Burning issue
Pressing targets need a systematic approach
These are challenging times in building services. In January the EU announced a carbon reduction target of 40 per cent by 2030 against 1990 levels, an increase in energy generated by renewable sources by 27 per cent and an ‘indicative’ target of improving energy efficiency by 25 per cent by the same year. This April the amendments to Part L of the Building Regulations come into force, requiring a reduction of carbon emissions for non-domestic buildings by nine per cent compared with 2010 standards, ahead of the zero carbon target for new non-domestic buildings by 2019. The Government has also set the UK a carbon reduction target of 80 per cent by 2050. Mark Northcott tackles the challenges we face
are responsi- ble for over half of the UK’s total carbon emissions, so addressing the design of new buildings and improving the energy efficiency of our existing stock is key to achieving these goals. Yet despite the arrival of new low-carbon and energy-efficient technolo- gies, there are increasing con- cerns about ‘performance gaps’ between how buildings are pre- dicted to perform and the actual results. One way to address this is through smarter, more effective system design. Take heating, for example.
With space and water heating responsible for around 60 per cent of a building’s total energy usage and 40 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions, it is crucial that the heating system operates at its optimum efficiency.
On new build developments, the carbon reduction require- ments are often met with renew- able energy equipment. However, it is essential to factor in at the design stage how the chosen renewable technology will work for a particular building and how it will operate with additional components in the heating system. Renewable equipment such as biomass, solar and heat pumps often require the backup of a boiler to guarantee reliable heat delivery. For this reason, it is advisable to specify where possible the various com- ponents from the same supplier who can provide in-depth knowl- edge of the product range to help ensure that all the components working in tandem will maximise the efficiency of the system as a whole.
10 | March 2014 | HVR
The UK’s high proportion of old, existing building stock arguably represents a greater challenge than new development in terms of carbon reduction. According to the Building Research Establishment (BRE), of the buildings that will be stand- ing in 2050, 60 per cent are
Despite the arrival of new low-carbon technologies there are increasing concerns about perfomance gaps between how buildings are predicted to perform and the actual results
already built while 40 per cent of these will pre-date 1985, the year when Part L regulations were first introduced. So what is the most effective route to achieving sig- nificant savings on our older buildings? For the majority of existing buildings, replacing the existing boiler with a modern condensing boiler is often the only possible solution to cutting energy use and emissions, given the nature of the heating system in place. Certainly, condensing
technology is a cost-effective, tried-and-tested, reliable solution that delivers rapid financial payback. Replacing a 10-15 year- old atmospheric boiler with a modern condensing boiler and the appropriate control is proven to reduce fuel bills by more than half and achieve carbon reductions by as much as 90 per cent. However, here again smarter system design could reap greater efficiency sav- ings: while manufacturers quote impressively high efficiencies of
up to 98 per cent for their prod- ucts, some 90 per cent of the UK’s condensing boilers fail to achieve their maximum combustion effi- ciencies, dropping to the standard 80 per cent, due to the way in which they are installed.
Including an allocation in the boiler plant renewal budget for control upgrades, terminal plant replacement, passive energy sav- ing technologies such as flue gas heat recovery and complementa- ry low to zero carbon technolo
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