Major opportunities for contractors
■ The cost of energy is almost certain to rise as world demand increases, sources become more vulnerable to disruption, and carbon price signalling increases. This will further justify investment in energy effi cient and renewable energy technology.
■ There will still be a market for renewable energy installations, both in domestic and non-domestic building.
■ The drive behind energy effi cient and renewables technology is expected to increase, due to major initiatives such as the forthcoming Green Deal.
■ There has never been a better opportunity for contractors to build on their existing skills to develop the ‘green opportunities’ aspects of their services to customers.
rating. Current consultation suggests this should be level C, post-installation of any renewables. The ECA has published guidance notes on energy
effi ciency for commercial and domestic buildings. These can be used to assist you in identifying areas where changes and investment can be made to improve energy effi ciency and save you and your client money. They are arranged in order of increasing cost, where the low cost energy effi ciency improvements are at the start of the list, rising to those installations where costs (and returns) could be high.
Electrical contractors are in an excellent position to take advantage of all these opportunities
a fridge working in reverse. ‘Biomass boilers’ are basically boilers burning wood or other natural products to produce heat and, as a by-product, electricity via a generator.
Energy effi ciency The other big area of opportunity is in energy effi cient installations and equipment. It has long been known that, ideally, you should install energy efficiency measures before any renewable system is installed. It makes economic sense to reduce the use of energy to a minimum before installing renewable energy systems. This goes for any business. Any savings on energy come straight off the bottom line, and investment in effi ciency measures should be compared with other investments required by the business to fi nd which gives the most favourable return. As the price of energy rises the returns become greater, strengthening the argument to reduce your own energy use, as well as offering clients assistance in reducing theirs. It could be that from April 2012 the level of FITs
for PV systems may depend on energy efficiency measures being carried out to bring the building up to an acceptable Energy Performance Certifi cate (EPC)
About the author
Bill Wright Bill Wright is head of Energy Solutions at the ECA. Prior to this, he worked at the John Lewis Partnership in a variety of senior engineering roles, including chief electrical engineer and corporate energy and environment manager. He is a chartered engineer and a Fellow of the IET.
Light work Simple measures such as installing sensors and timers on lighting and heating systems have rapid payback. Changing the lighting system can give benefits way beyond energy reduction, in terms of lighting improvements and colour rendition, as well as a reduction in potential cooling load. The use of CFL installations is now normal practice, but LED lighting is coming along fast, often providing better lighting, less heat output (and hence lower cooling requirements in commercial buildings) and much reduced energy use, with measurable paybacks. Lighting technology is constantly improving, and within a
few years LED luminaires could well become mainstream lighting. Even so, technology moves on apace and already different light sources based on plasma technology are appearing. LEDs are developing to such an extent that soon whole walls will be made to illuminate. Where will lighting be in 2020? Certainly, it will be different for new buildings from where it is now – but there will be a tremendous opportunity to bring existing systems up to the new standards.
Help on hand from the ECA
The ECA’s Energy and Environment team of Paul Reeve, Megan Williams and Bill Wright are ready to help ECA members to develop their business in these increasingly important areas of activity. The ECA runs an Energy Solutions hotline for members, providing expert advice on the practical application of green technology, and members can access the dedicated web area for a wealth of advice and information – including downloads – on green opportunities in the domestic and non-domestic sectors. Members who carry out renewables installation also have free access to the ECA e-forum, which allows real-time questions and answers among members and ECA experts, and keeps members up to date on key policy developments.
22
ECA Today January 2012
SHUTTERSTOCK/CIENPIES DESIGN
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