It has long been said that lighting is a combination of art and science. This year’s CIBSE Annual Lecture, presented by the SLL at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, will consist of two talks that explore each aspect of this combination, beginning with the historical perspective and then looking towards the future.

The Scientists

Dr. Bryson Gore and Dr. Frank James will begin the lecture with a talk on the work of the Royal Institution from the times of Faraday, painting a picture of the scientific fervour that led up to the formation of SLL’s original incarnation as the Illuminating Engineering Society in 1909. In addition to anecdotes about the pioneers of the past, the talk will include artefacts and demonstrations from the Royal Institution’s marvellous collection.

The Designer

Multiple award winning designer Jonathan Speirs will postulate in our second talk that architectural lighting design is primarily about creativity, about inspiration, about the idea. During 25 years in the international arena of architectural lighting design, Jonathan Speirs has been responsible for significantly and consistently promoting the creative approach to light in our built environments. His talk entitled ‘Creativity, Creativity, Creativity!’ will present visual examples of creative lighting design around

the world looking to the past, the present and into the future.

President and active CIBSE member Brian Moss received the Gold Medal award at the Institution’s Annual General Meeting in May 2008 held at the Royal Society.  The Gold Medal is the highest award to a member by the Institution and reflects the exceptional service Brian has given to CIBSE and the position of eminence within the industry that he has achieved over the years.

Brian has held the position of both President and Treasurer for CIBSE, as well as helping to set up and run the Publications, Research Output and Development Committee (PROD), ensuring that the Institution’s guides are kept up to date. Under his leadership the quality and standing of technical publications has never been higher and publication sales continue to set new income records each year.

At invitation of the Board, he has set up and leads CIBSE Services Limited - as a viable trading company to bring in additional income, embracing the opportunities relating to energy certification. He currently leads the Weather Task Force - researching what we should be recognising as future weather data for our buildings.

It would be disingenuous of me to say that I haven’t discussed this presentation with my colleagues. Nevertheless I must emphasize that the views expressed in this paper are mine alone and that any conclusions I draw or recommendations. I suggest are not necessarily the views of CIBSE. I have lived in interesting times. Whether you regard this, as do the Chinese, as a curse, or whether as a blessing depends very much on where you live. As someone born, bred and living in Western Europe I couldn’t be happier; I have lived during the longest war-free period experienced on Western European soil, and at a time of great change, both scientifically and socially.

When my grandchildren ask me what it was like to live in London during the War they find it difficult to believe, let alone appreciate my answers. Perhaps food rationing doesn’t fascinate them to any great degree but no television, no mobile telephones, no computers, not even calculators, and as for my explanation of how a slide rule worked! Even the fact that we walked makes them shake their heads in disbelief. How did we exist?

Although their reactions make me realise how much we now take for granted, hopefully it also has taught me not to look back wearing rose-coloured spectacles. Certain things may not look as good as they were but we have to be quite sure that they ever were. Also, there is no doubt that progress has not been uniform – I might not be able to text behind my back at the speed of lightning but I can travel a fair way without the need to carry a bottle of water, to graze on the way, or be connected to an iPod.

Bearing this in mind, I am going to look back over the relatively short period since I was President to see how CIBSE has changed, and then provide some idiosyncratic thoughts on how the Institution might further develop.

Without doubt, what I remember most when first meeting other Presidents were their reactions to learning I was from CIBSE. Why, they asked, did we complain so vociferously about not being included in the early stages of a project when broad strategic questions put to our members were invariably met with the reply that it would take several days to input numbers into a programme to find exact answers?

How could we expect early inclusion when Building Services Engineers were unable to competently argue their concerns and present their advice in a way which advanced the conceptual stages of a project? Clearly they were not impressed with the calibre of CIBSE members and furthermore they were not convinced of their importance.

Today, Building Services Engineers are consulted at the very inception of a project; their advice often determines the viability of a scheme, it almost always affects the design and construction of all buildings. Of course, Global Warming,energy costs and security of supply, and stringent and often very complex regulations have driven this change but I believe it is also the way in which CIBSE has handled these issues

that has enabled its members to respond to the needs of the construction industry and enhanced the standing of the Institution itself. There must be good reason why CIBSE is bucking the trend and increasing its membership when most Institutions are experiencing shrinkage; after all, engineers are not obliged to join learned institutions.

So what has CIBSE done to upgrade both its own performance and the performance of its members?

My Presidential Address, entitled ‘Satisfying the user’,was based on my experiences in building a manufacturing company supplying equipment to the Building Services sector and my period in office as Chairman of the HEVAC Association.

In both roles I had taken a particular interest in quality, and quality and performance certification and my Address introduced these themes to the Institution. I remember ending the address with a declaration that CIBSE would work towards satisfying the Quality Standard which was then known as BS5750 and is now BS EN ISO 9000. As a result, CIBSE was one of the first, if not the very first, Engineering Institution to be awarded the distinction. It was a first stage in the Institution embracing the concept of quality and understanding that it was running a business.

