HVCA Publications, the publishing division of the Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association, has launched two guides to good practice for the Installation of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) (TR/37) and the Installation of Biofuel Heating (TR/38).
Both these technologies are becoming increasingly important as the UK drives towards low or zero carbon buildings.

These guides form an important part of the integration of CHP and biofuels into the delivery of the low carbon buildings of the future, and give the installing engineer concise and user friendly guidance on what should be achieved.

Graham Manly, technical committee chairman of the HVCA, in his forewords for both publications, highlights how regulations and, in some cases, client requirements are demanding more innovative solutions to the provision of heating, hot water, cooling and electricity generation.

'Invariably such solutions lie in new applications of existing and proven technologies but the skill is in knowing when they are appropriate and how to make them efficient,' he pointed out.

CHP has been widely used in a variety of ways in the commercial sector in the past; this new guide provides an overview of the different applications, including micro-CHP, for the domestic sector, with their benefits and limitations, as well as providing outline design information.

The guide to the installation of biofuel heating appliances provides essential information about the requirements in the use of biomass fuels, exploring how their application could be used to help meet emission targets.

It will assist building services engineers when specifying biofuel equipment packages as part of a building's heating system.

These guides form part of a suite of publications from HVCA covering generic installation requirements for a range of low and zero carbon energy systems that also include solar hot water and heat pumps.

The guides cost £20 for HVCA members and £40 for non-members. They can be ordered and purchased online at www.hvca.org.uk/publications, by telephone on 01768 860405, or by email from hvcapublications@welplan.co.uk