Celsa Group, one of the largest steel producers in Europe, is the first manufacturer to attain certification for UK production facilities under the British Board of Agrément’s new UKAS-accredited Reinforcing Steel Scheme. The BBA revealed details of the scheme – designed to offer a straightforward and robust route to demonstrating
The UK’s first test standard for Heat Interface Units (HIUs), which is managed by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), has been revised and updated in response to growing demand from the district heating industry. Two UK-based test houses have now been approved to carry out testing to the standard
Celsa Group, one of the largest steel producers in Europe, is the first manufacturer to attain certification for UK production facilities under the British Board of Agrément’s new UKAS-accredited Reinforcing Steel Scheme. The BBA revealed details of the scheme – designed to offer a straightforward and robust route to demonstrating industry compliance – in December following months of collaboration with the rebar sector and wider supply chain. The Celsa Group was one of the first producers to engage with the new initiative, going on to achieve BBA Reinforcing Steel Scheme certification for Celsa Manufacturing UK’s production facilities in Cardiff. BBA Technical Director Professor Bill Hewlettsaid: “We view the scheme as a natural progression to our renowned certification services and are excited to announce Celsa as the first recipient of this new robust and technically rigorous certification. “When we announced the scheme we were already in talks with rebar manufacturers wanting certification services so really hit the ground running, being open for business from day one. Our decades of certification experience and impartiality no doubt helped in ensuring a smooth transition for Celsa and the other clients currently going through the process.” Chris Hagg, Head of Sustainability and Strategy for CELSA Steel UK said: “We are delighted to be the first company to achieve this new UKAS-approved accreditation. The BBA has been at the forefront of certification of a broad range of construction products for well over 50 years and the addition of reinforcing steel to its portfolio is very welcome. In a post-Grenfell world of doubts being cast on the validity and authenticity of product testing, this scheme offers additional independent, third-party verified, trusted approval and brings extra value, confidence and reassurance to our customers.” The Celsa Group produces more than seven million tonnes of steel each year, with Celsa Steel UK being the largest producer of reinforcement in the UK and one of the biggest manufacturers of other steel long products, shipping around one million tonnes of finished product from its Cardiff factory annually. The Reinforcing Steel Scheme covers production at steel mills, cold rolling and processing plants, assessing manufacturing, process control and management systems to industry defined standards backed by continual benchmarking through material testing. The BBA samples products and witnesses in-house testing to determine compliance. Samples are also submitted to third party UKAS-accredited labs for confirmation on material compliance. Professor Hewlett added: “The scheme is very much client-focussed and assures the supply chain of a high quality, consistent product verified by a third party auditing process. It is straightforward yet robust, providing assurance that reinforcing steel products manufactured within its scope meet the relevant standards. It is a natural progression for us to apply our experience to the rebar market to assist in upholding industry best practice and a professional supply chain whilst working with product manufacturers to support their innovation.”
The UK’s first test standard for Heat Interface Units (HIUs), which is managed by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), has been revised and updated in response to growing demand from the district heating industry. Two UK-based test houses have now been approved to carry out testing to the standard – BSRIA and Enertek International – in addition to the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), which was previously the only organisation able to test to the new UK standard. HIUs extract heat from district heating networks to feed individual buildings and dwellings. How they perform is central to the overall efficiency of a district scheme. The Standard was developed, therefore, to help developers of UK heat networks procure HIUs based on comparative performance data. The availability of a UK standard has prompted considerable response from manufacturers with a significant number of HIUs already tested at RISE with several more already going through the process at BSRIA and Enertek. Testing to the standard is a two-stage process: The HIU has to achieve a UKAS or equivalent national accreditation through one of the three test houses and this result must then be verified by the Standard’s Steering Group before being published on the BESA website. Comprehensive The BESA Standard originally emerged from a heat network efficiency research project supported by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. Testing to the Standard is helping to create a comprehensive product database and improve performance of UK heat networks. It is modelled on a well-established Swedish methodology, which was adapted to suit typical UK operating conditions, and makes it possible to compare products and equipment types so that network designers can evaluate the performance of individual HIUs against their design parameters. The test calculates the annual volume weighted return temperature (VWART) from the HIU and provides evidence of compliance with other performance and reliability metrics, such as domestic hot water response time. As part of the revision process, the steering group overseeing the Standard has been expanded and a technical sub-committee – comprising industry experts and the three test houses – has been set up. It will make recommendations to the steering group on developing the standard, including a planned expansion of the regime. An HIU Manufacturers’ forum has already had its first meeting at BESA’s headquarters in London and provided valuable feedback to the steering group. “One of the Standard’s great strengths is that it has been developed by users, for users,” said UK HIU Steering Group chair, Gareth Jones. “It provides users with a clear basis on which to evaluate HIU performance and is rapidly becoming the default point of reference for those making procurement decisions within the industry. “As a result, HIU manufacturers must now ensure that their HIUs perform well and we are seeing a significant increase in R&D. Ultimately this raising of standards will help improve the health of the heat network industry as a whole.” More information is available here.