Previously I had championed Quality Assurance and Performance Certification both in my company and the manufacturing sector in spite of the lack of real encouragement from the Government of the day. Although voicing support, it refused to support these and other similar schemes by making their use mandatory when purchasing products for public sector projects. Their reasoning was that insufficient suppliers were members of the schemes; not altogether surprising because the very reason for Performance Certification was that many suppliers were either fudging the truth, not testing to the appropriate British Standard, or not testing at all! Try as I might, Government couldn’t see the sense of stating an intention to specify certified products in sufficient time for genuine suppliers to conform. A similar situation arose over a movement to insist that buildings met specified leakage standards – too many poor builders persuaded government that it couldn’t be done, a claim now shown to be total nonsense…and now government has aspirations to build or rent buildings in the upper quartile of environmental performance!

At the time I was a member of Sir Monty Finniston’s Building EDC and although this provided me with regular contact with Construction Ministers and their secretaries, I was unable to influence the Civil Service staffs that were at the business end of the process. Government didn’t support quality in a practical way and didn’t appreciate the importance of a level playing field to suppliers, be they designers, manufacturers or contractors.

I felt sufficiently concerned to raise the topic in my speech at the Institution’s Annual Dinner, when standing next to Tony Baldry, the Construction Minister, who I must say was a good friend of the industry. He took it in good heart because I believe he knew I was right. But, even so, one of the Journals reported my remarks under the heading ‘Moss sandbags Minister!’ which was unfortunate.

As a manufacturer President I was concerned that far too few of my fellow manufacturers were not members of CIBSE.

Their specialised knowledge and experience would have been invaluable to the Institution’s technical committees and therefore I cast around for ways of bringing them in. Most couldn’t become corporate members, even though they were members of other Engineering Institutions, and so I introduced the Patrons Scheme which enabled manufacturing firms to participate in the business of the Institution. Patrons has been a great success in other ways but it has failed to attract as many manufacturers as I had hoped and it failed almost completely to involve equipment design and production engineers. The Institution has since found another avenue to their specialised knowledge.

After completing a five year stint as Honorary Treasurer I was asked to take over the publications and research portfolios of the Institution.

CIBSE published an impressive list of Guides, Technical Memoranda and other documents but many were out of date, the five year cycle governing the Guides was not being met and the department was in some disarray. In addition, research was extremely limited and lacked focus. I was extremely fortunate; the publications manager left as I took office and was replaced by Jacqueline Balian, who is one of the stars of the Institution. We formed an overseeing committee called PROD, which stands for Publications and Research Outputs Delivery, a title which succinctly sums up the way in which we wanted to be judged. A five year rolling programme was drawn-up and we agreed that our Research effort was to be focussed entirely on the production of publications.

The results were almost immediate; Guide steering committees were organised, authors commissioned and the resulting volumes came out on time. Whereas Guides and other documents were once outdated and an embarrassment; like the cicada it seemed as though Guide revisions lay buried for 13 or even 17 years before emerging for a limited lifespan; CIBSE now had a complete portfolio of volumes on time and up to date. It was an impressive turn-round and the quality and range of publications made an impact not only

with the membership but also externally. The Institution increased its publication income, its technical advice became more widely referred to and Government began referring to CIBSE publications as second-tier documents to support their regulations. Our publications on air-tightness testing, building logbooks, building sub-metering and commissioning are cited as providing guidance on complying with the requirements of the Building Regulations for energy efficiency.

The latest government view is that second-tier documents must be made available free of charge online. Although CIBSE may lose income by making this information available to non-members without charge and without recompense for their research and production, CIBSE will welcome the change if this new policy means that in future we will also be seeing all public sector data made freely available. The policy will bring the UK into line with that existing more generally throughout the world and, at a more prosaic level, the loss would be partly compensated by what the Institution currently pays the Meteorological Office for information required to produce its weather data.

Although much useful information has been produced, by CIBSE and other bodies, we are very far from having all the answers. For this reason, and to compensate for the government withdrawing research funding in the built environment, in 2005 I asked the CIBSE Board to double the research levy required of members. They did so and the research fund is now being used to support research which will improve the quality of our engineering solutions; in particular, reducing energy use and carbon emissions in the built environment and delivering better value to building operators.

Council also agreed to another major policy decision; each year CIBSE would provide a new guide volume, free of charge, as an additional benefit to corporate members. At the same time the Guides were put online, albeit with a limited search ability, free to the membership. It was a decision which had great significance: for the first time all members possessed up-to-date design guides and each year the receiving of a new Guide cemented the bond between the membership and the Institution. Of all the developments where I’ve been involved, it is the one of which I am most proud.

