BUILDING PERFORMANCE 2 SCHOOLS
measuring what they were intended to and are hooked up to the BMS, is a rarity. For services to appear via the system interface and be properly profiled is almost unheard of. It would undoubtedly help if building log book requirements were adhered to and the specialists carrying out the commissioning were more involved in the training of facilities managers. However, most school staff are unprepared for managing a building with complex interdependent services, or even for procuring adequate facilities management services robustly. This is why there is so much enthusiasm for the UBT/BSRIA Soft Landings scheme in education buildings by the POE- savvy – they know that occupant engagement is key to low carbon operation. In some of the mechanically ventilated buildings, heating systems were fighting cooling systems, and summer and winter profiles and setpoints were programmed incorrectly. Sub-metering can be a quagmire. Although the research team managed to reconcile sub-meters with main meters in the buildings that Aedas has studied, many BPE participants have a story to tell about metering. When it is in place and it is working, it is remarkable because problems are so much quicker to diagnose; but getting to that point seems to be an industry-wide challenge. So what early conclusions could we draw about possible remedies?
Conclusions The BPE process is not without its risks but the rewards in terms of learning and insight are tremendous. Most of the issues highlighted are complex and are not routinely addressed
already because they require collaboration across contractual boundaries or lack a clear line of responsibility and incentives. Interestingly many of the BPE explorations
are led by architects who in theory have little to do with the energy consumption of buildings. Yet this is a major concern for the profession and not just because of climate change concerns. What is confirmed by these studies is that there is much more to achieving a low-carbon operation than what compliance requires in terms of building services and fabric standards. Commissioning and training has been a recurring theme along with occupant engagement and better risk
The more data there is about the gap between compliance and actual performance, the more the appetite will grow for robust predictions
management up front. The question is how to build this into the construction process without over-burdening design teams with further regulation? In addition to compliance, the tackling
of operational energy use collaboratively must be the way forward. But who is to take responsibility for this in a live project environment in which everyone is concerned about liability? The hope is that the more detailed data there are in the public domain about the gap between compliance and actual performance (see CarbonBuzz) the more the
appetite will grow for more robust predictions – using compliance calculations only will eventually become the riskier option. In the meantime some forward-looking
local authorities have already started targeting DEC ratings for refurbishments and new-build. This transforms the risk- management process: all of a sudden, detailed energy predictions are performed; design measures that contribute to energy targets are ringfenced from value engineering; contractors’ energy related performance indicators are tied to financial incentives; and specifications are scrutinised to a whole new depth. As part of this process the client also takes early ownership of the risks that operational and occupancy factors present to low-energy operation. If this approach proves successful it might
just mean that project teams will be able to set more realistic expectations and design buildings and systems that are resilient to occupants and their long-term needs. In the meantime more pilots are required to put this approach to the test. Aedas is barely halfway through the BPE
programme, so the findings thus far are very much preliminary. But judging from the feedback from early Building Use Surveys occupants seem mostly delighted with the architecture of the buildings but tend to find building systems frustrating. This seems to indicate that buildings
can still function satisfactorily despite the excessive energy consumption and related comfort and usability issues. Yet energy consumption is critical and not just because in some cases the savings could pay for extra teachers. Climate change is part of the school curriculum, and a building communicates more about responsibility to the next generation than many structured lessons. It is encouraging to see that in conjunction with the BPE studies, most of the schools have embarked on the Eco-Schools programme, engaged in switch-off campaigns and have undertaken remedial action since the start of the monitoring. As to the future of post-occupancy
evaluations – all eyes are on Soft Landings and carbon tracking being incorporated in government contracts and BREEAM. Controversial or common sense? CJ
l JUDIT KIMPIAN is a director at Aedas and the CarbonBuzz project. ESFANDIAR BURMAN is an EngD student at UCL. The academies BPE projects were led by Dan Rigamonti, and the schools projects by Sophie Chisholm and Judit Kimpian. The BPE project evaluator is Roderic Bunn. The leader of the TSB BPE programme is Dr Kerry Mashford, lead technologist at the Technology Strategy Board
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CIBSE Journal March 2012
www.cibsejournal.com
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