"It relates to the usage of electric motors and compressors, " he told me, "and will limit the maximum starting current you can take from the mains to 60Amps."

The potential directive, he said, is intended to help those countries where the shore supplies are traditionally weak - the Mediterranean, for example.

"In summer you could get 150 boats on one dock and the large guy at the end never sees 220V, " he said. "He might see 195. Then he puts a chiller on and that creates havoc."

The problem with the 60Amp starting load is, says Lentge, that's the starting current required for a 3-ton chiller.

But Fairline and Sunseeker install chillers of 5-tons and more. And as chillers are getting bigger, there may be trouble ahead?. .

"I tested a 5-ton chiller that had a starting current at 240V of 168Amps, " Lentge said. "A 12Kw generator could not even start that chiller. But that size is now common on US and UK boats."

Lentge was quick to outline how HFL is handling this. "We sat down in 2001 and asked how we could comply with this. So we designed the twin compressor chiller."

HFL now manufactures chillers that have two smaller compressors to reach the 60,000BTUs.

To combat the possibility that the compressor would drag too much oil through the system, HFL "developed a system that balances the oil level in the both compressors".

According to Lentge, if the boat ends up where the shore supply is weak, they can just isolate one compressor and run the system on one.

Which means the potential for adding more compressors to get more output. Lentge says he has already put a 240,000BTU installation on a megayacht. "We put three of our modules together and got 240,000 with six compressors.

They work like little sewing machines, he said. And if there's only the skipper on board, he puts one compressor on and doesn't have to start the generator.

As for the rest of the UK heating and aircon industry, here's what I found.

David Melville says GenACis is enjoying a good second season with the French manufacturer CLD Marine.

According to Melville, CLD's switched-on director, Dutchman Henri Treu, sensibly gave up the third line of aircon options some others still offer, namely split systems where refrigerant gas is piped round a vessel through special grade copper lines with air handlers in each cabin space and a central condensing unit in the machinery space.

Easier to install if the boat is new, says Melville, but a nightmare to maintain with gas leaks being the most common problem.

He says for simplicity, only pre-gassed and sealed units are offered now with a range of cooling capacities or, for vessels where three or more areas need conditioning, chilled water systems are gaining significant market share.

By pumping a mixture of 20% antifreeze and water round the boat, effective air conditioning is available via air handlers and the central condensing unit is kept away from the living quarters.

Melville says this is a much quieter solution and easier to maintain as well as install, whether new or retro-fitting.

Compressors are now all rotary or scroll type for quieter running and - as around a third less power is needed - a lot less AC demand on the generator.

He says retail and trade pricing is very competitive indeed with full fitting kits available for all systems to ease installations, from through-hull fittings to teak air grills, or mahogany, or cherry, or white oak, or red oak, or ash, or poplar or just plain white ABS.

HFL says there are lots of small cabin cruisers being built that have no aircon units.

The company's 12V DC Ocean Cool uses R134A, a nonozone-depleting refrigerant that flows through sealed pipes to remove heat and moisture.

The blower housing is made of fibreglass to avoid corrosion and deterioration of paint. The high airflow blower is, says HFL, extremely quiet and features a wide range of operating speeds that can vary as much as 40% of nominal speed.

The compressor is hand made and incorporates a lowvoltage, 3-phase motor, which they say gives vibration-free, balanced running and provides extremely low starting currents to reduce strain on the batteries.

The electric module is small, allowing for installation in the return airflow for the best cooling of the electronic components.

The air conditioner is equipped with a high-pressure switch for safe operation. In case of seawater flow interruption, it will shut off automatically and can be restarted after the seawater obstruction has been removed.

The running time of the Ocean Cool is dependent on the size of the batteries. Operation is controlled by either a digital thermostat or an electronic 12volt timer, which allows the running time to be varied by up to 10 hours from batteries as small as 200AH.

Batteries are recharged by the engine's alternator or while dockside power is plugged in.

Since the Ocean Cool is selfcontained, installation is relatively easy and quick, especially if a seawater inlet is already available onboard. The Ocean Cool has a capacity of 6,500BTUs and measures 435 mm x 360 mm x 300 mm.

Indel Marine introduced a thermostat mixing valve to its top-selling range of Isotemp water heaters earlier this year.

They say the mixing valve will enable water to be heated on board at the correct levels for hygiene and safety purposes, pointing out a problem with heating water on board is achieving the desired temperature and avoiding the build up of bacteria from water that has not been correctly heated.

On board water is often exposed to sunlight through transparent hoses, they say, which creates a bigger risk for the build up of bacteria.

And, as bacteria will remain inactive in cold water and at temperatures over 72infinityC, it is important to install a water heater with an immersion heater that has a fixed setting thermostat with a range of 75-80infinityC.

