About: bonus-eventus

Wherever there are communal or commercial buildings, there are property managers. With the recent growth of blocks of flats and office blocks being built, there has been a rise in demand for property management services. People that can look after the building, arrange its maintenance, understand all relevant legislation and in general keep everything ticking along in a timely manner. But property management isn’t without its challenges, and as a heating and air conditioning maintenance company we have seen our fair share of them.

Regular Maintenance

One of the main responsibilities of a property manager is to ensure that the fabric of the building is regularly inspected, maintain, and refreshed to the standards set out in their lease agreement. If they do nothing else, they still need to do this. The easiest way to manage this fairly large responsibility is to set up a maintenance schedule, which can help ensure the building meets the current regulations and any problems are picked up right away. This means property managers need to build a network of professional maintenance contacts who can inspect and carry out work on the different areas of their building to a high standard– including heating and ventilation. Some of the issues around maintenance that often plague property managers include:

• Work not being properly
• Poor work leading to residents refusing to pay
• Financial issues
• Missed maintenance issues leading to more expensive repairs

Communication Consistency

This is something we see a lot of issues with, since we work closely with property and block managers. It’s a sad truth that staff turnover is incredibly high among property managers (after all it is a stressful job), which makes it challenging for them to keep up with the maintenance needs of the building, and understand who’s doing what work. At Bonus Eventus Maintenance Ltd we will sometimes work with four or five different property managers over the course of a single year, and in many cases there has not been any real handover done between them. This often means that vital information is missing, property managers don’t know what issues their buildings have, what work has been done and more importantly what work needs to be done in the future. This often results is us having to re-send every single email, quote and piece of paperwork to the new property manager every time there is a switch, which is frustrating for us and the manager. It can also cause issues, as if the property manager doesn’t have the right information they may miss critical repairs or maintenance that could mean their residents don’t have heating or hot water over the cold months.

Service Charges

It’s no surprise that money comes in as one of the bigger challenges for property managers. In particular, ensuring they have budget and permission for maintenance work. A good property manager should always have a good understanding of how the leave for the building they’re managing works, and how it requires any maintenance charges to be raised. Obviously the maintenance charge arrangements need to satisfy any current property management legislation, including the requirement that there must be accounting procedures in place in order to provide leaseholders with final accounts and annual statutory summaries. This is on top of their responsibility to protect any leaseholder funds in a separate client account for management and maintenance, in accordance with the specifics of the lease. All of this can be a complex process, but a necessary one to ensure essential maintenance work can take place.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance, we know that property managers have a lot on their plates, and it’s not always easy to stay on top of it all. Our number one priority is the safety and security of the people living and working in those buildings, which is why we work closely with property managers to create a regular maintenance schedule that works for them. We support them in making handovers simple and easy, and minimise expense by carrying out regular maintenance rather than the odd emergency repair (which is always more expensive. If you would like to know more, just get in touch with the team today.

Did you know that buildings represent 39% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK? And more worryingly, that 28% of that comes from the energy needed to heat, cool and power them. It’s not something you think about often, but if we’re looking to take action on climate change, then reducing the carbon emissions of buildings is a great place to start. And it turns out that world leaders have noticed this too, as they have announced a new scheme called the ‘zero carbon buildings initiative’, designed to help unite leaders in decarbonizing the building sector and repairing some of the climate damage done.

The Zero Carbon Buildings Initiative

The Zero Carbon Buildings Initiative was first launched in 2019 at the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit in New York, with the aim of incentivising leaders across sectors to come together and meet climate goals by decarbonizing the construction industry. The core components of this initiative include securing commitment from:

• National and local leaders to develop and implement policies to drive decarbonization of all new buildings by 2030 and all existing buildings by 2050.
• Financial and industry partners to provide expert input and commit $1 trillion of market action by 2030.

Our own UK government was one of the first to announce their commitment to this initiative, and have also announced their goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Since a large portion of carbon emissions are generated by buildings, this is one of their first focus points.

The importance of this has been brought to light again very recently by retail giant Marks and Spencer, who announced plans to demolish their flagship store in Oxford Street and construct a new replacement structure. This sounds all well and good, until you realise that the demolition and construction process for that project alone would create so much carbon dioxide that 2.4 million trees would need to be planted just to offset it. And that’s just one building!

