- The country’s biggest property developers have welcomed government plans to introduce zero carbon commercial buildings from 2018, but have warned that carbon reduction targets will be missed unless existing buildings are tackled.
Property giants including British Land, Hammerson, Hermes, Land Securities, Legal and General. Prupim and SEGRO, who own and manage the country’s biggest shopping centres and offices, want to see display energy certificates (DECs) which clearly show the performance of building when in use, should be made mandatory for all buildings.
Patrick Brown, assistant director for sustainability at the British Property Federation, said:
“We really need clarity now given that the development process can start over a decade in advance of a brick being laid. This is a welcome consultation but the bottom line is that our 2050 target of reducing carbon emissions by 80pc will be missed unless a greater level of attention is given to existing buildings.
“The consultation prioritises energy efficiency which is a good thing since building regulations are readily understood by developers and the bar is raised over a gradual period of time. But the overwhelming focus on new buildings must be accompanied by a greater level of attention to existing stock. The majority of buildings with us now will still be in use in 50 years’ time and side-stepping the difficult questions will cause us more problems in the long term.”
Real estate is responsible for around half of the UK’s carbon emissions.
The industry however, believes government policy has ignored the fact that the majority of commercial property is rented out.
This means landlords cannot simply walk into a tenant’s shop, for example, and turn the lights off. Therefore, any incentives and responsibilities for improving energy performance are widely split between the two groups.
The BPF wants to see measurement based on actual energy use made obligatory for the private sector. This could happen by expanding display energy certificates (DECs) – which measure the operational performance of a building – so that they do not just cover public buildings. (See notes).
Property is responsible for a massive 50 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions, but one of the easiest places to make savings if data is shared and landlords and tenants work together.
Energy use needs to be made transparent if the industry has any hope of meeting green energy targets, believes BPF chief executive Liz Peace. The BPF is pushing for EU law to be changed so that landlords and tenants will be obliged to share energy data. If this happens, then both sides can work together to support real change.
However, Peace admits there is a critical need for firms to change the way they view energy and reduce usage via more effective management before looking at refitting buildings with expensive new gadgets. It is also vital to ensure that any newly installed kit delivers the promised energy and carbon savings, as there is evidence that some developments employ it at planning stage but often don’t use it properly. Essentially, it comes down to effectively measuring what is used.
Experts believe a third of energy use can be cut without any major expenditure, but want research carried out into what financial incentives could spur landlords on to undertake higher cost improvements, looking at where costs and benefits currently do not add up, when all other factors are balanced.
Despite setting up the new Department for Energy and Climate Change there has been no clear policy direction in government with various other departments all covering the same ground. A staggering 70 national and 96 regional bodies currently offer energy efficiency advice. The BPF therefore wants greater clarity on grants and advice that could help green the nation’s buildings. An array of financial benefits already exist (see notes) but few people really know about them.
Peter Clarke, executive officer at British Land, said:
“We have found that simple improvements in energy use can be made by sharing data, which often reveals that changes to behaviour can yield big savings on energy and carbon. The key barrier is that, in many cases, landlords and tenants are unaware of where the opportunities lie. The BPF’s www.les-ter.org toolkit, developed with the Carbon Trust, provides a set of tools and a process to enable landlords and tenants to measure, understand and reduce their emissions.”
Dave Farebrother, environmental director at Land Securities, which has recently announced it will voluntarily introduce DECs across its London portfolio, said:
“At Land Securities we are finding a high degree of willingness among our clients to engage on matters of energy efficiency, and as existing buildings form the larger part of the ongoing carbon problem the quickest, cheapest and biggest wins for the sector come from changing attitudes and behaviours. DECs, which reflect how buildings actually operate, are much more helpful in this regard than a theoretical EPC.”
Bill Hughes, managing director at Legal and General Property, said:
“There is a clear desire at all levels for greener buildings, but this won’t be achieved by focusing exclusively on new build and it won’t be achieved unless the government begins to understand how the market in existing property actually works. Designing new efficient buildings is relatively easy, but without a government-backed initiative to manage down energy use in old stock, targets will remain aspirations.”
Martin Moore, chairman of the BPF’s sustainability committee and chief executive of Prupim, said:
“We need to focus on methods to improve our understanding of what energy we’re actually using. Expanding display energy certificates and providing support to firms to help them measure and reduce energy use is vital. If you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it and if you cannot manage it, you certainly cannot reduce it.”
Claudine Blamey, head of sustainability at SEGRO, said:
“The most significant amount of carbon used during the life of a building is in its use phase. At the moment there are no real drivers for occupiers to reduce their energy. We need incentives to change behaviour if we are going to become a low carbon economy.”
Notes for editors
General background
The government will fail to achieve an overall reduction in total UK carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 compared to 1990s levels.
