Following a two and a half year investigation, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rejected three out of four points in a complaint about the content of a fact sheet produced by Sabien Technology.
A single complaint was made by another company in relation to an information sheet that Sabien Technology had published describing its M2G intelligent boiler load optimiser and its operation in conjunction with building management systems (BMS).
The ASA ruled that Sabien's information sheet did not breach its code on points 1, 2 and 4. However, it upheld the complaint on point 3.
The point that was upheld related to the possibility of people misinterpreting information in a section of the document, despite Sabien's use of what was acknowledged by the ASA to be 'conditional language'.
In its ruling, the ASA backed Sabien's assertions that:
1. Most BMS do not directly control the firing rate of a boiler and instead simply enable or disable the boiler.
2. A BMS does not typically measure the direct flow and return temperatures of each individual boiler and it is extremely unlikely that a BMS would be programmed in this way.
3. The M2G's use of flow and return sensors on each boiler enables it to maximise boiler efficiency. Consequently, the M2G can improve efficiency, over and above that achieved by the BMS.
4. The M2G is compatible with all types of BMS, including those with Optimum Start Control.
An independent expert witness analysis was carried out on behalf of Sabien, and in parallel with the ASA's investigation, by Dr David Strong, an internationally recognised expert in improving the energy efficiency of buildings, control systems and the effective operation and maintenance of combustion plant.
Dr Strong concluded there was no substance to any of the points within the complaint. His full report can be read at
www.sabien-tech.co.uk/ASA
The ASA told Sabien that the fact sheet must not appear again in its current form and that the company should ensure it did not imply that a properly configured BMS would damage a boiler plant in future.
For more information on the ruling visit the ASA website at
http://bit.ly/WUHsMF
