Nearly Zero Carbon-Offset Homes – Stroma Tech

With the Brexit vote almost 3 months behind us, figures from the Office of National Statistics are beginning to show the first signs of its impact upon our economy and employment levels, albeit rather premature. Its effect upon our energy performance policy is yet to be understood as we await confirmation of how targets associated with the European Performance of Building Directive (EPBD) will be affected. However, outside the bounds of the EPBD is The Climate Change Act (2008) which defines the Secretary of State’s obligation to ensure that net UK carbon account for the year 2050 is at least 80% lower than the 1990 baseline. Although uncertainty still surrounds the future of energy policies, these targeted Zero Carbon incentives drive the UK towards an improved standard of energy efficiency.
Zero Carbon – balancing value and cost

In pursuit of reducing our built environment CO2 emissions, there have been a number of developments to Building Regulation Approved Document Part L and various auditing and incentivised savings schemes have been introduced over the past decade. These incremental changes to targeted CO2 savings of new-build projects have brought us ever closer towards achieving a Zero Carbon standard and contributed towards the 2050 goal.
To balance the urgent need for more housing whilst raising performance standards for new buildings, specialist research has been carried out to define the optimal balance between adding value and inevitable costs. Although costs have fallen due to an increased demand for renewable energy technology and a drive in product innovation, case studies show that a more cost-effective and practicable approach to reducing CO2 emissions may lay outside of the site boundary.

London’s Commitment to the Zero Carbon standard

Across London, major building developments have had to comply with relatively difficult CO2 targets beyond those of the Building Regulations since 2010. From 1 October 2016, major new-build residential developments will need to achieve ‘Zero Carbon’, with non-residential to follow suit in 2019. Between the 1 October and the introduction of Zero Carbon, major non-residential developments will still be required to achieve a 35% reduction in CO2 emissions. This has been unaffected by the recent postponement of the national standard and the Written Ministerial Statement limiting performance requirements by local authorities. The London Mayor’s Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) defines the required Zero Carbon standard to achieving at least a 35% reduction in CO2 emissions below the 2013 Part L compliant baseline. Residual regulated CO2 emissions to 100% are to then be off-set via a cash-in-lieu payment to the relevant borough in order for them to secure delivery of CO2 savings elsewhere.

What does this mean to specifications?

The expectation remains that energy strategies will be developed in accordance with the established energy hierarchy; ‘be lean, be clean, be green’. Fabric standards, already pushed through the introduction of Fabric Energy Efficiency requirements, should be maximised whilst ensuring necessary overheating mitigation measures and adequate daylight levels are sustained.

This is followed by an increasing need to investigate opportunities for connecting to existing district heating networks, establishing new or making provisions for a future connection. The London Mayor has outlined the city’s objective to source 25% of the heat and power demand from decentralised systems by 2025. This brings the need to ensure that a development’s pipework infrastructure minimises distribution losses and overheating risks, particularly within enclosed and occupied areas.

Click the link below for page 2.

Author: Beverley Rosso, Senior Sustainability Consultant, Stroma Tech