The government is due to produce a big policy paper later in the year on how it intends to deliver these savings. This will be based on consultations like this Heat and Energy Saving Strategy report and the advice of a body called the Committee on Climate Change, composed of independent experts and led by Adair Turner (at the moment).
As buildings account for around half of UK and European emissions, the property industry can most likely bank on having to make sizeable emissions reductions. Certainly the prevailing direction of policy would suggest it.
In its report, the Committee on Climate Change advised the Government to pretty much decarbonise the energy supply in this country. There are significant issues with that, not least the ones experienced by developers who are essentially having to build power stations next to developments. Many want to see a proper national energy strategy to manage the transition to such a low carbon energy supply. In any case it will take time – and so energy efficiency is important to manage energy demand and emissions until we make that transition to low carbon energy supplies.
The adoption of DECs in the private sector could:
• expose the benefits of better management and motivate users to make improvements;
• tackle existing as well as new non-domestic buildings;
• at relatively modest cost, offer recommendations for improvement;
• incentivise local generation or onsite renewable energy production;
• offer a comparison with the rating for the building’s EPC would act as a neat barometer of ‘potential’ versus ‘actual’ energy performance, promoting understanding of this issue; and
• assist in the generation of a database of true building energy performance, which would lead to better policy.Awareness among possible beneficiaries of Government fiscal support is limited. A report by Element Energy detailed that the following percentages were previously aware of the fiscal support mechanisms listed below:
• Landlord’s Energy Savings Allowance (LESA) – 19%
• Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECA) – 22%
• 5% VAT on energy efficient purchases – 57%
• Grant from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme – 49%
• Climate Change Levy Exemption – 46% - Downloadable documents
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Carbon Neutral
Property Developers say: Zero Carbon Buildings won’t help meet emissions targets as Government ignores existing stock
Five free tree seedlings worth £10.00 with every order over £40.00 – GardenSupplies.co.uk offer
Part of commitment to the environment & carbon neutrality
As part of a commitment to the environment and the reduction of their carbon footprint, GardenSupplies.co.uk are offering customers the opportunity to claim five free tree seedlings worth £10.00 with every order placed over £40.00.
Running from 16th November 2009 to 31st March 2010, qualifying customers will have the option of selecting from 11 different species; including English Oak, Ash, Green Beech, Silver Birch, Field Maple and Norway Maple, with the trees supplied as bare-rooted seedlings, 2-3ft in height.
Andrew Henderson, Managing Director, keenly explains the reasoning behind the scheme:
“Since the launch of our business, we have always been acutely aware of our carbon footprint, and have worked hard to minimise such where possible. The free trees promotion is an extension to that commitment, and presents a tangible benefit to our customers.”
“The planting of trees not only takes in carbon dioxide, but creates oxygen – which is why trees are widely regarded as the lungs of the earth. Not only that, but trees can make a marked improvement to the look and feel of a garden, and our primary aim is to ensure that customers get the very best from their garden. The trees would also make a very thoughtful gift for the gardener who has everything,” he added.
Further information on the promotion can be found at the following address: http://www.gardensupplies.co.uk/content/free-trees.aspx
About GardenSupplies.co.uk:
Launched by husband and wife team Andrew and Zoe Henderson, GardenSupplies.co.uk has been developed to provide an extensive range of quality garden supplies for every gardener.
With the provision of first-rate customer service at the core of the e-commerce operation, GardenSupplies.co.uk dedicates itself to complete customer satisfaction.
The inclusion of a no quibble, free of charge return policy allows customers to purchase with abundant confidence, whilst the implementation of carefully selected secure technologies safeguard every transaction.
With an extensive and exciting range of over 900 products that cover all aspects of gardening – from Grow Your Own products from the likes of Burgon & Ball, Haxnicks, Garland and Stewart Garden Style, to organic compost from Vital Earth, and ranges of garden footwear and gloves from Town & Country and Laura Ashley – GardenSupplies.co.uk offers products that will allow customers to grow, decorate and maintain their outdoor space, but, above all, allow them to get the very best from their garden and contribute to the enjoyment of spending time within it.
With three fully functional warehouses and efficient order processing and stock management systems, all orders are picked, packed and dispatched without unnecessary delay.
Press Release Contact Details:
Garden Supplies Ltd.,
Norton Road, Snitterby, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, DN21 4TZ
Telephone: 01673 818046
Fax: 01673 818444
E-mail: enquiries@gardensupplies.co.uk
Web: www.gardensupplies.co.uk
The CO2-Neutral Public Building of the Future Has Now Opened: Green Lighthouse
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK,
Of a total of six CO2-neutral houses in five countries in Europe, the second experiment; Green Lighthouse, has now opened. All the houses are part of a VELUX Model Home 2020 concept. Green Lighthouse is located in Copenhagen, Denmark and leads the way for the next generation of CO2-neutral public buildings. Green Lighthouse is Denmark’s first CO2-neutral public building.
