Three Stelrad CPDs Upgraded And Approved By CIBSE

Leading radiator manufacturer Stelrad Radiators has long lead the way in the provision of training and sharing knowledge via continuing professional development courses about every aspect of the use and specification of radiators on heating systems. You can now learn about the latest developments in radiators, from these upgraded CPD training sessions led by a Stelrad expert. Each one-hour training session counts towards your annual CPD requirement and can be arranged for you on a one- to-one or group basis at your practice, at a time to suit you, either face-to-face or via Teams. 

The original three CPDs offered have now been superseded by three new 1-hour courses – Space Heating with Radiators, Decarbonisation with Radiators and Low Surface Temperature Radiators – updated to meet CIBSE’s high technical standards, offering meaningful learning outcomes reflecting the latest legislation.

They are designed to meet Stelrad’s evolving customer needs ensuring that the content remains both relevant and impactful. “We’ve just received approval from CIBSE for these three new CPDs and we’re ready to begin offering these to interested parties up and down the country,” says Sarah Baker, Stelrad’s Marketing Communications Manager. “We know from the excellent feedback we’ve had to previous versions just how well received these are and we’re expecting heavy take up of these new versions now they are available.” For more information or to book a CPD session, call 01709 578 950 or email marketing@stelrad.com

Ultra-Fin UFH Assists Quest For Net Zero With Supporting Role In The Actors’ Church

A recently completed contract for an underfloor heating company has demonstrated how a Grade I listed landmark building can undergo a transformation, in terms of its energy efficiency, without any traces being left on the existing historic internal fabric: while also future-proofing it for a switch to a fully renewable heating source in the coming years. 

St. Paul’s Church in Covent Garden is not only known for its architecture - prominent from the famous Piazza - but also as the ‘Actors’ Church’, hosting memorials to film and stage stars from Charlie Chaplin to Sir Noel Coward.  Working with the Diocese of London and under the Church of England Net Zero Carbon programme the Church has achieved what might have seemed impossible less than a year ago. Established in 2024, Ultra-Fin UK Ltd. already has a strong presence in the heritage sector and was exhibiting at this year’s Listed Property Owner’s Club show at Olympia.

The team met Westminster Churches Net Zero Forum Officer, Alison Moulden, who made the introduction to the Parish priest, Revd. Simon Grigg, and Parish Administrator, Phil Hunt, who took a keen interest in the potential of the underfloor heating system which is designed for joisted floors.  

Director Tom Dixon-Smith explains the contractual relationship on the project, saying: “Our business model normally involves supply and training but the nature of this project inspired us to take on the role of manufacturer, supplier and installer, using our own team of engineers.  The Church is so important we weren’t prepared to let anyone else complete the project”. 

Tom went on to say “Phil Hunt did a fantastic job of steering the project application through all the Grade I listing and other compliance issues and we supported that by producing what became a 250-page document detailing not just the system but also the installation method.  For example, we had to calculate how many notches we would have to take out of the existing joists once the historic floorboards were lifted and also specify the insulation solution over which the system would run.”

All buildings lose heat through the ground floor and St. Paul’s Church is no exception. Tom explained “we specify insulation beneath our pipework to avoid downward heat losses. In this case the 50mm of fully non-combustible Rockwool insulation maximises the heat from our system whilst making the Church building more energy efficient through restricting building heat loss."

The support for the insulation is provided by a super tough, A1 fire rated breathable PhotonWrap barrier, which also enhances the heat delivery from the Ultra-Fin diffusers by being heat reflective. The membrane was lapped over the joists, held in place with staples and painted black along the top of where it sits on the joists to prevent a shiny glare from between the floorboards. The composite PEX Aluminium pipe and the Ultrafins were installed during a thirteen-day period in mid-August 2025, before the Company’s engineers completed the connections to the existing boiler and undertook the commissioning. The new underfloor heating extends across the whole of the nave from in front of the Altar to the main entrance, leaving the chancel/choir’s flagstone flooring in place. 

The joisted floors cover 2,900 sq.m in 10 bays and they are split into a dozen separate heating zones, prioritising the coldest space towards the Altar, while the pair of eight-port Ultra-Fin Cross manifolds retain spare connections to facilitate the replacement of the boiler with air source heat pumps in the future.  There are hard-wired sensors to ensure the flooring will not rise above 270 C degrees to safeguard the timber. Having overseen much of the work, the Parish Administrator for St. Paul’s,

Phil Hunt observed: “The nave of the Church was previously heated by five radiators which took a long time to heat up (even though we were running the boiler at 80o C). We will be carrying out monitoring, but anecdotally, the times we have turned on the heating it has warmed up far quicker, even though the boiler is running at just 45o C.  The Ultra-Fin system was also ideal for the project because it proved to cause far less harm to the fabric of the building than the alternatives being considered – not requiring the floor height to be built up or screeded, while it remains demountable and – valuably – it was also significantly cheaper than the other systems which would have required far more work.”        www.ultra-fin.co.uk 

Marmox Multiboard Used By NE Renovation Specialist To Tackle Damp And Cold

A highly experienced contractor, specialising in energy upgrade refurbishments, underfloor heating and heating installations, has cited ease of installation, as well as the waterproofing and high insulation values of Marmox Multiboard, for his practice of using the coated XPS boards for all of his bathroom fit-outs and many other projects.

Richard Percy, a former firefighter, who has been carrying out challenging contracts across the country for the past 15 years and trading as RDP Solutions, recounts: “I work across the North-East and the country as a whole, for underfloor heating and greywater recycling and I have made it my speciality to take on refurbishments which other people say can’t be done!  In the case of the very old building where I am currently working in Mitford, Northumberland, the place had been very badly rebuilt in the past, with poor installation to the vaulted ceiling, no cavity closers and all of the pipework run under the floors. In addition, chipboard flooring had been laid over battens on out-of-level concrete."

"This required a full strip out to enable the installation of underfloor heating. Overlapping layers of Kingspan were installed in the roof-space and different thicknesses of Marmox Multiboard installed across the walls and floors in all the rooms. For example, I uprated all the window reveals using 12.5 mm Multiboard.” 

During the rebuild, all of the pipework for the plumbing was relocated within the studwork, to allow the Uponor minitec underfloor heating system to be laid across a 40 mm thickness of Multiboards. This ensured the maximum amount of heat was delivered to the occupied room above, creating much improved comfort levels for the occupants.  Interestingly, as a proponent of hydronic underfloor heating, he has also adopted the practice of extending it beneath the actual shower tray: in this case, one of Marmox’s own linear wetroom trays.  Other products from the Marmox range employed on the contract include the jointing tape, 360 adhesive and special washers for installation of the different thicknesses of Multiboard. Richard concludes:

“I use Multiboard for all my bathrooms – virtually every job I do – primarily for their waterproofing performance, but also because they significantly reduce heat loss and are very straightforward to cut and fit.  A lot of people go for a cement-based product in bathrooms, but Multiboard is better and easier to install and in new-build situations it also meets the NHBC guidance.”

Marmox Multiboards are manufactured from extruded polystyrene or XPS encapsulated in reinforced polymer concrete, produced in a range of thicknesses up to 60mm and offer a variety of positive physical characteristics in addition to being fully waterproof.  They are both light to handle and easy to cut, while still being able to sustain substantial loadings if required, such as for flooring applications. They further offer good thermal insulation performance, helping to cut condensation risk. Full packs of Multiboard and the ancillary products from the Marmox range were all purchased through the local branch of MKM Building Supplies.  

www.marmox.co.uk