News
Energy group threatens to take legal
action over ‘omission’ in Part L 2010
n
An energy group has document. Instituting CI would
threatened the government mean that all homeowners who
with legal action for abuse of power planned to carry out substantial
Shutterstock
if ministers refuse to consult on refurbishments to their properties
the question of consequential would be required to make energy
improvements (CI) in the efficient improvements to other
planned revisions to the Building parts of their buildings too.
Regulations. Currently only properties larger
The Association for the than 1,000 sq m are subject to the
Conservation of Energy (ACE) regulation.
has written to two government In the letter, Andrew Warren,
departments asking for CI to be director of ACE, says: “We were
reinstated into the consultation on both surprised and shocked to see
Part L 2010 of the regulations, or for that the issue of ‘consequential
a separate consultation to be held. improvements’ had been removed
ACE says it has been advised by from the issues officially covered
lawyers that it has a “good arguable by the consultation. This is despite failure of DCLG to consult on the currently considering ACE’s letter,
case” for taking the government repeated promises being given that matter was “quite extraordinary”. however we remain committed
to court for abuse of power after it it would be included. ACE has also requested to see to zero carbon new homes and to
broke its promises to consult on CI. “I am informed that this issue the original economic impact a range of policies for improving
A consultation on CI was first was in the draft circulated within assessment for Part L 2010 under the energy efficiency of existing
Home extensions would be affected by the CI proposal pledged earlier this year in DECC’s Whitehall, and approved by your the Freedom of Information Act buildings.
Heat and Energy Saving Strategy, fellow Secretaries of State, until after statements by the government “We are continuing to consider
and it was widely expected to appear the very last minute when it was said the decision on CI was on the full range of options including
in DCLG’s consultation on Part L removed by your Minister of State.” grounds of cost-effectiveness. regulation and will set out our
2010, but was left out of the final Warren told the Journal that the A DCLG spokesman said: “We are approach later.”
Construction workloads continue to show fall
A construction market survey has surveyors reported a fall in overall through into new projects in first three months of 2009, and 28
found that workloads across the workloads, up from a net balance of education and other areas. per cent in the second quarter.
sector have continued to fall except minus 45 in the first quarter. The private housing sector was The worst hit areas were the
in the non-housing public sector. The RICS construction market also more positive than in recent private commercial sector and
The report by the Royal Institution survey also found, however, that months, seeing a significant the private industrial sector, which
of Chartered Surveyors revealed that workloads in non-housing public reduction in falling workloads. recorded negative net balances of 41
construction workloads remained sector construction reached their In the final quarter of last year, per cent and 39 per cent respectively.
in negative territory for the fifth most positive level since the fourth 66 per cent more surveyors were It is anticipated, however,
consecutive quarter. quarter of 2007, as the increases reporting a fall in workloads. This that more redundancies will be
Twenty-six per cent more in state spending started to filter figure lessened to 49 per cent in the announced this year.
BREEAM ‘promotes’
Sign up to 100 Hours of carbon cutting
EIB building
CIBSE’s fourth annual 100 Hours Organisations of any size and
The European Investment Bank’s of Carbon Clean-Up campaign will budget can sign up and take part in
new East building has had its green officially launch on 3 September at carbon reduction activities to try to
credentials upgraded following a Whitechapel Gallery, London. make energy efficiency second nature.
post-construction assessment in 2009. It aims to bring energy saving For the past three years hundreds of
Environmental building assessors measures into the workplace and to UK organisations, including the Natural
BREEAM (BRE Environmental engage employees in reducing the History Museum, Cancer Research UK
Assessment Method) originally gave amount of carbon emitted by their and BBC Wales, have taken part.
the wave-shaped building, designed buildings. All participants have to do is Previous participant Simon Grinter,
by Ingenhoven Architekten, a “Very commit to 100 hours of cutting carbon head of facilities’ services at the Greater
Good” rating because of its design, but in their workplace. London Authority, said: “Our home is
it has now been ranked “Excellent”. The During the launch speakers will an efficient iconic building, yet we were
building has a surface area of 72,500 include Tom Whitehouse, chief able to improve our DEC rating and
sq m spread over 10 stories, and an executive of Carbon International, and moved from an ‘E’ to a ‘D’ in our recent
11,000 sq m doubled layer glass façade. Andrew Stanton, head of sustainable assessment.”
buildings at TfL (Transport for London). www.100hours.co.uk
6 CIBSE Journal September 2009 www.cibsejournal.com
CIBSEsep09 pp06-07 news.indd 6 21/8/09 14:26:45
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