In 2016, the heat sector finally recognised the importance of performance data. Helped by companies like Guru, heat network operators began to obtain energy performance data from their networks.
The data sent shockwaves through the industry as many realised that their networks are not performing anything like what was promised, largely due to shortcomings in design and commissioning.
Using this information, the operators of these poorly performing networks could finally attach precise numbers to their long-held suspicions: that losses are high, that heat costs too much and that service can be unreliable. Of course, customers on bad networks already knew this from their own experiences of high bills, cooking corridors and intermittent heating and hot water.
As this awakening gathers pace, a key trend for 2017 will be the move towards quantified performance. Armed with clear requirements, clients will be more specific about what they want, and use measurement and verification to ensure they get it. ESCOs, having had their fingers burnt, will no longer be content to sample the performance on a limited number of dwellings before adopting a new network. Instead they will use performance data to verify that 100% of equipment in homes has been properly commissioned. In short, networks won’t be allowed to go into operation until they work as intended.
This change in approach will have huge implications for the industry.
For M&E engineers, the world will be flipped on its head. Engineers will be required to design for good performance rather than abundance. They’ll no longer be able to protect themselves (and their professional indemnity insurance) by oversizing pipes and plant. In a quantified world, oversizing a network will no longer protect you, it’ll get you sued.
A contractor’s job is to deliver client requirements at lowest cost. So when requirements are vague, the contractor will naturally fill in the gaps with whatever is cheapest, regardless of the resulting effect on performance. In addition, the lack of oversight from employers’ agents and building control officers has led to a culture of complacency where heat networks are concerned. All this changes in a quantified world.
Clients will procure systems using clear, measurable performance requirements. Projects won’t achieve practical completion (and contractors won’t get paid) until systems have been properly commissioned and demonstrably operate as designed. Important contractual requirements, like following CIBSE Code W, will no longer be able to be swept under the carpet.
It’s going to be painful at first. But over the course of 2017, it will start to become business as usual. Increasingly savvy clients will start to flex their muscles and hold their project teams to account. Consultants will recognise the need to do real engineering and to learn from past projects. Contractors will fulfil clearer contracts, knowing that the results of their work will be checked before they’re paid.
Our buildings will be much better for it, with happier residents, lower costs and lower emissions.
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