OPINION Feedback Letters: district heating system standards


experts: a UKAS scheme with accredited certification bodies that would certify individual assessors; or requiring assessors to belong to a register approved by the scheme administrator. CIBSE operates under both models: the Low Carbon Energy Assessors being approved by the Department for Communities and Local Government; and our Green Deal Assessor scheme is UKAS accredited. CIBSE is in ongoing discussions with


other energy assessor schemes about this, and we welcome input from members. What we are clear about is that, with at least 160,000 buildings covered by ESOS, there is a very definite need for assessors with demonstrable experience of energy use in buildings to be accredited. CIBSE members, energy assessors


and building owners and operators, will all have views on who should be doing ESOS assessments, and CIBSE will be preparing a response on this and other aspects of the consultation ahead of the deadline on 3 October. To tell us your views, email technical@cibse.org or log in to the CIBSE LinkedIn Group.


l HYWEL DAVIES is technical director of CIBSE www.cibse.org


Avoiding stress I read with interest the article on district


heating network heat losses (August 2013). While I applaud many of Huw Blackwell’s views, as a manufacturer of pre-insulated pipe systems, I’d like to draw your attention to a wider concern regarding the end-to-end standards covering all aspects of a district heating system’s design, construction, operation and maintenance. We are attracting a lot of new entrants and many of them don’t have the experience, nor readily available standards from which to draw guidance. Many individual elements are covered, but there’s lots of gaps – a dangerous position for us to be in. Stress analysis is just one of many


areas being overlooked, and even if networks are designed correctly, changes can be made on site that can have serious implications to the future integrity of a buried network. To illustrate this, a 200 metre length


of buried DN250 mm pre-insulated steel pipe, heated to 120°C, will expand


by some 150 mm and exert a force equivalent to around 52 tonnes. If not dealt with in the correct manner, this will lead to failures and disrupt supply. Mr Blackwell’s idea of introducing performance criteria for design and build networks is a sound one and could help prevent developers from inadvertently creating a legacy that sees a repeat of the costly failures afflicting district heating schemes in the 1970s and ‘80s. I’d be keen to engage with any of my industry colleagues who share this view and let’s hope that we, as an industry, can put in place sufficient checks and balances before it’s too late. Mark Whettall, managing director, CPV


CIBSE Journal welcomes readers’ input, whether it be letters, opinions, news stories, events listings, humorous items, or ideas and proposals for articles. Please send all material for possible publication to: editor@cibsejournal. com, or write to Alex Smith, editor, CIBSE Journal, CPL, 275 Newmarket Road, Cambridge, CB5 8JE, UK. We reserve the right to edit all letters.


CIBSE LinkedIn Group DECC ON DECS


DECC commissioned a qualitative research project on Display Energy Certificates in 2012, with in-depth qualitative interviews and case studies with 23 public sector organisations and 15 private sector organisations. A significant benefit of DECs is the process of data collection. This raises awareness of energy use and encourages monitoring by organisations that have not previously considered energy efficiency. For organisations already trying to improve their energy efficiency, DECs help identify poorly performing buildings, and assist facilities managers to make investment cases. However, while the advisory report that comes with a new DEC should provide detailed recommendations with a range of timescales, most organisations did not find their advisory report helpful. They wanted information and guidance that was more readily useable and advice tailored to their building and budget, with recommendations that were achievable with the level of investment they were willing to make, and an explicit and accurate discussion of the costs and benefits of the recommended changes. This research supports the views of many experts since the introduction of DECs, arguing that the current format of the advisory report is a missed opportunity and does little to promote energy savings. CIBSE would be interested in the experience of members with DEC advisory reports via technical@cibse.org or LinkedIn.


Edward Palmer asks: the government is consulting on its proposed Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme, which aims to deliver the energy audit requirements of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive. What are your views?


David Melhuish More legislation – just what we need! Is this just revisiting the same old idea that has been half-heartedly implemented by previous schemes? Sweeping some legislation away or consolidating it would be better.


Tony Johnstone After the Green Deal debacle I’m absolutely certain I do not want HMG believing it has anything to offer in our field. Remember – in their bid to avoid monopolies and promote fair competition they believe ‘accreditation’ is a substitute for professional competence and industry experience.


www.cibsejournal.com


Andrew Wolstenholme In a great many businesses I visit, building performance and energy just isn’t on the business critical path – hence no monitoring and often no idea of consumption. It’s one thing to complete and present a quality audit and quite another to take investment away from the core business.


John Collinson I’m still at a loss to see the logic of not rolling out DECs to the commercial sector. They provide energy ratings based on actual fuel consumptions, floor area and occupancy type. Not theoretical, just facts.


September 2013 CIBSE Journal 17


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