Guides have also been added to the portfolio, reflecting changes in practice and recognising the broadening remit of building services engineers and Institution and, for example, new Guides have been added on electrical services, maintenance and sustainability. In 2003, market research among CIBSE members revealed that 95% had not been academically trained as building service engineers but had entered the sector with other degrees. They were practising in an area in which they did not have specialised in-depth training and they were struggling to assimilate knowledge. Whilst the Guides set-out what needed to be done, practical information on how to do it was scarcer.

CIBSE recognised that these individuals needed ‘how to’ information and also ways of assessing whether the results of their calculations were broadly correct. A new range of publications: the Knowledge Series was introduced to fill this gap. These bite-sized ‘how to’ booklets have been well-received and are proving to be a great help to new recruits to the industry.

The area of most rapid change is the climate. CIBSE has been a leading publisher on climate change mitigation and adaptation. CIBSE TM36, “Climate Change and the Indoor Environment: impacts and adaptation”, was one of the most carefully researched publications CIBSE has produced, working with Arup, UKCIP and a team of experts in the fields of building design and climate data. TM36 explains the impact of climate change on various types of construction, and new sets of weather data have been provided for BS engineers to design for the anticipated future climate. Recognising the importance of localised impacts such as heat islands and gutter and sewer surcharging, CIBSE has published guidance or supported research on these specialised issues to help services and public health engineers ensure that their buildings and drainage systems remain fit for purpose over the coming 20-80 years.

CIBSE is at the forefront of providing pragmatic answers to the difficult issues facing building owners and operators.

In the debate regarding overheating criteria, CIBSE found a compromise acceptable to both those championing adaptive behaviour and Government, which sought a single maximum office temperature. Further research is in progress into comfort conditions, research that must take into account physiology, psychometry and psychology, illustrating how the Institution has needed to widen its interests and encourage the participation of non-engineering specialists. The overheating task force is a good example – it includes participation from the HSE, lawyers, insurers, architectural practices and the British Council for Offices as well as the more traditional engineering inputs. This has resulted in a far wider ranging discussion

focussed on the practical application of knowledge about temperature in buildings and the provision of practical day-to-day advice to building users.

The society of Façade Engineering is another example of a specialist society that gains from having architects and building physicists as members, who can become full members of CIBSE, although they cannot qualify for Engineering Council registration unless they possess the appropriate qualifications.

All these areas illustrate how CIBSE is operating at the forefront of the development of technical guidance and information about buildings in a changing climate. We have much to offer society, and I firmly believe that our offering could be more effectively harnessed by government in the development of its regulations and policy measures.

Since the seriousness of global warming has been appreciated, the EU and UK Government have set standards legislating for the reduction of carbon emissions and hence improving the energy performance of buildings.

It usually falls to Building Services Engineers to demonstrate through calculation how these standards will be met. With the advent of the Energy Performance in Buildings Regulations, these calculations must be repeated when construction is complete and in some cases under operating conditions. Clearly, this procedure checks whether the original design calculations were correct and, therefore, practitioners must have confidence that the software they use to carry out the calculations is producing broadly reasonable results. To help them verify their software, CIBSE produced TM33:CIBSE Standard Tests for the Assessment of Building Services Design Software. Those tests for the assessment of building service design software were subsequently updated and have been used by the Government as the basis for their approval of software to be used as part of the National Calculation Methodology.

Taking this work forward, CIBSE produced the first comprehensive set of building energy use benchmarks in the original Guide F: Energy Efficiency in Buildings. These benchmarks have recently been updated and adopted as the official measure of energy performance in the production of Display Energy Certificates for public buildings. These examples demonstrate how CIBSE has been researching and codifying work that not only enables its members to work more effectively but also provides information that our Government needs to deliver its legislative programme.

The Energy Performance in Buildings Regulations are only one aspect of analysing actual buildings; good engineering demands reliable feedback on all the services in the building.

As a learned society CIBSE is well placed to codify the knowledge of well over 1000 members who are energy or facilities managers and this information, together with that from The PROBE studies, a series of in depth studies of how real buildings perform in practice, and providing a wealth of information about building performance, is available free to all members via the CIBSE website.

Publications have been backed-up and supplemented by the conferences, meetings and seminars organised by CIBSE, its 14 specialist groups and the Societies. The number has grown substantially over recent years and this has enabled the Institution to reach and inform diverse groups of people in the construction and property industries, many not members or engineers, but all sharing a professional interest in the buildings in which we live and work.

In 2006 we set-up CIBSE Professional Learning offering practical training both to those new to building services and those wanting to further develop their competence and expertise.

The first programme of Professional Learning events was published in September 2006. At the same time CIBSE also won funding to support the provision of training which enabled suitably qualified members and others to join the Low Carbon Consultants Register. Soon afterwards CIBSE acquired Mid Career College, and established training company offering courses on building services and associated subjects. MCC have recently put together a series of new courses on such topics as refrigeration and pressure systems, solar thermal energy, understanding and application of psychometric charts and the hitch-hikers guide to whole life costing. MCC also tailors training courses and delivers them at clients’ premises. Close on 9000 delegates now attend CIBSE training courses during the course of a year so here is another area where the Institution is providing a positive input into the sector.

