NEWS
New strategy must tackle old problems
The new Industrial Strategy for Construction, launched in July by Business Secretary Vince Cable, will only achieve its aims if it tackles deep-seated structural problems in the industry, says the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group. The strategy aims to achieve
a 33% reduction in capital and whole-life running costs of buildings; a 50% reduction in the time taken from inception to completion for new build and refurbished projects; and a 50% cut in greenhouse gas emissions – all by 2025. It is also intended to develop
a co-ordinated approach to engaging young people; consider a process to identify specifi c areas where regulatory risk is creating concern to the construction industry; develop a business case for how to remove bureaucracy from the construction procurement process by adopting standard Pre Qualifi cation Questionnaires and applying them through the supply chain; and develop a construction-specifi c approach to the prompt payment code. ‘The strategy is about
transforming our levels of performance with high-end skills, innovation and use of digital technologies, but to achieve this it also requires that we ditch decades of outdated and wasteful practices,’ said SEC Group chairman Trevor Hursthouse.
UK and Europe growth subdued
UK and Europe will experience just 2.7% growth in building and infrastructure over the next decade, according to a study by the consultancy EC Harris. Produced in conjunction with
the Centre for Economic and Business Research, the Global Built Asset Wealth Index quantifi es the accumulated wealth of 30 countries’ built assets as an indicator of economic health and growth potential. China is set to become the
wealthiest built asset nation next year – overtaking the US. View the full report at
www.echarris.com
10 CIBSE Journal August 2013
Investors promised big returns on energy efficiency projects
£100m fund is backed by government and city fi rm
A £100m fund has been launched to invest in energy effi ciency projects promising healthy returns for private investors within fi ve years. Backed by City fi rm Sustainable Development Capital (SDCL) and the Government’s Green Investment Bank, the new fund is seeking energy demand and cost-reduction projects in UK non-domestic buildings, industrial facilities and infrastructure. The backers told a high profi le launch at the Royal Institution that energy effi ciency offered lucrative returns for private investors, but
that renewables were less attractive because of ‘regulatory risks’ and uncertainty over subsidies. The BRE is providing technical support to the fund by carrying out energy assessments to establish the savings possible and post- occupancy evaluations to measure improvements. It will certifi cate that the running costs of the building have been reduced, which ‘will improve the value of the asset’. ‘Our job is to provide hard evidence to help minimise the risk involved for the investors in these projects,’ said Rufus Logan, chief executive of BRE Scotland. The partners are particularly interested in building retrofi ts that include upgrading lighting, heating,
ventilation and air-conditioning equipment and the use of voltage optimisation. They also actively promote combined heat and power (CHP) in larger projects and are looking for opportunities in district heating and heat networks. The fund will offer up to 100% of the cost of projects, typically around £2m. Jonathan Maxwell, of SDCL, said opportunities to make money from energy effi ciency schemes would increase dramatically.
‘Ofgem has told us that there will not be enough energy at peak times from 2015 and from 2018 you will not be able to let a building below a certain energy rating, which means every F and G rated building will have to be retrofi tted.
LATEST LONDON AIRPORT PROPOSAL TAXIS FOR TAKE-OFF
Gensler is behind the latest design for an airport in the Thames estuary. Britannia Airport is among the proposals submitted to the Airport Commission, which is assessing the future of Britain’s aviation strategy. Testrad, the backer of the hub airport, said the six runways would be able to handle 172m passengers a year.
FETA furious at F-Gas ‘horse-trading’
The Environment Committee (ENVI) of the European Parliament (EP) has been accused of exploiting a loophole to deny MEPs the chance to infl uence ‘extreme proposals to amend the F Gas Regulation’. Cedric Sloan, director general of the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA), said the committee had ‘to its great shame side-stepped the normal process’ by voting to give its rapporteur a mandate to begin immediate negotiations with the European Council. FETA believes MEPs should have been allowed an open discussion on the amendments. ‘Effectively, this gives the rapporteur carte blanche to horse trade with member states behind closed doors,’ said Sloan. ‘He will be armed with a range of unpalatable measures, such as banning HFC refrigerants in air conditioning from 2020.
‘This callous act of political expediency should be seen in the context of a desire by Brussels to attend the Montreal Protocol meeting in November with a severe European agreement to phase down HFCs – in the mistaken belief that other nations would follow their ill-advised lead.’
He added that the owners, operators and users of HFC-based refrigeration and air conditioning equipment would be forced to ‘pay the price of this political folly’. The body that represents European contractors said that it was not surprised by the committee’s decision. ‘We are more disappointed with the attitude of some council members who can’t seem to understand that there is a real opportunity to close the loophole that allows uncertifi ed installers to continue installing small split systems,’ said Graeme Fox, president of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration European Association.
www.cibsejournal.com
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