So it’s no surprise that the first call is for existing buildings to be retrofitted wherever possible with zero carbon solutions, rather than knocked down and a new building erected. This will save a significant amount of carbon by itself, and if new buildings are being designed and constructed in a carbon neutral fashion, suddenly zero carbon buildings become a lot more achievable.

Zero Carbon HVAC

One of the bigger focuses for both existing and new buildings in reducing carbon emissions lies in the HVAC systems. Global warming has resulted in more electricity demand to provide air conditioning and heat in areas that previously didn’t require as much, leading to higher costs for the owners and higher carbon emissions. Even with a decarbonized energy supply, energy efficiency in HVAC systems needs to be a top priority. This includes steps like integrating building management systems, automating building controls and installing energy efficient or renewable solutions for heating, cooling and conditioning the air. If planned properly it is absolutely possible, but it’s one of those things that should be done sooner than later.

Why Act Now?

Put simply, because this is something that can’t be put off. It’s not an optional rule that you can just decide not to follow – it’s something the government will be enforcing and monitoring fairly rigorously. So at some point you will have to review your building and make changes. Zero carbon emissions buildings are relatively simple to build from scratch, but because this initiative applies to all buildings you will have to do some remedial work to bring all of your properties up to code. This is going to cost a lot of money, and it will be easier for you to bear if you were to spread that cost over the 10 years, rather than have to invest a huge amount in one go later on. For reference, the average cost to transform a standard block of flats into a zero carbon building is about £500,000 – half a million pounds.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we are passionate about the environment and reducing the carbon footprint of our own business as well as our clients. We are currently consulting with a number of block and facilities managers on the changes that would need to be made to their HVAC systems to meet this target, and if you’re in a similar position we’d love to help you too. Just get in touch with the team today for a free consultation. And if you want to know more about energy efficient HVAC solutions, keep an eye on the blog, as we’ll be talking more about it in the new year!

As the nights draw in and the weather gets colder, school children are sitting at their desks looking into the now-dark sky, dreaming of Christmas. Playtime is spent huddled inside rather than out on the school fields, and it won’t be long until parents start moaning about lost coats, scarves and gloves. During this time, staff are trying to figure out how to keep classrooms warm without going over budget – something that’s even tougher than normal this year. Luckily, we have some tips to help make your school’s heating more efficient, saving you money along the way.

Keep To Recommended Room Temperatures

We all know how uncomfortable it can be to work in a cold office, and the same goes for children at school. But that doesn’t mean you should crank the heating up to full power, as being too hot can be uncomfortable too! It’s a balancing act, and getting it right will help keep morale up and boost productivity across the board. Believe it or not, there is an ideal temperature. According to the Department for Education and Skills, temperatures in schools should be kept at the following levels:

• Normal teaching environment: 18°C
• Circulation spaces (e.g. corridors): 15°C
• Areas with high activity levels (e.g. sports halls): 15°C
• Areas with low levels of activity: 21°C
• Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools or areas with very young children: 21°C

You will need to bear in mind the surface temperature of your radiators as well, as there have been cases of children being burnt by radiators in school. The surface temperature of your radiators should never go above 43°C.

Consider Timing

Schools are not occupied 24/7, which means that there are times when you don’t need to worry about the temperature. Taking advantage of the timers on your heating system means that you can lower the temperature during those vacant hours, and still make sure that it rises back to those ideal levels before the children arrive in the morning. Simply adjusting the timers on your heating system can save you a huge amount of hassle and money, so we always recommend you start there.

Prevent Interference With Radiators

Schools are big places, and there are a lot of ways staff and children can interfere with the heating and ventilation, even if they don’t mean to. Just take a look at the inside of a traditional radiator next time you walk past, and see how many pencils, pieces of paper, half-chewed gum and other debris have made their way inside. Look in a classroom and see how many things have been piled in front of a radiator by a teacher with limited space to work with. All of that interferes with the heat distribution and will be costing you money. The ideal solution here is to invest in tamper-proof radiators or radiator coverings – but if your budget won’t stretch that far, then ensuring they are cleaned regularly and briefing teachers on not blocking heat sources will also work.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we understand how difficult it can be to keep your school heated and ensure no money is wasted in the process. That’s why we offer free site visits and reviews to any and all educational establishments. Our experts will asses your school heating systems and provide free advice and information, including recommendations for thermostat settings, heat zoning and even governmental support options if you’re eligible. If you’d like to know more, or to book your free school survey, just get in touch with the team today.