CIBSE began to take an active role in campaigning to help address climate change in 2006 when it launched the 100 Days of Carbon Clean-Up which encouraged 550 companies to reduce their carbon emissions over 100 days.

Tool kits of stickers and posters supported carbon champions who were encouraged with events such as Lift-Off Day and Clothes-Off Day to encourage staff to adapt to the weather conditions rather than use energy unnecessarily. Participants completed a carbon return to track their progress. These indicated that some firms saved as much as 10% of their carbon over the 100 day period, on average reducing their carbon emissions by 93 tonnes of CO2.

This project also brought home the lesson that most companies find it difficult to calculate their carbon emissions, companies in rented accommodation face additional difficulties and even enthusiasts need competent advice.

In 2007 CIBSE took forward the 100 days of carbon clean up launched in 2006. This phase of the Campaign focused on helping client campaigns achieve real carbon savings. Recognising that many businesses are keen to act, but struggle to know what to do, CIBSE ran a series of pilots in which Low Carbon Consultants went into companies, not just to carry out energy surveys but also to train company staff to carry out their own energy assessments and to help them implement change. The resulting case studies, now on the www.100days.co.uk website, help other firms to reduce their emissions. This work was funded by the Carbon Trust. Later, using the insights gleaned from the pilots, a full 100 days of carbon clean-up campaign was run again, this time focussing not only on behavioural changes, but on low or no-costed adaptations to reduce building emissions. Nearly 700 companies took part in the campaign in 2007. The campaign was sponsored by the energy company Eon. They not only funded materials for participants; they also heavily promoted the Low Carbon Consultants and their services to all their business customers.

In 2008 the campaign will move on again. 100 hours of carbon clean up will help to reduce the costs associated with getting an EPC or a DEC in 2008 in return for a commitment to dedicate 100 hours of staff time to activities directed towards reducing the company’s energy usage.

As part of the 100 days campaign, CIBSE organised the Low Carbon Performance Awards to recognise the carbon saving achievements of Low Carbon Consultants, their clients, and participants in the 100 days of carbon clean-up. Judging was based on the carbon returns made during the year. The awards were presented at the 2008 CIBSE Annual Dinner by Dame Ellen MacArthur and were a resounding success.

Clearly, CIBSE has played a major part in educating firms in how to lower their carbon emissions, in helping them actually reduce them and putting in place expertise to take the process further. The Institution is concerned only in achieving genuine reductions; it has no interest in carbon offsetting – likened by some to be a modern equivalent of selling indulgences and, in my view, as capable of modifying the climate as the ancient church was of influencing entry into heaven via an admittance charge.

In 2006 CIBSE launched a Low Carbon Consultants Register for those with particular expertise in reducing carbon emissions and who had undergone additional training in this area.

The intention was to allow these individuals to certify their competence to carry out calculations in relation to Part L of the Building Regulations. The numbers on the register now top 1000.

Unfortunately recognition of those on the Register as Competent persons under Regulation 17 of the Building Regulations has not been forthcoming. This in spite of the fact that they are unquestionably the most qualified and experienced engineers operating in this specialised area. They could provide real value to building owners and developers and to the Building Control process if they were recognised as Competent Persons. I will come back to this issue later.

To ensure that its registration procedures were robust, CIBSE set up CIBSE Certification Ltd in 2007 and received UKAS accreditation for its certification services in September of that year. At the same time, CIBSE Certification Ltd developed a scheme for accrediting energy assessors and air conditioning inspectors as required under the Energy Performance in Buildings regulations.

CLG approved the scheme early in 2008. CIBSE members and others can therefore be accredited by CIBSE Certification Ltd to provide:

• Energy Performance Certificates on construction, sale or let.
• Display Energy Certificates (DECs) for the many thousands of buildings  providing public services.
• Energy Performance Certificates for Dwellings
• Energy Performance Certificates in Scotland & Northern Ireland
• Air conditioning assessments for complex systems.

1500 people have now been trained to produce energy performance certificates for non-domestic buildings and 250 have applied to join the LCEA registers.

So far the number of assessors seeking accreditation is disappointing, mainly due to widespread ignorance and lack of market awareness of the need for energy certificates and air conditioning inspections. We need a high level of Government publicity about these new statutory duties. The low level of applications is also aggravated by the turn-down in the property market.

Delays in software supply and difficulties with its use, coupled to a critical last minute redefinition of the scope, and therefore the size of the marketplace for display certificates has played havoc with the business plans developed by CIBSE Certification Ltd and most likely by other scheme operators too. Will government ever understand how businesses are affected by their seemingly casual changes? Businesses want certainty and consistency so that they can plan investment, recruitment and training accordingly; changing the size of the potential market can be especially damaging. Once individuals are trained and accredited, they are obliged to undertake CPD to remain on the register. CIBSE intends to bring in a wide range of individuals to the register and, over time, enhance their low carbon skills. It is also the intention of the Institution to make client companies aware of the register as the prime source of low carbon expertise, mindful of the experience of the 100 days, that companies want expert help, and without it are unlikely to achieve significant carbon savings.

