Sustainability within and without buildings is achieved through the latest technologies, regulation and clever control

Published: 19 March 2015 Category: Technical articles

Many might not wish to hear it, but it is now only too clear that man-made climate change is even now having a clear adverse effect on lives across our world, and until something serious is done about it, this will only get worse. So ‘green’ technologies and sustainable homes are crucial elements in the fight to reduce CO2 emissions to atmosphere. The good news is that such technologies can also save money – lots of it – longer term, and that they represent important new business opportunities for electrical contractors and installers. By James Hunt:

Sustainability within and without buildings is achieved through the latest technologies, regulation and clever control

A commonly used definition of sustainability is ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.

Another is ‘a sustainable future is one in which a healthy environment, economic prosperity and social justice are pursued simultaneously to ensure the well-being and quality of life of present and future generations. Education is crucial to attaining that future’.

In terms of this VoltiTECH, sustainability means sustainable equipment and products that can be fitted and commissioned by electrical contractors and installers into existing buildings or into modern sustainable buildings and related environs. So we are also talking about smart home technologies – which, apart from providing added comfort and convenience – can also provide highly significant energy savings.

In terms of renewable energy technologies, we are talking about energy saving lighting (e.g. LEDs, CFLs and others with modern controlgear and presence detection), advanced electric heating systems that provide heat efficiently only when and where it is needed, solar PV, solar thermal, heat pumps, whole house ventilation systems, fans having advanced energy saving motors, plus wind turbines - and possibly too, microCHP and fuel cell systems.

Excellent thermal insulation should not be forgotten, as is essential to reduce heat loss, as is good building opening sealing to prevent warm air loss.

Such technologies can provide large costs savings to home and building owners, as well as helping to reduce those all-important carbon emissions into the atmosphere, and it is here that electrical contractors and installers can often find new business.

Looking at the crucial issue of man-made climate change, it has become clear that the best way to get the message across to many people is not to bang on about how they are contributing to global warming, rather, how they can save money by reducing their energy consumption. This approach is now starting to work and ever more savvy electrical contractors and installers can see that they need to get the message across, often finding new business opportunities in the process. For example, they can advise their customers on how to reduce their energy consumption, which can add value to a contract.

The regulatory impact

Innovation in energy technologies is essential if the UK is to meet its future climate change goal of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, but so is legislation and regulation. Looking at regulation, all EU member states must follow the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). This requires that:

All properties (homes, commercial and public buildings) must have an Energy Performance Certificate when sold, built or rented
Larger public buildings must display a Display Energy Certificate
All air-conditioning systems over 12kW must be regularly inspected by an Energy Assessor.

Current guidance on meeting the requirements of the directive is available in the series Energy Performance Certificates guidance.

To reduce carbon emissions from buildings, it is required that:

Local planning authorities ensure that new developments are energy efficient
All new homes must be zero carbon from 2016 (extending this to include all other buildings from 2019 is being considered).
The Green Deal should be enabling people to pay for home improvements over time using savings on their regular energy bills (this has been a failure so far)
Better Energy Performance Certificates be provided to make them more informative and user-friendly.

In addition, the Government has introduced the Code for Sustainable Homes, which provides a single national standard for the design and construction of sustainable new homes. Then there is also the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and BREEAM. The latter is the world's foremost environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings, with 425,000 buildings with certified BREEAM assessment ratings and two million registered for assessment since it was first launched in 1990.

Sustainable buildings

In 2009, buildings accounted for about 43% of all the UK’s carbon emissions. Buildings and other developments can also damage the environment, through poor waste management or inefficient use of resources. We therefore need to reduce carbon emissions from buildings and make sure that planning policies help to protect and improve the natural and built environment.

Improving the energy performance of existing buildings is an important way of reducing energy bills, as well as gaining greater energy independence, so Government and private sector organisations are increasingly constructing net zero energy buildings that will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

A sustainable building is a structure that uses processes that are resource-efficient and environmentally responsible throughout its life-cycle - from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and eventual demolition and recycling.

Sustainable building integrates a wide range of practices, techniques and skills to reduce - and ultimately eliminate - the damaging effects of buildings on the environment and human health. Generally, this is achieved by raising energy efficiently using more energy efficient structures and equipment, protecting the occupants' health and improving employee productivity, and by reducing waste volumes, pollution and other environmental degradation.

New technologies are being continuously developed to complement current practices in creating ‘greener’ buildings. The important thing is that such buildings – whether old or new, domestic, commecial or other - are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment.

It is also essential that sustainable buildings get the careful planned maintenance schedules they deserve – otherwise they may not stay ‘sustainable’ for long.

Energy audits are crucial

Before any decision is made by the customer about how best to reduce energy costs, he or she needs to know what the current energy spend is. This can be achieved through metering, energy audits and even just a simple bill analysis. This way, building energy consumption can be determined for various aspects of a building’s energy-using infrastructure, such as lighting, heating, cooking and various devices. This will allow areas where savings could be made to be identified.

Once measured, the right approach to saving energy for the building(s) concerned can be devices. For example, will the simple addition of suitable insulation result in the required savings? It often will.

If more than that is needed, then the choice is between biomass, solar thermal, solar PV, and both air-source and ground-source heat pumps. Small wind turbines might also be considered, but these are not of much use in towns, or where sheltered by trees or other buildings in rural areas.

Once intalled, it will be very important that householders monitor and record their system’s performance using the all-important smart meter. This way, domestic savings could potentially be hundreds of pounds each year. It is here that smart meters will increasingly provide the answer, because they allow users to have an immediate and accurate picture of their energy use. This can be used to encourage changes in energy consumption behaviour, which will be essential.

And finally….

Many Voltimum UK users will now becoming aware of the fast growing ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT). This is an huge topic in its own right and the IoT will have enormous effects on our lives and on businesses. Suffice to say for now, that the IoT has the potential to make even larger energy savings in homes and other buildings, so it is essential to start learning about it now. Voltimum UK has set up a new area for it, which can be accessed at: www.voltimum.co.uk/topic/internet-things

Learn more in the rest of this VoltiTECH and by clicking on the links below.

Links