News
Call for agency to verify product makers’ claims n
A supplier is calling for the creation of an independent
‘enforcement agency’ to verify claims about the energy efficiency of products. Sabien Technology, which
produces controls for heating and ventilation systems, said that an independent body could help businesses choose more reliable products and meet their carbon targets. The move follows a recent
Which? report claiming that 10 out of the 14 ‘clean-tech firms’ investigated had exaggerated the potential savings offered by solar water heaters. Two of the companies said that
they could cut energy bills in half, when the real saving was nearer to 10%. Alan O’ Brien, chief executive
of Sabien, warned: ‘[Businesses] are quite literally “fatigued” by propositions from companies who are promising more than they can actually deliver. ‘We need an independent
enforcement agency to audit and verify suppliers’ claims and differentiate between low-carbon and cowboy-carbon products.’ Richard Groves, who worked
on technology trials with restaurant chain Pizza Hut, told the Journal he agreed that an independently funded and open- to-public scrutiny body needs to be set up to prove the merits of different technologies. He said: ‘Many organisations
can’t afford or don’t have the know-how to try extensive trials. However, factory or laboratory testing is not sufficient, and real-life testing, with extensive sub-metering, is a must to prove that a technology does what it says on the tin.’ Bill Bordass, of William Bordass
Associates, said: ‘The idea of yet another agency frightens me. Why isn’t the Carbon Trust doing things like this? Evaluation would need to be rigorous. Often getting systems to work properly can save as much, or more, than adding gizmos.’
We bring air to life
Twin Wheel
INTEGRATED INNOVATIVE INDUSTRIALISED SYSTEMS
Breathing new life into energy saving
A new three-storey building for children at Southampton General Hospital is now complete. Energy-saving initiatives at the site include lighting control, inverter drives on fans and pumps combined with two-port valve control and heat recovery on the ventilation plant. Henderson Green engineered the building services for the £8m East Wing Annex project. When all phases are complete, services will include outpatients and radiology, an emergency department and paediatric assessment unit.
Fläkt Woods Limited Birmingham Business Park, Unit 6240, Bishops Court, Solihull Parkway, Birmingham, B37 7YB Tel: 0121 717 4693 Fax: 0121 717 4699
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July 2010 CIBSE Journal
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