FEATURE ENERGY MANAGEMENT THE NO STRESS GUIDE TO MEES
The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for non-domestic buildings come at a turbulent time for the UK. Here Stephen Booth, building services and industry sales manager at Xylem UK, cuts through the issues to take a look at MEES and what landlords can do to meet these standards
For systems older than 25 years, it is
often recommended to replace ageing or inadequate features, which may not reap the full benefits of retrofitted technologies. By conducting an energy audit before committing to an EPC assessment, you can target the areas of your systems that need replacing or enhancing, which will allow you to meet or exceed an E rating for your building. A simple way to help improve the
T
he phrase “government introduces new legislation” can strike fear into
the hearts of even the most stoic of landlords, particularly if that legislation carries hefty penalties for non- compliance. It’s understandable, then, that the new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards ( MEES), which were designed to provide a clear and consistent message on minimum standards for non-domestic buildings, have got many landlords talking. Non-domestic buildings have come
under particular scrutiny recently as being responsible for 12 per cent of the UK’s emissions. To give this some context, transport as a whole was responsible for 24 per cent, according to a 2015 report by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. A disproportionate number of these buildings are also holding inadequate ratings for their energy performance, with around one in five currently operating with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of F or G. This is largely due to ageing buildings using inefficient or inadequate heating and water systems. Under the MEES, all non- domestic buildings will soon be required to hold no less than an E rating for their EPC certificate.
6 WINTER 2017 | ENERGY MANAGEMENT An Energy Performance Certificate is a
rating given by an accredited energy assessor based on a building’s construction, type and relevant fittings, such as heating, insulation or double glazing. An EPC assessment doesn’t discriminate between new and old equipment, but rather evaluates how much each system costs to run. EPCs are important because they allow
prospective tenants to gain an idea of the general running costs of the property, and every landlord of a non- domestic building needs to supply one.
MEETING THE MINIMUM As a landlord requesting an EPC assessment can be costly and time- consuming, and it’s often hard to predict what kind of rating your property will receive. Therefore, you should consider conducting a full energy audit before applying for an EPC assessment. This will allow you to analyse your systems from the inside out and see what’s working, and what’s letting the side down, in order to meet the E rating, or above. Each building is judged on its own
merits, but for systems under 25 years old, improving your EPC rating could be as simple as retrofitting existing systems with efficiency-enhancing technology.
Figure 1: By partnering with an expert in heating and water systems, such as Xylem, you can feel confident that this piece of government legislation will benefit both you and your tenants in the long- term
efficiency of your building is to retrofit it with variable speed drives (VSD) such as Lowara’s Hydrovar. Most water and heating systems currently work with fixed speed technology. This means that the system runs at one consistent level whenever it is used, no matter what it is being used for. This is particularly problematic for non-domestic buildings. For example, one person using the shower on the fourth floor in a building with no VSD, will use as much energy as ten people on each floor where a VSD has been fitted.
CAN I BE EXEMPT FROM MEES? There are five cases where landlords and their buildings may be exempt from MEES. First, the landlord must be able to show that any changes needed in order for the systems to meet the required efficiency would result in excessively high costs. They may also be exempt if these changes will negatively impact the value of the property, or if they could damage the structure of the building. Landlords can also apply for exemption if they have been unable to receive any required consent from third parties, such as their tenants, although they must be able to show that reasonable efforts have been made to try and achieve consent. Finally, new landlords will have a six-month respite before they are required to meet MEES. If landlords meet any of these criteria,
they will be added to an exemption database. However, be aware that any meaningful changes to your tenants or the structure of your building may require you to file for exemption again.
Xylem
www.xylem.com T: 0115 940 0111
/ ENERGYMANAGEMENT
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
