MEP stands for – Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing Engineering/Services in the construction industry.

There is no difference between building services and MEP services in the construction industry.

Both terms are used interchangeably to describe systems installed in buildings to make them comfortable/habitable, functional, efficient and safe for humans.

Building Services are the electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems in a building.

A building services engineering provide an integrated building services solution that are cost-effective, coordinated with other services, energy efficient and meets statutory requirements for government approval.

They are essentially experts in the planning, design, modification, or rehabilitation of all categories of building structures.

They are registered professionals in the field of mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering.

The following highlights some of the benefits of engaging a professional engineer:

• They provide expert advice on available solutions and technological changes applicable to your project.

• Project Management: They manage your projects effectively and complete your projects on time and on budget.

• Meeting Health & Safety Issues: A professional engineer guarantees the health and safety in the construction site, by implementing adequate procedures and raising awareness among workers.

• Meeting any Legal and Regulatory Issues – They ensure from design to implementation stage of a project, all legal or local regulatory requirements are met.

Building services typically accounts for 30 – 40% of total building project cost.

Building services design ensure the systems are cost-effective, safe, compliant with statutory requirements and best practices, and are coordinated with the needs of the other design and construction team professionals.

During design stage, clashes between building services and other building components which is a significant cause of delays and variations on building projects, can be detected and mitigated against with the use of 3D computer aided design (CAD) systems and building information modelling (BIM).

The following are the most common causes of plumbing leaks in buildings:

• Poor workmanship – The effective performance and quality of a building’s plumbing system is highly dependent on expertise and experience of the contracted plumber or building services contractor.

• Type & Quality of Plumbing Pipes Used: The type and quality of plumbing pipes used determine the possible source of leaks in the plumbing system. Each type or grade of pipes have the amount of water pressure they can support and distinct methodologies/techniques for joining them.

• Undersized Plumbing Pipes: The size and specification of plumbing pipes determine the amount of water pressure the pipes can support. When pipes are undersized for the application, they burst or allow leaks through their joints at high or uneven water pressure.

• Broken Water Seals in Sanitary Fixtures: All Sanitary Fittings have seals around the water connectors which get worn out with age and becomes a source of leakage in the plumbing system.

• Damaged/Weakened Pipe Joints: Where pipes are interconnected form the weakest point in the lines. Overtime, these joints deteriorate causing leaks in the system.

• Clogged Drain Pipes: clogged drained pipe can lead to an overflow or burst pipes in the plumbing system.

• Loose Water Connectors.

• High Water Pressure: Use of undersized pipes, oversized pressure or transfer pumps, use of low quality plumbing pipes, etc.

Electrical cables are laid in conduit pipes for some of the following reasons:

• For proper cable management and coordination in the given installation

• To provide mechanical protection to the cables and accessible safety for persons and property

• To provide convenient and accessible electrical pathway system with adequate capacity for future expansion.

By rule of thumb the size of HVAC system for a space can be estimated by first determining the area of the space to be cooled in square feet (length x breadth of the space) and multiplying that result by 25BTU per square feet.

The result gives you the minimum size of air-conditioning unit in BTU you require to cool the space.

For instance, let’s say the space is 12Ft x 18Ft = 216 square feet. The minimum BTU of air conditioning unit required to cool the space will be 25BTU per square feet x 216 square feet = 5400BTU.

Then select the air-conditioning unit with 5400Btu cooling capacity to effectively cool the space Please note: A properly trained HVAC professional will be able to make the proper measurements & calculations and design a system that meets your home’s climate control needs.

Concealed conduit wiring has the following advantages over the surface conduit wiring:

• It is the safest wiring system: no risk of electrical shock, in case of proper earthing and grounding of metallic pipes

• It is aesthetically appealing. It does not hamper interior layout of the building as conduits are concealed in the wall

• Conduct provides protection against mechanical injury, fire, and shockproof.

• Maintenance is easy: renovation can be easily performed as old wires can be easily replaced.

• There is no risk to damage cable installation.

• It is a waterproof wiring system: the conductor is safely secure from moisture and chemicals.