If you run an office of any size, you might have noticed your heating bill going up over the last few months. In fact, we would be amazed if you hadn’t! Every business in the UK is feeling the pinch of rising energy costs, and we’re all looking for ways to maximise the heat we do pay for. And since working in cold office is bad for morale, for health and for your business, we wanted to help with some heating tips. These tips are designed for bigger office spaces, but they work just as well on small ones too!

Understand Your Heating Systems

Warm air heating systems, i.e. heat pumps, were traditionally used for large spaces such as factories and warehouses. However, buildings with large roof spaces can see heat trapped in the rafters with these traditional systems, leaving the people working at ground-level cold. Destratification can be used to help this problem, which recirculates the warm air in your building, but this may not be the most efficient system for a building with high ceilings and open rafters.

Radiant heating on the other hand, does not heat the air but instead uses infrared technology to heat people and objects it comes into contact with. This may be suited to spot-heating in large spaces rather than attempting to heat the entirety of the space. The best way to understand how your building affects the type of system you should install is to seek the advice of a professional.

Air Rotation

Circulating the air in your offices ensures that the hot air doesn’t just rise to the ceilings and stay there. Instead, it’s moved around the room to keep the ambient temperature warm. This is called air rotation, and typically uses high-powered fans to move the air around. This saves you money by optimising the performance of your existing units. Depending on the size of your building you might already have a unit installed, or you may wish to have one retrofitted.

Harness The Sun

The sun is the most reliable source of heat there is, and while we might not see it as much at this time of year, you can still use it effectively. If you’re lucky enough to have windows that the sun shines on, make sure any curtains or blinds are open and allow it to shine in. Once it starts to get dark or cloudy, close the blinds to keep that warmth in the office.

Draft Exclusions

It may seem silly, but often the simplest solutions are the most effective. And there’s little point in investing time and effort into high-performance HVAC and heat circulation if it can all easily escape! Aside from the obvious (ensuring all windows and doors are closed), invest some time and money in proper seals on the windows for long term savings. Use blinds and curtains to stop drafts sneaking in, and place draft excluders along the gaps at the bottom of your doors to really seal the heat in. It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference!

Set Your Thermostat Properly

Thanks to the revolutionary invention of the thermostat, you have the ability to control the temperature of even the largest spaces. But you need to use them properly to get the full effect. If a building is allowed to get too cold, people tend to turn the heating up so high that before you know it, you want to turn on the air con! Which just wastes money in the long run. Instead, set a constant temperature on your thermostat that doesn’t need to be fiddled with, and let the heating system do its work.

Use Timers

Most heating installations these days will allow you to use a timer to control when your system turns on and off without you necessarily having to be in the building. For a large space, which will take longer to heat, you can utilize the timer to ensure the heating comes on and warms the building before staff arrive and turn it off once they are gone without the need to leave it on all night.

If you’re struggling to heat your space, there could be a fault with your HVAC systems. It’s always worth getting them checked and having regular maintenance work to ensure they’re working efficiently and effectively – and not costing you money! If you’re concerned about your HVAC system, we’d be happy to help. Just get in touch with the team today to find out more.

Fluorinated gases (also known as F Gasses) is a type of refrigerant most commonly used in HVAC systems. It was extremely popular for a long time, and became the dominant refrigerant used to provide cooling in commercial HVAC systems. It’s man-made, easy to mass produce and is incredibly efficient at cooling, which all made it immensely popular.

It’s also a significant cause of global warming, which is why most HVAC companies are moving away from using F Gasses.

What Are F Gasses?

F Gasses are a collection of man-made fluorinated greenhouse gasses that are used in all sorts of industrial applications. After years of research, we know now that F Gasses can stay in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, meaning they are contributing more to the ‘greenhouse effect’ and global warming than carbon dioxide. Around 23,000 times more than carbon dioxide, in fact. F Gasses are most commonly used in refrigeration, air conditioning and heating. They include HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons), PFCs (perfluorocarbons) and SF6 (sulphur hexafluoride). And despite how effective they are for refrigerant purposes; the industry and the government couldn’t ignore the harm they were doing.

