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Institutions will need to devise,
monitor and report on targets in accordance with specifi c Carbon Management Plans, which must be signed off by the governing body. Sustainability issues can be factored
into decisions regarding mat ers such as transport planning and the procurement of day-to-day goods and services, but one of the principal ways in which to address climate change is through energy effi cient buildings. This is a priority as it is estimated that the construction, occupancy and operation of buildings is responsible for 50% of the UK's total carbon dioxide emissions. The ways in which a building
is constructed, insulated, heated and ventilated all contribute to its carbon emissions. Reducing energy consumption in buildings therefore plays an important role in the sector's bat le against climate change. There is a clear opportunity to use the built environment to address part of the carbon question. A building's carbon footprint can be
addressed relatively easily when it is a new build project. A new building can include modern construction techniques and materials, energy effi cient lighting and heating and its own onsite energy centre (using, for example, biomass boilers). However, the elephant in the room
is how to deal with existing building stock and infrastructure, particularly given that it is estimated that 66% of the buildings in the UK that will be standing in 2050 have already been built. How best to deal with an existing building that may be at risk of becoming obsolete from a green point of view (so called 'sustainable obsolescence')? A building's energy effi ciency
performance can be improved in all sorts of ways, often without signifi cant
ABOUT JASON
Jason Prosser is a partner in the Energy
expenditure, including passive heating, cooling and ventilation strategies, maximising daylight and minimising artifi cial light and zoning and controlling services installations. Non- technical solutions include reducing energy demand and encouraging behavioural change. There are also options which are more expensive, such as ground source and air source heat pumps, solar PV and solar thermal technologies, as well as wind turbines. It's normally bet er to reduce energy
usage before generating more energy. This could be done, for example, by replacing older boilers and insulating buildings properly before adding solar panels or wind turbines. Research has suggested that the
main factors that aff ect the long-term viability of an asset and its potential for obsolescence include fl oor-to-ceiling heights, whether a building has listed status, the size, shape and fl exibility of its fl oor plates and the effi ciency of the mechanical and electrical installations. There is also a strategic decision for
institutions in pro-actively reviewing property within their portfolios and whether it is bet er to improve an existing building, convert it, replace it or dispose of it. In practice, HE institutions are
addressing the refurbishment of buildings in diff erent ways. Some are using the opportunities available through HEFCE's Revolving Green Fund. This provides recoverable grants for projects to assist with managing energy consumption and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which are then repayable through the energy savings that are made. Since 2008, the fund has allocated
more than £60m to various universities. In the third and latest round, £21m
was allocated to 43 universities, funding 37 small-scale programmes and 10 large projects. LED lighting was the most popular
type of project, followed by pipework insulation. Other projects included the provision of a combined heat and power (CHP) system, small scale hydropower and the complete fabric and services refurbishment of various 1960s buildings. The projects undertaken in the third round of the fund are set to reduce carbon emissions by around 20,000 tonnes per annum. Another approach for retrofi t projects
is to appoint an Energy Services Company (ESCo) to assist in achieving carbon reductions. The ESCo will review the existing buildings in a property portfolio and recommend various energy effi ciency measures. The ESCo guarantees a set level of energy savings to be achieved during the period of the arrangement if the recommended measures are implemented by the ESCo. Accordingly, the risk associated with the delivery of energy savings is passed onto the ESCo rather than the institution and the savings achieved repay the upfront cost of the works over a fi xed period of time. An ESCo can be appointed though an
existing procurement framework such as RE:FIT (primarily used by London-based institutions but available, in principle, across the country) or appointed directly by an HE institution following an appropriate procurement process. Many institutions have adopted
BREEAM as a framework to ensure the sustainability of both their new build and refurbishment programmes. BREEAM is recommended in the CRTS as it delivers a strict set of criteria for the environmental assessment of university buildings. BREEAM assesses the environmental impact on areas including energy, transport, water, waste, land use, ecology and pollution of the construction works. The widespread adoption of BREEAM refl ects the dramatic reduction in running costs that can be achieved. HEFCE is commit ed to collecting and
Jason Prosser
publishing carbon data from the various institutions and will report annually as to the progress made against the sector level targets. There is undoubtedly an opportunity for institutions to look again at their Carbon Management Plans and their estates as a whole to ensure that all practical steps are being taken to ensure long-term sustainability. UB
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