NEWS UPDATE MINIMUM ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS In Brief


● The UK National Geothermal Centre has been launched to advance geothermal energy and help decarbonise the country’s future energy mix. The Centre aims to accelerate the sector by stimulating and supporting research and innovation, transitioning and developing expertise, and driving the creation of a policy, regulation and investment framework which enables geothermal advancement.


● Net Zero Buildings has partnered with Points4Planet, a social impact organisation, to empower schools to reduce their carbon footprints. The collaboration supports Points4Planet’s goal of enabling over 2,000 schools, local authorities, and businesses to implement effective sustainability measures within a year.


● GTC, the UK’s largest utility infrastructure provider, and Kensa, the Truro based ground source heat pump manufacturer, have formed a partnership to deliver renewable heating to thousands of new build homes. The Networked Ground Source Heat Pump solution is said to offer a clean, efficient, and cost- effective alternative to gas heating, helping developers comply with the Future Homes Standard.


● Energy assessment provider, Elmhurst Energy has launched the first Measured Energy Performance (MEP) training course for energy efficiency professionals. The course aims to deliver vital skills to improve retrofit and heat pump specification accuracy, enabling a more detailed assessment of real energy efficiency in UK homes and buildings.


Enforcement of efficiency standards


Local authorities “need to make the most of the powers they already have” to enforce minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES), the operations director of Climate Emergency UK, Annie Pickering, has said. Since 2018, all private landlords have had ensure that all properties have a valid energy performance certificate (EPC) and that properties cannot be rented out if they are below an E rating. Enforcement powers are held by Council trading standards officers. Speaking at the Local Government


Association Net Zero conference, Pickering revealed that only 87 councils in England and Wales seem to be “actively enforcing” MEES despite “all single tier and district councils having the power to do so”. Stressing she was a renter herself,


she said it was “really important that councils make the most of the existing minimum energy efficiency standards. It is not just about cutting carbon, it is also about cutting bills for those renting such properties. I do think more councils need to make the


most of the powers that they do have available.” She stressed that compliance


enforcement is more likely to happen when one of a Council’s strategic objectives is to deliver an area-wide net zero target. “In our scorecards, we found that just 21% of councils in the UK who have such a local plan have done that work over the last year. So there is room for improvement.” Back in 2020, the Conservative


government had proposed that minimum EPC standards for the private rental sector should be upped to grade C. However, on becoming Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak suddenly scrapped the entire concept of upgrading. The new government is set to reinstate the upgrading, making the higher standards mandatory from 2026.


EPC survey too small to draw conclusions


Consumer group Which? recently garnered many headlines for a press release condemning energy performance certificates, following a survey that the group had undertaken of householders’ experiences with EPCs. The evidence drawn from their survey has led to its


director of advocacy, Rocio Concha , condemning the entire process as “desperately in need of reform”. EPCs, he concluded, are “riddled with inaccuracies, only suggesting costly improvements with long payback periods”. However, closer examination of the details of this


survey reveals that the exercise concerned just 11 homes drawn from the entire UK, and that participants included were all self-selected volunteers. Market Research Society’s guidelines suggest that far more substantial numbers should be checked before any valid conclusions can be drawn.


NHS Trusts struggle to meet


● Registration is now open for the 2024 edition of the Smart Buildings Show. Taking place from 9-10 October at ExCeL London, the free-to-attend show will feature a conference program with over 70 industry-leading speakers, connecting visitors to the latest information and technology in smart buildings.


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net-zero targets Almost a third (29%) of NHS Trusts in England are still not measuring their carbon footprint, despite NHS England’s goal to achieve net-zero for direct emissions by 2040 and an 80% reduction by 2028-2032. This lack of measurement has resulted in one in three (31%) Trusts not having a clear roadmap in place to meet these net-zero targets. This is according to Schneider Electric following a Freedom of Information request, which surveyed 58 Trusts. The FOI data showed that a fifth (19%) of Trusts are still


getting over 90% of their energy from fossil fuels. This is in line with previous NHS data, which revealed that the health service is responsible for around 4% of England’s total carbon footprint and 40% of public sector emissions. However, the data also highlighted some positive


developments. 60% of Trusts have upgraded their building systems in an effort to be more sustainable, and half (48%) have adopted technologies to help them monitor and optimise energy usage. One in five (19%) have started


29%


implementing circular business practices, such as the refurbishment and redistribution of certain medical equipment, like mobility aids. The FOI also reveals that 67% of NHS Trusts


have received some level of funding to spend on decarbonisation, suggesting that further improvements are underway. This funding has primarily been used for installing energy efficient technologies and equipment (40%), upgrading heating, lighting, and ventilation systems (34%), and investing in renewable energy sources (16%).


EIBI | JULY / AUGUST 2024 There are few more universal products around than


EPCs. Currently well over 12 million homes, more than half the buildings in the UK, have a valid EPC. This has provided each of them with a single letter rating between A and G. Together with the EPC rating, each householder also


received detailed advice on cost-effective additional measures that could be introduced. The emphasis upon potential payback periods is cited as a main reason why, according to a government parliamentary answer, no EPC survey has ever recommended the installation of a heat pump. The limitations of Which?’s survey has led many to question whether the organisation can legitimately draw any valid conclusions from it, particularly regarding recommendations for new measures having “long payback times”.


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