Today the construction industry is facing great challenges for future construction work. Figures from the EU Member States show that 90% of our time is spent indoors, and in buildings that account for 40% of energy consumption. The VELUX Group considers it our duty to enter into a solution-oriented dialogue to meet this challenge. Model Home 2020 is part of the VELUX Group strategy to actively participate in the development of future sustainable buildings, designed to ensure balance between energy efficiency, the indoor climate, daylight, architecture and front-line clean tech-solutions.
The VELUX Group has built Green Lighthouse; the first CO2-neutral public building in Denmark, in cooperation with the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation, the City of Copenhagen, the University of Copenhagen and VELFAC. The house is a lighthouse for the major UN climate conference in Copenhagen in December, COP15, and it is open to visitors. Green Lighthouse is part of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, and will contain a student service facility and a faculty lounge.
CEO of the VELUX Group, Jorgen Tang-Jensen, said at the opening of Green Lighthouse: “Green Lighthouse provides an excellent indication of what we can accomplish in future construction work. The lighthouse shows that we can do something for the climate without compromising user comfort and health. We have built a climate-friendly building with fresh air and amazing daylight conditions. And we were able to build it using products already available to us.”
An experiment is worth more than…
The VELUX Group has a long tradition for working with experiments, and Model Home 2020 is a continuation of this tradition. The founder of the VELUX Group, Villum Kann Rasmussen, once stated that: “An experiment is worth more than 1,000 expert opinions.” Each of the six houses in Model Home 2020 constitutes an experiment with ideas for future construction work based on different requirements for climate, architecture and daylight conditions and offering new inspiration for new standards for CO2-neutral buildings.
The Green Lighthouse is also input for the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December. The house is displayed here as a lighthouse for CO2-neutral public construction work and as a unique public-private partnership.
The sun constitutes the central point and primary energy source of Green Lighthouse. The house is 950 m2 and it has been erected in accordance with the “active house” principle, which means that it generates energy. The house has its own energy supply consisting of an unprecedented combination of solar energy, heat pumps and district heating. Green Lighthouse is an energy-efficient construction work of high architectural quality and with a large intake of daylight. The house is filled with plenty of fresh air deriving from natural ventilation, which ensures a healthy indoor climate.
By means of the building’s energy design, the building has cut down 3/4 of its energy consumption in relation to Danish building standards. This means that the building is better than other buildings in Low Energy Class 1 under the EU standards applicable since 2006. These standards are expected to apply across the EU for all new construction work by 2020.
“In cooperation with our partners we have built an energy-efficient house that is comfortable to be in, beautiful to look at and which is focused on the future approach to energy. We are exploiting renewable sources in the form of solar energy in completely new ways. We do not merely use our products to draw light and heat into the house during the day; we also limit heat loss from the house during the night while operating and controlling the indoor climate,” says Jorgen Tang-Jensen.
Green Lighthouse has set up a visiting service, which in the coming year is to ensure that interested parties can look and learn from the house and building process.
Conditions for daylight and indoor climate in the Green Lighthouse
• A good indoor climate is important for the health and wellbeing of the people living and working in our buildings. Unhealthy buildings may cause headaches, fatigue and depression as well as more severe health problems such as allergies and asthma. Aspects such as fresh air, light and a window view help make it nice to work, study and live in a building. This is also apparent from studies of absenteeism due to sickness among employees in an enterprise.
• Daylight is the primary light source in the Green Lighthouse. Technically, the daylight aspect must be a minimum of 3% for all workplaces and a minimum of 2% for corridors and similar. This means that daylight will be visible from all rooms. Automatic venetian blinds/window blinds are shaped so that they reflect sunlight right into the core of the building.
• Natural building ventilation ensures fresh air. The top-end part of the windows opens and closes automatically to let in fresh air. The heated air rises up through the central atrium and out through the skylight windows. The solutions chosen for heating and cooling help keep a pleasant temperature in the building all year round.
This is how the Green Lighthouse minimises energy consumption
• The base form of the building is cylindrical, ensuring the optimum relationship between minimal surface-area and maximum volume.
• The base form reflects the sun as the dominant energy source in the house, e.g. the venetian blinds in front of the windows adjust themselves in relation to the sun to ensure optimum energy recovery.
• The building is generally cooled through natural ventilation and concrete flooring that absorbs the heat. The natural ventilation derives from the top-end part of the windows, which open automatically to let fresh air into the building without using ventilation machines. The heated air rises up through the central atrium and out through the skylight windows. The skylight windows are also used to cool down the house during the night during the warm part of the year.
• Tight constructions and highly insulated walls and a roof minimise the need for heating. Thermal material will ensure that the house keeps warm during the night.