In addition to its investment internally, CIBSE has also devoted considerable resource to influencing and supporting external bodies where the competence and enthusiasm of its delegates and their technical support team headed by four highly experienced PhDs has been favourably recognised.

CIBSE has been an active participant in the Construction Industry Council since its inception, and has played a leading role in the development of Professional Institutions UK. Keith Clarke, on his recent appointment as Chairman of CIC, said “climate change, coupled with ever increasing urbanisation, population growth and scarcity of resources, moves the roles of the professional bodies to the core of the debate. This is an incredibly challenging and exciting time for the sector.”

I could not agree more. CIBSE has been actively engaged in the development of adaptation and mitigation strategies for the built environment for several years now and welcomes the prospect of contributing to CIC’s activity in this area.

Britain’s relationship with Europe has been a matter of much debate almost throughout the post-war period.

CIBSE primarily relates to Europe through REHVA, the European Association of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning engineering bodies. The late Ken Dale was a committed supporter of REHVA, and subsequently Derrick Braham, a CIBSE vice president, has been a prominent member and Donald Leeper, a past CIBSE president, is now a REHVA vice president. All have worked hard to ensure that CIBSE plays an active part in the development of knowledge and guidance in the European forum.

The UK is part of the European Union, and we are subject to the requirements of European Directives. Much of our time recently has been taken up with the implementation of the EPBD. This Directive was adopted in late 2002, and we have spent the last six years working with government, debating the meaning of some of the Articles, and seeking to develop a UK response.

The recent consultation by the European Commission on the recasting of the EPBD acknowledges that aspects of the Directive require clarification. It would be nice to think that in developing the recast EPBD the European Commission will talk to the professionals who will be responsible for delivering it in practice. We in CIBSE and our colleagues in REHVA have the expertise and experience to assist the Commission in developing their plans and avoiding many of the pitfalls of the original Directive. It is not just HMG whom we can help in the development of policy and regulations in this area.

Our association with ASHRAE, the Institution’s American counterpart, has blossomed recently.

The two associations now run regular joint Conferences, the CIBSE Technical Director, Hywel Davies, is a member of their Research Advisory Panel which is responsible for developing the ASHRAE Research Strategic Plan, is a consultant to the ASHRAE Research Advisory Committee which has been set-up in order to foster greater exchange of information between the two associations and is also Vice Chairman of their Performance Measurement Protocol Committee which is steering a joint CIBSE/ASHRAE research project developing guidance on measuring actual performance in buildings. Clearly the American heating, ventilation and air conditioning industry recognises that the British Institution is a worthwhile partner.

As do the Chinese. Chongqing University has just completed translating a major CIBSE Guide into simple Chinese and is now working on another, as well as the Knowledge Series.

Chinese engineers are keen to join the Institution but find the current subscription rates prohibitive. CIBSE will be running a pilot scheme offering discounted membership fees in this potentially enormous market to test the strength of the Chinese commitment to join and to judge whether the process can be economically viable.

The effort in China is being coordinated through PI-UK China, a partnership of 17 UK construction, environmental and engineering professional bodies with a common interest in entering the Chinese market. It has an office in Hong Kong staffed by a part-time representative. CIBSE participates and currently leads PI-UK China through a past-president, David Hughes, in yet another demonstration of the Institution’s reputation and accepted leadership.

David also chairs the CIBSE International Task Force which coordinates the Institution’s ambitious International strategy. The latest Memorandum of Understanding he has negotiated is with the Sri Lanka counterpart to CIBSE, the Lanka Association of Building Engineers, which will be seeking accreditation of a new MSc course at the University of Moratuwa through CIBSE on behalf of the Engineering Council.

CIBSE, which already has some 20% of its membership abroad, is negotiating partnerships with a significant number of countries and the Task Force is confident that overseas membership will grow steadily as a result of its efforts.

And finally, but not least.

The Institution’s still relatively new Chief Executive, Stephen Matthews, is strengthening CIBSE’s visibility and reputation through his personal influence on the ETB Board, where he is one of two CEO’s by election, as the Vice Chairman of G15, as a member of the Councils of CIC and BSRIA Council, the All Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group, where he is a member of the Climate Change Foundation, and the All Party Parliamentary Building Services Group as well as on numerous other industry committees. Stephen is a busy man.

So far I’ve spoken only about the past, but now I am going to tell you about three exciting new projects which will be introduced this year.

Flexible Learning

The Institution has been working with leading firms of Consulting Engineers and Contractors to develop Flexible Learning: training which will be delivered on-line to students. The initial package of 12 subjects will be increased in response to the demands of the market, which has already indicated its support by very significant bookings. Market research confirms that many firms see CIBSE Flexible Learning which conveniently delivers specialised material, as the most efficient, and controlled, way of educating their generally-educated new staff to become more expert in Building Services. Not only does it deliver the material, but it monitors individual user’s access to and progress through each module, including monitoring satisfactory completion of assessments.

