Low Carbon Awards The Interview
There needs to be some sort
of public relations campaign on
this. The public needs to know
that getting an A-rated building
is really hard
“There needs to be some sort of public relations
campaign on this,” insists Babcock. “The public needs
to know that getting an A-rated building is really hard.
We’ve put a ‘how to read your DEC’ poster next to our
DECs to try to get our occupants up to speed with the
ratings.”
Babcock also argues that giving buildings that do not
have any energy assessment an automatic G rating is
letting them off the hook. This default rating gives an
efficiency score of 200 but, says Babcock, they should
be getting a 999 “emergency” score.
On the wider industry front, Babcock – who at 33
perhaps still counts as one of the younger generation
of building services engineers – is convinced that key
players can do more to improve the nation’s, and not
just London’s, building stock. “What gets me about the
Building Regulations is all this work has been done
to affect 1 per cent of the building stock, while there
are 22 million buildings out there already [that need to
improve efficiency].”
Babcock’s answer to this lack of activity for existing
buildings is getting both designers and contractors
> “It’s about trying to get [the environmental message] down
The Display Energy Certificate
“on board” to take responsibility for energy efficiency.
to the team level – trying to be as simple and resourceful
on show at TfL’s 25 Eccleston
“Consultants like to lord themselves with their designs,
Place offices means the
as possible, such as giving the environmental champions but unless they show that those designs work in practice
building is running at a good
monthly feedback,” Babcock enthuses. “It’s about us being
level of efficiency, says
and take more responsibility for that energy consumption
as simple and as supportive as possible [with the champions]. Quinten Babcock in practice, we’re barking up the wrong tree.
It’s not their day job, and it is a challenge for them.” “Contractors and facilities managers have to take on
Babcock is also an energy assessor of buildings for TfL
Quinten Babcock
this responsibility too. Good design is needed, but if
and, in this role, he submitted TfL’s winning application people don’t run the buildings afterwards correctly, then
for the CIBSE DEC of the Year Award, which recognises
CV
all the good design in the world won’t save energy.”
the effectiveness of a certificate in actually reducing Likewise, Babcock believes that the government’s
carbon emissions. Babcock points to innovations made 1994-98: BEng (Hons), aim of having zero-carbon new homes in the future is
at two TfL sites in particular, 25 Eccleston Place and
first class, in management
pointless when so much more energy could be saved
with mechanical
Albany House, and speaks proudly of their DEC ratings
and manufacturing
on improving a small percentage of existing stock. It’s
of E and G respectively. engineering quickly apparent, in talking to Babcock, that his zeal
For Babcock, who represented the Greater London
1999-2004: Faber
and passion for reducing energy has proved crucial
Authority on a government forum on the roll-out of Maunsell applied in recruiting that army of volunteer champions that
DECs, there is a danger that people won’t appreciate why
research department
is making such a difference to the carbon footprint of
an E rating for a building is good rather than bad. “Big 2004-06: Career break to TfL’s buildings.
commercial property landowners in London are trying
travel the world
Babcock, who has a baby daughter and is clearly
to benchmark their buildings now [ for future energy 2006: BDP sustainability thinking about the future, confesses that he has another
ratings], and they get very scared when they see figures
team
incentive for driving forward TfL’s energy saving
showing the number of public buildings that have 2007: Environmental strategy. Some years ago, he toured the world for 18
G ratings.
manager, Transport for
months with his wife. So he now feels he owes rather a
London (TfL) group
“The biggest challenge for the industry, when it comes
property team
lot of carbon ‘credits’ to make up for all those air miles –
to DECs, is persuading the public that an F rating is not and his mission to save energy at work must help to ease
2009: Winner of
so bad for an air conditioned building. People are too
Champion of Carbon
his conscience. It seems fair to say that, in winning two
used to having an A-rated fridge, but this does not mean Saving Champions Award CIBSE awards for TfL, he has gone a long way to making
it’s zero carbon, whereas the DEC A rating does allow
and EPC of the Year
amends – as well as setting the professional bar already
Award, both for TfL
for truly zero-carbon buildings. very high for himself. But watch this space. l
38 CIBSE Journal February 2009 www.cibsejournal.com
CIBSEfeb09pp34-38 interview•.indd 38 5/2/09 14:50:58
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