- Author
- Waksman, D. | Holton, J.
- Title
- Environmental and Safety Considerations for Solar Heating and Cooling Applications.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Sponsor
- Department of Energy, Washington, DC Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC
- Report
- NBSIR 78-1532, September 1978, 32 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Contract
- IAA-H-38-76 EA-77-A-01-6010
- Keywords
- solar heating | solar cooling | fire safety | health hazards | physical hazards | safety | structural performance | toxicity | potable water
- Abstract
- The HUD Minimum Property Standards (MPS) and the "residential" and "commercial" interim performance criteria (IPC) prepared by the National Bureau of Standards address many health and safety considerations that need to be considered by solar heating and cooling system designers. For example, factors such as the toxicity and flammability of heat transfer fluids are often not considered in the design of systems. Similarly, attention is seldom paid to the safe disposal of these fluids. These problems are compounded by the lack of clear guidelines as to which fluids constitute hazards that warrant special consideration. This report is intended to create an increased sense of awareness of the health and safety aspects of solar heating and cooling applications by extracting and amalgamating pertinent provisions of the MPS and IPC documents. Some of the areas that are addressed include: structural safety, heat transfer fluid toxicity and flammability considerations including the protection of potable water, effects of solar equipment on the fire resistance of buildings, and protection from physical hazards.