Y Services Reference Specification
Contents
Y2 GENERAL PIPELINE EQUIPMENT
Y24 Trace Heating
Y5 OTHER COMMON MECHANICAL ITEMS
Y51 Testing And Commissioning Of Mechanical Services
Y6 CABLES AND WIRING
Y60 Conduit And Cable Trunking
Y61 HV/LV Cables And Wiring
Y7 GENERAL ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
Y71 LV Switchgear And Distribution Boards
Y73 Luminaires And Lamps
Y74 Accessories For Electrical ServicesS
Y8 OTHER COMMON ELECTRICAL ITEMS
Y81 Testing And Commissioning Of Electrical ServicesS
Y9 OTHER COMMON MECHANICAL AND/OR ELECTRICAL ITEMS
Y90 Fixing To Building Fabric
Y91 Off-Site Painting/Anti-Corrosion Treatments
Y24 Trace Heating
CONSIDER:
• Only use Green Tariff electricity for trace heating.
AVOID:
• Trace heating by insulating the service of the building.
Y51 Testing And Commissioning Of Mechanical Services
CONSIDER:
• Electricity Supply: ensure all sites are required to use a Green
Tariff electricity supply throughout the works, commissioning and testing
period and hand over the building to the Employer (Client) with the same
Green Tariff electricity supply
Y6 Cables and Wiring
CONSIDER:
• Low smoke alternatives.
• Highly automated buildings often use miles of cables.
• Modern built-in Hi-fi uses excessive amounts of additional cables.
• Running cables behind surface mounted hollow skirtings and dados
etc. with easy access for updating, additions and replacement.
• Avoid penetrating airtightness layers, vapour barriers, breather
membranes, damp proof membranes, gas proof membranes, since they are labour
intensive to reseal and concentrate the consequencess.
AVOID:
• PVC sheathed and PVC insulated copper cables.
Y60 Conduit And Cable Trunking
CONSIDER:
• Running cables behind surface mounted hollow skirtings and dados
etc. with easy access for updating, additions and replacement.
• Use conduits with recycled plastic content.
Y61 HV/LV Cables And Wiring
CONSIDER:
• Low smoke alternatives.
• To avoid the predominance of electrical transformers which generate
heat all year round (whilst reducing voltage from 220-240 V to 6-12 V),
consider introducing low voltage circuits to supply power to low voltage
equipment e.g. laptops.
• Running cables behind surface mounted hollow skirtings and dados
etc. with easy access for updating, additions and replacement.
Y73 Luminaires and Lamps
CONSIDER:
• All appropriate renewable systems including:
- Specifying the most efficient appliances and luminaires: Efficiency:
Grade A in all cases
- Significant energy savings over life of equipment and of building can
be achieved
• Specifying the most efficient lighting, consider LED and piezo-electronic
systems where available and appropriate.
Y74 Accessories For Electrical Services
CONSIDER:
• MK provide a 25 year guarantee on their accessories but do not
promote it very widely.
Y81 Testing And Commissioning Of Electrical Services
CONSIDER:
• Electricity Supply: ensure all sites are required to use a Green
Tariff electricity supply throughout the works, commissioning and testing
period and hand over the building to the Employer (Client) with the same
Green Tariff electricity supply
Y90 Fixing To Building Fabric
CONSIDER:
• Allow for future provision eg the addition of solar panels / PVs
to the roof .
• Zero Formaldehyde adhesives (Chipboard, MDF, etc.) in place of
conventional alternatives.
• Ballast in preference to adhesive and fastening (easily reused).
• Nails in preference to adhesive.
• Screws in preference to nails (removable if rust free) choose
the metal and coating carefully.
• Bolts in preference to screws.
• Clamping (e.g. Lindapter) easily removed and reusable, in preference
to bolting.
• Locational fixing in preference to fastening.
• Locational (compress and release into tight space).
• Locational pour or blown into pocket (loose insulation into joist
space).
• Void filling: (insulation into timber framed cavities) See P10.
AVOID:
• Adhesives generally.
• Formaldehyde adhesives particularly.
• Welding.
• Composites (less likely to be recyclable).
• Solvent curing.
Y91 Off-Site Painting/Anti-Corrosion Treatments
CONSIDER:
• Some paints are supplied in cardboard drums and are compostable.
• Some natural paints are compostable along with the cardboard drum.
• Paints listed in British Museum Schedules for museums.
• Absorption of UV light.
• Natural traditional paints, stains and oils.
• Mineral paints which chemically bond with porous backgrounds,
up to 100 years life.
• Paints with long life 10 years external or 20 years internal between
coatings.
• Powder coatings in preference to paint.
• Galvanized steel without paint, See Z111.
REUSE:
• Store materials to prevent deterioration.
• Permit the use of opened and resealed and unopened tins from the
contract to be stored on site for use in snagging.
• Permit the use of unopened tins from the contract to be stored
on site for use in and in 6 month defect repairs.
• Permit the use of unopened tins from the contract to be stored
on site for use by the FM in maintenance of the building in use .
AVOID:
• Most conventional paints are compounds of petrochemicals and volatile
organic solvents.
• High VOC paints.
• Synthetic paints.
• Aggressive paints which will affect the exhibits in museums and
art galleries.
• Painted steel structure.
ALERT:
• Paint is classified as 'Hazardous Waste'. Paint and paint cans
are no longer permitted to be disposed of in normal landfill sites.