Phasing Out Plans

In 2014 the EU triggered a plan to phase down and eventually phase out the use of F Gasses, including introducing new regulations on their use. Since around 75% of F Gas use was in refrigeration, air conditioning and heating, the landmark F-Gas Regulation was designed to reduce the use of the harmful gasses. The regulations introduced a quota system based on the highest GWP (global warning potential) F Gasses, designed to phase down their use between 2015 and 2030. The target is to reduce the CO2 equivalent of all gasses to 21% of the baseline by 2030.

It’s also now a legal requirement for all companies handling F Gasses to hold the F-Gas Company Certification. Even sole traders have to be certified by an approved body if they’re servicing equipment operated by others that contains F-Gases. No one is allowed to work with F-Gasses without the correct certification.

So now that the plan has been in place for 7 years, it’s time to review how things are going.

Is It Working?

Using the 2015 data as a baseline 100%, by 2020 F Gas use had reduced to 63%. Projections show that between 2021 and 2023 the rate should reduce to 45%, with the baseline meeting 21% by 2030. However at the moment, there is no ban on any particular type of F Gas, and equipment using them can still operate. Instead, the quota system makes the gas more expensive the more global warming potential it has. Higher GWP, more expensive gas. Which does mean that gases with the highest GWP have already been eliminated thanks to the impact on service and maintenance costs.

In 2020, a service ban was brought into force, which means that equipment with a charge in CO2 equivalent greater than 40 tonnes could no longer be refilled or serviced using F Gasses with a GWP higher than 2,500. This means that once these machines need servicing or their gases run low, operators will need to switch to a new refrigerant.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we are fully F Gas certified, and are able to service any and all varieties of HVAC systems. But we do prefer working with HVAC systems that are kinder to the environment and are always happy to help our clients switch to a different refrigeration method. If you’d like to find out more about F Gases or how to move away from them, just get in touch with the team today.

There is a lot of talk happening about sustainability at the moment. The climate change debate is heating up, and more and more businesses are getting on board to start making real changes. But that means the big question needs to be addressed –  what does corporate sustainability really mean, and how can businesses embrace it?

Because while consumers may be focusing on reducing their consumption of single-use plastics, businesses should be investing in new technologies and creating more efficient ways of operating to not only lower their impact on the environment but attract new audiences and stabilise their future.

What is the Definition of Sustainability?

The first step in working out what something should mean to your business is to understand what it is. When we talk about ‘sustainability’, it means:

“Something that can go on, and continue and be maintained at a certain rate or level.”

For consumers, that might mean their health, their environment or the health and environment of others – but also their budgets.

But sustainability also means:

“The avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.”

Which on a large scale is much more applicable to businesses. Businesses, particularly those in manufacturing, are the biggest consumers and wasters of natural resources on the planet – and it’s them who are making the real differences, both positive and negative. Because if more businesses were committed to reducing their use of natural resources, they could make a real impact on climate change and the general sustainability effort.

The Three Pillars for Business Sustainability

For businesses, sustainability is a completely different ballgame. At a corporate level, there are many more elements to consider, and the need to achieve sustainability across the board grows with every passing year. And while the same ideas of health, environment and budget apply, the way these are approached, implemented and managed is completely different. It’s clear that there are 3 areas of interest, known as the three pillars or the triple bottom line. These are:

• Environmental – Reducing your carbon footprint, packaging waste, waste use and overall effect on the environment.
• Social – Having the support and approval of employees, stakeholders and the community, treating employees fairly and being a good neighbour.
• Economic – Ensuring your business is profitable and compliant, with proper governance and risk management in place.

The Business Benefits

Research shows that companies with high ESG ratings have a lower cost of debt and equity, and that sustainability initiatives can help improve financial performance while fostering public support. According to McKinsey, nearly 3,000 employees said the strongest motivating factors to adopting a sustainable mindset are to: align with a company’s goals, missions, or values; build, maintain, or improve reputation; meet customer’s expectations; and develop new growth opportunities. In simple terms, “doing good” can have a direct impact on your company’s ability to do well.

