OPINION: REGULATIONS
DEALING OUT IMPROVEMENTS
The government aims to promote upgrades to existing buildings through the Green Deal, which is being introduced in the new Energy Bill. Hywel Davies looks at the implications of the plan
If we really want to reduce carbon emissions from our
existing buildings, they need to be a whole lot more energy efficient. The coalition government recognises this and has adopted a policy first envisaged under the previous government to drive the energy refurbishment market. The idea is simple: buildings can be refurbished to use less energy; and savings made on energy bills can pay for the energy efficiency measures over time. Originally called ‘pay as you
save’, the scheme is now the Green Deal, which is expected to come into effect in October 2012. It is being introduced via the Energy Bill currently going through parliament. The Bill is due to become law this autumn. Initially intended for home energy
efficiency improvements costing a few thousand pounds, the Green Deal incarnation of the policy is now open to domestic and non- domestic buildings; and, as long as the measures can be funded from reduced energy bills there is no limit on the costs. The money will come from Green Deal ‘providers’ who will help to deliver energy efficiency upgrades. The fundamental tenet of the
Green Deal is that measures installed
Transitional arrangements deadline soon
Time is running out to start work on projects under the ‘transitional arrangements’ for the Building Regulations and Approved Documents (ADs). These arrangements allow for the use of the 2006 editions of ADs L, F, and J. These provisions change on 1 October, so any scheme for which an Initial Notice was not served and the works commenced on site by 30 September will have to work to the 2010 regulations and ADs.
are paid for through a charge on the electricity meter, which must not exceed the anticipated savings due to the measures – known as the ‘golden rule’. The current proposal is for SAP and SBEM, the software used to calculate asset ratings for energy performance certificates, to be developed to calculate the anticipated savings, and to test whether any proposed measures will meet the rule. Anyone who
wants a Green Deal package to fund improvements will require an assessment by an independent accredited assessor, who will determine the current performance of the building and then assess the anticipated savings from the proposed measures. There is concern
that, as currently proposed, the assessment will not take any account of the occupant’s operational energy use. There is also some discussion about adopting a simpler approach for non-domestic buildings, whereby a specific package of measures, such as a lighting refurbishment, or renewal of a heating system, which can be shown to meet the golden rule, may be permitted without undertaking a full SBEM analysis. This would certainly reduce the costs of the assessment. Assessors will already be energy assessors, but will require further competences to carry out Green Deal assessments. It is not yet clear how those competences will be
14 CIBSE Journal August 2011
The fundamental tenet of the Green Deal is that measures installed are paid for through a charge on the electricity meter, which must not exceed the anticipated savings due to the measures
assessed. Energy assessors can either obtain an NVQ, or be accredited on the basis of prior experience. The Department of Energy and Climate Change is currently consulting on the arrangements for Green Deal assessors, and it is not yet clear whether the prior-experience route will be open. Since consulting engineers have professional qualifications, and have been assessing buildings, devising refurbishment schemes and advising clients on the costs and savings those schemes will deliver, it would be strange to require them to obtain a further NVQ to allow them to do this for the Green Deal. CIBSE is currently in discussion with DECC about these proposals. Once a package of measures has been
tested against the golden rule, then an accredited installer must install the measures. Installers will have to be accredited, and will be required to work to a Publicly Available Specification, or PAS, which is being developed by BSI to provide a specification for the installation of energy efficiency improvements in existing buildings. This is due to be consulted on shortly, with a draft for consultation expected in August. Arrangements for the accreditation of the installers are also under development.
l Hywel Davies is technical director of CIBSE
www.cibsejournal.com
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