Flexible Learning is clearly an ideal way in which to deliver CPD. As such it is perfectly suited to keeping Low Carbon Energy Assessors up-to-date because the technique incorporates built-in testing procedures which will check each Assessor’s comprehension of the material; the first of these modules is being specified. I am personally interested in a module which could be used to deliver CPD to the membership in general. This would enable the Institution to uniquely claim that its members are up-to-date with the latest legislation and techniques.

Dynamic Data Base

Plans are well under way to put the Institution’s intellectual material on the web via a dynamic data base which will allow efficient searching across all the various Guides, Technical Memoranda, and Knowledge Series etc. With the increasing availability of lap-top wireless web access this development will allow members to refer to all the Institution’s publications wherever they may be. In time, the data base will also hold links to relevant legislation, Standards etc making it a superbly convenient tool, especially for engineers away from their offices. This service will be available to non-members at a charge.

Design Compass

A further very recent development is the CIBSE “Design Compass”. This online tool assists professionals involved in building design to incorporate weather and climate related information into a design following a clearly defined process. It provides a common methodology and a frequently updated database where professionals can find information to help them deal with the additional complexities of climate change and the possible adaptation and mitigation issues which have added to the design process in recent years.

The Design Compass was originally developed to promote climate change and weather related information in building design. However, it quickly became apparent that it is an approach which had the potential to assist the designer in all aspects of the design. It is therefore being extended to link with relevant CIBSE technical guidance and other useful sources of information via the CIBSE dynamic database. It will also provide a simple mechanism for users to make suggestions for future CIBSE guidance and to suggest additional references to other information.

This new tool is the outcome of a two year Knowledge Transfer Partnership between CIBSE and UKCIP, the UK Climate Change Impacts Programme. This in turn grew out of the TM36 collaboration, and it demonstrates the increasing need for CIBSE to work with other likeminded bodies to develop real practical solutions to the engineering challenges which we face.

The Design Compass will be made available on the web at no charge.

These three projects are all web based, and I believe we will see increasing numbers of developments enabled by the enormous power of the internet. Two spring to mind.

Currently all publications carrying the CIBSE imprimatur are refereed; it is a prime reason for their acknowledged authority.

However, try as one may, it is not always possible to identify referees expert in a particular subject or, indeed, who can represent conflicting opinions which should be contrasted in an Institution publication. On the other hand, it is almost certain that the relevant expertise does exist either amongst the membership and/or the Institution’s specialist associates. Allied to this is the benefit of obtaining wide comment on draft publications, although we will have to get over the problem of protecting copyright material and ensuring that draft copies do not get into circulation and cause confusion in the market. However, it is not difficult to imagine a scenario where a wider range of people are enabled to comment, and to share their comments, and for refereeing to take place on draft papers via the web. As well as broadening the range of contributing expertise, and increasing the reliability that the draft will reflect the current state of the art, it also raises awareness of the draft amongst the potential audience for the finished publication.

The second development is not altogether dissimilar.

As I mentioned earlier, CIBSE is hosting an increasing number of Societies which cater for specialist interests.

These all have discussion boards for the exchange of news and views. Traditional discussion boards require active participation and regular visiting. However, with developments in web technology, I believe that CIBSE could host specialist Blogs as part of a web based Knowledge Network, enabling anyone with access to the CIBSE website to Wiki their contributions. It would provide members with access to a CIBSE technical forum that benefits from being exposed to the widest scrutiny and review. In a relatively short time I believe we would see a number of such Blogs blossoming, with an increasing number of members contributing valuable material. Taken further, why couldn’t these Blogs be thrown open to non-members who would contribute valuable information; they may even be tempted to join the Institution?

These Blogs would also extend participation in the technical activities of the Institution beyond the boundaries of the UK to the whole world-wide family of people interested in Building Services Engineering. CIBSE could find itself hosting and taking advantage of a global cooperation! In the age of the web why are we still constrained by artificial boundaries?

Perhaps these ideas will be received cynically by the more senior of us, but we have to remember that the future will not be in our hands. We have had to adapt to instant messaging and the IPod, but the Net Generation has experienced these inventions and breakthroughs as part of their birthright. Having been nourished on instant messaging, chat groups, playlists, peer-to-peer file sharing and on-line multiplayer video games they will naturally bring a collaborative ethos into the workplace. Working together and sharing their knowledge across organisational boundaries, in much the same way as they swap songs and videos over the Internet, will be perfectly normal for tomorrow’s workforce. Unlike us oldies, they will be more comfortable retrieving information anywhere, anytime, from a CIBSE database via their laptop rather than having to consult hardcopy books which aren’t always available, are perhaps not up-to-date and are difficult to search.

