South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust has appointed asbestos specialists to help during a revamp and demolition works of more than 100 different properties.

WYG, an award-winning global multi-disciplinary consultancy, will provide specialist surveys to the Trust prior to any refurbishment or demolition works across a portfolio of nearly 100 properties.

An accredited specialist in asbestos consultancy, WYG has helped the NHS keep its property portfolio safe for over 10 years. Jon Kirby, Senior Asbestos Consultant, said: “The work that we will undertake will primarily consist of intrusive surveys to assist refurbishment and demolition contractors in major capital projects. It will also enable the Trust to fulfil their statutory responsibilities in the day to day management of asbestos across the portfolio.”

Robert Barr, Director of Estates, South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust said: “The Trust is pleased to partner with WYG to ensure compliance with our asbestos regulation requirements. They were appointed as they have a strong track record in asbestos handling and advising on how to keep the environment safe for our service users, carers, visitors and staff.”

Pioneering self storage firm, Flexistore, have unveiled their impressive strategy which continues to help them operate both successfully and ecologically. The company are renowned trendsetters in the industry and are now setting a fine example of how a top storage business can help the environment.

Flexistore only ever occupy and renovate existing warehouse sites, never is there a need for a new build. From there, the company can establish their business and eco-friendly morals from the outset – which involves low emission driving, tree planting and simple, effective, self storage practice.

Signing up to Land Rover’s CO2 Offset Programme means Flexistore will trade in their 4x4s every 45000 miles. The carbon emissions used up over that distance is counterbalanced by Land Rover’s environment protection activity. Part of the initiative is to support the function of two hydro electricity generators at Lake Yashilkul.

Flexistore have previously been hailed for their uniquely designed portable storage vault, which can be towed by their Land Rovers directly to customer homes, then transported back to the warehouse, where the goods remain in the vault – simplifying the loading/unloading process entirely. These trailers have no direct impact on the environment and for the carbon footprint left behind by the manufacturing of the vaults, Flexistore offset this through their tree planting programme.

Through the process of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is converted into stored carbon, thereby ‘removing’ it from the atmosphere. Flexistore have been planting trees for the past eight years at Georges Wood and in the Pentland Hills just south of their Edinburgh based headquarters – the company has expanded across various UK locations and has some great sites for storage in Manchester.

A spokesperson for Flexistore commented:
‘We understand how our customers could be concerned about the environment and want to echo those concerns through the work we do every day. These trees will not only offset our carbon emissions but will provide habitats for our local wildlife.’

By dovetailing their business progression with their eco-friendly activity, Flexistore are demonstrating just how committed they are to developing new ideas. To enquire about how you can self store your belongings ecologically visit www.flexistore.co.uk.

About Flexistore:
Flexistore are self storage experts – providing easy, flexible and secure storage solutions to hundreds of homes and businesses throughout the UK. They combine the latest technology with excellent customer service and a network of stores in high profile, easy-to-access, main road locations.

At Flexistore you can store by the week, month, year or for as long as you require. And they only ask for seven days notice when you want to vacate.

A change in the planning law has come into force in England which has ruled that homeowners no longer need to get planning permission before fitting air source heat pumps to their home.

Unlike other forms of renewable energy such as solar panels and ground source heat pumps, originally air source heat pumps were not classified as a permitted development. This was because of concerns about potential noise caused by the equipment, so before December 1 this year homeowners had to prove that it would not be an issue before receiving permission to install the equipment.

However, the installation will have to comply with certain criteria. There has to be no wind turbine already installed at the property and there are also limitations on the size of the unit, with listed buildings and those in conservation areas and World Heritage Sites having to meet additional criteria.

This change in the law means that installing air source heat pumps can be easier than ever before, and as they can be installed in both houses and apartments this form of renewable energy is accessible to a larger audience that some other types.

To install an air source heat pump, a property requires an external space and this could be a garden, balcony or just an external wall so this form of renewable energy is particularly suited to homes in urban areas.

Homeowners that are considering installing renewable energy equipment should contact the independent advisors at Enerfina for information on the various types available to find out the most suitable installation for their property. Visit the website today for more details on all the renewable energy sources available.

Knowsley Safari Park has supported the Zoo Outreach Organisation for years, contributing financial support and generating awareness of the organisations hard work throughout the world; 2011 was no different, and a massive financial contribution was just one way in which Knowsley Safari Park, one of the UK’s best loved animal attractions, has helped ZOO in the past 12 months.