At Bonus Eventus we are particularly passionate about that first pillar – reducing our carbon footprint and helping other businesses do the same so that they can reap the benefits of a sustainable business. After all, the biggest carbon emission of any business comes from its buildings, and by installing carbon-neutral HVAC systems powered by renewable energy you can reduce that to almost 0! If you would like to know more about how we do that, or how you can reduce your business carbon footprint, just get in touch with our team today and see what we can do.

You may have heard the phrase ‘your website is your shop window’. And for a lot of businesses, that’s very true – which is why they invest a lot of time and money in making it flawless. But what if your business’s shop window actually is a shop window? How can you make your wares look enticing enough for busy customers to stop and look, and then come inside? It’s not easy, especially in today’s society where there is so much demand on everyone’s time. And while it might seem like a small thing, the lighting choices you make can significantly impact how many people come into your shop, how much they buy and even what they choose to buy. But there are a few key things you can to do design retail lighting that’s effective, safe and enticing for passers-by.

Know Your Lighting Styles

Accent Lighting: This is the lighting you use in areas you want to draw attention to, like a prominent display or a demonstration area. Anything you want to highlight within your store. This can come in a few different forms, including internal cabinet lights to ceiling spotlights to emphasise racks or free-standing displays.

Task Lighting: Lighting that has a very specific purpose, and is usually found in areas where more lighting is needed to help employees perform tasks or customers make important buying decisions. Task lighting is more often found around checkout counters, dressing rooms, service desks and stock rooms.

Decorative Lighting: This is the light you use to create an atmosphere and make your shop look and feel like a nice place to be. It’s much broader than the previous 2 types of lighting and is usually used as a way to continue your branding throughout the premises. For example, if your shop sells luxury goods then you might have a chandelier. If it’s more modern and edgy then pendant lighting might be more appropriate. It’s your chance to get creative and playful with lighting.

Ambient Lighting: This is arguably the most important since it’s the main source of light in your shop Ambient lighting fills the gaps between all of the other forms of retail lighting and ensures that your customers can actually see. It’s also to make your customers feel comfortable, and ensure they can safely explore the entire shop.

Understanding Colour Temperature

Did you know that all lights have a different colour temperature – or that it has nothing to do with heat? Lighting can come in a range of temperatures, from warmer tones (usually more yellow) to cool ones (usually a brighter white colour). The colour temperature of the lighting you chose can hugely impact the ambience of your shop and how people view your products. For example, if you want to create a cosy, inviting feeling, you’ll want to choose a warm colour temperature. Colder tones give off a modern, crisp tone – which makes them great for tech shops like Apple, or brands wanting to create that futuristic feel. What we’re trying to get at is that the colour temperature you choose will set the tone and feel for your entire shop, so it’s a pretty important decision.

Turning Floor Plans Into Lighting Plans

Before you start buying light fixtures, you need to know what to buy and where it will go. You’ve already done part of that by understanding your lighting styles. Now is the time to sketch out your shop and work out what lighting needs to go where. This is an important step, as it informs not only your buying decisions but also helps your electricians know what wiring needs to go where.

Identify Key Display Areas: Are your displays going to be mounted on the wall, in the centre of the floor space, or a mixture? These are the areas you should place your accent lighting.

Mark Workspaces: Any areas where staff will be performing tasks will need to be lit with task lighting solutions. You should also think about task lighting in key customer areas light changing rooms.

Add Decoration: Now comes the fun part. Think about how you want your shop to look, and let your inner interior designer run wild. Add some decorative flair to your shop wherever you like, to bring a bit of personality and brand identity to the space.

Fill The Gaps: Now that you have the essentials in place, look over your plan carefully. Are there any gaps? Can you see any spaces that might end up being dark, or just on the edge of any other lighting, creating dingy pockets of space? This is where your ambient lighting fits in.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we don’t just take care of your HVAC needs. We also have a team of skilled, NICEIC-approved electricians on hand to create well-designed electrical solutions, with the maintenance plans in place to ensure your wiring is always up to code and performing well. Whether you’re installing a new access control system or opening a new retail unit, we can be there to make sure it all goes smoothly. If you would like to know more about our electrical services, just get in touch with the team today.

