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Anyone in charge of running non-domestic buildings can cut costs by cutting energy and water use, and operating in a more sustainable fashion. Whether you’re in charge of a school building, data centre, hospital, leisure centre, office block or national chain of hotels, there’s plenty going on at Greenbuild Expo this year – from guides to the funding available and legislation updates, to case studies of successful carbon-cutting projects and examples of the latest products available.
There will also be a discussion in the Green Deal debate arena on what this government policy means for commercial and non-domestic buildings.
Here’s a selection of the seminars and workshops on offer for those responsible for larger buildings:
The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC) is a mandatory UK-wide trading scheme introduced in April 2010 which targets emissions from large public and private sector organisations. It is designed to drive emissions reductions in the target sectors by incentivising the uptake of cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities through the application of financial and reputational drivers.
This consultation is being undertaken as a result of a broader simplification review and engagement with stakeholders. This consultation document builds on the vision set out in June 2011 and sets out specific proposals to simplify the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme. These proposals take into account feedback from stakeholders on the June publication, feedback from the administrative burden survey and analysis of participant data from reports collected in July 2011.
The consultation document includes proposals which aim to streamline and simplify the scheme to create a new leaner, simplified and refocused CRC. The simplified CRC will deliver its energy efficiency and carbon reduction objectives whilst making compliance easier and less burdensome for participants.
Government is seeking views and evidence from all interested parties.
Measuring construction carbon is the first step to reducing it, as Greenbuild discovers from Martin Brown and Vassos Chrysostomou at ConstructCO2.
Why measure construction carbons?
The construction industry, like any other industry, needs to play its part in minimising the UK’s CO2 emissions and contribute towards carbon reduction targets.
Working in construction for a number of years we are very conscious of paying lip service – saying that we were being green and aware of ecolgical issues – but really construction had not had the opportunity to engage with the carbon debate. The design and consulting side do but rarely the construction side. It’s time for the construction industry to wake up – there are millions of projects taking place in the UK every year. Half of them are not managed or controlled.
Where should companies start?
Although construction companies can assist designers and clients to minimise design and operational CO2 emissions, they should directly contribute in minimising their own construction process CO2 as part of their custainability and corporate social responsibility strategies.
By establishing a ‘minimising carbon’ strategy, contracting teams can address a number of sustainability responsibilities:
Financing body set to incorporate in the next month as backers look to build links with local authorities
A non-for-profit organisation set up by blue-chip firms to offer low-cost loans to fund energy-efficiency improvements will be incorporated next month, providing one of the key foundations for the launch of the government’s Green Deal energy efficiency scheme this autumn.
The Green Deal Finance Company (GDFC) was launched last October as a partnership between 16 companies, including British Gas, E.ON, EDF, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Kingfisher, and PwC, as a means of supporting the government’s flagship policy for improving the energy efficiency of UK homes and offices.
The body aims to pool together loans made to households and businesses under the Green Deal scheme, which are repaid via energy bills, allowing the GDFC to access the capital and bond markets, thus driving down interest on the loans from retail levels of up to 15 per cent to around six per cent.
Speaking to BusinessGreen on the sidelines of an event in London yesterday to promote the Green Deal, Paul Davies, lead partner for the GDFC at PwC, confirmed another four companies have joined the original 16 since its launch and the organisation will now look to formally incorporate in “the next month”.
He added the move to create a legal entity would allow the GDFC to “widen membership [further] and start spending money”.
Organisations looking to maintain their CRC league table ranking by retaining Carbon Trust Standard (CTS) certification will need to increase their reported footprint scope, advises energy and carbon solutions provider Envido.
A number of major organisations affected by the Government’s mandatory CRC Energy Efficiency scheme achieved the Carbon Trust’s certification standard to boost their position in the CRC scheme’s performance league table. However, after an initial two-year ‘grace’ period, they need to re-apply, and are obliged to report an increased range of emissions sources.
Historic business travel, fugitive and, process emissions need to be reported as part of the re-application, explains Envido’s principal carbon analyst, Karimi Gitonga .
“Environmental managers haven’t taken the steps to monitor these additional emissions sources may find it difficult to retain the standard which in turn will impact in their league table performance.”
Here Envido provides some information to support for energy managers who need to manage their organisations Carbon Trust Standard recertification and advice where no action has been made to reduce these emissions sources or if they haven’t been monitored at all:
Consider your options
Climate Change Minister Greg Barker has launched a partnership to ensure the UK has the right skills to implement the Green Deal, the Government’s flagship policy to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. The Green Deal aims to enable private firms to offer consumers energy improvements to their homes, communities and businesses at no upfront cost and recoup payments as a change in instalments on the energy bill.
The Green Deal Skills Alliance (GDSA) is working to create new training and accreditation for the energy assessment, advice and installation workforce — the people who will carry out the improvements. The GDSA is made up of three Sector Skills Councils — Asset Skills, Construction Skills and SummitSkills.
During the consultation on the Green Deal by the Department of Energy & Climate Change, which closed on 18 January, concerns were expressed about ensuring its effectiveness.
The Royal Institute for British Architects raised concerns that significant obstacles need to be resolved for the scheme to work in practice. In its response to the consultation, RIBA stressed the need for an integrated approach to the installation of energy-efficiency measures, which will require Green Deal project managers.
RIBA also believes that Green Deal funding must be delivered in ways to maximise initial take-up and that create solutions to incentivise long-term take-up. The institute also stresses the need for performance targets and monitoring, particularly around carbon emissions, to ensure it delivers.
Publication of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme performance league table at the beginning of November has resulted in an abundance of commentary all positively contributing to the debate on carbon policy and legislation, but what can be learnt from the league table? Frances Darton and Lucy d’Arville, from Achilles carbonReduction, investigate.
In terms of quantifying performance, 40% failed to take any recognised early actions to cut emissions and improve their league table position. Estimates put the revenue generation from the first sale of emissions allowances in Spring 2012 at £734m, and overall the public sector were ranked more highly than the private sector.
However, what does this actually tell us about the contribution that UK organisations are making to help meet greenhouse gas targets as laid out in the 2008 Climate Change Act? Despite widespread criticism of the league table, its publication has generated debate and analysis into the performance of UK Plc in working to reduce emissions. There is also now a considerable focus on carbon legislation and assessing the benefit versus burden of reporting an organisation’s carbon emissions.
Scotland may have to spend up to £11 billion to achieve its ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the country’s Auditor General
An Audit Scotland report published last week, Reducing Scottish greenhouse gas emissions, looks at the Scottish Government’s plans to reduce emissions by 42 per cent by 2020, compared with 1990.
According to the report, this target is far more ambitious than UK and European Union goals, and the Scottish Government is dependent on action by others to achieve it.
The government’s plans include action to reduce emissions from vehicles, improve the energy efficiency of homes and buildings, and increase the rate of tree planting. In some cases, the plans will require changes in the attitudes and behaviour of the public. Others require action by the EU and the UK government, as only around a third of planned reductions come from policies solely under the Scottish Government’s control.
Auditor General for Scotland Robert Black said:“The Scottish Parliament has set ambitious targets to reduce Scottish greenhouse gas emissions. To meet the 2020 target new policies will need to be delivered successfully, especially in transport. The challenges will be that much greater over the next few years when the pressures on Scotland’s public sector finances are likely to increase.”