OPINION
These ‘basic requirements’ are: mechanical resistance and stability; safety in case of fire; hygiene, health and the environment; safety and accessibility in use; protection against noise; energy economy and heat retention; and sustainable use of natural resources. This final requirement is an addition to the original six ‘essential requirements’ of the CPD, which pre-dated both the Rio Earth Summit and Kyoto Treaty. Since then a whole new area of activity around sustainability and buildings has opened up. However, detailed regulatory requirements for buildings vary between member states with, for example, frost resistance required in Finland or Sweden but not in Malta. So, the regulation applies across the EU, but the corresponding technical specification may need to allow for products having different levels of performance, although they all meet the standard. And now they all have to be CE marked. But that does not mean they are necessarily identical products from state to state. If Europe has two (or more) levels permitted in the technical specification, then products may be CE marked if they meet one of the levels. They must be transparent about which level they meet, but they do not have to meet every level. So although a product may have CE marking, it may still not be suitable for particular applications or for use in some member states, even though the marking allows it to be placed on the market there. Building designers, contractors, manufacturers and importers all have some responsibility for ensuring that a product used in a building has the correct characteristics for that particular application. They may be required to provide
the necessary test evidence to show that CE marking is valid. But with the various conditions and variations in national building regulations across Europe, CE might well mean ‘check everything’.
l HYWEL DAVIES is technical director of CIBSE
www.cibse.org
MANUFACTURER’S VIEWPOINT
Together we need to forge a low carbon plan for the future, writes Martin Fahey of Mitsubishi Electric, sponsor of this column
Growing awareness and evolving values are driving
government, businesses and individuals to demand more sustainable and socially acceptable energy technologies. It is up to all of us in the
building services industry to forge a plan together to ensure we’re ready and fit for the future ahead. Three primary goals are
Building designers, contractors, manufacturers and importers may be required to provide the necessary test evidence to show that CE marking is valid
identified by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). They are: • Reducing CO2 emissions by 80% compared to 1990 levels by 2050;
• Ensuring energy supply meets demand; and
• Achieving a secure energy system for the UK.
We need to develop strategies that focus on fact- based arguments for alternative solutions to the traditional use of carbon-based fuels, ensuring the right system is used in every case. A more important issue for government is fuel security; it’s predicted that in the coming years, 70% or more of the UK’s energy will be imported. We now depend on international
The need to maintain an adequate heating level in homes, coupled with rising energy prices, has increased the number of households that need to spend more than 10% of their income on heating. Tackling this ‘fuel poverty’ means reducing the cost of running our homes’ heating systems and introducing different technologies. Installing adequate insulation, as promoted by the Green Deal, is crucial too, and will make the transition to lower-carbon heating options much easier. Some 82% of energy used
In the coming years, 70% of the UK’s energy will be imported
in homes is for heating space and water. We believe that microgeneration will have a key role to play in meeting this demand. Public attitudes are evolving, along with the requirement to make energy consumption more visible, and this is creating a change in opinion in favour of renewable technologies. To make the most of this, we need to
energy markets, including Norway, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which face growing demand from emerging markets such as China and India. We need a more balanced supply in terms of both source and type. Fossil fuels will remain a part of
the mix for the foreseeable future, but we need to rely less on these. When people and companies
use renewable energy, they become more connected with their consumption; buildings with renewable technology not only provide some level of visible energy independence, but behind the scenes they also consume less primary energy.
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demonstrate to consumers and end users the environmental and financial returns of these solutions. When it comes to heating, ventilating, cooling and powering buildings, there already exist scalable and publicly acceptable, low carbon alternatives, requiring minimum input from the end user. These readily available, renewable heating technologies already outperform today’s more familiar systems against all the key criteria. We can also be sure that today’s
children – tomorrow’s consumers – will demand an economy that’s low carbon and, in the face of increasing public and government pressure, our industry needs to continue the discussion to persuade all concerned parties to pursue the right energy solutions. If you would like to join the
debate, visit
www.greengateway.
mitsubishielectric.co.uk
February 2012 CIBSE Journal 23
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