HVAC
of public buildings, so the benefits of LST radiators will ultimately be transferable. There are any number of buildings that would fall into the public category, be it a library, museum, hotel, gallery, shopping centre, leisure centre, or even a town hall.
The one thing they all share is that they are all open to scrutiny and potential legal action should a member of the public fall to harm on their premises. In each case, the building’s heating system should be designed with a ‘worst case scenario’ approach.
That means acknowledging that the radiators will likely be exposed to any given person at any given time during opening hours – including the more vulnerable members of society such as the elderly, disabled or children.
The potential harm caused through touching hot surfaces or exposed pipework is the most obvious risk to members of the public. A conventional hot water system has an incoming flow temperature of at least 75°C and a return of 65°C. Here, surface temperatures can exceed 70°C, making the radiator a constant hazard with the potential to cause serious burns within seconds of contact.
Surface contact might be completely accidental, or as the result of innocent, casual contact – such as using a radiator to lean on during conversation. Something so innocuous could escalate into a serious problem for the building’s owners – everything must be accounted for.
For example with elderly people, they might have a reduced sensitivity to temperature or may not be able to react quickly enough to prevent injury should they make contact. It is also true that older people are susceptible to losing their balance and falling over. In the event of this happening, serious injuries could occur if attention hasn’t been paid to the physical design of the radiators. Sharp corners and edges are an unnecessary risk that can exacerbate injuries in the event of a fall, so radiator casings should be designed with rounded corners.
www.tomorrowsfm.com
In just a matter of seconds, an organisation’s neglect of its Duty of Care is exposed – why take the risk?
SAFE ENVIRONMENT, COMFORTABLE
TEMPERATURES When a public building requires wall- mounted radiators, low mass, low surface temperature (LST) radiators satisfy every heating criteria.
The low water content heat emitter found in these products features a large surface area for transferring heat effectively to the space.
“THE POTENTIAL HARM CAUSED
THROUGH TOUCHING HOT SURFACES OR
EXPOSED PIPEWORK IS AN OBVIOUS RISK TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.”
health and social care” on surface temperature and casing design.
Even if a public building runs high flow temperature systems, the maximum casing temperature will remain safe at all times.
But safety extends beyond surface temperature. Radiators can also be specified with rounded corners to minimise the risk of injury should someone fall onto the radiator or even if they simply bump into or brush past it accidentally. It is a subtle design element, but one that has already been well received in healthcare buildings and care homes.
Heating and hot water accounts for a significant proportion of a building’s operating costs, so public organisations of course need to be wary of its radiators’ performance to energy spend balance. If the LST solution chosen is low-mass and low water content it makes it highly responsive and as such, extremely flexible in accommodating the temperature demands of a large building. Independent testing at BRE and KIWA has shown that the installation of this type of radiator can reduce energy consumption – and as a result, heating bills – by 10% compared to traditional steel panel radiators.
Whereas a conventional radiator can continue to give off heat for at least 20-minutes after a temperature change, low water content heat emitters respond immediately thanks to their low thermal mass. So there’s no wasteful over-heating of any space.
But more than that, it prevents burns through contact because it incorporates a casing that covers all the potentially harmful piping components. It also features a safe, cool to touch surface – no more than 43°C, which is the temperature outlined in NHS Estates Health Guidance Notes and in the HSE Information Sheet “Managing the risks from hot water and surfaces in
Low-mass, low surface temperature radiators provide specifiers with an ideal solution because the added safety benefits do not detract from overall heating performance. The installation of LST radiators can be a contributory factor in achieving the highest standards of public safety in our buildings – and help to reduce their clients’ energy bills too.
It is difficult to find a reason why they would not be seen as the first choice for heating in public sector buildings, and difficult to understand why more aren’t being installed already.
www.jaga.co.uk TOMORROW’S FM | 43
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