There is little doubt that energy, in its widest sense, is the single most important topic affecting world affairs.

Mitigating the effects of global warming is generally accepted as the most urgent priority facing civilisation as we now know it and the devastating effect of spiralling oil and gas prices on world economies coupled to the insecure nature of their delivery is seen by some as nearly as threatening. We are increasingly coming to realise the foreign policy and national security implications of energy policy – something which CIBSE first flagged in its contribution to the 2003 Energy White Paper. Reducing carbon emissions and the sheer quantity of fuel used is fundamental to countering all these threats, and it is this fact which has catapulted CIBSE into the limelight.

The UK Government is committed to the same aims, but whereas CIBSE currently sees the reduction of energy and carbon emissions almost as its raison d’être, the Government, unfortunately but understandably, regards it as just one of a number of intractable problems demanding attention. No single Minister is answerable for the reduction of carbon emissions and energy usage.

DEFRA takes the lead on carbon emissions policy. But responsibility for building and energy performance regulations and for the building control system lies with the Department of Communities and Local Government which, as its title suggests, looks after a range of disparate and diverse interests, and which consequently has always been unlikely to possess the specialised knowledge and resources to cope with this technically complex area.

And the construction industry itself is the responsibility of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. This role is filled by a junior minister, whose identity has changed almost annually over the last 5 years.

The UK Government has for many years lacked sufficient good internal scientific and engineering staff.

It seems as though the Civil Service, still living in the past as reflected in Sir Humphrey of Yes Minister, has not realised that the world is now a very technical place requiring a significant cadre of science and engineering trained and experienced staff in the higher service grades. The situation has been exacerbated in the case of the construction industry by the privatisation of the Building Research Establishment and the closing down of the Property Services Agency, both of which supplied government with first-class independent advice. Decision making at the process end of Government has also been complicated and confused by the influx of large numbers of non-accountable political advisers, the vast majority lacking practical industrial experience, who are naturally motivated by short-term ministerial priorities and PR considerations rather than real needs.

This is not just my view; I quote the opinion of Lord Browne, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering “Lord Browne….expressed dismay at the lack of engineers involved in the formulation of the Energy and Climate Change Bill.”

The CLG are responsible for both the regulations – Building Regulations and Energy Performance- and for the detailed implementation and provision of guidance, including the Approved Documents.

They also administer various Competent Persons and Energy Assessors schemes and the Building Control system. The Institution, heavily involved in these areas, has seen an increasing reliance on consultants and outsourcing of technical tasks. I also believe that the energy efficiency elements of the Building Regulations are now so technically demanding that the under-resourced Department cannot be expected to do the job effectively. Frequent delays, postponements and debacles, such as the introduction of HIPS, support this view.

These may be harsh words but they are not that different from those I used some 15 years ago. Technical projects demand technical competence, quality issues demand people who understand what quality is all about, and all businesses demand a level playing field. I believe tension between learned institutions and government is inevitable; perhaps desirable. The Institutions, by their very being exist to promote the very best practice and to encourage the highest quality standards; government, much as it might like to do the same, is in the business of getting things done, usually with insufficient time and money to do the job properly.

In the case of the CLG, matters are made even more difficult because it is responsible for translating into UK regulations European Directives which are often framed in vague and ambiguous language, perhaps deliberately so in order to satisfy all the countries subscribing to their authority. And to add to these difficulties it must be subject to the conflicting political pressures brought to bear by powerful pressure groups exerting influence at Departmental level.

I can well imagine, for instance, how the MOD, not wanting to pay the cost of displaying energy certificates in all their many properties, may have argued a particular interpretation of a vague condition in the directive in a way which allowed them to largely escape the requirement. In practice, of course, the real result is that a significant volume of buildings will now not be monitored in spite of the fact that the government, the ultimate owner of those buildings, has pledged to significantly reduce carbon emissions. Apart from the fact it’s not a good example of joined-up working, the decision also affected CIBSE’s business plans which included the MOD’s large building stock, a decision which was supported by the initially CLG at various seminars.

I sympathise with the CLG even though it may not think so – they are in an unenviable position: attempting to interpret deliberately obscure Directives with inadequate resource and qualifications, whilst attempting to satisfy the conflicting needs of central government, the spending ministries and the industry itself.

Since originally drafting this paper the position has worsened because as late as the 17th June, (when compliance is required by October!), the CLG announced that all campus style sites are to be allowed to produce a single site DEC rather than a DEC for every building. The original NHS estimate was that they had 10,000-18,000 buildings; in the light of this change they estimate that they have fewer than 1000. Similar proportionate reductions might apply to universities and secondary schools.

Thirteen accrediting bodies, each of which invested in software and start-up costs, based their business plans, on income from 40,000 DECs – £1,200,000 at current charges – but fewer than 10,000 will be now needed in year one, representing an income of only £300,000 between them. This is possibly not enough to enable them all to continue and those they have accredited may be left without an accrediting body. In particular, CIBSE will certify some 400 less DECs than budgeted this year representing a lost income of £120,000.