The Zoo Outreach Organisation works with individuals and institutions across the globe to promote conservation education, conservation research, conservation (wildlife) welfare and conservation action. In the past year, Knowsley Safari Park has contributed £2,000 to the Zoo Outreach Organisation; money which directly assisted the organisation in hosting a Small Mammal Field Techniques Training Course, from the 10th to the 14th, at the University College of Forestry in Kerala, India. Delegates attended from Nepal, Pakistan, Sri-Lanka and India, with lectures teaching them about rodents, insectivores and bats. A series of practical sessions to teach field techniques were also delivered, teaching monitoring and capture techniques, habitat assessment and ecological assessment.

ZOO’s intention was to raise understanding within the public, concerning various species and conservation requirements.

Many rodent and bat species are classified as vermin on the Wildlife Protection Act in South East Asia. The course was designed to change opinions of rats and bats, both of which play important roles within the ecosystem; aiding seed dispersal, pollination and food for predators.

With the help of Knowsley Safari Park, the Zoo Outreach Organisation will attempt to alter the opinion of rats and bats within the area and bring about a change in the law to protect these animals from extinction.

New solar panel installations that are completed from today (December 12) will receive 50% lower subsidiaries under the Feed in Tariffs scheme, under plans announced by the government in October.

December 12 was set as the deadline for solar power installations to be installed and connected to the Grid to receive the higher rate of 43p/kWh. Installations completed after this date will receive the higher rate until April 1 when it will then be cut by half to 21p/kWh.

However, the consultation is ongoing and does not conclude until December 23 so any changes to the tariffs will not be confirmed until around mid-January at the earliest, but it is expected that the reforms will come into force as proposed by the government earlier this year.

Although the subsidiaries for solar panels will be cut, there are still plenty of government grants and incentives available for other forms of renewable energy from water source heat pumps to biomass, which can help homeowners reduce their energy costs and do their part for their environment.

Biomass equipment has increased in popularity in recent years, particularly due to the ease of installing items such as wood gasification boilers which can use existing pipework already in the home from a traditional boiler. Other people choose to install a wood chip and log boiler due to the convenience of the different fuels which can be used.

When looking to change the energy source in your home, contact the independent advisors at Enerfina for information on the various types available. As well as providing advice on the different renewable energy types available, they can put you in touch with a fully qualified local expert so contact them today to get more information on green energy.

Government advisers on climate change have said that the UK cannot meet its renewable energy targets to cut greenhouse gases without using biomass, and the technology could supply of tenth of the country’s energy by 2050.

The Committee on Climate Change said that biomass is needed and can be used in a number of ways to benefit the environment including using waste woodchip from tree surgery in large wood-burning boilers and equipping buses to run on old cooking oil.

As well as mentioning larger industrial sizes projects, the Committee highlighted effective smaller scale measures including the use of biomass boilers. Installing a wood chip or wood pellet and log boiler in your home can not only help you reduce your carbon footprint but could also save you significant amounts of money on your energy bills which is why more homeowners are making the decision to install these types of renewable energy in their home.

However if you find that this renewable energy source is not suited for your home, there are a number of other options available to you to help you cut your energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint. From solar panels to ground source heat pumps using a borehole to air source heat pumps, there are a wide range of options available so you are sure to find a renewable energy source which will suit your home.

When looking for advice on renewable energy, contact the independent advisors Enerfina. As well as providing information, they can also put you in touch with a qualified local fitter in your area so contact them for more information today.

Businesses can now apply to receive funding as part of the Renewable Heat Incentive following delays to the introduction to the scheme after concerns were raised by the EU.

The scheme was due to launch on September 30 but it was delayed following objections from the EU over payments made for biomass technologies such as wood chip boilers.

The first phase of the scheme is just for non-domestic and business customers, but a second phase for residential properties will be introduced in the future. The timings for the introduction of the domestic scheme have not yet been announced due to the delay in the implementation of the first stage, but it is believed that the government will reveal more details about the residential side in early 2012.

However, although domestic customers cannot yet apply for the scheme there are other grants available to homeowners. One of the key programmes to help homeowners is the Renewable Heat Premium Payments scheme, and this provides funding towards the cost of installing certain equipment.

Any homeowner can apply to receive funding for solar thermal panels, with grants of up to £300 available. Homes that are not connected to the gas grid and use another type of fuel for their heating can also receive money towards installing equipment such as biomass boilers and heat pumps.

