Practical advice

It also contains the biggest collection of benchmarking figures on efficiency that has ever been put together in one document. It's the kind of practical advice that engineers have been looking for.

And it's the word 'practical' which is key. Graham Manly has now taken up his post as President of the Institution. His key goal is to make building services engineers think about how they can deliver sustainable buildings.

Manly is a contractor by background, so he has been at the delivery end of buildings for a long time. What he's saying is, we know what has to be done, let's decide how we're going to make it happen.

This is an important change of emphasis for the services industry. Engineers are seen as practical people, and for the most part that's true. Their role is to solve problems. Well, global warming is the biggest we've ever faced, so time to get working!

Another big step for the Institution is the alteration of its Charter. The main upshot of this is that CIBSE can be more inclusive. We are entering a time when services engineers need to spread their know-how around the industry; to share their problem-solving capabilities; and to make sure they are working with all parts of the construction team.

Sometimes the Institution is accused of moving slowly, but for once there is little room for criticism of its recent actions. It has seen the future, and found a way to retain its members' professional status, while opening its doors to more people who should be involved in giving services engineering the high profile it deserves.

We have spent a long time talking about sustainable buildings, and designing for energy efficiency.

Now CIBSE is leading the way in driving forward practical delivery. It only remains for members to get behind their Institution.