Today we wanted to ask you a question. Are you happy with the service you’re getting from your HVAC maintenance contract?

That might sound like a loaded question, but you would be amazed how many facilities managers either have no feelings towards their contractors or are actively unhappy with the service they receive. But they stay with those contractors because they need the service, and they often feel that moving to a new provider will be too disruptive.

Over the years we’ve heard lots of different reasons why businesses have decided not to move HVAC contracts, even when they’re getting a sub-par service. Today, we want to take a look at the 3 most common and show you why there’s no good reason to stay in a bad HVAC maintenance contract.

I’ve Been Using Them For Years

A long-standing relationship with any contractor is, of course, something you should value. But if that relationship isn’t productive, proactive, and profitable, then it’s always worth re-evaluating. Contractors can become complacent over time, and service levels can dip unless that relationship is maintained properly. So, if your only reason for staying with your current HVAC maintenance company is that you’ve been using them for years, it might be time for a change.

It’s Too Much Effort To Change

True, finding a new HVAC maintenance company to work with can take some time and energy. But the actual handover should be effortless for you, and the benefits of the new maintenance contractor will show themselves very quickly. After all, if moving to a new maintenance contractor will save you time and money, plus reduce your stress levels – isn’t that worth it?

They’re Doing OK

So, your current HVAC maintenance company is doing OK. They’re nothing special, but things are ticking along. That’s not a bad start. But if you can’t say with confidence that your contractor is doing a good job, is proactive and exceeds your expectations on a regular basis, then it might be time for a change. One of the things to look out for is a maintenance contractor who will set up reports based on KPIs that are important for your business. This shows they understand what you need from them and means you can track their performance with confidence.

BUT while there is no good reason to stay in a bad HVAC contract, there are plenty of reasons to make the change and try someone new. For example…

A Fresh Start

If you’ve found yourself stuck in a contract that isn’t delivering what you need, changing contractors gives you a chance at a fresh start. With a new contractor, you can be clear about your priorities, expectations and needs from day 1, and build a relationship that works for you.

Fresh Eyes

A big advantage of switching HVAC maintenance suppliers is that you get a whole new group of professionals casting their eyes over your system. They may be able to see things your old contractor didn’t or have a different approach to working with and maintaining your equipment that will save you money in the long run. A fresh set of eyes is never a bad thing, especially in the HVAC world!

Long-Term Gains

Yes, we admit that the initial changeover part of moving HVAC contractors requires some effort on your part. But in the long term, it’s almost always worth it. You can find maintenance companies with more competitive rates, better service or a fresh focus on cost-savings and energy efficiency. It also gives you the opportunity to evaluate your needs and choose a provider that makes the most commercial sense to you – something you should be doing regularly anyway!

So, is it time for a change? At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we specialise in the installation and maintenance of commercial HVAC systems. With years of experience advising customers in a variety of industries on their heating and cooling needs, we offer a tailored HVAC maintenance service that takes your maintenance from reactive to proactive. If you’d like to know more, just get in touch with the team today.

Heat pumps are a fantastic thing. Whether it’s for a commercial building or your own home, having a heat pump installed can lower your energy bills and be better for the environment, all while providing you with year-round comfort. But just like any other heating system, things can go wrong. Especially at this time of year, when we start getting cold snaps and the weather gets colder and wetter. That’s why it’s important to know the signs of heat pump problems so that you can head them off while they’re still small. Not sure what they are? Read on.

Icing Over

When the temperature dips to below freezing, your heat pumps will feel the pressure. One of the most common issues in low-temperature years has been the coils of heat pumps becoming covered in ice. This happens because the liquid refrigerant flowing through the system is freezing as it flows over the coils. That might sound counter-intuitive, but bear with us, because we’re going to give you a mini-science lesson here.

When air cools down, it becomes more difficult for molecules to move around – including those that make up liquid refrigerants. When liquid refrigerants start to freeze, they expel heat energy and become lighter – just like regular water does when it freezes into ice cubes. The resulting pressure drop across the now-frozen liquid refrigerant causes the remaining fluid (and all of its heat) to evaporate quickly. Since the heat pump is supposed to pull just enough heat from the outside air and transfer that into your home, it also pulls this heat away from the now-light refrigerant. Sometimes this causes a significant drop in pressure – low enough that the coils of your heat pump start to freeze over.

