The Apprentice winner, Joseph Valente, has signed up with NICEIC – the UK’s leading voluntary regulatory body for the electrical contracting industry. Valente was named the winner of the hit BBC show ‘The Apprentice’ last year. That victory earned him the backing of Lord Sugar and he is using his support to expand his plumbing, heating and electrical business, Impra Gas.   “It has been full on since winning The Apprentice, but it is a great platform for my business,” commented Valente. “The investment and support has allowed us to explore new areas and we just want to get going now and grab the opportunity.” Part of that development includes gaining NICEIC accreditation. As the nation’s leading and most recognised certification body, Valente admits NICEIC approval was vital to expanding his business. “Having specialised in the heating and plumbing sector I was well aware of NICEIC and it was the only brand that people really spoke about. “We used to sub-contract out all of our electrical work but winning The Apprentice means we have been able to take on two fully qualified electricians and start doing that work in-house. “Being an Approved Contractor with NICEIC means we can now offer a full electrical service to our clients including consumer unit changes and electrical reporting and testing.”Joseph is also keen to capitalise on the growing trend for smart technology around the home. Continual developments in technology in recent years have transformed the way we work. They are also increasingly changing the way we live in our ‘connected’ homes – something Joseph has identified as a specialist area for his business. “I think smart homes and the Internet of Things (IoT) is the way the industry is going,” he added. “Technology is developing all the time and I think being a pioneer in that particular area is a strong unique selling point for my business. “Winning The Apprentice has allowed us time to look at new avenues to explore – such as smart technology. Something we never had the time or money to do before.” Impra Gas currently employs five gas engineers and two qualified electricians. Originally based in Peterborough, Impra Gas will be expanding into Cambridgeshire and Northampton this year with further plans to grow the business and the services it offers. NICEIC CEO Emma Clancy added: “We are delighted to welcome Impra Gas and Joseph on board. “The NICEIC name is associated with quality and is great to know that when it comes to expanding and growing a business that Joseph turned to NICEIC – the name which for sixty years has stood for excellence and safe electrical working.” Source link

©PA The idea of the undead fascinates people. An average of 20 zombie films are released every year. The idea of fracking for natural gas in the UK also gets attention every time it rises from the grave. Hordes of placard-wielding villagers chase the natural gas exploration companies away; they turn up in a different form elsewhere. The latest sighting has come near the Yorkshire village of Kirby Misperton. This case differs from that of other UK gas explorers, such as Cuadrilla. Third Energy has produced gas in the area for 20 years and applied last summer to stimulate a well using hydraulic fracking. Its fields, which have started to run out, produce fuel for its smallish (42MW) electricity generation plant. Water for fracking and any gas out would travel through already installed pipes, minimising disturbance. Its application was approved. Even so, locals shrieked at the possibility of ghastly frack trucks showing up elsewhere in the area. Other companies are also keen to find gas — not just relative minnows such as Cuadrilla but also the likes of Ineos, a privately owned UK chemicals group with $40bn in turnover. And the UK government likes the idea of energy independence, given that the British Geological Survey has estimated a total resource of more than 1,000tn cubic feet beneath Yorkshire and Lancashire. That is easily 10 times all the gas ever produced from the North Sea. Recovering even a tiny fraction of this resource could make a difference. But not at any price. Spot gas prices, at about 30p per therm, already trade below estimates of what it would cost to produce shale gas from UK fields. IGas, which also had been exploring in old coal seams, has now decided not to bother. It will, however, continue with shale gas for the time being. Meanwhile, US gas output rises every year and storage there is nearly full. Exports are on their way to Britain. Centrica is one of the importers. Yet the cult following still believes that fracking in the UK could be profitable. Investors should allow market forces to finally kill it off. This article has been amended to reflect that IGas has not stopped its shale gas activities Email the Lex team at lex@ft.com Letter in response to this column: Shale gas will boost UK energy security / From Ken Cronin Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link

