Burning issue
Be prepared for icy start to 2020
Marc White of Carriar Rental Systems pictured along with a selection of portable heaters in the company’s rental range
Marc White, director and general manager of Carrier Rental Systems, urges the industry to prepare as scientists predict harshest winter since 1953
of events such as drought, storms and forest fires. Paradoxically, however, another aspect of climate instability, which has equal power to disrupt people’s lives and the economy, is the increasing possibility of severe winters. A timely reminder of this comes from scientists at the Department of Space and Climate Physics at University College London, who have warned that this winter could be the coldest in England for a decade. The researchers predict that temperatures in January and February 2020 could plunge to below those experienced in 2018, when the so-called Beast from the East brought Siberian weather that resulted in chaotic conditions and widespread disruption across the country. The forecast is based on measurements of key solar and atmospheric markers over the summer, which past experience has shown are strong indicators of the severity of subsequent winter conditions. The researchers focus on the behavior of what
C
is known as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), a weather phenomenon in the Atlantic resulting from fluctuations in atmospheric pressure, which strongly correlates with winter conditions. This has a direct influence on the jet stream, which determines winter temperatures, precipitation and windspeeds. As evidence of increasing instability, winters in
January 2020
oncern over climate change tends to focus on global warming. This is perhaps understandable given the dramatic impact
the UK have varied significantly in recent years, from cold and snowy in 2010, to mild and wet in 2014. This coming winter researchers say the evidence points to January and February being the coldest since 2010 and that this will be one of the coldest winters since records began in 1953. The forecast suggests there is only a 20% chance that temperatures will rise above 5°C during the first two months of 2020. This could have serious implications for industry
as well as homeowners. During the winter of 2018, the wintry conditions closed construction sites, kept shoppers at home and caused chaos for transport on roads and railways. Analysts estimated that lost productivity cost the UK economy £1bn a day, leading the Bank of England to cut its growth forecast for the economy by 0.4%. In light of this, the University College scientists
say: “Our forecast will benefit decision making through improved anticipation of upcoming risk. The performance of much of UK industry is ‘weather sensitive’ and especially to cold winters.” In our experience, equipment issues are often
exposed during the transition from warmer weather to cooler conditions, with sharp falls in temperature frequently resulting in breakdowns. This happens because systems which may have been on standby or low-level during warmer months are suddenly required to operate at maximum capacity, stressing components and causing thermal shock. Unforeseen outages can prove costly for
companies, affecting production and resulting in
unacceptable conditions for building occupants. My own company has invested in an expanded heating plant hire fleet, to ensure we are ready to support customers requiring emergency temporary heating equipment over the winter. This includes investment in new high efficiency boilers, integrated heating packages, fan-powered systems and radiant heaters. Some far-sighted companies and facility managers take the view that the potential risk to their operations is so serious that they put in place plans ahead of the winter to ensure availability of heating hire equipment to cover the possibility of a breakdown or shortfall in heating capacity. Such contingency planning guarantees
temporary heating is available as a back-up and is an insurance policy to ensure continuity of vital services or production in the event of extreme weather conditions or a prolonged cold spell. From experience, we know that once cold weather arrives and is forecast to set in our hire fleet gets deployed rapidly. Those who delay, in the hope that things will improve may find themselves in the unfortunate position of being without the temperature support they need when conditions remain cold for long periods. Despite significant investment in our fleet, it is
of course finite. The only way to secure a safety net is to reserve the back-up required ahead of time. Increasing numbers of companies and facility operators view this as a prudent and rational investment, as it gives reassurance that eventualities are catered for.
www.heatingandventilating.net
www.heatingandventilating.net
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