If you’re looking for more information on the renewable energy options open to you, contact the experts at Enerfina. As an independent advisor on renewable energy, they can help suggest the right type of product for your home and advise you on the grants and funding that is available to you. Visit www.enerfina.com for more information.

VPhase, the market leading domestic voltage optimisation company, whose product is proven to save up to 12% off home electric bills, is pleased to announce it has become a member of the UK Green Building Council. VPhase’s membership will help raise the company’s profile and provide another platform from which to promote the company’s voltage optimisation technology. “VPhase is actively involved with a number of leading social housing organisations throughout the UK,” says Rick Smith CEO at VPhase. “We’re a principal corporate sponsor of SHIFT and the top rated voltage optimisation supplier in the PfH framework agreement. Membership of the UK Green Building Council provides us with additional opportunities to talk about our proven technology and influence key policy makers”.

The UK Green Building Council is a membership organisation that campaigns for a sustainable built environment, one which benefits people, business and the planet. UK-GBC works with policy-makers and industry to overcome barriers to sustainability in the sector. VPhase firmly believes domestic voltage optimisation has a key role to play in meeting these goals.

The Welsh Government is publishing essential flood risk mapping after a hosted solution from Europa Technologies was implemented in less than a week.

‘viaEuropa for PSMA’ is a new Data as a Service (DaaS) offering that includes key Ordnance Survey data sets covered by the new Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA).

It gives PSMA signatories access to rendered mapping data ready for immediate customisation and deployment on web, mobile and desktop platforms.

The Welsh Government has chosen viaEuropa for PSMA as a high-performance, cost-efficient way to host, update and maintain the supply of data direct to its public-facing flood risk website http://data.wales.gov.uk/apps/floodmapping/.

The solution combines PSMA data with free-to-use OS OpenData, enabling a seamless transition between backdrops at a variety of scales from an all-Wales overview with hill shading down to street level mapping and building footprints.

Data sets involved are Strategi, Land-Form PANORAMA, OS VectorMap District and OS VectorMap Local.

The website, which has an intuitive, easy-to-use interface, is intended to support guidelines for the management of all future building development in flood risk areas.

Warren Vick, Director and Founder of Europa Technologies, said: “The Welsh Government were given a tight timetable by their Minister to publish this mapping which is part of their obligation as a public body. The solution is a prime example of the strength of viaEuropa for PSMA in that we were able to implement it in less than a week having already processed the raw data, rendered it as map tiles and made it ready for deployment.”

The website was implemented without any downtime to other services and, as a hosted solution, viaEuropa puts no burden on the Welsh Government’s server capacity or data management overhead.

The solution enables data to be re-used as often as required in desktop, web and mobile applications, providing a consistent style of mapping across Wales.

As well as creating an elegant, standard map style, Europa Technologies has tested it extensively to make sure that the cartographic design suits users with a colour vision deficiency.

Europa Technologies is highlighting the Welsh Government’s use of viaEuropa for PSMA as part of the company’s Silver Sponsorship of AGI GeoCommunity ’11, taking place at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham. Europa Technologies is exhibiting at the event where visitors can learn more about this application and viaEuropa in general.

For more information on viaEuropa for PSMA, visit www.viaeuropa.uk.com/psma.

Environment and negative impacts on the environment due to mushroom growth of industries and automobiles is making us aware about our future. The sources are emitting such pollution that is very perilous to our health and can even cause death. In order to keep danger at bay and construct a green and bright future for our off springs, the levels of pollution must be controlled very systematically.
The standards of air quality need to be checked regularly. The earth is just becoming a difficult and dangerous place to live in with the increasing number of automobiles every day. Although these days many solutions are available to counter these problems, the easiest and most efficient one is by keeping a check. Certain necessary equipments are required for the same which can perform and deliver correct outputs. Some of the mechanisms used for checking exhaust are gas sensors, exhaust gas analyzer, and many others. The function of gas sensors is to assist in detecting the amount of gases present in the air. A variety of sensors are used these days. 4 different gases can be detected simultaneously by these sensors. To keep a stringent eye on pollution check, they are very useful. As technology advances, they can be upgraded on a later date. Not many changes in hardware are required in them. This does not require too much hardware changes. The cost of upgradation would be minimal and cost effective. Keeping in mind the requirements of the users, they can be specifically designed. The response time of these systems is also very fast.
If you would like to know more about gas sensors, process analyzer and exhaust gas analyser please visit the website http://www.cascade-technologies.com/.