Glencore is selling its coal haulage business in Australia’s Hunter Valley for A$1.14bn ($874m) to US railroad company Genesee & Wyoming as part of efforts to reduce its debt burden.  With the sale of Glencore Rail, the Swiss group will be on the verge of meeting chief executive Ivan Glasenberg’s target of US$5bn in assets sales in 2016.  The mining and commodity trader said on Thursday that upon completion of the deal, which is subject to approval by Australia’s foreign investment regulator, Genesee & Wyoming Australia would service most of Glencore’s coal haulage needs in the Hunter Valley via a 20-year contract.  Glencore has already agreed $3.9bn of asset sales this year, including the sale of a 49 per cent stake in its agricultural arm. Shares in Glencore have risen around 13 per cent this month — one of the best performers on the FTSE 100 — as commodity prices have rallied and the company has made progress with its debt reduction plan. GWA beat out competition from Australia’s Aurizon and Pacific National, both of which already run large coal haulage businesses in the Hunter Valley, one of the country’s biggest coal-producing regions. Its entry into the Hunter Valley adds a new competitor in the coal haulage market as Glencore previously did not ship other companies’ coal via its GRail business. Peter Freyberg, head of Glencore’s coal assets, said the company looked forward to a constructive working relationship with GWA. “We established GRail in 2010 and have steadily grown it to become the third-largest coal haulage business in the country,” said Mr Freyberg. “It has played a very important role in reducing costs and improving the overall efficiency of Australia’s largest coal chain in the Hunter Valley.”  Glencore said in March that it was aiming for up to US$5bn in asset disposals this year as part of its debt reduction plan, launched last year in response to a slump in its share price linked to collapse in commodities prices. The sale of GRail, Glencore’s agricultural business, and silver and gold output brings the total to US$4.7bn.  Glencore is aiming to reduce net debt to $16.5bn-$17.5bn by the end of the year. As of end-June, net debt stood at $23.6bn.  GRail currently hauls about 40m tonnes per year of coal production from Glencore’s mines in the Hunter Valley to the Port of Newcastle.  Sample the FT’s top stories for a week You select the topic, we deliver the news. Source link

18 April 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal The first quarter of 2016 has witnessed the highest level of office take-up across the ‘Big Nine’ cities since 2008, according to Bilfinger GVA’s regional review of office occupier markets.  This has amounted to 2.3 million square feet – 13 per cent above the five-year quarterly average. It continues the strong occupational story of the past two years. Q1 figures are characterised by a significant number of larger deals – six over 50,000 sq ft, with Morgan Stanley’s 155,000 sq ft pre-let in Glasgow standing out.  And the construction market is responding to this demand, with the latest wave of activity initiated by Paradise and 3 Snowhill in Birmingham, and 122 Waterloo Street in Glasgow, according to the report.    The ‘Big Nine’ are Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle upon-Tyne, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Source link

Research Beam added a report “Global Wood Based Products Market Report: 2016 Edition Size, Share, Trends, Segmentation, Growth, Technology, Opportunity, Analysis and forecast” Title:  Global Wood Based Products Market Research Report 2016Research Beam added a report “Global Wood Based Products Market Report: 2016 Edition Size, Share, Trends, Segmentation, Growth, Technology, Opportunity, Analysis and forecast”Description:About the Wood Based Products Market Notes:Production, means the output of Wood Based ProductsRevenue, means the sales value of Wood Based Products This report studies Wood Based Products in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with capacity, production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering  Columbia Forest Products UPM Boise Cascade Coastal Plywood Swanson Group Ausply Austral Plywoods Centuryply National Plywood Swastik Plyboard Limited Hebei Tongli Wood OSR GROUP Caledonian Plywood Roseburg Forest Products Co  Read more at: http://www.researchbeam.com/global-wood-based-products-research-report-2016-market   Market Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate of Wood Based Products in these regions, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), like North America Europe China Japan Southeast Asia India Split by product type, with production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoSplit by application, this report focuses on consumption, market share and growth rate of Wood Based Products in each application, can be divided into Application 1 Application 2 Application 3  Request report sample @ http://www.researchbeam.com/global-wood-based-products-research-report-2016-market/request-sample    Table of Contents1 Wood Based Products Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Wood Based Products1.2 Wood Based Products Segment by Type1.3 Wood Based Products Segment by Application1.4 Wood Based Products Market by Region1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Wood Based Products (2011-2021)2 Global Wood Based Products Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Wood Based Products Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 Global Wood Based Products Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.3 Global Wood Based Products Average Price by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.4 Manufacturers Wood Based Products Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Wood Based Products Market Competitive Situation and Trends3 Global Wood Based Products Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2011-2016)4 Global Wood Based Products Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2011-2016)5 Global Wood Based Products Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6 Global Wood Based Products Market Analysis by Application7 Global Wood Based Products Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis8 Wood Based Products Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Research Findings and ConclusionSimilar Reports:Global Wood Based Products Sales Market Report 2016Notes: Sales, means the sales volume of Wood Based Products Revenue, means the sales value of Wood Based Products This report studies sales (consumption) of Wood Based Products in Global market, especially in USA, China, Europe, Japan, India and Southeast Asia, focuses on top players in these regions/countries, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player in these regionsUnited States Wood Based Products Market Report 2016Notes: Sales, means the sales volume of Wood Based Products Revenue, means the sales value of Wood Based Products This report studies sales (consumption) of Wood Based Products in United States market, focuses on the top players, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each playerGlobal Wood Based Products Market Outlook 2016-2021Gens report, Global Wood Based Products Market Outlook 2016-2021 provides detailed market and segment level data on the Global and Chinese consumption of Wood Based Products.About Us:With the arsenal of different search reports, Research Beam helps you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency. With the window of opportunity getting open and shut at a speed of light, it has become very important to survive in the market and only the fittest and competent enough can do so. So, we try and provide with latest changes in the market that can suit your needs and help you take decision accordingly.Contact Us:5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesU.S. & Canada Toll Free: + 1-800-910-6452International: + 1-503-894-6022UK: + 44-845-528-1300India: +91 20 66346070Fax : +1 (855) 550-5975Email: help@researchbeam.comWeb: http://www.researchbeam.com/ Source link

