ENERGY SAVING
A welcome approach to building certification
Phil Deverick, commercial manager at Fujitsu General Air Conditioning UK takes a look at what the UK could learn from NABERS.
A
s manufacturers, we spend a lot of time and money on the research and development of our products. We are always looking for new ways to improve the
look and feel, the capabilities in terms of design potential, but most importantly some would say, is the innovation that allows us to expand a product’s efficiency. Product efficiency plays such an important role in
reducing the environmental impact it has through its operational life. It also goes a long way to reduce the impact we have on the environment in terms of carbon emissions. Fujitsu General Air Conditioning primarily focuses on
providing a comfortable, sustainable climate in the buildings that we occupy. Advances in the technology available within the industry has moved from load control by means of the of inverter compressors and fans, through to automated refrigerant temperature adjustment that meet the changing requirements of a buildings load exactly. Heat recovery variable refrigerant flow systems are now used to recycle the energy that we would normally lose from a building to atmosphere. They generate heat in some areas of the building by rejecting the heat energy that is absorbed from areas that require cooling. This type of energy saving thought process by energy recovery is common across industry sectors. Ventilation systems use cross flow heat exchangers and thermal wheels, which prevent energy being wasted to atmosphere, and data centres are utilising waste heat energy by generating hot water that we use for washing.
The widespread global interest on environmental issues highlights its importance in all our lives. The built
12 January 2021
environment is always seeking to demonstrate its desire in trying to become net zero carbon. Meaning that the carbon emissions omitted during development, ownership and end of life are equal to, or below zero. Emissions for buildings are reported to account for approximately 34% of total greenhouse gases in the UK. Modelling such as SAP or SBEM provide frameworks aiding design to achieve targets for system efficiency. This a great method to meet legislation and planning directives but what happens once the design has been passed? Who monitors the buildings efficiency, how it is being used and how do we know the efficiency of a building as a prospective tenant? Whilst certifications such as BREEAM or LEED indicate the
building design rating, they do not monitor any operational aspects. The National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) is a simple but reliable sustainability measurement, that can compare buildings across different building sectors in Australia. Operational for 20 years, it has seen its registered building portfolio reduce average energy consumption by 33% over a 10-year period. Through careful management, working examples have shown reductions in energy consumption from 1,078 MJ/ m2 to 36MJ/m2 - a significant saving both financially and environmentally.
NABERS is a simple star rating system, used to help
building owners understand their buildings performs versus other similar buildings. It is applied to existing buildings, using the metering and monitoring of base building energy consumption. This is categorised as heating, ventilation and air conditioning, as well as central services such as
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