News

UK first for Altecnic as Intaball valves attain new standard

In a first for the UK's plumbing and heating industry, the Altecnic Intaball range of gas lever ball valves is one of the first UK products to be certified to EN 331:2015 (Class C).

Committed to achieving the latest industry standards, Altecnic has been working closely with BSI's Loughborough-based Product Certification Team and Centre of Excellence for the past two and a half years. Now, the company can demonstrate compliance with European Directives and Regulations relating to the ball valves and OEM equipment it manufactures and supplies across UK domestic and commercial markets.

New CIBSE Accredited District Heating Course Launched By Bosch

Bosch Commercial and Industrial has gained Continuing Professional Accreditation (CPD) approval by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) for its ‘Heat Network Design Considerations’ CPD training course.

With the decarbonisation of the UK’s domestic heating network a governmental priority, a well-designed district heating scheme could play a crucial role in cutting carbon emissions. The CIBSE-approved CPD course from Bosch, aimed at investors, contractors and designers, covers a multitude of district heating topic areas with specific attention placed on low-carbon design considerations.

Tax Preparation Specialist Issues Pre-Christmas Reminder to Claim Employee Tax Relief

Workers within the UK's construction industry were today urged to ensure that they are making full utilisation of HMRC's flat-rate expenses scheme to avoid missing out on their full available tax relief. Tax preparation specialist David Redfern, Managing Director of DSR Tax Claims Ltd, issued his timely reminder to construction workers in the run up to the festive period to ensure those within the construction sector do not miss out on valuable tax relief.

Apprenticeships are plummeting because of Apprenticeship Levy, says FMB

Apprenticeship plumber fixing washing machine

Apprenticeship starts are falling because of the Apprenticeship Levy which needs to be made more flexible, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

The FMB’s reaction is in response to statistics published today by the Department for Education, which show that there has been a 24% fall in apprenticeship starts for the 2017/18 academic year compared with the previous academic year.

Adding Value through Design - IRSAP

Italy is well known for it’s excellence in design and Italian manufacturer IRSAP is no exception. With over 50 years’ experience in manufacturing Designer radiators, their ranges are the perfect way to add value and individuality on any project.

In 2017 Italy’s leading manufacturer of designer radiators, IRSAP, bought the independent UK distributor UK Heating Group. The Italian Group (founded in 1963) is now not only Italy's leading manufacturer of designer radiators but has grown into a global operation with a Group turnover of €140M from over 60 countries.

City Heating Spares Introduces Specialist Range To Meet LPG Demand

City Heating Spares (CHS), the specialist spares offering of City Plumbing Supplies (CPS) and Plumbing Trade Supplies (PTS), has introduced a range of LPG accessories to guarantee high-quality and in-stock products for engineers servicing static caravan sites and areas where traditional boilers are not an option.

For engineers working with LPG on a daily basis, the new CHS range means that they can benefit from the nationwide network of CPS and PTS branches that are within 20 miles of 85% of the UK’s major caravan parks.

New Appointments Bolster The Stax Trade Centres Sales Team

Andy and Richard from the Stax Trade Centre team

Leading hardware and gardening wholesaler Stax Trade Centres has announced details of two major new appointments which have been made to further strengthen the company’s growing team based at its Manchester branch. Richard Cartwright and Andy Dilworth have joined the company as area sales representatives, with Richard taking on responsibility for North Wales and Merseyside, while Andy will focus on the rest of the North West region.

Work In Construction? Is Your Boss An Office Grinch?

CHRISTMAS may be the perfect time for gift giving, however when it comes to the workplace many bosses in the construction industry aren’t rewarding or recognising their employees with a token gift, according to new research.

A study of 1,000 UK workers published in the Most Generous Time of the Year Study by Perkbox, the UK’s fastest growing employee benefits platform, revealed that 24% of construction workers haven’t received any gift from their boss or manager at Christmas.

Of those who do get a token gift from their boss at Christmas, more than 1 in 3 (39%) said they received a team meal out.

This was followed by 33% who said they receive a money-based bonus such as cash, a bonus payment in their salary or a gift card/voucher.

Water report highlights waste

TALIS, a leading provider of water flow control solutions, is acting to help prevent endemic waste in the water sector, stemming from what it believes is a failure to make the best buying decisions for non-standard applications.

In its report ‘Going Beyond the Catalogue’, TALIS highlights a 5-point plan to create more intelligent design, specification and procurement processes. It details the ways in which poor decisions are causing costs to rise, using the example of mechanical joints to help illustrate its case.

Over 5,000 Tradesmen Are Now Using Propertyheads.com To Grow Their Business

Plumber using Propertyheads.com To Grow Their Business

PropertyHeads.com, the property and social network portal, has just registered its 5,000th tradesmen since its launch, four months ago.

The portal has experienced huge demand and is now seeing more than 300 trade professionals registering a week including electricians, plumbers, decorators and builders. Many are attracted by the opportunity to grow their businesses by word of mouth via PropertyHeads’ tradesmen recommendation space, together with the business profiles, job leads and the fully integrated social network. PropertyHeads.com offers free business profiles to all trade professionals, as well as the option to respond to an unlimited number of job leads, at no cost.

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