’s announcement is indeed welcome, but of course with much of Britain in a state of national lockdown over the month of November, this month and the subsequent winter season are of course going to present yet more challenges. That’s why it would prudent to look towards sectors that remain open, such as construction and the trades, to provide the kind of stability we need at the moment.

The new restrictions have had a negligible impact on the construction sector so far, and overall activity around construction has to be welcomed. Given the bonanza that housebuilders are currently experiencing from the stamp duty reduction, it’s no surprise that they are the best performing sector of the construction industry. Whether this boom for the housing industry will be followed by a bust is unknown. At the moment, most firms are just grateful for the good business they are getting right now given how much other sectors are suffering.​

It is disappointing that the supply of building materials remains a constraint and it could be argued that suppliers over-reacted to the first lockdown, creating this situation. The reduction in the rate of PMI growth seen last week could be the first signs of a drop in demand from lockdown related macroeconomic damage. Let’s hope that isn’t the case.

However, it looks like the new restrictions may not have impacted the specific sub-sector of home improvement either, although the jury is still out. It may be that homeowners become more anxious over time, particularly if the virus continues spreading rapidly. The biggest concern overall is about the supply of materials. Fortunately, at the moment the indicators are that the shortage is easing.”