Evomax 2, the UK’s number one selling commercial wall-mounted boiler from Ideal Heating Commercial, is now available with a 10-year warranty. As with all Ideal Heating Commercial condensing boilers, Evomax 2 is designed specifically for the UK market, and produced in a state of the art manufacturing plant in Hull which has seen considerable investment over recent years.  “Ideal Heating Commercial is one of the few true British manufacturers left in the heating industry” states Andy Forrest, National Sales Manager – Ideal Heating Commercial “and we consider the 10-year warranty we have introduced on Evomax 2 to reflect both our confidence in this market leading commercial boiler and our commitment to British manufacturing.” The new warranty covers 10-year parts and labour when Evomax 2 is installed on an Ideal Heating pipework header kit with plate heat exchanger, and commissioned by Ideal Heating Commercial.  Commissioning is provided as a free service and not only saves installers time and money, but ensures that the boiler is operating correctly before it is put into service.  An Enhanced Appliance and Primary System Check, which is chargeable at £250 per boiler, is also required under the terms and conditions of the 10-year warranty. The new 10-year warranty does not affect the existing 5-year warranty proposition, which will continue to be available with free commissioning. The Evomax 2 is not only Ideal Heating Commercial’s best selling boiler, but the best selling wall mounted boiler in the UK.  Its popularity is attributed to its reliability and performance, as well as its flexibility, and quick and easy installation. Highly efficient, Evomax 2 has up to 99.6% full load efficiency and up to 110% part load efficiency, can operate at up to 30° Δ T, and boasts a high turndown of 5:1.  NOx <40mg/kWh (Class 6) is achieved for all Evomax 2 natural gas boilers, for low emissions. It is available with outputs from 30-150kW, which can be increased to 900kW using six Evomax 2 boilers in cascade. When using Evomax 2 in cascade, Ideal Heating Commercial has made this process even easier through the provision of low height and standard frame and header kits to suit all plantrooms, along with an online cascade configurator tool to make choosing what you need straightforward.  Building an Evomax 2 cascade system is also fast: a three-boiler cascade can be built in under 90 minutes, as demonstrated in Ideal Heating Commercial’s video idealcommercialboilers.com/news/how-quickly-can-you-build-a-three-boiler-cascade Evomax 2 is available with a range of accessories, including hydraulic separation, all with market-leading availability, all designed and manufactured in the UK. Ideal Heating Commercial delivers commercial heating solutions that are at the forefront of technology and developed in line with the latest market trends and legislation. For more information visit idealcommercialheating.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Siemens Smart Infrastructure today announced the launch of a mobile access offering for Building X Security Manager, based on Apple Wallet and a collaboration with Swiss leader in credential management and access security solutions, LEGIC. By integrating LEGIC Connect, a software service for the creation and distribution of mobile credentials to smart devices, into the Siemens application, users can now enjoy a seamless connection to Apple Wallet. Security Manager is a cloud-based application to manage access control in buildings. The new solution is an extension of the existing Siemens Building X Security Manager app and enables its users to conveniently and securely use their Apple devices – such as iPhone or Apple Watch – to enter buildings faster by tapping a compatible card reader. Apple Wallet is an app that securely and conveniently organizes credit, debit and identity cards, keys, and more – all in one place. Once badges are activated, users can hold their device near a door’s Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled lock to seamlessly access secured areas. With Express Mode, they don’t need to unlock their device to use their badge in Apple Wallet. If an iPhone needs to be charged, people can still access buildings for up to five hours with Power Reserve. For building owners and security managers, Apple Wallet provides a trusted and secure platform for mobile credentials as stored directly on the devices – including built-in privacy and security features of iPhones and Apple Watches. At the same time, it increases the efficiency and sustainability of building access by eliminating the need to open an app or present a traditional, plastic access key. “By collaborating with Apple and LEGIC, our Building X customers can enhance their experience when entering buildings. They will benefit from a streamlined access method that feels as natural as using their device for payments, leveraging a familiar and intuitive interface,” said Rahul Chillar, Executive Vice President, Software, Siemens Smart Infrastructure Buildings. “We will also be using it for our own Siemens’ buildings.” Building X is a digital building platform that supports customers to digitalize, manage, and optimize their building operations. This leads to an enhanced user experience, increased performance, and improved sustainability. It is part of Siemens Xcelerator, an open digital business platform that enables customers to accelerate their digital transformation easier, faster and at scale. Together with LEGIC, Siemens will showcase the Building X Security Manager integration into Apple Wallet at Intersec 2025 fair in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The event that maps the future of safety, security and fire protection takes place from 14 to 16 January, 2025. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