Victor Avelar, Director and Senior Research Analyst at Schneider Electric’s Data Center Science CenterBy focussing on the trade offs between mechanical load and electrical losses as a means to ensure energy efficiency, ASHRAE’s new Energy Standard for data centres is paving the way for industry best practices and a standards-based approach to data centre design.  Earlier this week a UK news article publicised a long awaited Energy Standard for Data Centres by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Classed as Standard number 90.4-2016, it establishes the minimum energy efficiency requirements for data centres and includes recommendations on their design, construction, operation and maintenance as well as on the use of on-site and off-site renewable energy. ASHRAE’s earlier 90.1 standard applies to energy efficiency in buildings generally and is widely referred to in building regulations. 90.4 is a performance-based design standard and takes account special considerations affecting data centres, including variations in both mechanical load and electrical losses across different climate zones. Calculations for both electrical and mechanical components are made and then compared to the maximum allowable values for the appropriate climate zone. Compliance with the standard is achieved when the calculated values do not exceed the values contained in the standard. Crucially the new standard does not require a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) rating to ensure compliance, although this was considered at an earlier stage of the drafting process. In this, the Society clearly recognises that energy management in data centres is a more complex problem than can be resolved with a single metric such as PUE, useful though that figure certainly is in guiding energy-efficiency efforts. Recent research detailed in Schneider Electric’s White Paper 221, ‘The Unexpected Impact of Raising Data Centre Temeperatures’, found that only a full understanding of the cooling and power infrastructure of the data centre AND the operational requirements of the IT equipment itself will yield optimum results in terms of efficiency and power consumption. Laying undue emphasis on a single metric such as PUE for efficiency, or on simple strategies such as allowing ambient temperatures to rise as a means of reducing overall power consumption are insufficient in themselves. The theory supporting raised temperatures is that cooling equipment can operate in economy mode and will not need to be used as frequently, resulting in a lower energy requirement. However, experience shows that the results of this strategy have been mixed. PUE has the advantage of simplicity, in that it represents efficiency as a single metric allowing data centre operators to measure the effectiveness of the power and cooling systems over time. However, it is quite limited as it measures only the relative difference between power consumed on IT equipment and the energy consumed on IT and infrastructure combined. Therefore,  lowering your PUE rating does not necessarily mean that your overall energy consumption has been reduced. In fact, PUE is only a measure of how efficient the physical infrastructure systems are in providing power to the IT load. It says nothing about the total energy being consumed by the data centre and is more indicative of a ratio, not a value that indicates a quantity of energy.  In essence your PUE can improve (i.e., power and cooling systems are more efficient) but your energy use throughout the data centre might be the same or higher. By allowing chillers to operate in economiser mode for a greater part of the year does indeed produce immediate energy savings, these are offset by the greater burden placed on other parts of the cooling infrastructure. Air coolers for example, must operate when the chillers are in economiser mode and the fans both in the server racks themselves and in the CRAH (computer room air handlers) units have to work harder, and use more energy, as temperature rises. Schneider Electric has completed studies of data centres in very different climactic regions and the consequences of allowing temperature to rise can vary greatly depending on the location and whether or not a data centre is operating at full load. When the data centre was operating at full load and temperatures were allowed to float between 15.6 and 25.7C, rather than be maintained at the lower level, energy efficiency and total cost of ownership were both improved in Seattle; energy efficiency improved slightly but total costs were unchanged in Chicago; and in Miami, a hotter climate, both efficiency and total costs were worsened. At half load, energy and total costs were improved in both Chicago and Seattle but they increased again in Miami. One reason for increased overall cost at high temperatures is the effect on the reliability of IT equipment. Servers and storage products tend to have higher rates of failure when operating at higher temperatures. The team at Schneider Electric’s Data Center Science Center concluded that although operating at higher temperatures can be a useful strategy, care must be taken when implementing it to ensure optimal effects. Necessary steps include the adoption of air-management practices, such as the use of hot or cold-aisle containment systems, to reduce the risk of hot spots; the cooling architecture of a data centre should be designed to handle elevated temperatures; and the design should also take into account the business growth plan as data centre behaviour may vary as the IT load changes. In addition, greater collaboration with IT equipment maufacturers is necessary to gain a better understanding of how the operational IT load and how its reliability is impacted at high temperatures. By allowing greater latitude to data centre designers to build their facilities to their specific requirements and by taking into account the differing load and cooling strategies that must be deployed in differing climactic regions, ASHRAE’s new 90.4 standard will encourage innovation in the development of efficient data centres, resulting in more reliable, efficient and cost effective IT services. Source link