salesperson did not fully understand what they were selling. On top of that, the larger ASHP fi rst specifi ed was ‘value engineered’ to the next size down. This saved a few quid, (exactly whose I am not sure). This exercise was done without


benefi t of any credible calculation or evidence to back the decision up. As a consequence the unit fi nally installed had a heat output


from the ASHP of a little over 1kW – on a good day – with the remainder topped up by a 3kW immersion heater. A shortfall that my colleague demonstrated beautifully in a client meeting by bringing along her hairdryer as an example of something that could provide more heat output than this ASHP. In effect then for most of the


winter months approximately 80% of the peak space heating


was achieved using electricity as an indirect heating source – not exactly energy effi cient. To add further insult, the recommended controls were value engineered out, as was the ducted heat recovery mechanism. Microbore pipework was used throughout even though the specifi cation expressly disallowed it – this did nothing to help the effi cacy of the integral circulating pump. There was no evidence supplied


to us of any commissioning of the heating and hot water systems as ought to have done by law. The fact remained that the ASHP was in fact basically undersized for the job in hand.


We presented a clear cut, well documented case and requested an amicable meeting to agree a solution. The procurement was ‘design and build’ so the problem ought to have been quickly resolved with the main contractor as the single provider. Despite all this, we then spent


the best part of 8-10 months wrangling and arguing, and arranging meetings that the main contractor failed to attend. All the while the main contractor attempted to blame everything and everyone else – the controls, tenants, project manager, ASHP supplier, subcontractor, client and so on. Since then, with CIBSE’s help,


the rules have been changed on ASHP specifi cation, which would have gone some way to avoiding problems on that project – but not all of them.


Unfortunately, the problems on


this project are all too typical of any construction site. Before then we wave the


magic wand of BIM over the Construction Industry – and building services in particular – we need to address the problems with procurement in our industry. At the moment what we are doing in the real world very often simply isn’t working. Turn to page 36 to learn how the


project team managing an innovative ground-source energy system at Oxford University worked together post construction to iron out the bugs.


● JANET BECKETT MCIBSE is director at Carbon Saver UK


CREATE HEALTHY INDOOR AIR WHILST CONSERVING ENERGY.


Why buildings fail


 Lack of genuine and appropriate design input  Over reliance on self-regulation and poor supervision of M&E subcontractor by main contractor


 Subcontractor self regulating its own design and installation  Absence of qualifi ed M&E practitioners at all stages


 General ignorance or disregard of Building Regulations. (These are a legal minimum remember, not a ‘nice to have’)


 Lack of policing/resourcing by building control bodies to enforce Building Regulations


 Inappropriate value engineering www.cibsejournal.com August 2013 CIBSE Journal 19


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