Ok, science lesson over!

Exposure To The Elements

Heat pumps will work all year round, but they do work best in hot weather when the outside air is warm. If the temperature outside is too low, your heat pump will not be able to work as efficiently, or not at all. This is because the coils on your heat pump are made of metal, and they need help to stay warm enough for them to transfer heat to or from an area.

When the outside temperature dips below about 7°C, it becomes difficult for the refrigerant in a normal heat pump to flow through the copper coils. The refrigerant starts freezing within the tubes that make up the coils of your heat pump system, and this reduces its ability to transfer heat. The result of this is that cold air comes into your home and then cold air goes back out into the environment. This can be a huge waste of energy – as much as 30 to 50% of your total heating and cooling costs! It can also damage your heat pump over time, which can increase your maintenance bills.

Non-Functioning

Sometimes you might find that your heat pump might stop working altogether. This is far from ideal as it will quickly get cold! This often happens as a result of any of the above problems being left too long or happening suddenly. When the refrigerant can’t transfer heat anymore, the system stops working altogether. If this happens, then you need to contact a heat pump service and repair service to fix the problem for you.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we specialise in heat pumps for both commercial and domestic installations. Our preventative maintenance contracts ensure you never have to worry about common problems because one of our team will visit you and carry out regular inspections, maintenance and repairs throughout the year. If you’re worried about keeping your eat pump running this winter, just get in touch with the team today.

By now you may have noticed that electric cars are becoming more and more popular. Not only are they better for the environment than petrol and diesel cars, but they are soon to be one of the only options, available, since the U Government has banned the sale of all petrol and diesel cars in the UK from 2030. So it’s no surprise that so many people are hopping on the bandwagon and buying them now. But what that does mean is that there is a rapidly rising demand for electric car charging points in public spaces – something that anyone who owns a non-residential building has probably noticed. The demand has been so intense that the Government actually brought in new EV charging requirements in June this year, so today we’re going to look at what they are, and how commercial spaces can handle them.

Minimum Charge Points

Up until June this year there were no UK wide legal requirements for EV charge points. Instead, there were just guidance and planning documents available if the owners of commercial properties decided to install charge points off their own backs. Many businesses did make this decision and were free to install as many charge points as they wanted.

However, there is now legislation in place for all new non-residential buildings. If there are more than 10 parking spaces on the property, then there must be a minimum of one charge point installed, along with cable routes for 20% (or 1 in 5) of the total number of spaces. This is to allow for the charging of at least one electric vehicle at a time, while ensuring there is future capacity available as electric cars become even more common. Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to only install one EV charger – the fact is you could install more than one to provide a wider range of accessibility to your customers, as well as ensuring adequate cabling for further expansion if needed. Many businesses are opting for this route as a way of future-proofing their business and preventing further disruption later down the line.

Renovation Work

If you own a non-residential building that is currently undergoing any form of major renovation work, you will also be required to install an electric car charging point. Again, this only applies if you have over 10 parking spaces on the property, and you must have a minimum of 1 charge point and the cabling for 1 in 5 spaces. This legislation is designed to ensure older buildings are retrofitted with EV changepoints while existing work is going on, as well as new buildings having them installed. The aim is to get to a point where every commercial premises has EV charge points – either through retrofitting or new construction.

Covered Car Parks

Of course, many commercial car parks will have more than 10 parking spaces, but in some cases, they will be under ‘cover’ – for example in a multi-storey. As with normal car parks, many of the owners of these covered car parks are already installing EV charge points – which is great! But the new legislation came with a small update just a few days later. The update states that developers aren’t currently compelled to install active charging points into covered car parks. Instead, they only have to fit cable routes to supply charge points in the future. This is because of a query raised during the consultation phase of the legislation, and due to a lack of research the decision was made to make an exception until more information was gathered. Independent research is being done as we speak, and we expect more formal guidance to be given shortly.

At Bonus Eventus we are passionate about the environment, which is why we created a sister brand, Bonus Eventus Charged. This allows us to provide guidance on EV car charge points, as well as full installation and maintenance. If you would like to know more about EV car charging points, or if you have questions about instating them in your commercial space, just get in touch with the team today.