Features

It is easily overlooked but the hot water available in public buildings and commercial premises keeps us, and the objects and environments we come into contact with, free from germs.

But fear of infections like swine flu, and the knowledge they can rapidly become a pandemic, once again brings the important role hot water plays to the forefront of everyone’s mind.

But while the technology to provide a steady supply of hot water has been long available, not every building reliably provides this.

We have the technology to produce high volumes of hot water in a highly efficient and controlled manner so that hygiene standards can be maintained and effectively reduce the spread of infection.

The ready availability of hot water has been further assured by the way in which water heating has developed in recent years. Since the late 1970s, hot water in commercial buildings has been increasingly provided by dedicated hot water systems, fuelled by gas, oil or LPG, operating independently of the central heating boiler.

High volume storage versions were first introduced by Andrews Water Heaters with non storage options being added later, which led to widespread acceptance of the principle of decentralising and separating the heating and hot water load.

A comforting thought today as the risk of a swine flu outbreak threatens, is that with system separation now the standard, there should always be virtually unlimited supplies of hot water available for hand washing.

However, although this concept has become the norm for newer commercial properties, a large number of premises still exist where antiquated systems struggle to supply adequate hot water, especially in the public sector where buildings are often used by large numbers of people.

The swine flu threat makes it more important than ever for commercial and public sector customers to update their systems, and this could offer a valuable opportunity for contractors.

The Government has brought hot water into sharp focus with its response to the swine flu threat.

Its high profile campaign, embodied in the Swine Flu Information leaflet, urges people to wash hands frequently in hot soapy water to prevent the spread of this new virus and other germs.

Every visitor to hospital is reminded of the importance of thoroughly washing hands, implements and surfaces in hot water and detergent to help prevent the spread of hospital acquired infections.

We are fortunate that 100 per cent of the population of the UK has access to a potable water supply, compared to 88 per cent in Mexico, where the virus is at its most virulent.

But we need to make sure that older hot water systems are updated to ensure the Government’s campaign has the best chance of success.

The industry also needs to be aware of the changing role of water heating in overall building energy loads.

With advances in the design and insulation of buildings and construction materials, the heating load is generally decreasing and in some cases hot water is now the dominant load.

Consequently, water heating efficiency has continued to develop with the introduction of condensing technology being applied to both storage and non-storage models.

In addition, with the help of an electronic programme like Andrews “Size-It”, system designers are able to correctly size the most appropriate solution, including integrating low/zero carbon technologies.