To help specifiers, installers and operators to meet the heat metering requirements of the Government’s non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme (RHI), B&ES Publications has revised its Guide to Good Practice: Heat Metering for the RHI to reflect the changes to the scheme and to incorporate some of the lessons learned.

Former head of B&ES technical and safety, Bob Towse, said: “The RHI provides a continuous income stream for 20 years to any organisation that installs an eligible renewable heating system, but this depends on meeting the OFGEM criteria. Meter installations have to satisfy requirements on suitability, positioning, installation, calibration, and accuracy - and they can be subjected to rigorous auditing by OFGEM after they’ve been accredited. Our new technical guide gives crucial guidance on how to avoid falling foul of these requirements.”

The amounts paid out to users by OFGEM under the RHI depend solely on data taken from heat meters, which must record the eligible heat generated by the equipment.

The introduction to this revised technical guide issues a warning: the lack of fiscal heat metering experience among specifiers, installers and operators in the UK means that care must be taken to ensure all of the factors affecting heat meter accuracy are fully addressed., If not, this puts at risk the delivery of reliable data and the entitlement to RHI pay-outs.   

Guide to Good Practice: Heat Metering for the RHI provides easy-to-read tips in 10 chapters, with a clear index to help readers dip into its pages for specific types of information. The book covers the design, specification, installation, commissioning, and operating of heat meters, as well as data collection, inspecting and auditing. At the back of the Guide six case studies give valuable real-world insights into the installation of biomass boilers, ground-source heat pumps, and solar thermal. There’s also a handy section recommending further reading, as well as giving the details of useful websites.

To order the new Guide to Good Practice: Heat Metering for the RHI visit www.b-espublications.co.uk or call 01768 860405.