Letters
Micro-renewables do make sense within their rights to take action under the water cylinder. Not part way down. Not once a
The Renewables Advisory Board has suggested various health and safety at work statutes. Will week. Not to 50C.
that renewables generation should always compliance with L8 therefore appear in the An interviewee in the article is factually
be done on a large scale because it is more home information pack given to a purchaser? incorrect by claiming that heating the water
economically viable; it also advises against This particular problem is typical of several to 60C every day completely negates the
introducing feed-in tariffs (‘Greening Britain’, clashes between optimum sustainability on the environmental and economic benefits of solar.
August, page 14). one hand and statutory H&S legislation plus The reality is that extensive solar simulation
Modern economics account for life-cycle our civil law on the other. (Optimum future modelling has conclusively demonstrated to us
costs in their widest sense, and the human safety vs optimum present safety?). In civil law that using back-up heating as HSE L8 guidance
factor. Perhaps the only way of moving forward there is the potential for legal action following requires – in the evening after the sun has heated
with conserving the use of energy and taking leakages of the greenest refrigerants, ammonia the water as much as it can – will only negate the
on board renewables is to change human and the hydrocarbons. In a civil case, apparently, benefits by less than 10 per cent.
behaviour. One way of doing this is to include Most solar thermal installations in the UK are
the micro with the macro – that is, encouraging retrofits, and this safer approach often delivers
the small businesses, small communities and better cost-benefits into the bargain. This is
the individual householder to reduce energy achieved by saving the cost of a hot water cylinder.
consumption, install renewable energy systems Unfortunately this safer approach cannot even
and claim the feed-in tariff. gain state grants at present because many in the
In the article, Hywel Davies argues that, if 30 solar industry share the collective delusion about
per cent of electricity is wasted in an (existing) performance which is articulated in the article.
building, then generating it from renewables Barry Johnston
is an extremely expensive way of wasting Managing director, Solar Twin Ltd
electricity. However, retrofitting to upgrade
existing buildings, which are a very high CIBSE’s customer rhetoric
proportion of the total stock compared with new Talking the talk of customer satisfaction and
build, can only go so far. Wasted energy here then using surveys to measure this satisfaction
can be reduced; it cannot be eliminated. If one represents an implicit promise by CIBSE to
measure comes before the other what does it its members: that the institution will take
matter as long as both are being addressed? action to serve them better (‘Declare your
Brian Mark says it would be impossible for feelings’, CIBSE News, September, page 11).
Britain to compete with Germany and China in Customer service rhetoric or fancy research
the manufacture of photovoltaic panels as they instruments fall a long way short of this
have a well developed manufacturing industry. commitment. The benefits, instead, come from
What a defeatist attitude! Has he factored in challenging how we do our business, keeping
the emissions generated from China’s coal- the competition in our customer satisfaction
fired power stations to manufacture them there is not merely a matter of negligence to be equations and taking the considerable time and
and, indeed, the emissions from transporting considered but also a matter of a less intrinsically effort to design questionnaires that are easy to
the panels to Britain? We in this country safe choice of which ‘the designer’ is aware. complete, worth taking the time to do, show
need jobs for the recently unemployed. Perhaps the HVAC/MEP trade as a whole members that CIBSE understands their basic
Keith J Moss ACIBSE should make a combined approach to needs, cannot be ‘gamed’ or otherwise rigged by
government of the HSE for a ruling as to what insiders – and then acting to improve the deal
Ambiguities in solar thermal advice normally overrules what. The current view that to members relative to what our competitors
It is difficult to disagree with Tim Othen’s view ‘only the courts can decide in these situations’ can do or offer.
on the effects of Health and Safety Executive simply is not good enough when one wants to Ian Brown MSc CEng, FIMechE, FCIBSE
guidance L8 on the practicality of using solar install solar panels or ammonia chillers.
thermal energy for domestic hot water systems John Moss CIBSE Journal welcomes article proposals from
(Letters, September, page 16; ‘Keeping the Technical director, ICOM Energy Association
any reader, wherever you are – whether it be
letters, longer opinion pieces, news stories,
legions at bay’, August, page 40).
people or events listings, humorous items, or any
The only real ambiguity is as to whether Complying with solar advice ideas for possible articles.
the HSE would apply the rules designed for Your article on solar themal systems and
Please send all letters and any other items for
places of work to your or my flat or house if legionella does not specifically mention the
possible publication to: bcervi@cibsejournal.
one of us or our immediate families were to problem of non-compliance – which is that
com, or write to Bob Cervi, Editor, CIBSE Journal,
catch Legionnaire’s disease. I haven’t heard about 80 per cent of all solar water heating
Cambridge Publishers Ltd, 275 Newmarket Road,
Cambridge, CB5 8JE, UK. We reserve the right to
of a prosecution of this kind occurring, installations in the UK do not comply with
edit all letters. Please indicate how you wish your
though one of your readers might know Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance:
letter to be attributed, and whether you wish to
of one. But presumably the HSE would be heat daily to 60 deg C to the base of the hot
have your contact details included.
22 CIBSE Journal October 2009 www.cibsejournal.com
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