The UK’s pledge to build 1.5 million homes faces a critical but overlooked challenge – the dramatic decline of regional housebuilders capable of delivering community-focused developments. That’s according to electrical specialist Garo who highlights the issue in a new report. Industry analysis reveals SME builders now deliver just 10% of new homes, a figure which was previously 40%[1], creating a significant gap in regional housing delivery. This collapse in local building capacity comes at a crucial moment when housing electrical requirements are becoming exponentially more complex. Modern homes demand consumer units that can handle bidirectional power flow from solar panels, manage high-power EV charging points, and incorporate smart monitoring systems – all while maintaining capacity for future innovations. For SME builders operating on tight margins, these technical demands create significant financial and operational challenges. “The combination of ambitious construction targets and increasingly sophisticated home technology creates a perfect storm,” says Dan Dempsey, National Sales Manager at GARO Electric. “Modern homes require advanced electrical infrastructure to support everything from EV charging to heat pumps – yet we’ve lost the very builders who best understand local market needs. “While larger developers excel at volume delivery, regional builders have traditionally delivered developments that reflect local architecture, demographics, and price points. Their decline impacts our ability to create diverse, well-integrated housing solutions across different communities.” The situation is set to become more challenging. The Future Homes Standard, due in 2025, will require new homes to produce 75-80% less carbon emissions than current standards. This demands even more sophisticated electrical systems, potentially further squeezing regional builders already struggling with technical complexity and cost barriers. These challenges extend beyond individual properties. As homes evolve from passive energy consumers to active participants in dynamic energy networks, the loss of regional building expertise threatens both housing delivery and the UK’s broader transition to sustainable communities. Data suggests that without addressing this technical and financial burden on smaller housebuilders, the government’s ambitious housing targets may prove difficult to achieve, particularly in regions where local building knowledge is essential. Dan Dempsey continued: “The implications reach far beyond simple housing numbers. At stake is not just the government’s 1.5 million homes target, but the very character of Britain’s regional housing development and its ability to create the sustainable, community-focused developments that the next generation of homeowners will demand.” To download Garo’s specialist report on the topic, click here https://www.garoelectric.com/electrical-products/consumer-units/shapingtomorrow Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Two Imax Xtra 2 240kW Ideal Heating Commercial condensing boilers have been installed at Hull Maritime Museum as part of a major restoration project to the Grade 2* listed building. Dating back to 1871 when the building was Hull’s Dock Offices, the Hull Maritime Museum has been in operation since 1975 and had been heated by the same cast iron section boiler for the last 30 years.  The boiler had not only outlived its natural working lifespan, but was also energy inefficient.  With building services being replaced and updated throughout the museum as part of a restoration project that began in 2020, the old boiler has now been replaced by two Imax Xtra 2 240kW boilers installed in cascade on a prefabricated header kit. The Imax Xtra 2 range of floor standing condensing boilers from Ideal Heating Commercial provide up to 97.7% full load efficiency and up to 108.2% part load efficiency, and have a high 5:1 turndown, making them highly energy efficient. Installing the boilers in cascade, as at Hull Maritime Museum, makes for an even more energy efficient solution as they have a higher modulation ratio than a single larger boiler, so there is less need for each individual boiler to cycle on and off to meet changing demands for heating over a day.  Up to four Imax Xtra 2 boilers can be installed in a cascade  for an output up to 1120kW Imax Xtra 2 boilers can operate at up to 30°C ΔT, and five of the six models – including the 240kW – operate at 26mg/kWh on natural gas.  As with all Ideal Heating Commercial boilers, they are built to last and feature a robust cast aluminium silicon alloy heat exchanger.  Imax Xtra 2 boilers are also highly compact with a small footprint to fit through standard doorways. All these factors played an important role in the specification of the new boilers, but a further factor which sealed the deal for the client was that Imax Xtra 2 boilers are proudly manufactured in Hull! The heating contractor on this project, family-owned HF Brown & Son Ltd. that has been in business since 1947, is a long-standing Ideal Heating Commercial customer, who has used the company’s full range of boilers extensively.  Managing Director Nick Brown is satisfied with this latest installation: “The whole install appears to be working well and the boilers were an ease to install.  The service and support from Ideal Heating was very good as usual.” Hull Maritime Museum is expected to reopen in 2026. For more information on Ideal Heating Commercial, visit https://www.idealcommercialheating.co.uk/. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals