The Building and Engineering Services Association (the one-time HVCA) has celebrated its new, all-embracing identity with the very appropriate launch of the good practice guide, Heat Metering for the RHI.
Heat meters are already an essential ingredient of energy efficiency and the carbon savings criteria in the home and elsewhere and are becoming crucial to all building performance.
RHI is the renewable heating incentive scheme introduced by the government. It’s said to be the first of its kind in the world and provides long-term support for renewable heat technologies such as heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar thermal panels.
This all comes well within the scope of work carried out by B&ES members ‘who not only aim to provide engineering services for buildings and allied specialist but also seek to demonstrate competence and high performance standards.’
The new RHI good practice is guide is an integral part of the B&ES commitment to delivering the very best heat meter solutions in an industry that is moving forward at a rapid pace.
B&ES identified a need to provide clear guidance on the correct specification, installation and operation of heat meters to meet RHI requirements.
The document is a technical guide to support designers, installers and operators to ensure minimum standards are met and to ensure that procedures are followed that will eliminate or reduce the potential risk of failure of heat meter installations.
For instance, the guide points out that positioning of the heat meters in appropriate locations is critical to ensure that only ‘eligible’ heat is being measured.
Eligible heat is defined in detail in Ofgem publications. It points out that as a guide, eligible heat uses for the RHI include space heating, water heating and heat used to carry out many processes (although not heat used to generate electricity).
The good practice guide also points out the availability of the Ofgem heat loss calculator which is available from the B&ES website in addition to guidance on the methodology and how to use the calculator.
The Guide to Good Practice: Heat Metering for the RHI is available free to all B&ES member companies.
More information: www.b-espublications.co.uk