Indel Marine's latest Isotemp water heaters have been fitted with a thermostat mixing valve, which allows the user to set the desired temperature.

Indel says not only is this safer, but it also prevents water wastage as there is no longer a need to run the first few litres of water to obtain the required temperature.

All models are fitted with oversized engine water heater coils so that it takes only 20-30 minutes of engine time to heat up all the water in the heater's storage tank.

Keto Ltd has launched its new range of warm air ducting insulation, Thermoduct.

According to Keyto, air heaters lose over 50% of their output temperature through the ducting system.

The lost heat keeps storage lockers and voids nice and warm, wasting energy and promoting condensation.

They say tests have shown that Thermoduct can halve ducting heat loss. Designed to slip over heater ducting, Thermoduct comes in tubes 25mm thick and 750mm long.

Properly insulated ducting decreases running times, improves fuel and electrical consumption and allows effective heating in fore cabins.

A positive side-effect is to reduce the external duct temperature from circa 100infinityC to a far safer 20infinityC to 30infinityC.

Thermoduct is exclusively manufactured from Thinsulate Thermal Insulation. For ducting that runs through engine bays a fuel vapour proof product, Thermoduct Vapour, is available, while Thermoduct Wrap is designed to simply wrap around existing ducting installations.

The product is available to fit all ducting sizes, with retail pricing starting from £9.65 inc VAT per length.

Krueger Ltd, Eberspacher main distributor, says modern generation heaters are available with varying heat outputs from 2Kw to around 12Kw on the hot air versions and 4Kw to 35Kw on the hot water systems most being capable of regulating their output to meet demand.

The most simple and effective way of heating up the boat in the shortest possible time with air being blown over a hot heat exchanger and distributed around the boat via a designed and balanced ducting system to where the heat is required, which can often include demisting.

Small, diesel fuelled central heating boilers able to be plumbed into most boats to provide heating, cabin temperature can be controlled automatically using radiators with thermostatic valves or room thermostats in conjunction with fan matrix blowers.

Domestic hot water can also be obtained by linking the heater to a suitable calorifier and water system.

Timer controls are available for the majority of heating units enabling the owner or crew to return or awake to a warm and dry craft.

Webasto is a global supply partner for the marine industry, with its head office in Munich, Germany, manufacturing plants in 14 countries and representation in 50 countries.

Its core competence is R&D and production of complete heating systems for cars, trucks, buses and boats.

Airtop is a complete family of compact air heaters extending from a small but powerful 2kW unit, through a highly efficient 3.5kW up to an ultra compact 5kW unit suitable for larger vessels.

Webasto says unlike conventional heaters in the market, all use a stepless heat output system, which provides for a greater degree of temperature control accuracy and reduced levels of operational noise.

They say reliability is further enhanced by the use of sophisticated ceramics technology, which significantly increases service life and ensures efficient ignition with greatly reduced power draw.

Thermotop is a versatile heating system capable of up to 9kW output and which offers a central heating type approach.

The heater circulates warm water around the vessel to either fan assisted heat exchangers or convector panels located in each cabin. In addition, warm water can also be supplied for washing and to shower cubicles.

Whispaire says the cleanest and quietest fuel option for boat heating is still a relatively unexplored avenue for most.

Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) is, they say, the cleanest fuel available with no odour and no colour to the flue gasses.

Flue outlet noise is minimal as is the air flow noise from the warm air outlets. The warm air is circulated throughout the boat via a flexible duct system and a system of "Y" branches and closable outlets.

Whispaire distributes the Truma range, which includes blown hot air heaters from 2.4kW up to 4kW output that can run up to five outlets on a narrowboat.

For larger boats requiring more heat, any of the units can be mixed and matched to give a more controlled environment, saving on gas where one or more areas do not require heat all the time.

All the air heaters are approved by the Boat Safety Scheme and suitable for DIY installation providing the gas connections are checked by a qualified engineer.

Whispaire packages Truma heaters as complete installation kits.

Whispaire says maintenance is minimal as clean burning gas leaves no carbon deposits and the pressurised balanced flue gives perfect combustion.

The heat exchanger will stay clean for years so the cost of ownership on an annual basis should amount to nothing.

Contacts GenACis T: 01202 624356 F: 01202 625842 E: david@genacis.com W: genacis.com HFL T: 020 8805 9088 F: 020 8805 9534 E: hfl@btinternet.com W: hflgen.com Indel Marine T: +39 0541 848030 E: info@indelmarine.com Keyto T: 01202 715171 F: 01202 715172 E: info@katogroup.com W: ketogroup.com Krueuger T: 01425 619869 F: 01425 638640 Webasto T: 01302 322232 F: 01302 322231 E: info@webastouk.com W: webastouk.com Whispaire T: 01794 324464 F: 01794 324465 E: info@Whispaire.co.uk W: Whispaire.co.uk