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From plant room to payback: a smarter route to sustainable buildings


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Manuel Swärd, export director West Europe at IV Produkt, highlights how one of the most overlooked spaces in a building — the plant room — can offer some of the most profitable sustainability investments


n the current global push towards energy efficiency and sustainability, many of us in the built environment sector find ourselves looking for solar panels, extra insulation and triple- glazed windows. But the smartest place to start looking might be where you least expect it: your plant room. At IV Produkt, we’ve long believed that true


energy efficiency begins from the inside out. And since the early 1990s, we’ve been building on a business idea that today feels more relevant than ever: to develop, manufacture, and deliver environmentally-friendly, energy- efficient air handling units (AHUs). As we work across Europe, the message is clear — replacing older air handling units is not only good for the environment, but also one of the most profitable energy efficiency and sustainability investment a building owner can make. AHU replacements can also help building owners to improve the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of their buildings, something that is becoming increasingly important in the UK.


Millions of buildings, massive potential


In the UK, energy inefficiency remains a pressing issue in the commercial property sector. According to the UK government’s 2024 Non-Domestic National Energy Efficiency Data Framework, around 12% of commercial


buildings in England and Wales have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating below E — making them non-compliant with current leasing regulations. Meanwhile, research by the British Property Federation shows that 83% of commercial properties in major UK cities are rated C or lower, falling short of the proposed minimum EPC standard of B by 2030. These figures highlight a significant challenge — but also a major opportunity. As we often focus on generating new energy, we miss the most immediate and impactful solution: saving it. By replacing old AHUs with modern and efficient units, building owners can reduce their energy usage dramatically — often recouping


investments in as little as 2-5 years, while other sustainability measures, like solar panels, can take 6-10 years to pay back, depending on system size and investment cost. Replacing older AHUs is a faster and smarter route to lower carbon emissions, lower operational costs and a higher property value.


Case study: big impact at Nepia House


One of the most compelling examples we’ve seen recently is the partial upgrade carried out at Nepia House, a three-storey office building in Newcastle Quayside. The existing AHU and


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