Modern Building Services

FEATURE PIPED SERVICES 18 MODERN BUILDING SERVICES MARCH 2021 Sustainability The green agenda will continue to remain prominent throughout 2021 and beyond. Polypipe is partnering withWolseley to assist in the recycling and reuse of all scrap plastics. Our suppliers such as Polypipe are partnering with us on initiatives to reduce waste while increasing reuse and improving recycling. Baxi Heating is also seeing demand changing fromgas to electric boilers and air source heat pumps (ASHPs) due to legislation. Electric boilers and ASHPs are on the increase in order to comply with building regulations, particularly on newbuilds. Responsible approach Will we also see a shift in responsibility moving from the contractor to their clients – particularly in light of the Hackett Report which followed the tragic Grenfell disaster? We are expecting a great deal of new legislation as a result of the Hackett Report, in 2021 and beyond. It is our job to remain ahead of the game. The responsibility is on the supply chain to be honest in terms of the performance of their products. In a post-Brexit world, British standards and kite marks will be more important than ever. When it comes to commercial tenders, both public and private sector organisations are placing increasing emphasis on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Partnering with the right supplier is vital to writing a successful bid. For some companies, this is a box-ticking exercise, but we firmly believe it should be embedded in your corporate culture. We are genuinely passionate about protecting the environment - we have targets in place to increase recyclable packaging materials and to eradicate single use plastic. Clients can leverage our expertise and industry leadership when it comes to submitting bids. While there are clearly some challenges ahead – as with any year – 2021 also offers significant opportunities for growth. Companies that partner with full service, forward thinking suppliers such as Wolseley Pipe will be best placed to take advantage. In a rapidly changing environment, providing innovative, reliable, and flexible services for end-to-end project delivery will be more important than ever. Wolseley Pipe is perfectly placed to help the building services sector to remain agile, add value, and thrive. Five key trends for 2021: 1. Prefabrication More offsite fabrication to reduce onsite labour costs and improve productivity 2. Repair vs Replace More customers opting for repair rather than replacement, due to budget constraints 3. Digitalisation Customers moving to a self-service, online model which is much more efficient 4. Sustainability More innovative products and increased demand for greener solutions 5. Responsibility More regulation as an outcome of the Hackett Report, and more onus on CSR in tenders