CIBSE and the other assessing bodies needed to invest heavily in order to deal with the original higher estimates they were given. In the case of the Institution, money must now be withdrawn from learned society functions such as research and technical publications. Is this what the Government wants? And does it understand that a substantial number of their buildings now cannot be monitored effectively; no wonder a parliamentary environment watchdog recently announced that the Government is lagging far behind its own targets to cut emissions.

However, I believe there is an obvious solution to the problem forecast in the words of a previous paragraph ‘CIBSE currently sees the reduction of energy and carbon emissions almost as its raison d’être. Government unfortunately, but understandably, regards it as just one of a number of intractable problems demanding attention.’

Why not appoint the Institution to take responsibility for the day-to-day implementation of the Energy Efficiency provisions of the Building and Energy Performance Regulations, and perhaps the relevant elements of the proposed Construction Products Regulations too? CIBSE can offer the technical expertise to meet government’s needs in this critical area. At a stroke, technical competence, transparency, and accountability to the industry as a whole – supply and demand sides, would be available. And as a very worthwhile bonus, they would be less exposed to the whims of politicians and the mercy of electoral timetables – Part L 2005 was delayed by the general election and became Part L 2006, and another six months were lost in the fight against climate change!)

There is a precedent in the USA where the International Code Council supervises the drafting of a whole series of city, county and state codes including those concerned with Energy Conservation, Fuel Gas, Mechanical, and Plumbing.

The Council removes the process of writing Codes from the ‘Secretary of State’ in a system far more transparent and open than we are used to in the UK. And, if I can be allowed to beat a drum I lightly tapped earlier, under the American ICC regime it would not be possible for a Competent Persons scheme, for example, concerned with carbon emissions calculations, to appear in the Regulations without consultation or open application. 

What I am suggesting is simply that Government and the Institution act in true partnership – a word often used by government but not often demonstrated in practice.

The Institution is not a trade body. I was Chairman of a trade association years before I was President of CIBSE and I know the difference. Trade Associations are there to represent and protect their members. This may often mean that they also act in the best interests of the public but, if so, it is coincidental.

Professional Institutions operate under a Royal Charter which obliges them to further the interests and well-being of the public. This distinction is fundamentally important when considering associations with government which cannot risk getting into bed with vested interests. Even so, I accept that a CIBSE, in the role I have suggested, may have to give up some of its commercial enterprises. That is not a deal breaker, as they say in business circles, if both sides are prepared to compromise sensibly.

I would remind my audience of CIBSE’s mission statement:

‘The promotion for the benefit of the public in general of the art, science and practice of building services engineering’

How can government reject the partnership I’m proposing? Surely it can aspire to the idealism motivating CIBSE so that together they can drive the UK towards a more effective energy and carbon reduction programme, for the greater comfort, survival even, of mankind.

- Brian Moss OBE BSc. C.Eng. HFCIBSE

gold-medal-address-2008

Brian Moss founded NuAire Ltd after graduating from Nottingham University with an Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering. From the inception of NuAire, he promoted innovative design; as a result, the Company won numerous industry and government agency sponsored innovation and design awards, culminating in a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category.

President of the HEVAC Association in 1982/84, he was the driving force behind the introduction of manufacturers’ quality assurance schemes. In 1985 he became a member of the NEDO Building EDC, under the Chairmanship of Sir Monty Finniston, where he was responsible for championing three of their reports on the HEVAC Industry.

Finniston also appointed him Chairman of the Group set up to persuade building component specifiers to use British Standards and associated quality assurance schemes.

He subsequently chaired the NEDO Committee which organised BESCA, the Building Engineering Services Certification Authority, responsible for running the Industry’s quality assurance scheme.

He subsequently championed the adoption of quality assurance schemes throughout our sector, including design, installation and operation, as well as manufacture.

Brian Moss has chaired the Joint Advisory Committee for Engineering Services and been a member of the CIBSE Technology Board, the Editorial Board of the CIBSE Journal, OPUS and the Product Design Review. He has also chaired the Programme Management Committee of the VACR Link Scheme, and chaired the Chartered College of the Construction Industry Council.

He set up and continues to chair PROD, the CIBSE Publications, Research Output & Delivery Committee under whose guidance the Institution’s Guides were brought up-to-date. He championed and then developed the distribution of Guides as a benefit of membership.

Under his leadership, the production and subsequent sales of Institution publications has been transformed. The quality and standing of our technical guidance has never been higher and publication sales continue to set new income records each year (second only to subscription income).

He is a Past President of The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers and subsequently was Honorary Treasurer for five years.

With his exemplary emphasis on technical innovation, Brian is a unique influence in our Industry and our Institution. His direct service to our Institution at a senior level spans two decades.

He was awarded an OBE in the 1986 New Years Honours List and an Honorary Fellowship of CIBSE in 1999.