Legionella risk assessment: is solar renewable energy exempt?

Renewable Energy and Legionellosis Presentation to "Combating Legionella" Heating and Ventilation News 2010. European & UK Health and Safety Legionnaires Disease Guidance L8 is being set aside by some renewable energy installers of solar water heating systems and heat pumps who install "conventional twin coil cylinders". Why is best practice in solar thermal and heat pumps not the same as best practice in Legionella risk assessment? Which types of heatpump and solar hot water plumbing may be safer? Why do a plethora of government documents such as, Building Regs part L and G and DEFRA SAP Energy Calculations, and their referred to documents such as BPEC solar plumbers training guide, CIBSE solar guide, and EST CE 131 solar guide, Microgeneration Certification Scheme solar installer specification all fail to promote safer plumbing solutions over ones which are less safe?

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[solaryes]

Legionella control is a microbiological ecological habitat management challenge which ends up being carried out by non-life scientists: by plumbers, engineers etc. This professional disconnection may sometimes explain why legionella control fails.

There is hot debate on in the Legionella control community in UK about whether thermal disinfection should remain the officially preferred method: some large buildings such as hospitals use silver/copper ion treatment processes.

[solaryes]

Thermal disinfection is the preferred mode of Legionella control, says HSE. UV has value but is localised in effect and needs lens cleaning. Unlike heating, you may not know if the bulb fails.

Most renewable energy hot water storage systems don’t fit HSE guidance (HSE COP & Guidance on Legionellosis Document L8 Paragraph 158) to heat daily to the hot water store’s base in order to pasteurise against Legionella.

[solaryes]

Legionella is the main cause of death at work in USA and In UK there are 300 – 400 cases of Legionnaire’s disease reported annually with 14% fatality. There is huge under-detection: the actual detection rate of Legionella is perhaps 10%. So real figures may be ten times higher.

In UK the number of solar thermal and heat pump installations may rise 50 – 100 fold from 2011 - 2020. Legally the UK's HSE’s Legionella guidance is cited every year in prosecutions resulting in large fines.

[trailkeeper]

Maby somekind of UV light inside the water tank and/or external adapters for older models and pipework can be turned on everyday for some time. Maby it would have some kind of pyrex glass cover. Does anyone know if this is a possibility, or do you have any other ideas to share?