• Efficient windows with highly insulated window frames and differentiated thermo glass minimise the heat loss and at the same time ensure that the sun heats up the building during winter. Base lighting of the building is carried out with LED lighting, which has a long life and low electricity consumption. The energy for base lighting is supplied by the building itself. A manual has been prepared for the users with instructions on how to use low-energy products.
Renewable energy sources in the Green Lighthouse
• The shape of the roof faces South in order to use the sun as the primary energy source. The roof surface is coated with solar cells and solar heating panels.
• The solar cells generate all the necessary current to operate the pumps, base lighting, heat pumps etc., which are part of the normal operation of the house.
• The solar heat panels create warm utility water and heat for the building. The heat is accumulated so that it can be used in a thermo-active deck on the ground floor which is the only “radiator” in the house during winter, and which can also be used to cool the building during warm summer days. During the summer the panels generate surplus heat for use during the winter.
• The varying intensity of the sun is integrated into the entire energy system of the house. During the summer surplus solar energy is stored underneath the building to be used when the strength of the sun subsides.
Facts about Green Lighthouse
Green Lighthouse is Denmark’s first CO2-neutral public construction work. The house is a 950 m2 round, green building for the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Copenhagen. Green Lighthouse is the students’ house.
Green Lighthouse is the result of a public-private partnership between the University of Copenhagen, the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation, the City of Copenhagen, the VELUX Group and VELFAC.
• Contractor: The Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation
• User: The University of Copenhagen
• Turnkey contractor: Hellerup Byg
• Architect: Christensen og Co. Arkitekter A/S
• Engineer: COWI
• Size: 950 m2
• Year of construction: 2008-2009
More information
At the VELUX website: www.velux.com/modelhome2020, you can read more about Green Lighthouse and the Model Home 2020 concept.
More about experiment # 1 Home for Life
Home for Life was developed by VELUX and VELFAC in cooperation with aart arkitekter and Esbensen Consulting Engineers. Home for Life is the result of an interdisciplinary project to incorporate the issues of energy consumption, comfort and architecture into a holistic entity, with these parameters being mutually complementary and maximising quality of life in the home and the world around it. Home for Life is the first of six buildings in Europe to be constructed by VELUX as part of the Model Home 2020 experiment.
You can read more at www.velux.com/modelhome2020
About Model Home 2020
Model Home 2020 is an experiment launched by VELUX as part of our strategy to contribute actively to the development of future sustainable buildings. This is our vision for how daylight and fresh air can render buildings of the future climate-neutral while providing a good indoor climate and being attractive to reside in. The project supports the ideas of the coming generation within building design – often called “active houses”. The purpose is to create a balance between energy efficiency and an optimum indoor climate by means of a building that dynamically adapts to its surroundings whilst being climate-neutral.
Model Home 2020 covers six out of eight demo-houses financed by VKR Holding A/S; the owner of the VELUX Group VELFAX A/S, Sonnenkraft and a number of other manufacturers of building materials. The two houses in Denmark were constructed by VELUX and VELFAC.
At VELUX we are convinced that experiments are better than a thousand expert opinions. Each house must reflect and take into account different climatic, cultural and architectural conditions in the countries where they are erected. The houses will remain open to the public for 6-12 months after construction, and then sold. They will be tested and monitored to show how the experiments work in practice. The two houses in Denmark – Home for Life in Arhus and Green Lighthouse in Copenhagen – as well as the house in Austria will be finished during 2009, and the houses in the UK, Germany and France will be ready in 2010.
About Green Lighthouse
Experiment # 2 Green Lighthouse
Green Lighthouse was developed by a strategic partnership consisting of the University of Copenhagen, VELUX, VELFAC, the Danish University and Property Agency and the City of Copenhagen. The building was designed by Christensen and Co Architects A/S, with COWI as engineers. The project aims to be CO2-neutral and to experiment with renewable energy applied to an office building. Green Lighthouse is the second of six buildings in Europe to be constructed by VELUX as part of the Model Home 2020 experiment. You can read more at www.velux.com/modelhome2020.
About VELUX
VELUX creates better buildings providing daylight and fresh air through the skylight. The product portfolio contains a wide range of skylight windows etc. as well as solutions for flat roofs. Moreover, VELUX offers many types of decoration and solar screens, venetian blinds, building installations and fittings, remote-control products and thermal solar collectors fitted inside the roof. VELUX, with production companies in 11 countries and sales companies in about 40 countries, is one of the strongest brands globally in the building material industry, selling its products worldwide. About 10,000 people are employed by VELUX, of whom about 2,500 are employed in Denmark. The head office of the VELUX Group is in Horsholm, north of Copenhagen, and in addition the VELUX Group has production, administration and development departments throughout Denmark. The VELUX Group is owned by VKR Holding A/S. VKR Holding A/S is a fund and family-owned limited company.
You can read more at www.velux.com.
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