Just completed the refurbishment of Chancery Exchange reception including new lighting replacement desk power and data services.
Chancery Exchange Project Complete
Zero % Tax on Renewables
VAT ON AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS FOR DOMESTIC CUSTOMERS ONLY
The Chancellor’s spring statement for energy-saving materials and heating equipment is now zero-rated for VAT.
Most of us are complaining our homes are either too warm in the summer or too cold in the winter. If you’re looking to make your home a more friendly space to inhabit, then investing in split air conditioning systems could be the answer. These provide energy-efficient cooling and heating and have now been included within the Government change on energy-saving equipment and changed the VAT to zero!
Other incentives have also been included such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) encouraging homeowners to switch from fossil-fuelled heating systems such as; gas and oil to low carbon solutions such as Air Source Heat Pumps which under the MCS scheme we are credited to install allowing you to benefit from the additional £5000 reduction in the costs of the installation. The zero VAT rate is scheduled to remain in place for five years.
Further details regarding the changes can be found on the government website, in particular, the clauses relating to the changes are 2.0, 2.1, 2.10 and 2.18.
If you would like to know more about how BSE|FM can assist you with Split Air Conditioning Systems or Air Source Heat Pumps, please contact us at 01444 390593
Six safety tips for 2022
Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, some buildings were left unused, or used by fewer people. But now that the worst of the pandemic is hopefully over and some level of normality returns, more people are returning to buildings such as offices and places of work.
As you do so, it is important that you observe good safety practice. Here are six tips to help keep your building safe for 2022 and beyond.
1 – Yearly PAT tests
It is absolutely essential that you keep up with your legal requirements for maintaining a safe working environment. These requirements are in place for a reason – and they allow you to maintain a high standard of safety at all times.
PAT testing is a great example of this. Regularly checking electrical appliances and equipment for safety helps to protect those around your business and also ensures that you stay fully compliant with legislation, as well as for awarding bodies and for insurance purposes.
2 – Invest in quality facilities management
Perhaps the best way to ensure safety in your building is to ensure that things are running as they should. Too many building managers take the approach of fixing issues when they become a problem. But this isn’t the smart way to work.
It’s a better idea to invest in high-quality facilities management. Doing so helps to reduce costs, improve efficiency and keep the building in line with environmental and compliance standards – and it also helps to ensure that everything runs safely and doesn’t needlessly endanger staff.
3 – Avoid DIY wire repairs
Wires do naturally fray over time which can be unsightly and eventually cause electrical equipment to stop working. There are horror stories of businesses attempting to fix their faulty wires with sticky tape, and this should be avoided as this kind of tape is not designed to be used on wires and can result in a fire.
Even when using specifically designed electrical tape it is important to remember that this fix should only be temporary. Wires that are not in excellent condition should be repaired by a professional, or replaced as soon as possible.
4 – Report device issues as soon as possible
If you find that there is an issue with any kind of electrical device that you use at work you should report it immediately. What make seem like a small and innocuous issue can turn out to be a significant problem.
Things can change very quickly and if you don’t have a record of minor faults being noticed it could cause issues with compliance.
5 – Ensure exits aren’t blocked
You might find that junk accumulates in open spaces, especially if you haven’t been using the building as normal for the last couple of years. Unfortunately, it is the case that there is usually a good reason that these spaces have been kept empty.
It is often true that these areas are important for fire exits. Blocking a fire exit is a health and safety issue; you need to make sure the emergency routes out of the building are kept clear. Blocked exits can lead to people panicking during an emergency situation, which is the last thing you want to happen.
6 – Keep a clean desk
It is good practice to keep a desk nice and clean to make sure that you know where any key documents are, but it can also be a safety issue too. Leaving drinks or food around your desk can lead to leaks and spillages that can damage electrical equipment.
At BSE FM, we specialise in hard and soft facilities management and we would be happy to help you with any facilities issues you have. Get in contact with us today for more information or if you would like a quote for facilities management services.
New London Address
We are delighted to announce that our Facilities Management team on 29th November 2021 moved to our new offices near London Blackfriars:
Magnesia House, 6 Playhouse Yard, London, EC4V 5EX
We are in walking distance of London Blackfriars Station and London underground tube services.
Providing BSE|FM with increased links to service our clients within the capital and beyond.
Please call on 0207 953 4047 if you would like to arrange a visit or have a requirement you’d like to discuss with one our directors. Need more information, review our services here.
How proactive building maintenance can save your business money
When many businesses think of building maintenance, they consider it to mean fixing the things that break or repairing issues that have gone wrong. This is something that you can consider to be ‘reactive’ maintenance: a problem arises, and maintenance is carried out to fix that problem.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with reactive maintenance, and it is certainly an important thing to do. But it if your policy around building maintenance is simply to react to issues, then you could be missing something extremely important.
The crucial thing to note here is that if you encounter a problem, such as the failure of your air conditioning unit, it’s probably because the unit isn’t being maintained properly. The fact that the unit has broken likely means that there were opportunities before where routine maintenance could have been carried out and this could have stopped the unit from breaking down. This is known as proactive building maintenance.
What is proactive building maintenance?
Working on the building proactively is a maintenance concept that tries to reach a point where nothing ever gets to the point where it doesn’t work or needs serious work. This is regular, on-going maintenance work that keeps the building running and plans in advance for major work so that it can be scheduled at convenient times.
No matter what the concept is applied to, it can potentially save your business a significant amount of money. It will always be cheaper to mend rather than to have to replace aspects of the building because of lack of maintenance.
More efficient work
There can be no doubt that one of the most cost-effective elements of proactive maintenance is its efficiency. Functionally, if you are in a position where you are letting maintenance get to the point where things are breaking or ceasing to function, you are more regularly having to pay for replacements rather than standard maintenance.
Reactive maintenance always comes with the drawback that you are letting equipment go past the point where it can be fixed. Being proactive means you can spend less and have equipment that works.
Major jobs at convenient times
If something like your heating system breaks down it can be hugely inconvenient. It will naturally have a knock-on effect, and could leave you in a position where staff are unable to work or have their productivity reduced. This is not only due to the lack of heating but also the kind of disruption that is involved to put the issue right.
With proactive maintenance, you can choose when the major jobs need to happen. If it does come to a point where you know that the heating system is going to need replacing, you can have this carried out during non-working hours. Minimising this disruption can save you a lot of money.
Increased lifespan of assets
It is not controversial to say that if you carry out proper ongoing maintenance on your building assets, they are likely to work well for longer. Following instructions for installers and manufacturers about how often maintenance needs to take place is very important.
If good maintenance is able to extend the lifespan of your assets, that can also save you a significant amount.
If you are interested in having building maintenance carried out by high-quality industry professionals, the team at BSE FM would be happy to help. Get in touch with us today for more information.